Wednesday, January 29, 2014

ARC Review: Royally Lost by Angie Stanton


Title: Royally Lost

Author: Angie Stanton

Rating: 2 Stars

Release Date: May 6th, 2014
Dragged on a family trip to Europe’s ancient cities, Becca wants nothing more than to go home. Trapped with her emotionally distant father, over-eager stepmother, and a brother who only wants to hook up with European hotties, Becca is miserable. That is until she meets Nikolai, a guy as mysterious as he is handsome. And she unknowingly finds herself with a runaway prince. Nikolai has everything a guy could ask for-he's crown prince, heir to the throne, and girls adore him. But the one thing he doesn't have...is freedom. Staging a coup, he flees his kingdom and goes undercover on his own European tour. When Nikolai and Becca meet, it’s their differences that draw them together. Sparks fly as they share a whirlwind of adventures, all the while dodging his royal guard. But Becca's family vacation ends in a matter of days. Will Nikolai and Becca be forced to say goodbye forever, will his destiny catch up to him, or will they change history forever?
If "The Prince and Me" and "The Lizzie McGuire" movie had a love child, Royally Lost would be it. Frankly speaking, I have nothing against a cute, cheesy, and unrealistic romance - in movies. In books, I find myself rolling my eyes and craving more depth. Stanton's latest is predictable in every way from the coincidental meetings of Prince Nikolai and Becca to their swimming adventures, balcony conversations, and stolen kisses. Unfortunately, I went into this novel expecting something a little more like Just One Day and Wanderlove and, as such, was disappointed by the rather silly love story this novel presented.

Royally Lost isn't wholly lost, though. Stanton provides plenty of historical background to the European countries and landmarks Becca visits, making this journey an authentic one, and, moreover, the sibling bond between Becca and her older brother Dylan is realistically written. Becca's entire family situation, from her behavior after her mother's death to the eventual relationship she is able to form with her younger step-mother, is paced impeccably and although it held potential for more, it did attempt to provide Becca's character with more than just "sun-kissed hair" and classic American looks. Nikolai's situation as well - wanted to escape responsibility, not understanding the necessity for a monarch in the twenty-first century, etc. - all felt true to the age group of this teen, but, again, there were so many lost opportunities in the execution of this plot device.

Stanton hits the nail on the head as she uncovers that teens, during this time period in their lives, have no idea what their purpose is or, for that matter, why they must perform duties they dislike or feel no passion for. In this manner, both Nikolai and Becca are thoughtfully put together, giving rise to a perceptive story of growing up. Or, would have given rise to this novel if Nikolai and Becca weren't so caught up in their romance. While the "secret/undercover prince" concept of this story is - thankfully - not the cause of too much drama/angst, the main focus of both these characters remain each other. When Becca doesn't see Nikolai she's worried about him and vice versa. Instead of discussing their looming futures - Becca's college or Nikolai's impending enrollment to serve his country's military - the conversations between these two are increasingly cheesy. Granted, there is a certain degree of growth to both their characters, but the type of depth, resolution, and ultimate discussion I craved - anything similar to Wanderlove or Just One Day in their exploration of teenage opportunity, scope, and perspective - was sadly missing.

Ultimately, I felt as if this story had the potential to be a much better novel than it was. Although Royally Lost is a delightful story to curl up with as a guilty pleasure or feel-good romance, it does little to improve the gap between the YA and NA genres, failing to incite the type of thought-provoking conversations that other travel stories have done in the past. As such, I just cannot recommend this book. Sorry Royally Lost, but you would have been better off not being found after all...

16 comments:

  1. The Prince and Me is a good movie in itself. Combine that with Lizzie McGuire however, is a cheesefest and a calamity all at once.

    I have a hard time enjoying contemporary books that do not promise angst nowadays. Usually, the lack of depth kills it for me.

    Great review!

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  2. I *liked* this but didn't love it. I guess I was hoping for it to be a bit more charming.

