Search
Search results
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated The Undercover Princess in Books
Feb 3, 2020
<a href="https://diaryofdifference.com/">Blog</a>; | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/diaryofdifference/">Facebook</a>; | <a href="https://twitter.com/DiaryDifference">Twitter</a>; | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diaryofdifference/">Instagram</a>; | <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/diaryofdifference/pins/">Pinterest</a>;
<b>Rosewood Chronicles</b>
#1 <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2598018490">Undercover Princess</a> - ★★★★★
#2 <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2761943995">Princess in Practice</a> - ★★★★
<img src="https://diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/New-blog-banner-12.png"/>;
<i>I am lucky to have the best sister ever, who keeps giving me books I love! She gave me Undercover Princess for my birthday back in November last year, and I finally managed to get to it. Thank you, sis!</i>
Even though Undercover Princess has great resemblance to The Princess Diaries and The Princess Protection Program, this book is unique in its own way, and the story is very different and positively surprising. I was in love with the characters and loved this book a lot. I will definitely be reading the second book of the series!
The story focuses on two main characters:
<b><i>* Lottie Pumpkin - the ordinary girl
* Ellie Wolf - the princess</i></b>
And I wish it was all so easy. But you see, Lottie is an ordinary girl, she grew up in England and her mother passed away when she was little. Before she passes away, she gives Lottie a tiara for her birthday and makes her promise that she will always be brave. Lottie’s only goal in life is to attend Rosewood Hall, no matter what. And she makes it, with a scholarship.
On the other side, we have Ellie, the princess of Maradova. All she ever wants to be is ordinary, but she is surrounded by servants and shiny items. She wants to go to Rosewood Hall, only to avoid all her royal duties. And the only way of her parents letting this happen is if she attends the college undercover.
Then we have these two girls being roommates. A rumour spreads around the school and everyone thinks that Lottie is the princess. And in this whole mystery, the real princess is in danger, but no one must know that the real princess is Ellie. <b>And this is only the beginning.</b>
The story is full of adventures and hilarious scenes, where we see Lottie and Ellie building their friendship, and trying to figure out the mystery behind all the threats they are receiving, all while they attend classes and go to parties like ordinary college girls.
While they play this game of swapping identities, they realise that this is more than a game, it is a lifestyle. And if Lottie is the undercover princess, she has to do everything to protect the real princess and her identity. Is this what she really wants? Is their friendship worth it?
There was a LGBT reference with a couple in this book, and maybe it was me, but I could also see a few sparks between Lottie and Ellie. I honestly expected something to happen between Lottie and Ellie's bodyguard. There were sparks though, so perhaps in the next book?
I loved how the partially-romantic scenes were building up to the real moment and made me want to read more. The writing skills this author has is truly amazing, and I praise her for it. It was a pleasure to read each chapter.
<a href="https://diaryofdifference.com/">Blog</a>; | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/diaryofdifference/">Facebook</a>; | <a href="https://twitter.com/DiaryDifference">Twitter</a>; | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diaryofdifference/">Instagram</a>; | <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/diaryofdifference/pins/">Pinterest</a>;
<b>Rosewood Chronicles</b>
#1 <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2598018490">Undercover Princess</a> - ★★★★★
#2 <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2761943995">Princess in Practice</a> - ★★★★
<img src="https://diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/New-blog-banner-12.png"/>;
<i>I am lucky to have the best sister ever, who keeps giving me books I love! She gave me Undercover Princess for my birthday back in November last year, and I finally managed to get to it. Thank you, sis!</i>
Even though Undercover Princess has great resemblance to The Princess Diaries and The Princess Protection Program, this book is unique in its own way, and the story is very different and positively surprising. I was in love with the characters and loved this book a lot. I will definitely be reading the second book of the series!
The story focuses on two main characters:
<b><i>* Lottie Pumpkin - the ordinary girl
* Ellie Wolf - the princess</i></b>
And I wish it was all so easy. But you see, Lottie is an ordinary girl, she grew up in England and her mother passed away when she was little. Before she passes away, she gives Lottie a tiara for her birthday and makes her promise that she will always be brave. Lottie’s only goal in life is to attend Rosewood Hall, no matter what. And she makes it, with a scholarship.
