The cover of this book (Orig. The Rosewood Chronicles-Undercover Princess) is beautiful. And I love how the German publisher created the book inside. Looks so lovely without being kitschy. Oh, I love that! Despite that, I struggled some time how to rate it. Am I giving it the ones I wrote down in my notes the moment I finished reading? Or do I change it? If you want to find out, keep reading *smile* Don´t know why that is, but the rating was not easy for me, though it was a nice read. Or does the word “nice” here says it all?


Prinzessin Undercover-Geheimnisse*
by Connie Glynn
The Rosewood Chronicles #1
Translation Maren Illinger
Original Title The Rosewood Chronicles Undercover Princess
Publisher Fischer KJB on July 25, 2018
Genre Children 12+
Pages 395
Format Hardcover
Source Publisher
✶✶✶½

Ellie is a real princess, who wants nothing more than to lead a normal life. Lottie is a normal girl who wants nothing more than to be a princess. When those two of them have to share a room at Rosewood Hall boarding school, the solution is obvious: they secretly swap roles. But in Rosewood not everyone is who he seems to be, and a secret organization is after the princess – without knowing which one is the real one. Only with courage, determination and absolute loyalty can the friends save each other. Because princess is more than a title – Princess you are in the heart! (personal translation by ©Vi at Inkvotary)
Story
Lottie has done everything in her power to get a place a Rosewood Hall. A school where you can´t go just like that. Rosewood Hall is a school for the privileged. The rich and famous. For everyone but her. A little girl from a small town with no parents. But Rosewood Hall means to escape from her life with an envy aunt and a world in which she´ll never fit in. And who wouldn´t want to be a princess or a girl who´s got everything?

Style
The author uses an easy to read a language and shows a setting in which everything is important. Many secrets fly through the air, not everything is as it seems at first sight, and envy and resentment is a daily thing Lottie has to deal with. While reading this novel, I had some fun and thought it is very entertaining. And then there were moments where the story wasn´t really round. Some dissonance became visible and everything seemed without any structure and completely confusing. Why would Ellie do this the way she did it and why had Lottie such problems to open her mouth and say what she wanted to say? She isn´t shy, not at all, but among the rich and famous she looks like a lamb that was brought to the butcher. 

Characters
As much as I liked Lottie, but the fact that she wasn´t able to correct misunderstandings the moment they were happening, drove me crazy. Lottie can talk like a waterfall if necessary and when in rage and stand her ground. But when it really counts, her mouth is as shut as an oyster. Despite that, she´s in desperate need to do everything right. To dress right (or at least the way how she understands that a princess has to dress), to say the right things, to do the right things, and – oh holy heck, I guess you get the picture!

No question, she´s the complete opposite from Ellie. Which is quite refreshing while reading this novel. But sometimes I was wondering what exactly IS the true relationship between her and Lottie? Because to be honest, if any fourteen-year-old girls behave like the two behave with each other, then I am close to calling them anything but “just friends”. I might be wrong, but who knows?


Conclusion
I guess this book you´ll either love or hate. For me, it is something between. Over many chapters, I had great fun reading it and watching the problems unfold. On the other side, I am not sure what to think of Lottie. Ellie is one heck of a great girl, and I love her for being the way she is. But Lottie? Not sure if I´ll cry or laugh over her actions.



Happy reading







*This book was kindly provided to me by Fischer KJB in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Therefore, the cover of the German edition is shown first in this review.

       








*This title was originally published The Rosewood Chronicles-Undercover Princess by Penguin Books on November 2, 2017 


Connie Glynn
Connie Glynn © Sparkles

Connie Glynn is Noodlerella (named after her favorite food and favorite Disney Princess) and is one of the most successful princesses on YouTube, with nearly a million followers. In her other life, she is a writer and writes directly into the heart of the princess who lives in each one of us. The Rosewood Chronicles-Undercover Princess is her debut. But she already has enough material in her mind for at least four more volumes.

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