Prom & Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg

When describing “Prom & Prejudice” by Elizabeth Eulberg to my husband, I said it was like cotton candy. It is a sweet and fluffy treat with little substance that I enjoy eating on special occasions. After reading some dystopian books lately, “Prom & Prejudice” was just the light reading snack I needed to lighten the mood. I devoured it in less than 24 hours.

Yum yum:

• It was fun seeing how Ms. Eulberg adapted Austen’s romance to fit into today’s society and make it relevant to teenagers.
• Lizzy is absolutely adorable. I loved her character and I had fun following her adventure. Her reaction to finding out about Will’s parentage was incredibly well written.
• This book is SO charming. I think Austen fans will definitely appreciate it and that Ms. Eulberg did a great job handling the application of a modern world with Austen’s original story. It also may end up introducing teens to the world of Austen too which is wonderful. A+ Ms Eulberg!

The calories:

• Will Darcy was a bit flat as a character. Obviously, since I know P&P so well, I knew he had the hots for Lizzy, but I don’t think my 17 year old sister would have had a clue.
• I know that this book deals with the upper crust of society, but at times, I felt like Ms. Eulberg was trying to hard to stay too close to Austen-esque language. It felt like a bit of a stretch. I didn’t mind it, but I would worry about it appealing to a crowd unfamiliar with formal speech patterns.

Overall, Ms. Eulberg’s “Prom & Prejudice” is positively delightful and a book I would recommend to anyone who is looking for something light and fun to read.

Thanks to Scholastic for providing me with a copy of "Prom & Prejudice” to review. It is currently available online and at your local bookstores.

Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis

“Kat, Incorrigible” by Stephanie Burgis is a charming, middle grade romp in a lively rendition of Regency England. This isn’t Mr. Darcy’s England though. Well-mannered young ladies may also know a thing or two about magic. I don’t usually read middle grade fiction, but when I saw that this was set in my favorite period of history, I just couldn’t help myself!

Ms. Burgis’ story revolves around 12-year-old Kat Stephenson, a rambunctious and sassy young lady with a penchant for aggravating her “Stepmama” and doing what she feels is right. Kat soon finds herself deep in the midst of a battle for her life and the lives of her sisters when her Stepmama decides to try and marry off her eldest sister to a man with a somewhat suspect marital history. With a dash of magic and mystery, Kat makes incredible discovery along the way.

I found this story to be very charming. I think it will absolutely delight the age group it’s targeting, but is also a fun read for older readers (even, gasp, adults like myself!). I don’t feel the need to break it all down in bullet points. It’s simply an enjoyable, magical story about a strong-willed young woman and her adventure. The ending tied up quite nicely for those who don’t enjoy cliffhangers, but left you caring enough about Kat to want to know what kind of trouble she finds for herself in the next book.

The publisher, Simon & Schuster, provided me with an ARC. “Kat, Incorrigible” is scheduled to be released in April of this year in the USA and is already available “across the pond”.