This companion book to Prince Charming was just as adorable, if not more. It had two sarcastic and witty bad-ass main characters, a swoon-worthy enemies-to-lovers sapphic romance and hilarious class and culture clashes.

Texan girl Millie Quint takes the chance to leave her broken heart behind when she gets a scholarship for a posh Scottish boarding school. What she didn’t expect though was to share rooms with a real princess. One that is spoilt, high-key and totally reckless. But the loathing and mutual dislike soon turns into a friendship and something more…

I absolutely loved the witty banter and the way Mille stood up to Flora and was (almost) completely unimpressed with her royal heritage. I also loved the queer perspective as an antipole to all ordinary stories with the common girl falling for the handsome prince. It all felt very fresh, yet sweet and heartwarming.

Millie’s and Flora’s journey from enemy roommates to friends and more was very well executed. It was slow burn and actually quite realistic (despite the fact that there are no royals in Scotland…) and I rooted so much for both Millie and Flora, and Millie’s new friends at school. It was also great to get to meet the characters from the first book again, especially Daisy and Miles. (Her Royal Highness is a companion book, not really a sequel, to Prince Charming and works fine as a standalone though. The minor parts referring to events in the first book are so well explained that you understand them perfectly anyway.)

My main problem though, and the reason for giving this book four stars instead of five, was the disappointing ending. The ending was way too fast and cringy, and what’s more, it felt like a complete rip-off of the ending of the movie The Prince and Me.

But that set aside, I adored this queer feel-good book with great characters and a charming, fast-paced and addictive story. It was full of humor, witty conversations, hilarious situations and a super-sweet yet believable sapphic romance. All in all, a royally fun read! 

Rating:
4 stars

Get your own copy:
Bookshop.org
Amazon
Book Depository

This was such an adorable read! I binge-read this cutie, so smitten by the wonderful characters and fun and charming story. This story had all the things I love the most; a sarcastic and witty bad-ass main character, royals, fake-dating leading to a swoon-worthy adorable romance and wonderful friends and family.

The story follows sixteen-year-old American Daisy Winters, who gets her life turned upside down when her elder sister gets engaged to the Crown Prince of Scotland. Suddenly all of Daisy’s plans are replaced by a Summer to be spent in Scotland with her sister and her royal in-laws and, not to mention, the Royal Wreckers, the Crown Prince’s roguish younger brother’s hilarious friends, under the scrutiny of the Queen herself and the tabloids. After an incident that might cause a royal scandal, Daisy is forced to take part in a fake-dating scheme with Miles, one of the Royal Wreckers. But spending time with stiff Miles turns out not to be as awful as Daisy first anticipates…

I absolutely loved the main character Daisy! I loved her wit and humor and how she never took sh*t from anyone, not even the Queen herself. I loved how witty and badass she was, but also with flaws like a real teenager, and how she could never stop herself from making the most inappropriate jokes and comments. Her attempts to navigate all dos and don’ts in the posh palace surroundings were just hilarious! I also loved how this book was not just a feel-good story, but dealing with problems like being out-shone by your sister, dragged into a life in the spotlight against your will, having your prom photos sold to tabloids by your ex-boyfriend, and (for Miles) having to always cover for your friend since your whole future depended on his family’s support.

My only complaint really is that the story was set in Scotland, without the author clearly having any real knowledge about Scotland. At all. There were so many mistakes and false facts that it got a bit too much. Especially when it affected the story a such; for example, one major thing in the story happened because of the problems to pay medical bills, which doesn’t make sense at all in a Scottish context. Instead of annoying the readers, it would have been much better to simply invent a completely new country (hello Genova!). As an author you are allowed to do that, but you are not really allowed to just be lazy and not bother to learn the basics about the real countries you are writing about.

But that set aside, this book was the ultimate feel-good book with great characters and a charming, fast-paced and addictive story. It was full of humor, witty conversations, hilarious situations and amazing friendships. And the best dad in literature! Seriously, Daisy’s dad slash former rock star was just the sweetest, most hilarious dad I’ve ever met in any book! All in all, Prince Charming was the best kind of light-hearted, easy and utterly charming contemporary stories that put a smile on my face the entire time I read it. It was, simply put, a royally fun read (pun intended…)! Can’t wait to continue this series with the companion book Her Royal Highness about the Crown Prince’s younger queer sister Flora.

