Geekerella by Ashley Poston

7 minutes ago
2 min read

a red-haired girl in glasses, a blue strapless dress, and a lanyard around her neck looks at her phone while sitting on top of an orange food truck while a dark haired boy in black pants and boots and a blue jacket leans against the truck looking at his phone in front of a purple starred sky and a Daschund in a red plaid jacked stands in front — Geekerella by Ashley Poston

Ashley Poston is a self pronounced fangirl, and you can tell by her repertoire. She has a Buffy the Vampire Slayer prequel as well as her Once Upon a Con Series, which (unlike what I thought when I picked this book up) takes place at fan conventions. Geekerella is the first of the Once Upon a Con Series, combining the story of Cinderella with the craziness of hardcore fandom. It deals with animal cruelty, body shaming, bullying, emotional abuse, toxic relationship, grief, stalking, and the death of a parent.

Danielle's parents were hardcore fans of the show Starfield. It's actually how they met - in line while they were both dressed in their cosplay outfits. Starfield is the one thing that always reminds her of her dad, especially now that her stepmother has completely eradicated everything reminiscent of him or Danielle's mom from the house. So when Danielle stumbles across her parents' infamous Starfield cosplay outfits, she can't resist tailoring them to make them fit and wearing one to ExcelsiCon. Not when Starfield is experiencing a renaissance because of the soon to be released movie. Her stepmother will absolutely not allow Danielle to attend ExcelsiCon, so she will need to find a way to get there and back without her stepmom knowing. It's about time to wish upon a star.

What a cute book. Obviously the premise has been done before, but Ashley Poston manages to keep it interesting. I loved the way she made the pumpkin carriage and fairy godmother fit with the story. It was pretty well written, although it is written for the young adult crowd and it feels young. The characters were actually pretty well developed and dealt with some pretty deep issues, including stalking and the difficulty of being in the public eye. All in all, nothing super exciting but a cute take on a fairytale favorite that was short and entertaining.

I'm giving Geekerella by Ashley Poston 3.75 stars out of 5. I'll probably read the others in the series if I'm looking for something that's available, and I'll likely look into some of Ashley Poston's books that are geared for older adults.

For more from Ashley Poston, check out her website at https://www.ashposton.com/

Pairs well with pumpkin fritters and embracing your inner geek, or nerd.

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