The Princess Trap (Scandia, #2) by Kirsten Boie

The Princess Trap (Scandia, #2) Reviews

• 
  skiinglibra

  3.5 stars
• 
  Leonela Serrano

  One of the best books ever. I hope that Kristen Boie makes another to go to the series. I loved how Jenna was like the normal girl that wants to be normal but is really a princess.
• 
  Fiona Keziah

  One of my favourite books as a preteen and teenager. I was completely in love with the storyline of Jenna (Jarven in German) and her new life as a princess. I never was the princess type od girl but that was exactly what amazed me about the book. They showed all the negative of a public and royal life and not only the bright sides of a newly discovered princess. The political issues of the Northern and Southern Part of scandia (Skogland in German) were very deep for my teenage self and exactly the right amount to process. The love story between Jonah (Joas) and Jenna were quiet important for me back then but rereading it after years I noticed that the friendship bond between Jonah and Malena was even more beautiful.
  To put it in a nutshell: a great great book to read and even after years passed I could still quote from this book:))
• 
  Valery

  Combines political intrigue and teenage angst all into one neat package.
  If you are looking for a meaty story without overly excessive romance, this is the series for you.
  My only complaint is there were a few grammar inconsistencies for a big publisher, but that seems to be the norm of late.
  
  For my clean readers:
  Mild descriptions of violence, dialogue about attempting murder, kidnapping, and very few instances of kissing(I think there was 3, total, and most of them were in passing.)
• 
  Laura

  First, I didn’t know this was a sequel. After I had read a quarter of it and couldn’t figure out who some of the characters were did I dig deeper to find out about the book. Oh well. I won’t go back and read the first since I know what happens. Second, very interesting little book. It reminded me of The Princess Diaries in some ways. I enjoyed the intrigue and plot twists.
• 
  Helene

  Such a great adventure book!
• 
  Jennifer Wardrip

  Reviewed by Hannah Marie for TeensReadToo.com
  
  Roughly a year has passed since Scandia regained its presumably dead king and main character, Jenna, found out that she was royalty. With the conspirators that appeared in THE PRINCESS PLOT out of the country, the North Islanders and the South Islanders of Scandia should be able to live happily ever after, right?
  
  Well, not quite.
  
  Jenna is an outcast at her boarding school, especially due to her dark features that are typically associated with all North Islanders, and her pizza-eating media scandal that revealed not-so-princess-like behavior. After feeling the pressure to be perfect among a tangled romance, Jenna finds herself running away into the hands of a friend - and unexpected trouble.
  
  Things are also rocky on the home front. Food shortages and attacks supposedly staged by the country's rebels are destroying the reforms that King Magnus, his sister, and other government members installed to help bring about peace between the previously divided country. Is a coup truly going to ruin all hope for a united Scandia, despite the different economic classes and physical features?
  
  THE PRINCESS TRAP is a book full of adventure and constant plot twists. The courageous characters, along with the incorporation of history and national pride, help to make this novel one-of-a-kind. The ending will leave you with goose bumps and a new sense of empowerment.
• 
  anika

  I really, really wanted to like this book. But...I didn't.
  
  I didn't read the first book, but I really didn't need to and do not plan on it anymore. I bought the book because it looked interesting and I was desperate for a new book, but ended up throwing it in the trash immediately after finishing.
  
  The characters I found all very whiney and immature, especially Jenna. All of the characters were very flat and uninteresting, as well, and I didn't see any character arc in Jenna at all throughout the book.
  
  The plot was all right. It was exciting in some places but seemed to be drawn out and slow in others.
  
  I don't know what genre this book is but it is not young adult. It seems very much to be geared towards middle grade readers but it had a swear word or two used in it and I didn't know that was okay for middle grade. So I'm confused.
  
  So this book left me with no connection at all to the characters, an empty wallet, and a lot of confusion.
  
  2.5 stars for an interesting plot line
• 
  Brittany

  Another exciting, fluffy book in is series. I always feel like comparing this to The Princess Diaries, but it's really not much like it at all. The only similarity is the normal girl who suddenly finds out she's a princess, and maybe her friend Bea kind of reminds me of Lily. But the books are more serious, with all sorts of political intrigue going on. They're still fun books, though, with teenage romance and things going on. With both of these books, as I first started reading them, I kept thinking they weren't so great. I think it might be because these books are not originally written in English, so it takes a little while to get into the flow of the translation. That's my theory anyway. Overall, a fun piece of fluff.
• 
  Gwen

  I loved this book! It was interesting, action-packed, and cool! It did include some romance, which was really cute and I reread it twice right after I read it the first time because I didn't want it to be over. It was super good and I recommend it to everyone!
• 
  Ashpash

  I really want to see this book!
  Especially if something is going to be happening between Jenna and Jonah
• 
  Dina

  I really enjoyed this sequel!! Like the first book, it did start off a bit slow but quickly picked up the pace and became a page turner towards the end. I also enjoyed the addition of romance into this plot because I’m a sucker for cute and awkward romances. This book is great because it not only has an interesting storyline, but it also discusses important themes that can be applied to the real world. For example, the injustice the Northern Scandians face due to their physical attributes and the jobs they receive due to their status. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and found it to be a wonderful sequel and read!
• 
  Carlie

