The Princess Plot

Kirsten Boie's THE PRINCESS PLOT tells of Jenna, who has just won the starring role in a movie about a princess and is whisked off to a remote kingdom. But suddenly she's being shot at - and the real princess is missing. A tense plot evolves in this thriller for older teens.

The truth is Jenna wasn't really interested in trying out for the role in the movie. Besides, her mother, who is unbelievably overprotective, would never approve. Still, she goes along with her friend Bea and, surprise, lands the part! Suddenly she's on a plane to a kingdom that has a princess to whom she bears a rather surprising resemblance. Reassured constantly that her mother knows where she is and how she's doing, but kept completely and deliberately out of touch, Jenna begins to realize that something is going on, and it's not good. She needs to escape her gilded cage and find out the truth. This truth involves rebels, her mother's hidden past, relatives she didn't know she has, and the fate of a kingdom. Jenna will have to be quite an actress to pull off this real-life role. This isn't fantasy. It is set in modern times and will appeal to fans of Cabot's Princess series. There's danger, suspense, and mystery. Oh, and the bright pink cover won't hurt.

I listened to this book on CD. I thoroughly enjoyed it. When it became obvious young Jenna was to become a princess, I was afraid it would be a pale imitation of Meg Cabot's delightful princess series. However, this book bears no resemblence to the Mia princess books. Jenna is chosen to impersonate a princess in what she thinks will be a movie. Only much later does Jenna discover she has essentially been kidnapped to play a part in a country's political takeover. I enjoyed the political intrigue. It has lots of spies, double spies and intrigue. Jenna is kidnapped again by the rebels battling the royal family. Neither Jenna, nor the rebels trust each other. It is only gradually do the rebels believe Jenna is not working with the royals. Jenna finally discovers the secrets within her own family. Jenna's mother has kept many secrets from her over the years in order for Jenna to remain safe. These family secrets become known to Jenna. This book could possibly become a series. There were some other people in the book who could be written more about.

I thought this would be a teeny bopper princess book but it wasn't! It was pretty intense and very suspenseful. It wasn't predictable at all which made it hard to put down because you had to find out what was going to happen. It wasn't light and fluffy at all with all the politics it talks about. I would love to read other books by this German author!

Jenna and her friend get invited to audition for a movie about a princess. Little does Jenna know, it's not actually for a movie. Without telling her overprotective mother, she auditions. She makes it to the final round, not believing that she's been singled out and chosen above all the other girls in her town. But instead of filming a movie, they take her out of the country to fill in for a real princess during her salute to the crowd during her birthday - so that the princess can enjoy her day in peace. She's still dealing with her grief over her father's death not two months prior. While Jenna's auditioning, the real princess has escaped from her boarding school and is heading for safety. Political issues are cropping up and she knows that her uncle, the regent, will be siding on a very important issue. The two parts of the country are at odds: the southern half is wealthy and happy while the northerners struggle with poverty. When the king was alive, he was working towards strengthening the country - together. But now that he's dead, things have gotten worse. The regent is going in the opposite direction. The princess knows she's got to make a stand, but with someone standing in for her, how will she get the chance? Meanwhile, Jenna's beginning to figure out that something's not right, but she's not sure what's really going on. THE PRINCESS PLOT is one part political drama, one part mystery, and one part fairy tale, all included in a very fun read. Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel