Monday, December 2, 2013

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot


She's just a New York City girl living with her artist mom... News Flash: Dad is prince of Genovia. (So that's why a limo meets her at the airport! Downer: Dad can't have any more kids. (So no heir to the throne.) Shock of the Century: Like it or not, Mia Thermopolis is prime princess material. Mia must take princess lessons from her dreaded grandmére, the dowager princess of Genovia, who thinks Mia has a thing or two to learn before she steps up to the throne. Well, her father can lecture her until he's royal-blue in the face about her princessly duty--no way is she moving to Genovia and leaving Manhattan behind. But what's a girl to do when her name is Princess Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo?

Okay, okay, okay. I know I haven't posted a book review in ages. I've been busy, finals are coming up. Bite me. 

I actually started reading this book while trying out a service called Oyster, which is basically the Netflix for books. Kind of like that thing called the library, except you pay $9.95 a month to read a smaller selection of books. I don't recommend it. 

Anyway, this book was a delightful surprise. I had always heard that Meg Cabot was one of those sassy authors with a knack for teen voice. It's totally true. 

Mia was such a hilarious character, even more so than she is in the movie (in which Anne Hathaway worked her magic). She reminds me of everything I was when I was a freshman in high school: hopelessly "in love" with a senior, whiney about everything, and in a constant annoyed mood with grandmothers and their pretentious, better-than-you attitudes. The only difference is that Mia Thermopolis is a princess, and I'm just your average book reviewer. But other than that tiny detail, she gave me nostalgia as I read through her "diary." 

The plot wasn't anything too spectacular in the beginning. Just a normal girl turning into a princess. We've all seen the film. But what the movie leaves out (from what I can remember of it) is the self-realization that Mia goes through when she realizes the boy of her dreams isn't what he seems. I know this is a middle school-level read, but the deepness of the last few scenes really stuck with me. 

I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a cute, funny, and overall fantastic light read. 

I gave it 4/5 stars, because I did enjoy it, but again, it was just something to hold me over until I could decide whether or not to keep using the service Oyster.

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