“I’m Jess- Jessica Stone,” says a girl on the stage, but it isn’t me.
This isn’t happening.
This is impossible
The Princess and the Fangirl is a modern retelling of The Prince and the Pauper as told in the universe that 2017’s Geekerella takes place. Elle and Darien are tertiary characters this go around and our focus is instead on Darien’s costar Jessica and Imogen, a young woman running a campaign to keep Jessica’s character in the upcoming Starfield sequel. The story is told in alternating perspectives during ExcelsiCon where the two main characters run into each other and, with ulterior motives on both their parts, agree to switch places for the weekend.
I am going to save Amara. Not with petitions, not with pins, not with harassing Twitter trolls. But with my own words. My own actions.
Jess’ll thank me later.
Jessica, who feels shackled to the role of Amara, has mistakenly thrown out her script and leaks are beginning to appear online. While she doesn’t want being a space princess to ruin her career she knows that if she is found to be the source of the leaks her career will be over for a whole other set of reasons. Imogen, who has a booth at the con, is hoping that her 48 hours of faux fame will give her the platform she needs for her Save Amara campaign to sway the movie’s producers. Merriment and shenanigans ensue and a perfectly enjoyable YA novel unfolds.
The Prince and the Pauper is one of the more difficult fairly tales to re-imagine, the whole premise is a bit ridiculous, but if you suspend your disbelief (I mean, I enjoyed the Princess Switch this past Christmas so I am not immune to the charms of a good switcheroo) you’ll find yourself enjoying The Princess and the Fangirl despite yourself. Overall I love the geeky retellings of these modern fairy tales but wonder if Poston would be more successful if she moved away from the Starfield fandom and told stand alone stories instead. Either way if the Once Upon a Con series proceeds I’ll be here for it.