Double Review: Royal Wedding - Meg Cabot

Royal Wedding
Meg Cabot 
Series: The Princess Diaries, #11
Genre: Young Adult/New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

!!!!!!!!!!!! I had the pleasure of meeting Meg Cabot at BEA 2015 and it was quite an adventure (I mistakenly thought Dave Baldacci was her, you can read all about it in our BEA recap posts and look on in jealousy at my picture with Meg). Thanks to BEA and Meg Cabot for my copy of Royal Wedding!

Quick anecdote: when I was in middle school I used to volunteer at my local library over the summers as a "summer reading buddy assistant." My job was to watch the table and let people sign in on the book available, and on a good day, hand out bookmarks. Needless to say, it was a very thankless and quite frankly, really boring job. However, I was only supposed to leave my post during break times, so I got reallly into the shelf of books I was stationed next to -- it just happened to be the shelf of all of Meg Cabot's books. So sixth-grade-Amrutha hopped right on the Princess Diary train (I had already seen the first movie at this point), along with other iconic books of hers. When thinking of the authors that really shaped my childhood reading experience, Meg Cabot is one of them, so, this goes without saying, I loved this book too.

As Royal Wedding implies, Mia is getting married! This is the same Mia Thermopolis from the very first book, and she's back now as a 26 year old engaged (to Michael!!) princess ready to take on random political drama and obviously even more family drama on top of that. I just want to say how honestly happy I am that Mia is really similar to her character in the other books, but that she talks about how her teenage self had flaws, and showed normal character development for a someone who went from teen to adult. I was really afraid that Mia would either be completely different or exactly the same, but Cabot accomplished a happy medium that I'm mostly on board with. I thought some of her reactions were overly reminiscent of her teenage self -- I should hope 26 year olds have a little more chill than 16 year olds. I thought all the characters I grew up with (Michael, Grandmere, etc) all kept the same charms that I remembered them with but grew in their own rights (again though, not as much as desired).

Here's the deal -- there's no real way of going into this book without spoiling a lot of it, and I just don't want to do that because I can't do justice to the story the way the royalty of YA can. I will say this though: the new character that's introduced? (Once you read it, it'll become clear who I'm talking about) I thought that introduction and Mia's reaction were both really tacky and not well done at all, and thats where the book lost most of its points with me. This book had a couple questionable plot points and lacked /some/ of the sparkly romance flashy flash that I wanted from it, but all in all, still really good. This book is just a really light, breezy read and I got through it really quickly. While I feel like I enjoyed it way more because of the backstory and my personal attachment to these characters, I do think you could read the book as a standalone (especially if you know some backstory), mostly because this is branded as an adult book as opposed to YA. However, even though the characters do have some growth with age, its not enough to say that I think this book is an adult book, I think its just YA with adult-aged characters.

- Amrutha
 

Noor's Review

Rating: 3.75 out of 5 Stars

When I met Meg Cabot at BEA, she was wearing a tiara and the second I noticed that detail everything in my life felt fulfilled. As someone who owns a tiara (that I believe to very beautiful) and likes to break it out as frequently as possible -- it was a very popular choice of headwear on the days near my birthday -- I felt a strong connection to her. Like Amrutha, I was very familiar with the Meg Cabot shelf of the library, although unlike Amrutha, I was not bound there through a job. Anyway, I was super excited for this book ended up finding it adorable and lovely.

Something I'd like to point out is that it you can definitely read this book without being caught up with all the books in the series. I'm personally someone who would just read everything but to each their own so if the idea of 11 books seems daunting you only really need the backstory so if you watch the movies and read it, or read the first one or two and then read Royal Wedding, you'll definitely keep up. Like Amrutha said, the book works as a standalone if you understand the backstory, which was nice because it's definitely been a very long time since the last time I read a Princess Diaries book so I'm glad it didn't rely on remembering super insignificant details from random books in the middle of the series.

One of my favorite parts of the book was Mia's voice. It was more refined, her being 26 and all, but still retained her original charm. It was so interesting to see the shift from 14 year old Mia freaking out about finding out she's a princess and 26 year old Mia and the way she handled freaking out about things like getting married, political turmoil in Genovia and nearby countries, and some family troubles. She was much more composed and -- in her terms -- "self-actualized." For instance, before Michael was proposing to her, she was worried about his behavior, but quickly dismissed it by realizing it was highly unlikely he was breaking up with her and that he would most likely not have spent so much money to do so (they were partaking in birthday celebrations) and so she "squashed that thought." Of course, sometimes she got a bit obsessive about things, like her rating on RateTheRoyals.com or her eye twitch that may or may not have been existent. I loved the way this nature added to her character. She was also hella politically correct all the time which was amusing to read and something I liked about her character.