On the other side, we have Ellie, the princess of Maradova. All she ever wants to be is ordinary, but she is surrounded by servants and shiny items. She wants to go to Rosewood Hall, only to avoid all her royal duties. And the only way of her parents letting this happen is if she attends the college undercover.
Then we have these two girls being roommates. A rumour spreads around the school and everyone thinks that Lottie is the princess. And in this whole mystery, the real princess is in danger, but no one must know that the real princess is Ellie. <b>And this is only the beginning.</b>
The story is full of adventures and hilarious scenes, where we see Lottie and Ellie building their friendship, and trying to figure out the mystery behind all the threats they are receiving, all while they attend classes and go to parties like ordinary college girls.
While they play this game of swapping identities, they realise that this is more than a game, it is a lifestyle. And if Lottie is the undercover princess, she has to do everything to protect the real princess and her identity. Is this what she really wants? Is their friendship worth it?
There was a LGBT reference with a couple in this book, and maybe it was me, but I could also see a few sparks between Lottie and Ellie. I honestly expected something to happen between Lottie and Ellie's bodyguard. There were sparks though, so perhaps in the next book?
I loved how the partially-romantic scenes were building up to the real moment and made me want to read more. The writing skills this author has is truly amazing, and I praise her for it. It was a pleasure to read each chapter.
<a href="https://diaryofdifference.com/">Blog</a>; | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/diaryofdifference/">Facebook</a>; | <a href="https://twitter.com/DiaryDifference">Twitter</a>; | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diaryofdifference/">Instagram</a>; | <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/diaryofdifference/pins/">Pinterest</a>;
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Jack Reacher (2012) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
Leaping straight from the pages of author Lee Child’s long-running popular novels and short stories, the tough-as-nails Jack Reacher has arrived on the big screen as the latest starring role franchise for Tom Cruise. Although described by Child as 6’5”, 250 pounds, with blond hair, Cruise does an admirable job of bringing the no-nonsense former military investigator to life.
For those unfamiliar with the series, Reacher first appeared in the 1997 novel Killing Floor and has appeared annually in new novels and short stories. Adapted from the tenth book, 2005’s One Shot, the film tells the story of a horrific sniper attack on the citizens of Pittsburgh. Faced with overwhelming evidence against him and being coerced into confessing to avoid the death penalty, the suspect in the shootings simply asks for them to find Jack Reacher.
This is easier said than done as after leaving the military, Reacher lives pretty much off the grid. He travels by bus, and aside from making occasional deductions from his monthly military pension, there is very little to indicate his existence since he doesn’t keep too much of the trappings of a traditional lifestyle or routine.
But thanks to a shared past with the shooting suspect, Reacher goes to the police after seeing the news reports and agrees that the evidence against the suspect is overwhelming. Reacher also admits to having past encounters with the suspect which explains his arrival as he promised that should the accused shooter ever get in trouble again, Reacher would be there to ensure that justice prevails.
At this point the accused’s attorney Helen (Rosamund Pike) enters the picture and informs Reacher that she seeks to ensure the accused gets a fair trial. A big chunk of her motivation comes from the fact that the district attorney prosecuting the case is her father. Helen believes that his perfect record is due largely to the fact that suspects get badgered into signing confessions to avoid the death penalty rather than having their day in court.
The presence of Reacher does not prove popular. The district attorney who pleads with his daughter not to use him in her case because Reacher’s credibility is highly suspect due to his unconventional existence. Undaunted Reacher does what he does best which is solving cases and in the process stirs up plenty of trouble as he quickly realizes everything is not as it seems. The supposedly open and shut case is just the tip of a much larger conspiracy in which he and Helen now find themselves squarely in the crosshairs.
The film cleverly mixes humor, action, and drama with a very credible plot that rarely strains plausibility. The characters have very clear-cut motivations and flaws and do not come across just polished and flawless cinematic heroes. Cruise keeps enough mystery about Reacher to keep the character interesting even though throughout the film I was very aware that I was watching Tom Cruise play the character rather than becoming the character.
