REVIEW: Royally Lost by Angie Stanton

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?

I received an finished copy of this book from the publisher (HarperTeen) for free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

2 of 5 stars (Please read my rating system further below).

A book about a girl who travels around the world, meets a prince, and they fall in love. What could go wrong? Royally Lost had everything going for itself, it has a great cover, a great idea, and an amazing-sounding plot line. My biggest problem with this book was the dialogue. To me, it felt so robotic and inhuman, like the characters had no emotion, like they weren't even alive. Because of the dialogue, I had such a hard time investing myself in any of the characters, making Royally Lost a fairly big disappointment. The main characters Becca and Nikolai had the most awkward and choreographed encounters. They were unbelievable, and the fact that they're love story progressed from "accidentally" seeing each other around Europe just made me want to snicker to myself because it was so unreal. This book could've still been decent with the encounters that Becca and Nikolai had throughout the book, but the immaturity of Becca and Nikolai and their inhuman dialogue would've had to been stripped of this book. Because of these imperfections, the love story in Royally Lost didn't develop much, and neither did the characters. Overall, there were many problems that I had with this book, including character dialogue, development, and maturity. I was very sad to not have loved this book, it was a book that I was looking forward to reading all of 2014. 

My rating system: (I do use half stars.) 

5 - I do not use the 5 star. Not because a book might not be worthy, but because a book is never perfect. 

4 - I loved it! There weren't too many flaws, and I had no trouble getting through it. (A 4 star rating is the highest rating I've ever given a book.) 

3 - I enjoyed the book, but there we're flaws that made me enjoy it less. 

2 - I finished the book, but there were too many flaws for me to enjoy it. 

1 - I could not finish the book, and I probably did not finish it....

Reviewer:

Grace

A Darker Shade of Magic by Victoria Scwab + GIVEAWAY

Kell is one of the last Travelers—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel universes—as such, he can choose where he lands. There’s Grey London, dirty and boring, without any magic, ruled by a mad King George. Then there’s Red London, where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. White London, ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne—a place where people fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. And once upon a time, there was Black London...but no one speaks of that now. Officially, Kell is the Red Traveler, personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between the royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they’ll never see—a dangerous hobby, and one that has set him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations, first robs him, then saves him from a dangerous enemy, and then forces him to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure. But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive—and that is proving trickier than they hoped. 

Be sure to check out A Darker Shade of Magic's website: Darker-Shade.com

Buy this book here on Amazon

Book trailer:

Victoria "V.E." Schwab is the product of a British mother, a Beverly Hills father, and a southern upbringing. Because of this, she has been known to say "tom-ah-toes", "like", and "y'all". She currently lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, and when she is not wandering in search of buried treasure, fairy tales, and good tea, she's tucked in a cafe, dreaming up monsters.

|Wordpress|Tumblr|Twitter|Goodreads|Instagram|Facebook|YouTube|

Quick Q&A with Victoria Schwab:

Question:

If writing had not worked out for you as a profession, what would've been your back up career plan? What would you pursue instead? 

Answer: 

Interrogator. I’m kidding. Sort of. I actually really wanted to be a military interrogator. Then again, I also wanted to be an astrophysicist. And a professional baker. So in the end, it’s probably best for everyone that I went with writing…for now.

From A Darker Shade of Magic:

Take the A Darker Shade of Magic "Which London Do You Actually Belong In Quiz"

Giveaways terms and conditions:

No purchase necessary.

You must be at least 13 years of age or older to enter.
Fandom Monthly Magazine is not responsible if the promotion sponsor does not fulfill their giveaway prize.

Winner(s) will be contacted shortly after the giveaway ends. The winner(s) will then have 4 days most to respond and claim their prize.

Any questions? Feel free to email us.

You may have to wait for the widget to load.
a Rafflecopter giveaway