Anyway, like Amrutha said, most of the major plot points are also major spoilers, besides the whole wedding thing which is kind of a given. I thought Mia's internal reaction to the other big thing that happened besides the wedding was a bit over-the-top and then her actual handling of the situation was kindof unrealistic. Also, I'm not sure how to explain this, because my issue isn't that things worked out too smoothly because in this type of book you kindof expect -- and want -- the happy ending, but the way they were smoothed over, if that makes sense?

My only other grievance, which is pretty minor, is that I wish there was more of Lilly Moscovitz, Mia's best friend and my favorite character. I just love her stubborn, abrasive personality and I wish there was more of her in the book considering how close of a bond her and Mia are supposed to have -- not that that bond seems weakened here, just that there's less of her character. The parts she's present in, she'd written fabulously.

In fact, all of the writing is spot on and all of the characters are developed wonderfully. Michael is gracious and charming and swoon-worthy, while Mia's rotating casts of both philanthropist friends and royal staff all offer gems of advice, quotes, and complaints as the book progresses.

All in all, I definitely loved the book. It was such a fun book to read and the issues I had with it weren't enough to take away from the experience as a whole and to stop me from enjoying the quirks of the story. I would definitely recommend the book, to both fans of the whole series and to those who have only seen the movies, it's guaranteed to be amusing and entertaining to all parties. (I agree with the majority opinion, though, it's definitely a YA book -- at most New Adult -- definitely not the Adult book it's being marketed as.)

- Noor

When was the last time you felt like royalty?
Let us know in the comments!

Triple ARC Review: Messenger of Fear - Michael Grant

Messenger of Fear
Michael Grant
Series: Messenger of Fear #1
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Release Date: September 23rd, 2014
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Word Rating: More or Less Traumatizing.
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Kayla sucks eggs.

This novel is just . . . wow. It blew my mind.

It's hard to describe something when it's so completely brisk and fresh.

As far as I can tell, Messenger of Fear is a meditation on the morality of just punishment wrapped in a loose narrative. For me it's hard to contain it in the word "novel" . . . it's more of an exploration.

What I mean by this is best described along with the book itself. The narrative is about Mara Todd, a girl who, in the first few pages has lost nearly all of her memories and meets an enigmatic stranger called Messenger. Mara must journey with the Messenger because of something that's happened to her, maybe something she's done, but she can't remember. She is taken to see people die in various ways, wrought from fear and mistake, meeting interesting characters like the sexy, disruptive Oriax and the even more mysterious Daniel. And all of this is written so naturally, so well, it seems as though it is meant to be completely secondary. Mara is written without memories and thus acts as a more or less regular human with predictable responses -- she is written to be an objective, detached narrator, at least at the start. And the other characters give us nothing about themselves. Oriax? Nothing, except that she works for a higher power and she knows Messenger. Daniel? Pretty much nothing at all, that guy is an enigma wrapped in enigmas. Even Messenger, who Mara spends nearly all of her time with, gives us only tiny fragments into his life and the mythology of the books: there was a girl in his life called Ariadne, he is repenting for some mistakes, etc.

That isn't to say the characters have no depth. Mara and Messenger are fleshed out emotionally and developmentally, but Grant does not give us a lot of time and concrete backstory to understand them -- indeed, the minor characters like Samantha Early are fleshed out than Mara. What I loved was the precision to which this was done -- it's much easier to try to write a full, rich character with lots of details. That's what most people are like in the real world. But Grant has to work almost entirely on the present events of the novel to provide an objective platform, and it works and that's just amazing, I've literally never seen anything like it in YA fiction.

If that's not enough, the humor, the wit, the beautiful descriptions, and the genuine terror and apprehension of Michael Grant books is readily available here!

SO JUST BUY THIS BOOK. READ IT. GODAMN.

- Marlon

Noor's Messenger of Fear Review
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Word Rating: Haunting 

After receiving a signed ARC of Messenger of Fear at BEA, I knew it was at the top of the list of books I wanted to read this summer. Now that I've read it, I can say that it definitely does not disappoint and is honestly such a new and fresh book that I can barely string together the words to describe how I feel about it.

Okay, I don't even know where to begin. The whole concept of the book was so interesting and I really enjoyed the way it was executed. The Messenger of Fear visits those who have done wicked things and offers them a game. If they win, they walk free. If they don't play or they lose, they face their biggest fear and then eventually do get to walk free because, you know, he's not a reaper or anything and can't go around killing people who bully classmates or hit animals with their cars. And Mara, the protagonist, wakes up in the field with no memories and finds out she is now his apprentice and is training to herself be the Messenger of Fear.

