Of Princes and Promises | ARC Review

Synopsis

Caterina LaValle is determined to show she’s still the queen of St. Rosetta’s Academy. Sure, her crown may be slightly askew after her ex-boyfriend, Alaric, cheated on her, but she’s a LaValle. She’ll find a way to march right back in there, her hands clutching the strings to the whole puppet show. This time, she’s going to be untouchable.

Rahul Chopra knows that moment he shared with Caterina LaValle at the winter formal meant something. Surely she feels it, too. He’s a little uncertain how someone like him (socially inept to a point way past “adorkable”) could fit into her world, but he’s loved Caterina for years. He knows they’ll find a way.

When Caterina finds out Alaric is taking a supermodel to the upcoming gala, she knows she cannot arrive without the perfect date. But the thought of taking another superficial St. R’s boy exhausts her. The solution? Sweet-but-clueless Rahul Chopra and a mysterious pot of hair gel with the power to alter the wearer into whatever his heart desires.

When Rahul tries it, he transforms instantly into RC—debonair, handsome, and charming. But transformation comes with a price: As Rahul enjoys his new social standing, the line between his two personas begins to blur. Will he give up everything, including Caterina, to remain RC? Or will this unlikely pair find their way back to each other?

Review

I enjoyed this one much more than the first as there was more magic and more interesting characters.

I had a vague idea of who Rahul and Caterina were from book 1, but it was nice to really get to know them here. I was especially interested in getting to know Caterina as she was the unlikable one in book 1. I think Menon did a fabulous job of developing her character and fleshing out the more important parts of her so we really get a well-rounded look at who she is. Plus, with all her spunk and confidence, it made reading this book so much more fun and made me feel a little more empowered.

Rahul was also a lot of fun to get to know. He is more of a shy character and I wasn’t sure whether or not I was going to like him at first. But, of course, I did. Menon has a way of turning all love interests into sparkling princes and princesses. Rahul also had a great development as we see him struggle with the guy he thinks he’s supposed to be and the guy he really is. His image in this book is everything and I think there are so many lessons to be learned from Rahul’s story.

The conflict in this book didn’t quite go where I thought it would and I think I’m okay with that? Menon kept things a little more surface rather than diving deep into the lessons of life in this book. There certainly were opportunities to talk about addiction and abuse and similar topics, but they weren’t seriously covered. As I said, I think I’m okay with the fact that a deep dive into these serious issues wasn’t taken, but I would have loved if it had been.

Overall, I’m happy with the way this book left me feeling and the story I was able to experience. Also, I can’t wait to read more of the books in this series!!

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed a gifted and advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating

To check out my other reviews, click here. Or to check out more books by Sandhya Menon, go to her GoodReads profile or her website.