  3 stars
• 
  Dahlgren General Library

  DA100000003502
  
• 
  _bookish_cat_

  Gelungene und etwas erwachsenere Fortsetzung.
• 
  Cassie

  schulbuch halt nech
• 
  Hannah Potantus

  This was such a cute book! The characters are relatable and the storyline is clear. It’s a great book to help kids understand true censoring in the media, while also being entertaining.
• 
  Coralee

  I don't remember much about this book (as it was a middle school read), but I do remember it making its way to the top of the list of my favorite books back then.
• 
  Emily

  I FINALLY finished the book and I didn't find it too great. I didn't help that I'd forgotten most of the first book which left me thoroughly confused throughout the novel. So my lack of enjoyment can be partially blamed on myself. Although I thought that eventually this sequel would jog my memory, yet I'm felt still quite befuddled. I went into this book (A) wanting to finish the series, have finality and (B) for a fun, lighthearted, mystery read. The only reason I finished the book was because I had the tiniest bit of curiosity about the ending because I seriously considering DNFing several times. And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't enjoy the book.
  
  I didn't find myself having any personal attachments or liking any characters, especially Jenna. She annoyed me so much with her whiny attitude and concerns centring around here crush. Only. Perry also aggravated me in his inability to grasp the situation, supposedly the "smart one". Their thinking just seemed so illogical to me, especially in the first 2 parts of the novel. I felt a lot of the characterisation of the characters were told rather than shown. It's great that the author showcases the vulnerability and deep emotions that are felt by boys, but they're all (girls and boys) so DRAMATIC. So it's pretty difficult to like a book when you dislike the main character and pretty much the rest of the cast. They all fell flat to me and there were way too many characters for my liking. The villains felt like caricatures that suck at planning.
  
  Also with this, almost every character in this book has a point of view at some stage of the novel which dimmed the suspense of the drama and made everything so repetitive. Honestly, that aspect of writing made the story feel a little lazy as the events were laid out, taking a large amount of the mystery aspect. Yet I still couldn't understand the different purposes of separate groups and their roles for a significant time of reading the novel. However, I didn't even find myself intrigued by the mystery like I usually am. The adults in this book don't seem mature and are constantly frustrating to read about in their naive outlooks of life and unreasonable actions.
  
  The plot for the first third or half of the book bored me and got ridiculous in attempts to build drama and conflict. The reasons why Jenna and the boy ran away seemed implausible for me and this is already said in the synopsis, basically giving away the first third of the story. Efforts to create an atmosphere of political unrest fell short for me and ended up seeming comedic because of its simplistic representation of the state of a newly reformed country to overdramatic scenes. The fictional setting and country of this story, Scandia is so bad that I can't comprehend how it would exist. It just seems so unrealistic. 2 thirds into the book and I couldn't even figure out the what the big plot was, mostly because of the multiple POVs messing with me.
  
  Also yes there is romance in here and much teenage angst. The romantic miscommunication is strong in this book. Ugh.
  
  I wasn't a fan of the writing style. Somehow it just didn't click with me. Ultimately, I think this book tried to fit too many meaty topics into this book, only addressing simple aspects of larger issues. There's talk about mental health, dependency, governmental reforms, manipulation of the media, bullying, rebellion, the economic status, isolation - and that's what I got only listing from the last part of the novel. I enjoyed reading the first book in the series at the time and this read is quite some years later so perhaps I've lost interest in these type of books. At least the book got something right,
  

  "The whole country was full of idiots."
• 
  Avereybrady

  
  
  The book The Princess Trap by Kirsten Boie is a drama and action packed adventure story that takes place in the island country Scandia that has just been reunited North and South. The main character Jenna, newfound princess of Scandia , has already been on a wild adventure saving the king in The Princess Plot but apparently one life threatening adventure wasn't enough for her. Nope, in this book another accidental ride of a lifetime is thrown in the pizza Princess’s face. In this she is accompanied by none the other Perry , son of the ministrator of interior Petterson. In this exciting novel the hate between the north and south is strong. This is because ever since a Northern became king the south has had to sacrifice many rights, and as always there are the rebels who play a very important role in this book.
  
  Small Spoilers !
  
  
  The conflicts all starts when Jenna is visiting her best friend Bea, out of Scandia. The two girls sneak out Beas window and hurry down to their nearby pizza place. Of course being a princess has its many perks but it also has many downfalls. Because she is well known paparazzi is always a conflict and they catch poor Jenna scarfing down a disgusting cold greasy pizza. This creates huge controversy over the country due to the fact that it's going hungry and gives Jenna a place on every newspaper, magazine and news show possible. Naming her the “Pizza Princess”. With the help of Photoshop this makes her look like a complete fool and a spoiled brat.
  
  It doesn't help that Jenna is a complete outcast at her new southern boarding school, despite her being the new princess. because she is a northern with her dark features such as her brown hair and eyes , Many think badly of her. Especially her southern roommate Ylva . But after what EVERYONE saw almost the whole school thinks badly of her, except for Jonas. But Jenna's thoughts of Jonas quickly went from in love too heartbroken. This happened at the Von Holmberg's party when Jenna saw some things she wished she hadn't . After she ran and ran and ran she realized it was time to go back , but couldn't bear to.
  
