REVIEW; Of Princes And Promises

Title: Of Princes And Promises
Series: St. Rosetta’s Academy
Author: Sandhya Menon
Genre: Retelling, contemporary, romance.
Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Caterina LaValle is determined to show she’s still the queen of St. Rosetta’s Academy. Sure, her crown may be slightly askew after her ex-boyfriend, Alaric, cheated on her, but she’s a LaValle. She’ll find a way to march right back in there, her hands clutching the strings to the whole puppet show. This time, she’s going to be untouchable.

Rahul Chopra knows that moment he shared with Caterina LaValle at the winter formal meant something. Surely she feels it, too. He’s a little uncertain how someone like him (socially inept to a point way past “adorkable”) could fit into her world, but he’s loved Caterina for years. He knows they’ll find a way.

When Caterina finds out Alaric is taking a supermodel to the upcoming gala, she knows she cannot arrive without the perfect date. But the thought of taking another superficial St. R’s boy exhausts her. The solution? Sweet-but-clueless Rahul Chopra and a mysterious pot of hair gel with the power to alter the wearer into whatever his heart desires.

When Rahul tries it, he transforms instantly into RC—debonair, handsome, and charming. But transformation comes with a price: As Rahul enjoys his new social standing, the line between his two personas begins to blur. Will he give up everything, including Caterina, to remain RC? Or will this unlikely pair find their way back to each other?

It’s been a long time since I read the first book in this series, but the hints of Rahul and Caterina in it – very slight, but there – were enough for me to eagerly anticipate book 2. Both characters really shone in the book – vastly different but similar enough in their insecurities and vulnerabilities to gel well together – and we do see them grow. Their relationship managed to feel true, even with the way it starts as a deal.

I spent a lot of the book worried for the Act 3 miscommunication trope and second hand embarrassment, and neither really came in a way that I expected. Instead, this was a lot better emotionally on me than I thought it would be. A lot more heart and vulnerability – and really, I should have known Sandhya would subvert my expectations! 

(Yes, it took me a long time but the pandemic did not help my reading, as I’ve talked about.)

Sandhya really has a way of taking stories and characters that could be flat and one-dimensional if not handled well and making them feel authentic. Moments that might otherwise seem contrived in stories feel earned, and while the side characters may not be as fully formed, they still feel real in a way one might only know aspects of classmates and friends. On top of that, Sandhya’s writing is engaging and easy to fly through. It doesn’t feel like a chore to read – some books do, okay! You all know what I mean.

This series has been fun and not too heavy, but not shallow either. There’s a conversation to be had in the way it handles expectations and appearances, first impressions and true characters. I’ve enjoyed it thoroughly, and now I’m going to be trying to get my hands on book 3!

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