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Noora Noorulameen _oora_oorulameen — One of the big problems I have with many long-running series—Princess Diaries in particular—is the point where some books start becoming filler as opposed to actual plot development. (Wait ‘til I get to book seven.) Technically, this should be one of the filler books, but it’s not. I tend to see the first three books as a mini-trilogy, and Princess in the Spotlight is a good bridge between books one and three. I like the further insight to Mia’s princess lessons, and how quickly she does have to adapt to the public eye, the romantic subplot is fairly engaging, not to mention the fact that she’s willing to try to be with Kenny. (Also, the continuing references to the “Corn-in-the-Chili" boy is even funnier after reading the whole series.) However, this also shows a lot of the weak points in the series. The constant pop culture references are jarring and shows how much the book is dated (again, reading an “updated” rerelease, the find & replace is really noticeable). This is also the first book where I really start to dislike Lilly as a friend—she’s exploitive of Mia, though not to the extent of Lana or Josh Richter, extremely dismissive, and is actually pretty rude to her friends. (In contrast, Tina Hakeem-Baba is my favorite character in the whole series. She is awesome, that is all.) My other big complaint, which is really going to show for the next few installments, is how fast the plot moves in the series’ timelines (again, we’ll touch on this a little later). Still, for all of the flaws, it’s still an enjoyable book, and I still had a ton of fun revisiting it.

Laura De laurademig8e57 — The summer before Dice and her friends go to college Crane goes missing. His brother believes that it has something to do with the house. Dice hesitates to get into anything magic or other-worldly after Sin’s disappearance. Marsh, Crane’s girlfriend, and Dice’s best friend soon convince Dice to look at all the options. Looking into things brings ghosts back, and a world of trouble for Dice. The first novel Swoon caught my eye because of its provocative nature. The truth is that teens are confronted with sex and drugs. It happens, and in these books it happens with rich kids too. These books do not go in to detail, but I am glad that these issues are there. It doesn’t fabricate the urges of the youth, but says yes, Dice wants Sin. That is one thing I have always liked about these novels. I enjoy the nature of the book, and the scenery, but sometimes scenes are a little confusing. Dice can gush about one topic or another, but while she is gushing something very important will happen, and I will be thrown out. This happens more than once and left me a little confused, and not feeling any suspense for the scene. Tosh is a new character introduced into the mix. He helps put together a band with Dice at the forefront. I loved how the music related with the story. It also bonded the characters closer to one another. The only thing that drove me nuts was how much Dice didn’t worry about Crane, instead all her worries were about Sin. This novel has more ghosts in it than it ever did. One of those is the problem, Antonia. Antonia is a character that I felt pity for, but at the same time more than a little annoyance. She is a bad guy who doesn’t really know she is bad, which is for me, the best kind. Everything for Antonia is very tragic, and reminds me of a twisted tragic romance. The story slowed a little for me towards the middle, but then picks up as does the music. There are some great scenes, but it doesn’t change the fact, that like Swoon I felt distanced from the characters. I don’t know if this is because I am not a teen, or due to the characters themselves. The story is neat, and I loved the ending, which I felt was worth it, but I want more out of these books. I want to feel something more from the characters, I am just not getting. The story is neat, and it played out in a way I didn’t suspect. The paranormal in these books is where the novel shines for me, and it has definitely grown since Swoon. I believe that teens will enjoy it, but I don’t think it’s a book for everyone. It does make references to drugs and sex, but not in ways that I believe are crude, and it has actually toned down since the last novel. All-in-all I look forward to the future of these books.

Messerwerferin Messerwerferin messerwerferin — Great for women in sports as part of Women's History Month!