Book Review: Geekerella

I WAS hoping that this would not be yet another spin on the well-loved ­fairytale, Cinderella, but really, I should have known from the title of this book alone.
I was far from impressed when I started reading, but despite the fact that this was a new ­interpretation of Cinderella's tale – right down to Prince ­Charming, evil stepmother and stepsisters, and her pumpkin (in the form of a food truck) – it grew on me.
Geekerella is a retelling of Cinderella in a modern ­setting, and it has a charm all its own, with a theme that most teenagers could relate to – geek fandom, particularly related to sci-fi, and the art of idolising the actors of a popular TV show or movie.
Elle Wittimer's parents were diehard fans of the Starfield film franchise (similar to Star Trek or Star Wars), and her ­father was the founder of ­ExcelsiCon (a Comicon ­wannabe).
After his death, her ­stepmother put a stop to it all, and Elle is reduced to cleaning and looking after her ­stepmother and stepsisters.
When Elle sees a cosplay contest organised by the ­producers of Starfield in ­conjunction with a reboot of the original film, she just has to enter, even though she can't stand the actor slotted to play Federation Prince Carmindor.
Meanwhile, Darien Freeman, the actor playing the Prince, is really a closet Starfield fan. Despite this, he is dismissed as just ­another pretty-boy Hollywood heartthrob, and is feeling ­miserable.
It takes a text to a wrong number to get Elle and Darien to cross paths. But first, they have to survive ExcelsiCon and the truths about each other.

Geekerella ends up becoming an absolutely engaging read.