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  3. Sometimes I crave a book like this Keertana, one where I don't have to really think too hard and I can just be entertained in a cheesy, fluffy kind of way. Every once in a while I just need that kind of story in between all the darker or more thought provoking reads! Sorry it just didn't work for you, but as always, I so enjoyed reading your thoughts:)

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  4. I think this sounds like the sort of thing I might be able to like if I'm after something quick and fluffy. I can see why you were disappointed if you were hoping for something more along the lines of Just One Day. Hopefully knowing what to expect will make me better prepared now. Sorry this wasn't brilliant for you Keertana, but thanks for the helpful review as always! :)

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  5. I love your opening sentence- tells me all I need to know, though I am surprised you could find some things that won you over despite the cheesy love story. And I love your closing line. Maybe this novel should be a movie instead. Great review, leaving it on the shelf!

    Heather

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  6. I'd still love to read it because I love stories like this

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  7. While I can handle these type of stories as a movie, I don't think they work as a novel. There is just something so unbelievable about a girl accidentally stumbling across a prince of some unknown country and then falling in love. Even though the travel part appeals to me, the rest is something of fairy tales and unrealistic so a pass on this for me. Thanks as always for your lovely insight, Keertana!

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  8. I totally agree with you, when it comes to movies/tv shows I will put up with cheesiness but in books it often makes me angry! I will defo be skipping this one ;)

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  9. SO true that light and fluffy often works better in a movie - or a cupcake -- than a book. I have been thinking about this issue a lot -- why certain things work on screen and not on the page and vice versa. We will have to discuss further!

    Jen @ YA Romantics

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  10. Definitely, Jen! I think, in large part, that the reason chick-flick films are so accessible is precisely because they are fleeting. In a mere two hours - often times less! - we can meet a heroine, watch her fall in love, go through a tumultuous situation with her, and witness a happily-ever-after. In a book, however, we are subject to every one of her thoughts and actions and having those cheesy statements dragged out takes away from the enjoyment of the work at hand.

    On the other hand, guilty pleasure reads - like adult romances - work really well because the thought-process of the protagonist is so deep and thoughtful. We truly get to know her inside-out, as we do with her lover, and that connection is forged with the reader and characters that enables guilty pleasure reads to be enjoyed despite the fact that they take longer than a mere ninety minutes to pass by.

    Just my two cents on the issue but we definitely do have to discuss this further for sure, Jen! :)

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  11. Wow, this just sounds...like what I dislike about contemporary YA lit, to be honest. Cliched and over-the-top. I'm with you in that I don't hold movies to as high standards. Weird, isn't it? But I'd probably find a movie with the same story more passable than actually reading this book. Sorry this one didn't live up to your expectations, Keertana!

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  12. Your review actually makes it sound like something I would enjoy reading only if I'm in the right mood, Keertana. Sometimes, I enjoy these fluffy, mindless reads and I think I'm going to reserve the ARC of this book for that day. I didn't read the blurb so I didn't know there was a whole secret prince involved, but I can see how that could be the source to some cheesiness.
    Lovely honest review!

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  13. Sometimes I'm in the mood for precisely this: a two-neuron book, as Lisa would call it. But it's very, very rare, and I usually prefer something with more depth too. I admire you for reviewing this so well, I always find it hard to review these empty books.

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  14. I totally understand wanting more depth in a book like this, especially if you were expecting something like Just One Day or Wanderlove! I like light guilty pleasure reads every now and the, but you're so right, often they are harder to swallow in print, especially if they don't have some interesting hook to distract from the fact that they're predictable. I guess I'm a little tougher on light romantic books than movies because they're so much more of a time investment. I'm definitely going to skip this one but I appreciate your thoughtful, lovely review! :)

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  15. I have gave up on reading this kind of books. Like you I'm all for some cute romantic movies but in books they don't work for me. I'm sorry this didn't work for you. I'm not going for it either. Great review, Keertana :)

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  16. YES to what you said about books vs. movies. But I found the heroine in this story to be so irritating and different from my personal viewpoint (even my viewpoint at her age), that I'm not sure I could handle watching this on TV. But to travel Europe through the characters, maybe. I'm glad you found a few elements to like, but I'll second your opinion that this story has a lot of potential that isn't realized.

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