The Princess Protection Program by Alex LondonMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
I'm rounding down on this book, just because it felt very disjointed because I could not figure out the target audience. It is the story of Rosamund (aka Sleeping Beauty) who objects to being woken up by a random prince by a kiss she did not want. That, of course, makes sense. She "escapes" by running through a magical door, and finds herself at the Home Educational Academy, a sort of Princess Protection Program, where erstwhile fairytale princesses (and one prince) learn about the real world in an attempt to protect themselves from the non-agency and lack of choice they had in their fairy tales.
The issue I ran into again and again in this book was that the writing felt superficial and lacked depth. But that would be expected if the book was targeted for 5-7 graders and was focusing more on action. But then again, the action lagged. And then much of the subject matter would have seemed more appropriate for an older audience (consent or lack-thereof, identity, romantic relationships, etc.). So this felt like a very bad book written for high schoolers.
As a librarian, I know I have some patrons who will like this book. But it won't be my sophisticated readers who expect action along with world-building, good pacing, or well-fleshed out characters. If I'd read it before I bought it, I wouldn't have wasted my money. I hope this is not the beginning of a series.
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