There is some solid supporting work in film especially by Robert Duvall and writer-director Christopher McQuarrie does a great job with the pacing of the film as well as providing a framework for Cruise to do what he does best. This bodes well for the future as the duo is scheduled to team up again for “Top Gun 2”, and the next “Mission Impossible” movie.
While there are segments the film that are a little slow in the buildup, the payoff was highly satisfying if slightly Hollywood cliché-ish. Thanks to a great cast and a clever script the movie does hold your attention. I, for one, am hoping that there are further cinematic outings for Reacher in the near future.
For those unfamiliar with the series, Reacher first appeared in the 1997 novel Killing Floor and has appeared annually in new novels and short stories. Adapted from the tenth book, 2005’s One Shot, the film tells the story of a horrific sniper attack on the citizens of Pittsburgh. Faced with overwhelming evidence against him and being coerced into confessing to avoid the death penalty, the suspect in the shootings simply asks for them to find Jack Reacher.
This is easier said than done as after leaving the military, Reacher lives pretty much off the grid. He travels by bus, and aside from making occasional deductions from his monthly military pension, there is very little to indicate his existence since he doesn’t keep too much of the trappings of a traditional lifestyle or routine.
But thanks to a shared past with the shooting suspect, Reacher goes to the police after seeing the news reports and agrees that the evidence against the suspect is overwhelming. Reacher also admits to having past encounters with the suspect which explains his arrival as he promised that should the accused shooter ever get in trouble again, Reacher would be there to ensure that justice prevails.
At this point the accused’s attorney Helen (Rosamund Pike) enters the picture and informs Reacher that she seeks to ensure the accused gets a fair trial. A big chunk of her motivation comes from the fact that the district attorney prosecuting the case is her father. Helen believes that his perfect record is due largely to the fact that suspects get badgered into signing confessions to avoid the death penalty rather than having their day in court.
The presence of Reacher does not prove popular. The district attorney who pleads with his daughter not to use him in her case because Reacher’s credibility is highly suspect due to his unconventional existence. Undaunted Reacher does what he does best which is solving cases and in the process stirs up plenty of trouble as he quickly realizes everything is not as it seems. The supposedly open and shut case is just the tip of a much larger conspiracy in which he and Helen now find themselves squarely in the crosshairs.
The film cleverly mixes humor, action, and drama with a very credible plot that rarely strains plausibility. The characters have very clear-cut motivations and flaws and do not come across just polished and flawless cinematic heroes. Cruise keeps enough mystery about Reacher to keep the character interesting even though throughout the film I was very aware that I was watching Tom Cruise play the character rather than becoming the character.
There is some solid supporting work in film especially by Robert Duvall and writer-director Christopher McQuarrie does a great job with the pacing of the film as well as providing a framework for Cruise to do what he does best. This bodes well for the future as the duo is scheduled to team up again for “Top Gun 2”, and the next “Mission Impossible” movie.
While there are segments the film that are a little slow in the buildup, the payoff was highly satisfying if slightly Hollywood cliché-ish. Thanks to a great cast and a clever script the movie does hold your attention. I, for one, am hoping that there are further cinematic outings for Reacher in the near future.
Myntra - Fashion Shopping App
Shopping and Lifestyle
App
Swipe, select and shop! It’s fashion on the go with the all-new Myntra mobile app. Take the world...
vouchercloud: vouchers offers
Lifestyle and Shopping
7.4
Rate It
App
Get the best savings and offers for your favourite restaurants, high-street stores, supermarkets and...
Zivame - Shop Lingerie Online
Shopping and Lifestyle
App
Who Are We? Zivame - Lingerie | Apparel | Activewear From being India’s largest online lingerie...
Medicine Of Prophet (SWS) ( Islam Quran Hadith - Ramadan Islamic Apps )
Book and Education
App
One of TOP Ranking Islamic Apps on APPLE APPSTORE ! Al-Khawarizmi is a trusted name in Islamic Apps...
Stylebook Men: Closet Organizer & Assistant
Lifestyle and Productivity
App
Get the most out of your closet - for the price of a latte or a gossip magazine, you could have a...
Quiltography : Quilt Design Made Simple
Lifestyle and Photo & Video
App
"The most fun we've had with an iPad app in a LONG time!" - Quilter's Connection Magazine ****...