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psychotherabee's review against another edition
3.0
(A copy of this review can also be found here: https://beautifulilies.wordpress.com/2018/05/24/undercover-princess-by-connie-glynn/)
A copy of this novel was given in exchange for an honest review.
This book has been such a delight to read for several reasons, all of which will be explored in this review that will hopefully leave you, the reader, convinced that you have to read Undercover Princess.
Let’s start with Lottie Pumpkin – yes, her name is ridiculous, yes, she does know it, and yes, she’s very sensitive about it. Well, Lottie is just about sensitive when it comes to everything and anything, which, in an era of “strong female protagonists” telling other girls they have to “man up”, is quite refreshing. Lottie’s greatest strength, aside from being brave, being kind, and being unstoppable, is that she is perceptive and so in touch with her emotions – very unusual for a teenager. Having a likeable protagonist who is a breath of fresh air is so important, and Connie Glynn nails this one.
Then we’ve got Ellie, who so perfectly complements Lottie, and, if we’re being frank, is everything Lottie isn’t. Ellie is wild, she is daring, and she turns Lottie’s whole world upside down. I loved reading about a rebel with a cause, which is exactly what Ellie is. So for readers who like their fair share of badass female characters, I present to you the Crown Princess of Maradover, Ellie Wolfson.
Rosewood is also fascinating. It gave me Hogwarts vibes – a boarding school with three houses that each student must take an aptitude test in order to find out which house they belong to. There is, of course, inter-house competition, and for this book at least, you have your Draco Malfoy and his cronies. Then there’s the mystery of William Tufty, the founder of Rosewood – like the brilliant author she is, Glynn manages to sow enough seeds for a sequel, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it when it comes out!
The only reason this highly re-readable book is a three star instead of a five is partly because of the mild queer-baiting, which I’m hoping will still be picked up in later book(s). You’ll know what I mean when you read the book. There’s also a problem with mischaracterisation, particularly with the introduction of Ellie – it just seems that characters are frequently OOC to suit whatever drama Glynn chooses for the sake of having drama, but this book really doesn’t need it.
The final thing that put me off this wonderful book that was otherwise a delight to read is, even now, I struggle to tell if the book is satirical or genuine. For example, the Princess of Maradova, Ellie Wolfson, disguised herself as… Ellie Wolf. This is addressed in the book, but as I said before, it’s difficult to tell if it’s in satire or if the other characters are genuinely dense. I’ve been left with the same feeling a few times throughout reading the novel, which makes the writing seem somewhat clumsy.
Otherwise, this book was intriguing and difficult to put down! I would definitely recommend it to people who are into princesses, fairy tales, and are looking for a very light read. Have you read this book? Do you have any thoughts you’d like to share? Let me know in the comments!
A copy of this novel was given in exchange for an honest review.
This book has been such a delight to read for several reasons, all of which will be explored in this review that will hopefully leave you, the reader, convinced that you have to read Undercover Princess.
Let’s start with Lottie Pumpkin – yes, her name is ridiculous, yes, she does know it, and yes, she’s very sensitive about it. Well, Lottie is just about sensitive when it comes to everything and anything, which, in an era of “strong female protagonists” telling other girls they have to “man up”, is quite refreshing. Lottie’s greatest strength, aside from being brave, being kind, and being unstoppable, is that she is perceptive and so in touch with her emotions – very unusual for a teenager. Having a likeable protagonist who is a breath of fresh air is so important, and Connie Glynn nails this one.
Then we’ve got Ellie, who so perfectly complements Lottie, and, if we’re being frank, is everything Lottie isn’t. Ellie is wild, she is daring, and she turns Lottie’s whole world upside down. I loved reading about a rebel with a cause, which is exactly what Ellie is. So for readers who like their fair share of badass female characters, I present to you the Crown Princess of Maradover, Ellie Wolfson.
