Geekerella by Ashley Poston Published by Quirk Books on April 4th 2017
Pages: 320
Goodreads
Anything can happen once upon a con…
When geek girl Elle Wittimer sees a cosplay contest sponsored by the producers of Starfield, she has to enter. First prize is an invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot. Elle’s been scraping together tips from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck behind her stepmother’s back, and winning this contest could be her ticket out once and for all—not to mention a fangirl’s dream come true.
Teen actor Darien Freeman is less than thrilled about this year’s ExcelsiCon. He used to live for conventions, but now they’re nothing but jaw-aching photo sessions and awkward meet-and-greets. Playing Federation Prince Carmindor is all he’s ever wanted, but the diehard Starfield fandom has already dismissed him as just another heartthrob. As ExcelsiCon draws near, closet nerd Darien feels more and more like a fake—until he meets a girl who shows him otherwise.
4.5 Nuts
Convention lovers and sci fi geeks have a book to call their own in GEEKERELLA, a nerdy retelling of the Cinderella fairytale. This book appealed to every part of my joyfully geeky heart. It falls into one of the few contemporary categories I like: retellings, and I think I may have to add “nerdy pop culture centric books” to that list now as well.
I loved the characters as they were written. The step family is exactly the right amount of terrible without taking it so far that the characters are more caricature than people. Likewise our “Prince Charming” is adorable and while not book boyfriend material (at least for me) is really enjoyable to read about. I couldn’t help but root for the guy the moment he shows up on the page.
Which brings us to our Cinderella. She’s sweet and beautiful and an absolute NERD. Her backstory with her father is heart wrenching and gives her passion for her show an emotional connection that most readers could resonate with. The contemporary twists to the tale make the character much more independent than the original it is based on. She is stronger and more well rounded, even a little bit more well adjusted. Well, more well adjusted than the original. That’s not really saying much.
This book is quirky, nerdy, and a kinda sorta not so subtle take on a space exploration TV show. This book makes me want to go to a convention even more than I already had. I really enjoyed the romance in the story and it may be one of the few contemporary romances I’m excited to go back and read one day. That alone is high praise.
I’ve been really lucky this year to read so many great books instead of a bunch of flops. I recommend this book to fans of shows like Battlestar Galactica, Stargate, and Star Trek, cute contemporary romance, and fairytale retellings.
What is your favorite nerdy book? Share your recommendations in the comments.
From my shelf to yours,
Erin
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