Coffee Descant Book Review #3: The Princess and the Fangirl (Once Upon a Con Series Book 2)

Okay, here we are again. I know I just did a review on the first book but I got this book a few days ago... and finished it in a day. I love this series. So much. Anyway, onto the review. So "The Princess and the Fangirl" by Ashley Poston is a sequel to "Geekerella", set in the same universe one year after the first. It follows Actress Jessica Stone and look-a-like booth runner and Starfield superfan Imogen in a case of mistaken identity. Very much a Prince and the Pauper storyline. But like "Geekerella", Ashley Poston takes the somewhat overused plot and spins it sideways with her own nerdy twist. I also love all the callbacks and implementation of the characters from the original book. It's not overly forced into the plot, as characters like Darian are already locked into it as Jess' co-star. Since Darian was already going to be there, it was only natural that his girlfriend and fellow superfan Elle, along with good stepsister Calliope and coworker Sage, showed up as well. After the events of the prior ExcelsiCon, the Magic Pumpkin became a popular food vendor at the con, and wow do I love how it ended up being used at the ending of the book. Learning about Jess more than the little bit that we learned about her in the previous book was really nice, and the fact that she didn't get along with newcomer Imogen right away was really refreshing. I don't know, I guess I just really like when characters don't get along well right away. More realistic, I guess. Imogen's fears of being in her younger brother's shadow feel like a true human problem that I'm sure many people have felt. I myself feel like I'm a nobody compared to my younger stepsister who gets 80+ comments on her Instagram posts while I average about 2 (also she's really freaking pretty and I'm a potato). That's beside the point. There are some real human feelings in this book that I really like. And I haven't even mentioned Harper. Harper is Imogen's online best friend who was set to meet with her in person at the con for the first time. Instead, she meets Jess who is masquerading as the fellow booth runner. The two, despite Jess knowing nothing about Mo's life or much about Starfield, get along well and (spoiler sorta) she quickly develops a crush on the artist (did I mention that Harper runs a booth where she sells her fanart? No? Whoops). Even Imogen gets a love interest in the form of Jess's assistant Ethan. They definitely don't get off on the right foot but I think it's funny. If there's anything I don't quite like about the book, it's how quickly the couples develop feelings for each other. The story is set over a few days, as opposed to the few weeks of "Geekerella", completely at the con. While I don't mind the setting being completely engulfed in ExcelsiCon itself, I just think a few days is a little short. But I get it. Cons don't typically last a week+, so having to fit a love story into 3 days can leave somethings a bit expedited. The pacing itself is great, with each day just packed with things so it didn't feel overly long, just the love story was a bit quick. Overall, however, I feel like I loved this book just as much as the last one. I'm just so in love with this universe and the con especially. I would love to go into ExcelsiCon personally. The new characters mixed with the old characters gives a nice sense of familiarity and makes you get that feeling of "Oh! That's from the last book!" every time you recognize something. Good job, Ashley Poston. Can't wait for the next book. Mine just shipped.

I give this book 4.5 coffee cups out of 5. I can't justify giving it any lower score. I highly recommend you read this series. The third book came out today at the time of me writing this and it's titled "The Bookish and the Beast". Look forward to that review once I get it and read it in a day. It seems to be following the fanfiction writer we've heard about in the last few books named Rosie, but I could be mixing up identities. Anyway, That's all for today. Sip on my fellow nerds, sip on.

QotD: What's your favorite flavor of coffee?

My Answer: I like regular coffee with half & half with sugar.