Rosewood is also fascinating. It gave me Hogwarts vibes – a boarding school with three houses that each student must take an aptitude test in order to find out which house they belong to. There is, of course, inter-house competition, and for this book at least, you have your Draco Malfoy and his cronies. Then there’s the mystery of William Tufty, the founder of Rosewood – like the brilliant author she is, Glynn manages to sow enough seeds for a sequel, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it when it comes out!
The only reason this highly re-readable book is a three star instead of a five is partly because of the mild queer-baiting, which I’m hoping will still be picked up in later book(s). You’ll know what I mean when you read the book. There’s also a problem with mischaracterisation, particularly with the introduction of Ellie – it just seems that characters are frequently OOC to suit whatever drama Glynn chooses for the sake of having drama, but this book really doesn’t need it.
The final thing that put me off this wonderful book that was otherwise a delight to read is, even now, I struggle to tell if the book is satirical or genuine. For example, the Princess of Maradova, Ellie Wolfson, disguised herself as… Ellie Wolf. This is addressed in the book, but as I said before, it’s difficult to tell if it’s in satire or if the other characters are genuinely dense. I’ve been left with the same feeling a few times throughout reading the novel, which makes the writing seem somewhat clumsy.
Otherwise, this book was intriguing and difficult to put down! I would definitely recommend it to people who are into princesses, fairy tales, and are looking for a very light read. Have you read this book? Do you have any thoughts you’d like to share? Let me know in the comments!
eileenrwerst's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
timvindigni's review against another edition
4.0
This was a buddy read and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Lottie and Ellie. I just wish there were more classes. Also certain situations felt really rushed. But overall really really fun and I will continue with the series!
poisonpotato's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I enjoyed this book. At first I only really enjoyed the writing style. I found the whole super achieving person goes to a school with ridiculously rich children uncomfortable- from an this is not aspirational or is it necessary good to have teens read about highly achieving children, who simply need to study hard enough to get exceptional grades and also happen to have ludicrously wealthy parents- but once I shut off my socialist/critical brain I did enjoy the story, characters and writing.
The writing reminded me of classic children’s literature authors like j.m.Barrie.
It wasn’t until the last few chapters that I really felt engaged - the plot started to pick up - so I knew I was going to read the next book.
The characters were fun and like the hints at possible queer relationships in future books.
The hints of magic makes this feel less grounded in reality which helps the earlier mentioned critical brain.
Would recommend if you want an easy, story with intrigue, diverse characters and a teen setting.
The writing reminded me of classic children’s literature authors like j.m.Barrie.
It wasn’t until the last few chapters that I really felt engaged - the plot started to pick up - so I knew I was going to read the next book.
The characters were fun and like the hints at possible queer relationships in future books.
The hints of magic makes this feel less grounded in reality which helps the earlier mentioned critical brain.
Would recommend if you want an easy, story with intrigue, diverse characters and a teen setting.
dinnureads's review against another edition
4.0
Princess diaries meets Harry Potter :D A school full of rich and powerful children who go there at the age of 11 and are put into 3 different houses (sounds familiar?). I mostly liked the story but some of the actions of the characters were random. Ellie is a bit too reckless and Lottie too naive for my taste but Jamie was interesting. The age class of this book is also confusing. The characters are 14-15 years old and thus it feels to fit both into YA and middle grade genre. There is a little bit of romance (a loooot of mixed signals on boy-girl, girl-boy and girl-girl line) but at the same time they are a bit too childish to actually make anything happen...
dinnureads's review
4.0
I have read the book once before in Estonian but I liked it better this time in English. I am still not sure whether to consider it a middle grade or YA novel because the characters were 14-15 years old and the story had the characteristics for both genre. There were very mixed signals between some of the main characters (both in boy vs girl and girl vs girl relationships) so perhaps more a YA novel?
arsmagicalibrorum's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
karolina_bookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
calliekav's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
i really, really, really enjoyed this book. i thought it was amazing and i can’t wait to read the rest of the series!