I just thought the whole idea of it was something that hadn't really been done, especially in this way before. And then Michael Grant introduced more characters from Messenger's world, such as Oriax, who is mysterious, sultry, seems pretty manipulative, and always appears at the most climactic moments of Mara's journey. There's also Daniel, who seems to know everything and generally be present when all the major stuff is happening. There's a very interesting dynamic between the "real" world and the one involving the mythology of the book and I liked how the characters all had their own stake in the situation and their own part to play in the outcome. I especially liked Oriax, she was honestly one of my favorite characters. I thought she was so entertaining and I loved the mystery that surrounded her, even at the end, when we came a bit closer to finding out who exactly the Messenger and his associates are. Although, I thought she'd try harder to get Mara to join her side, whatever exactly that encompasses. Messenger himself was done very well. He was very drawn into himself and stoic, and possessed quite a bit of mystery. From the fact that touching him is a huge no to the woman he's in love with and searching for, he is a puzzling character and one that I found myself wanting to explore more.

Mara was a very interesting character as well and it was fascinating to see her develop and to see which aspects of her personality would prevail when she had no memories of her life to base herself off of. As the book progresses, the Messenger slowly reveals more and more of her memories to her, eventually revealing everything by the end, which has this big twist that isn't rocket science or anything, but not, in my opinion, too plainly and obviously there for the reader to guess. It's hinted at in a few ways but they're pretty subtle and the impact of the revelation still gave me chills even though I had a pretty strong idea of what was to come. The big scene where it all comes crashing down on her was done so well that I don't think it matters whether or not you figured out the twist.

A lot of the appeal for this book has to do with Michael Grant's writing itself. His prose is so fluid and refined, it just made the words so digestible that I finished this book in one sitting even though I had told myself "Oh, I'm just going to read a few chapters and then go do something productive." Every description is done so well and when he writes about the way the Messenger feels the pain of every one of their "victims" I feel it too, and can feel sympathy and emotions towards a character whose identity I barely know and who has shown very few bits of himself.

I feel like there's a lot to say about this book that I can't encompass in a review and just need to tell you to read it. I love the writing and I love characterization, and I love the direction he plot goes and watching them take the people through the trials and would definitely recommend this book. My only qualm is that I wish some things were a little more elaborated on, and that the book just needed to be longer in general. For example, at the end, Grant tries to explain some more of the mythology behind the characters but it opens up all new questions and the book would generally just do better with more details and explanations. I know a lot of it is supposed to remain a mystery but some of it isn't and those parts could use a little more explanation. However, besides that one thing, I found everything else about this book to be phenomenal and I hope to read more of Michael Grant's works in the future.

                                                                                                -Noor

Amrutha's Messenger of Fear Review
Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
Word Rating: Enticing 

Before standing in line for Messenger of Fear at BEA 2014, I had never read a Michael Grant book, nor had I any idea of the premise of this novel. But, while standing in a crazy long line (only good/really famous authors have lines like this), I got really into the premise of this book, which Noor and Marlon have both explained, involves Mara and the Messenger. 

The concept and realm of the Messenger of Fear was so interesting to me, and I feel like it was executed phenomenally. Although I did not like how I didn't have a huge backstory on Mara, I did understand how it was necessary to the plot of her waking up in a field with no recollection of how she got there. It also upset me a little that there wasn't a lot of backstory about most of the characters, especially about the Messenger himself. As someone who is unendingly nosy and just incredibly curious about other people's lives, I really wanted to know the backstory of these characters. Mara, the Messenger, and the other major characters in the novel were incredibly rich in terms of description and emotional depth, which just made me want the back story that much more. 

I agree with Noor about Oriax, who also does not have any real backstory, but is super awesome and is probably my favorite character from the book altogether. Oriax is another reason I wish I could've known more about the background of her character other than job working under some higher power. She was, like Noor said, super intriguing with her mystery and I really wanted to continue reading the book for her.

Speaking of mystery, I just want to say the climax/mystery/twist part of this book was executed flawlessly. Sometimes, with a twist that is sometimes guessable (to the right reader) it is hard to pull off a twist ending that everyone will enjoy reading. The ending was easily the best part of this book, climaxing with an interesting bang that is a good read even if one guessed what was going to happen. 

Just a general note about the writing in this book: it's phenomenal and clever and all around provides for a great story. The real lack for me was just the lack of background description which I so crave. This book is a def. recommended novel for everyone who likes to read a book that is good from start to finish. 

-Amrutha

If you could keep one memory if you were in Mara's position, what would it be, and why?
Let us know in the comments!

Release Day Review: Wild Cards - Simone Elkeles

Wild Cards
Simone Elkeles
Series: Wild Cards, #1
Genre: Young Adult, Romance
Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
Word Rating: Meh
On Goodreads

As I have mentioned before, I am a diehard romantic. I was immediately excited by the prospect of Wild Cards as it promises plot twists in its title – and it came through. Wild Cards is filled unexpected turns that flowed together into a fantastic book. Despite the fact that the way it was written was mediocre, the plot was phenomenal, as were the characters.

