Review: Geekerella: A Fangirl Fairy Tale by Ashley Poston

GEEKERELLA:

A Fangirl Fairy Tale

by Ashley Poston

Quirk Books

YA Fairy Tale Retelling

320 pages

COMING. . .

APRIL 4th, 2017!!!

Geek girl Elle Wittimer lives and breathes Starfield, the classic sci-fi series she grew up watching with her late father. So when she sees a cosplay contest for a new Starfield movie, she has to enter. The prize? An invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball, and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot. With savings from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck (and her dad’s old costume), Elle’s determined to win…unless her stepsisters get there first.

Teen actor Darien Freeman used to live for cons—before he was famous. Now they’re nothing but autographs and awkward meet-and-greets. Playing Carmindor is all he’s ever wanted, but Starfield fandom has written him off as just another dumb heartthrob. As ExcelsiCon draws near, Darien feels more and more like a fake—until he meets a girl who shows him otherwise. But when she disappears at midnight, will he ever be able to find her again?

Part romance, part love letter to nerd culture, and all totally adorbs, Geekerella is a fairy tale for anyone who believes in the magic of fandom.

 MY TIDBITS

What a sweet, geeky retelling! As a fairy tale retelling fan, I was looking forward to diving into this one. I mean--geeks, cosplay, and Cinderella? Sounds like a perfect combination, and it is. 

Elle is nestled in her childhood home between a self-centered step-mother and twin step-sisters with country club dreams. Her real father and mother are both deceased, and she's not exactly at the top of the food chain in her present family. But she's sweet, hard working and simply a lovable geeky girl, who can't wait for the new remake of Starfield. When this suddenly gets her chatting with her maybe Prince Charming and a cosplay contest rolls into sight, things really get interesting.

There is so much to love in this story. There's a pumpkin lunch truck, where Elle works, that sells all sorts of quick pumpkin treats...albeit a little gringy. There's fandom in it's gorgeous extremes. And there's a prince, who isn't as aloof as he seems. This isn't a deep story nor is it poetic. But it's fun and cute and has all those warm fuzzy feelings which should come with a nicely told fairy tale. 

In some ways, this reminds me of Sleepless in Seattle, as Elle and her prince first fall in love over short chats per cell phone. The build-up is well down, stretching along with the sub-plots as Elle battles her way through normal life with her step-family. Even the prince gains a spotlight as this star boy's problems and his desire for a return to a simpler time come through. When they finally meet at toward the end, things speed up almost too fast and plunge into a finishing sprint. Which causes for a little uneven tempo in the overall plot line. Also, as a sudden throw-in to meet modern demands, a quick F/F relationship is tossed in at the end.

Summed up, this is a super sweet read which fulfills its promise. The end happens a bit quick, but the characters have, by then, long gained their place in the fairy tale world. This is a must read for fans of Cinderella and happily ever after, especially those who edge on the border of geekiness themselves.