Picture drawn by Maggie Stiefvater, 2009. Header made by S.F. Robertson, 2010.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt


Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt
"When an immaculately dressed woman steps out of an iridescent bubble and asks you if you'd like to become a substitute princess, do you

a) run
b) faint
c) say Yes!

For Desi Bascomb, who's been longing for a bit of glamour in her Idaho life, the choice is a definite C--that is, once she can stop pinching herself. As her new agent Meredith explains, Desi has a rare magical ability: when she applies the ancient Egyptian formula "Royal Rouge," she can transform temporarily into the exact lookalike of any princess who needs her subbing services. Dream come true, right?

Well, Desi soon discovers that subbing involves a lot more than wearing a tiara and waving at cameras. Like, what do you do when a bullying older sister puts you on a heinous crash diet? Or when the tribal villagers gather to watch you perform a ceremonial dance you don't know? Or when a princess's conflicted sweetheart shows up to break things off--and you know she would want you to change his mind?"- summary from Amazon

First off, I just wanna mention how I think it's cool that this book is set in Idaho, and I know, it's not often you see "cool" and "Idaho" in the same sentence. But I have a soft spot for Idaho as I've been there a few times. It's just so quaint and pretty and full of cows; I love it. Not many books are set in Idaho so it was nice to see.

Anyway, I really liked this debut from Leavitt as it was original and unique. Reading about Desi's adventures in subbing for princesses was interesting and was nice to see an exotic selection of locations and situations. The story is full of humor and sets up this wonderful world of princess subbing and how it all works, including how the company is run and the hierarchy of positions. It's easy to get pulled into the storyline. I barely put the book down while reading the last 150 pages this past weekend.

Desi was an interesting character and I loved her voice and personality. I thought it was a fun touch to have her idolize old Hollywood stars, like Ingrid Bergman and Paul Newman, as well as the old movies they starred in. It sets her apart from most other female protagonists.

Overall, a really fun, cute debut and I can't wait for the next installment!

FTC: Received book from publisher. Amazon link is Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

9 comments:

  1. Fab review. I LOVE the sound of this and have added it to my Bookdepository wishlist to buy at some point!

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  2. I love how no two people ever read the same book. You liked this book in exactly the places and for the same reasons that I hated it XD

    Great review :)

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  3. Great review! This books sounds so much fun. I shall definitely pick it up.

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  4. When I first read the synopsis my mind went "PRINCESS AND THE PAUPER!".

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  5. Great review! I might buy this one for my 10 yr-old sister. Is there any mature content I should be aware of?

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  6. Great review! Out of curiosity, why the soft spot for Idaho? Have you been there?

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  7. I loved this one, too! Can't wait for the next one!

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  8. Yan- Haha, it is kind of like that, though with more of a supernatural twist.

    Carol- Not that I recall. There is some kissing near the end, but I think that's about it. There's nothing sexual or violent going on. I'm not sure if the summary mentions it, but Desi is 14, so she's at the lower spectrum of teen fiction.

    Liz- Yes, I have. I meant to mention it in my review, but I guess I forgot. I've been a few times as my sister went to college there.


    Thanks everyone for commenting!!!

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  9. I didn't plan on reading this one. But, I think I will add it just because it's set in Idaho. You see books set here (I live in Idaho) next to never!

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