Note: This review contains several spoilers.
Growing up, everyone has a dream; many little girls dream of their wedding day, where they may walk down a church isle in a white princess gown, sit in a chair wearing a bejeweled sari, or maybe even shatter a glass on a marble tile. No matter what the tradition is, there is always something to look forward to on a wedding day (as long as it’s consensual and not forced like several weddings are in some parts of the world).
Royal Wedding is the long-awaited newest installment in Meg Cabot’s The Princess Diaries series, and it is a dream come true for fans everywhere. Every time a good series comes out, fans want to see the story all the way through, up until the star couple gets married and has kids, or the prince and princess get a happily ever after, or even until the dystopian society is overthrown. This book begins five years after Princess Mia’s college graduation, as in nine years since we last saw her at her high school graduation. When I read about this I was so excited I jumped out of my chair. I had always wanted to know what happened to Michael and Mia, and Tina and Boris, and Lilly and Kenny, and all the other originative characters from the series.
While this book may have granted my wish by telling me what happened after the high-school-happily-ever-after, I had very high expectations. I thoroughly enjoyed the series during my high school years and wanted to see it preserved in this epic finale. And friends, I can happily say that I was NOT disappointed.
(This is where the spoilers begin) The novel begins with an article that enlightens us (somewhat) of what has happened to our beloved characters in the past nine years. Mr. Gianni, Mia’s stepfather, passed away approximately a year ago, and Mia founded a center for teens in his name. Also, Mia’s father is running for Prime Minister of Genovia again, this time in a heated race with Cousin Ivan. Phillipe Renaldo was speeding down a New York highway in a race car, which by the way, was a very, very bad idea. He has been behind in the polls, and this accident “could not have come at a worse time.”
As we move further into the novel, we see that life for Princess Mia seems just as busy as it was when she graduated high school; she is running a community center, working with her father and grandmother, dating her long-time boyfriend Michael Moscovitz, and attending royal dinners and banquets. I don’t know about you guys, but my even my school schedule sounds better than that.
Michael and Mia have been experiencing stress form their relationship: with Mia always being busy, Michael running a top-of-the-line robotics company, and the non-stop paparazzi following them both; however, Mia thought everything was alright between them, that is until the paparazzi starts explaining to the general public why Michael hasn’t proposed yet, when the couple has been together for around a decade. Eventually though, for Mia’s twenty-sixth birthday, Michael proposes in the Caribbean while they were enjoying a serene and private weekend.
Mia is overjoyed but a tad apprehensive due to all of the obstacles they will have to face: her grandmother and father, the press, the people of Genovia, Michael’s family (who always wanted to have grandchildren that would carry the Moscovitz name), and of course, Mia’s mother. But, oddly enough, this wedding is exactly what the Renaldo family needed. With an excess of good press coming from the wedding plans, less attention is focused on the blunders of epic proportions made by Prince Phillipe in the election for Prime Minister; however, even though this is Michael and Mia’s wedding, both Michael and Mia are the least involved in most of the choices, Clarrise even picked who would be the designer of Mia’s bridal gown (personally I think this is where the line is crossed. I agree family and unity are the most important things on a wedding day, but come on, let the bride choose who designs the dress she’ll remember her big day in!).
With all the wedding planning, things seem to be running fairly smoothly, minus the oppressive press and crazy cousin; however, Phillipe has a secret that his mother has caught on to: Phillipe has another daughter! She was born the year Mia turned fourteen and is named Olivia Grace. As soon as Mia hears of this, she is furious (at her father), sad (for her sister), excited (to have a sister) and disappointed (in her Father’s love for Olivia) all at the same time. With a quest to give her half-sister the home she deserves without scarring the family name, Mia spends less and less time with Michael.
Readers, I don’t wish to spoil the entire novel for you; therefore, I will no longer summarize the story, instead I will ask a question that you will be able to answer after reading the book: With all this stress, will Michael walk down the isle before Mia, or will he walk away from Mia?
Personally, I enjoyed the story, it satisfied me to know that a couple I had been cheering for stayed together even after college, especially after going through a rocky last two years of high school. The story was extremely detailed and I loved the imagery! I also loved that Mia’s sarcasm reflected reality, that being a princess doesn’t mean you’re not a woman who goes through all the crazy phases and mood swings that we do (and rightfully so, we have a lot going on!). If you’re thinking of reading this book, I highly recommend that you read the Princess Diaries that began when Mia was in high school, and you will understand the characters I didn’t really mention in this review especially, like Tina and Boris or Perin and Ling-Su.
In the comments section I would appreciate if those of you who have read the book could tell me what you thought of my review, and for those of you who haven’t read it, did this review make you want to read the novel? Thanks for reading this! š
I had the pleasure of receiving an autographed advanced reading copy of this book from my best friend, the bookfairy. I help with her site as “The PixieChick” and you can visit her (and me as “The PixieChick”) at: bookfairy1234.wordpress.com
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