Rating:
4 stars

Get your own copy:
Bookshop.org
Amazon
Book Depository

Spell Bound is the third and final book in the witty and magical Hex Hall series about Sophie Mercer, a 16 year old witch, who is sent to a reform school for delinquent “Prodigium” (witches, shapeshifters and fairies). I really loved the first two books, and even though there is a lot of Harry Potter/Hogwarts and Vampire Academy vibes, the world of Hex Hall still comes out as new and unique. 

Sadly though, this third book wasn’t quite as good as the other two. It was definitely still a funny book, but there was so much going on that the humor didn’t flow quite as smoothly. All in all, it was an okay conclusion to the series, but the start was a bit boring and I didn’t particularly enjoy the Brannicks parts. And there is one twist in the story that really upset me. I won’t say anything more in detail as to not spoil anything, but it really felt unfair to one of the characters and made a lot of the previous plot feel somewhat unnecessary.

But even though Spell Bound was never as good as the second book, Demonglass, I still enjoyed it and recommend anyone who is a fan of Hex Hall to read it. And overall, I really loved this cute, fun and fast paced fantasy series with its sassy heroine!

Rating:
3 stars

Get your own copy:
Bookshop.org
Amazon
Book Depository

Demonglass definitely didn’t fall into second book syndrome where the second book in a trilogy is slower paced and doesn’t feel like anything but a filler for the third one. I enjoyed this one even more than Hex Hall! 

The Hex Hall-series is about Sophie Mercer, a 16 year old witch, who is sent to a reform school for delinquent “Prodigium” (witches, shapeshifters and fairies). In this second book though, she is sent off to England to spend the Summer with her estranged father as he attempts to persuade Sophie not to have her powers removed.

I really enjoyed the action and all adventures in this book, and to see Sophie with Cal and Jenna outside Hex Hall. Of course Sophie’s crush Archer Cross has been sighted in England too, making the situation more dangerous, as does the fact that “The Eye” has been more actively attacking Prodigium all over the place. As for the love triangle, Cal has very quickly become one of my favorites and I really hoped Sophie would get over Archer…

Even though the story is so full of Harry Potter/Hogwarts and Vampire Academy vibes, and the usual love tringle trope, this series nevertheless comes out as new and unique. I think it’s because of the quirky, witty voice of Sophie narrating the story. I really love how Sophie is witty, smart and bad-ass, but also kind of awkward, always speaking her mind. The narration and dialogue are delightful and easy to read in a fun, giggling kind of way! I’m so glad that Rachel Hawkins managed to make this book as entertaining with even more sarcastic humor and a snappy, action-packed plot as in Hex Hall!

​Rating:
4 stars

Get your own copy:
Bookshop.org
Amazon
Book Depository

Hex Hall is a fun (laugh-out-load even!), fast paced and easy read that I was so pleasantly surprised by. Reading the blurb, the story didn’t feel very original, but it was! Mostly because it’s insanely fun and hilarious, thanks to Rachel Hawkins’ laid back and kind of chick-lit style writing. 

The story is told by Sophie Mercer, a 16 year old witch, who grew up not knowing about her abilities. When she finds out, she’s sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent “Prodigium” (witches, shapeshifters and fairies), only to discover that she is not only a witch, but one of the few demons in the world.

So, there is a lot of Harry Potter/Hogwarts vibes of course with a boarding school for witches, and also quite a lot of Vampire Academy references with Sophie’s best friend Jenna being a vampire. And yes, I have to admit that there were stereotypical bad boys (Archer Cross) and typical high school stuff like bullies, crushes, dating, school dances, plus the usual fantasy things with supernatural creatures on the loose, demon summoning, epic villains and a girl that needs to save the world. But Rachel Hawkins mixed it all in such a gorgeous way that she somehow made it all feel fresh and different. Sophie and her witchy boarding school is one of the most funny characters and fantasy stories I’ve read about lately.

Rating:
4 stars

Get your own copy:
Bookshop.org
Amazon
Book Depository