The book alternates between the two main characters’ points of view: Ashtyn Parker and Derek Fitzpatrick. I liked Ashtyn from the beginning: she was just voted captain of her football team, where she is the only girl. Not only is she sufficiently modest, she is also courageous, and takes on the challenge of leading a team without self doubt. She even tries her hardest to make things right with her boyfriend, Landon, who is the team quarterback and was expected to get captain. She did everything right while Derek, the other half of the dynamic duo, begins the novel by getting kicked out of his high school in California. They’re staged to be opposites, and of course, they clash.

Derek is the stepson of Brandi, who is Ashtyn’s older sister (yes, this means our two main characters are technically family: Ashtyn is Derek’s step-aunt). They remind me a lot of the Disney show Life with Derek, and not only because of the lead male’s name. Instead, Ashtyn and Derek seem to share the same chemistry Casey and Derek did on the show – although both pairs are related through marriage, they both possess the spark of an OTP relationship. Dasey has finally met its Deshtyn.

Since the Ashtyn and Derek first meet (in a pretty surprising turn of events actually) they butt heads. They argue incessantly and make jibes at each other every which way, but in a way that’s really cute. Unfortunately, this is where the writing style takes the hit – Elkeles had the opportunity to make their banter a lot funnier than it was. The beautiful thing is though, through their banter, we get to see how both Derek and Ashtyn are three dimensional. Ashtyn is not only the fearless football captain we meet in the first few chapters: she is also an insecure girlfriend, a loving daughter and aunt, and a lonely teenager. She has her flaws, and Derek brings out both the best and worst in her, and vice versa. Other than being the bad boy who gets expelled from school, we learn a lot about Derek – we learn of his loyalty, his unwavering love for his mother, his need to protect those around him, as well as his regular horny teenage boy mentality. They are both casted as sensitive teenagers who are completely realistic, and honestly, that is what makes the story so great in my eyes.

Because there are so many plot twists in this book, I’ll end this review without giving much away. This book is one I would certainly recommend – I will be waiting eagerly for the next book in this series, as I can’t wait to see where Deshtyn goes next.

- Amrutha

How do you feel about step family romantic relationships?

Let us know in the comments!

Release Day Review: The Returned - Jason Mott

The Returned
Jason Mott 
Series: N/A
Genre: Adult Fiction, Dystopian
Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
Word Rating: Passable
On Goodreads

I’m one of those people who carry a book around in her purse – if you do this too, then this is the book for you. The Returned is interesting enough that you can pick up and read it whenever you want, but also flat enough that you can put it down when you need to do something. This book was better than average, but it wasn’t good enough to warrant a 4 star rating.

Brief summary: These two delightful parents, Lucille and Harold lost their son in 66. Years after his death, their son returns – alive and well, the same age he was when he died. However, this wasn’t just a special circumstance. This was happening around the globe, and everyone was receiving their lost loved ones back. The premise of this results in a wild dystopia, and the idea of this was unique and I was so intrigued by it. Unfortunately, every time I’m intrigued by the premise of a book, I end up being disappointed. However, this time around, Mott did better than expected, and I was pretty excited to read it.

So these people who’ve returned from the dead are not only un-aged, but they are confused as well. They don’t know what happened and are being treated as third rate citizens. One of the cool parts of the book was that Mott tried to tell us of the dystopian society from many different people, including the undead. However, this is where the book lost points with me – although it was a fascinating idea to write in different POVs, it made the book kind of flat – I was interested in some of the secondary characters, but I never got close enough to them to truly care about them.

The characters we mainly follow however, Lucille, Harold, and Jacob, their son, are warm and loving. Although there isn’t much growth in the characters (huge pet peeve of mine), Mott made them fairly average characters. By this I mean, I never really felt their pain as I did the other Returned. The others that had come back from the dead had rather interesting stories and I actually teared up at one or two of them. Sadly though, Mott didn’t tell me more about them so instead I got stuck with Lucille, Harold and Jacob.

The other unfortunate thing (I’ll stop being so negative soon I swear) is that the main reason I read the book, the interesting plot, seems to be hidden behind backstories of the Returned. The intellectual stuff that really intrigued me was blended into the background, which makes me sad :’( Come on Jason, you could’ve done better.

Otherwise, this book was fairly good. The concept of the Returned along with the Bureau’s actions to deal with the problem was very interesting. It wasn’t action packed, but it did have many touches of sadness and emotion that is hard to find. By the end of the book I was reminded of how much I truly love my friends and family, and to remind them of such. If you’re ever looking for a book to read on the way to work or during the ten minutes after a test, this would definitely be it.

On a side note, if you enjoy The Returned, you may want to check out the short stories: The First, The Sparrow, and The Choice.

- Amrutha

How would you react if your dead loved ones were returned to you?

Let us know in the comments!