Geekerella
Ashley Poston
2017
The Summary
"Anything can happen once upon a con...
"When geek girl Elle Wittimer seeks a cosplay contest sponsored by the producers of Starfield, she has to enter. First prize is an invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmidor in the reboot. Elle's been scraping together tips from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck behind her stepmother's back, and winning this contest could be her ticket out once and for all--not to mention a fangirl's dream come true.
"Teen actor Darien Freeman is less than thrilled about this years ExcelsiCon. He used to live for conventions, but now they're nothing but jaw-aching photo sessions and awkward meet-and-greets. Playing Federation Prince Carmindor is all he's ever wanted, but the diehard Starfield fandom has already dismissed him as just another heartthrob. As ExcelsiCon draws near, closet nerd Darien feels more and more like a fake--until he meets a girl who shows him otherwise.
"Part romance, part love letter to nerd culture, and all totally adorbs, Geekerella is a fairy tale for anyone who believes in the magic of fandom."
The Good
I have always loved Cinderella stories. I love the happy endings and the romance, and I love the new and inventive ways authors manages to retell Cinderella's story. However, I'm also a big fan of retellings where the heroine does something unexpected: she saves herself.
I always love a story where the main female character has a plan to save herself. For Elle, it's college on the opposite side of the country; however, when the opportunity arises to go to ExcelsiCon (the convention her father created), she decides to take the leap and live a dream. She's terrified, but she doesn't let that stand in her way--which I enjoyed.
Elle is a girl who is caught in a very bad situation. Her stepmother--or Stepmonster, as she's appropriately named--has ruled her life since Elle's father passed away. She's manipulative, controlling, and, sometimes, just plain cruel. (I hated her, by the way. It doesn't take much, because she is not a lovable character. And neither is her daughter.)
Elle, for the most part, manages to make the best out of a bad situation. She disobeys the Stepmonster in subtle ways, and then outright challenges her. She holds tight to her father's memory, his traditions, his fandom, and she takes a leap of faith to reach ExcelsiCon where she discovers her world is complete.
It's really a lovely story.
It's sometimes difficult to read, simply because the Stepmonster and Elle's stepsister are so very horrible; however, it's a fun, romantic and nerdy read. I liked the friendships Elle built along the way, and I even liked Darien. It was interesting to see how their lives intersected and how their shared adoration of Starfield becomes the focal point of their budding relationship.
Overall, I enjoyed Geekerella and I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good fairy tale retelling.
I have always loved Cinderella stories. I love the happy endings and the romance, and I love the new and inventive ways authors manages to retell Cinderella's story. However, I'm also a big fan of retellings where the heroine does something unexpected: she saves herself.
I always love a story where the main female character has a plan to save herself. For Elle, it's college on the opposite side of the country; however, when the opportunity arises to go to ExcelsiCon (the convention her father created), she decides to take the leap and live a dream. She's terrified, but she doesn't let that stand in her way--which I enjoyed.
Elle is a girl who is caught in a very bad situation. Her stepmother--or Stepmonster, as she's appropriately named--has ruled her life since Elle's father passed away. She's manipulative, controlling, and, sometimes, just plain cruel. (I hated her, by the way. It doesn't take much, because she is not a lovable character. And neither is her daughter.)
Elle, for the most part, manages to make the best out of a bad situation. She disobeys the Stepmonster in subtle ways, and then outright challenges her. She holds tight to her father's memory, his traditions, his fandom, and she takes a leap of faith to reach ExcelsiCon where she discovers her world is complete.
It's really a lovely story.
It's sometimes difficult to read, simply because the Stepmonster and Elle's stepsister are so very horrible; however, it's a fun, romantic and nerdy read. I liked the friendships Elle built along the way, and I even liked Darien. It was interesting to see how their lives intersected and how their shared adoration of Starfield becomes the focal point of their budding relationship.
Overall, I enjoyed Geekerella and I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good fairy tale retelling.
The Bad
Geekerella had a few errors (some books do), but it wasn't anything that detracted from the novel overall. If I have one complaint, though, I suppose it would be that I grew tired of switching between character chapters. I like Darien and Elle and, I think, Geekerella wouldn't have been the same without them both narrating the story.
However, I am not a fan of the dueling first-person narratives. If I'm going to have more than one character at a time, I like for it to be third-person omniscient. First-person point of view is for single narrators. Anything else just doesn't feel quite right to me.
Geekerella had a few errors (some books do), but it wasn't anything that detracted from the novel overall. If I have one complaint, though, I suppose it would be that I grew tired of switching between character chapters. I like Darien and Elle and, I think, Geekerella wouldn't have been the same without them both narrating the story.
However, I am not a fan of the dueling first-person narratives. If I'm going to have more than one character at a time, I like for it to be third-person omniscient. First-person point of view is for single narrators. Anything else just doesn't feel quite right to me.
The Ugly
The Stepmonster.
The Stepmonster.
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