[Review] Royal Wedding by Meg Cabot

08:00 Cilla 6 Comments

Title: Royal Wedding (The Princess Diaries #11)
Author: Meg Cabot
Publisher: Macmillan
Source: Bought
Release Date: 2 July 2015

Review

"I always thought when I became an adult everything would become less confusing, but unfortunately, everything's only becoming more confusing."

When it was first announced that Royal Wedding was coming out, I knew instantly that I would read it. My re-read of the series leading up to reading this installment, however, made me wonder if I would love it. (My thoughts upon the re-reads can be found here and here.) Thankfully, despite its flaws, Royal Wedding reminds me why I fell in love with Mia Thermopolis and Meg Cabot's writing in the first place.

In this installment, Mia is twenty six year old. She's still inclined to obsess and worry (with a hypochondriac bent), but there's a sense that she's settled a little bit more in her skin and life. She's learning how to handle the public's attention on her, the bad and the good, and she's pursuing the causes she's passionate about. Reading the book felt like a happy reunion with an old, dear friend. I think this is a testament to Meg Cabot's ability to write to her audience as well. The original Princess Diaries was perfect for my teen self but didn't suit my twentysomething self, while this would be the other way around.

It's not just Mia too. It was a lot of fun to see where all of the characters end up. I particularly loved that some of the things that were only hinted at in the previous books - like the gay characters - are well out of the shadows. I wanted to see more of Tina Hakim Baba, but it makes sense that she doesn't play a bigger role given the amount of things Mia has to attend to throughout the book.

Michael, on the other hand, has a much more active role than he has had before, and I love it. His relationship with Mia has always been adorable, but for the most part, with him being older, his world was separate from Mia's. In this one, they have a life together. We see a lot more of their (hilarious and adorable) banters and his (very loveable) personality.

Plot-wise, there was a lot going on, especially when compared to the books that came before it. It almost felt like four Princess Diaries book in one. On one hand, I'd have been very frustrated if the plot was as thin as the previous books. On the other, the number of things going on meant there was little space for the details I wanted to see. (Also, the synopsis is seriously misleading, though I can't say why without spoiling a plot point.)

Overall, Royal Wedding was the series revival I'd hoped it would be. It wasn't perfect; I would have preferred it to be a two-part installment so some of the storylines could be fleshed out further. However, it was still a fun and satisfying read. I related to Mia when I was growing up, and to have her at the same stage of life as I am again and see her manage life the best she can is oddly reassuring to me.




Reading this book contributes to the following challenges:
❥ The Backlist Books Reader Challenge