  Jenna was fed up with all of the Princess problems and expectations, so she decides to run away and start a new life. She pretended to be a waitress and with her appearance everyone would have thought so to unless they looked closely at her face. But she had no idea that she would soon end up with perry who had also run away because his father was going to send him away to a military school. He knew how ridiculous it would be to send a “ weak boy who can't do a single push-up” to military school , so he hid away and ended up the same place as Jenna .But things are pretty rocky While they are gone Scandia turns to rubble , people of importance betray and a civil war / coup almost breaks out! There are some major twists that you would never see coming even if they were a foot away! But to figure these out you have to read the book yourself.
  
  I recommend this book to (everyone!) people who are interested in drama ,filled plot twisting, (amazing) books . I was interested in this book mainly because it had many great reviews. I really loved the way Kirsten really made it easy to breathe life into the many relatable characters. Especially Bea . It's courageous characters, easy to follow story plot , with hints of history and national pride make this novel truly one of a kind!
  
• 
  Ellen

  This book was hideous. I don't understand how anyone could like this book, it was so bad. Usually, with these types of books, I can stick through them and enjoy them as a light hearted read. This book was so terrible I couldn't even do that.
  
  All of the characters were unlikable, especially Jenna. Whiny, annoying, and only seeming to care about her crush, she was a flat character. All the characters were flat characters, and despite all my imagination I couldn't breathe life into a single one.
  
  Secondly, the way the book was written. It was all 'OMG' and 'SASS' and 'LIKE'. Sure, the writer wanted to show how a teenager communicates, especially a teenager like Gemma, but this over the top tween speak just highlighted the bad writing.
  
  The representation of teenage girls is the second worst thing about this book. In the pizza scene, where a paparazzi snaps a picture of our Jenna eating a pizza and splashes it all over the news, it's a catastrophe. Why, anyone would think that the country is in ruins (which was a badly written sub plot) but no, because a teenage girl ATE A MEAL, her whole life is over.
  
  Now to go with the absolute worst thing about this book, the one thing that caused me to throw the book down in disgust. I can't bear to find the correct quote, but it goes something like this. "Jenna had tried to starve herself for a while, but didn't succeed". Here we have in plain writing, in an actual published book, the glamorisation of mental illness and eating disorders. The writer could have easily said 'tried to diet' but deliberately saying 'tried' and failed to have an eating disorder brings mockery to the sufferers. If mental illness was a choice, then Jenna is a really bad character to actively seek an illness. The writer does nothing but paint that severe, life destroying illness as a 'teenage fad', whilst masking the true reality and consequence of a disordered way of eating. Seriously, she's actively telling her readers, young girls who are already subjected to this "go on, follow Jenna. She tried to deprive herself of food, like any good and self respecting teenager would. You should try the same". This book is so bad the writer choses to litter in belittling statements to build up her backstory.
  
  In conclusion, don't even bother with this book. Hopefully it won't reach any more people than it already has.
• 
  Katherine

  Yeah, that was surprisingly good. Ater a dissapointing start i thought it could only go down hill, but no, it suprised me there.
  
  Although it wasnt all good, there were quite a few things i didnt like about the book as well...
  Firstly, how all the media and newspapers ect. call Jenna "the pizza princess". I know this type of stuff does happen sometimes, but surely, seeing as they appear to still have the death toll in Scandia, the media wouldnt dare insult a member of the royal family. Or is that just me being silly?
  Secondly, i HATED Ylva. How do you even say that? She was so horrible to Jenna throughout the book, and she thought, just because she was rich, that she was above everyone. And then at the end her and Jenna seem to be friends?! What!
  Thirdly, Jenna`s mum is, i think, awful. She is also so mean to Jenna. Someone give the girl a break! She`s being attacked by the media, bullied at school, she misses her friends and her mum just goes on about how she looks like a waitress in that dress! She is so mean. It looked like, before Jenna was kidnapped/ran away, that her mum prefered her new boyfriend, Petterson, to her!
  A finally, i know it was essential to the story and everything, but i really hate it when a book doesnt stick with the same main character. Its just annoying.
  
  Well... i feel really mean now. I guess i should talk about the good stuff...
  Perry and Jenna! They are such sweet friends! And Jenna and Jonas, that was pretty interesting as well! However i think it was just the way this book was written that mad it really interesting. Everytime i turned a page, i thought "ah so the plot thickens!" It was just very cleverly written.
  In conclusion, if the next book is in the library, then i`l read it. If its not, then i probably wont. Yeah, i didnt like the book THAT much!
• 
  Elizabeth

  I will admit that I didn't read the first book, so that may have been some of my problem. However, I found the story dragged a lot through the beginning. There were lots of characters with names that were too similar, making it hard to keep track of who they all were. I almost gave up, but stuck through it thinking it had to get better. It did... a little. I am not inspired to read any more of the series.
• 
  Taylor

  I received this book as a ARC for doing reviews on my local teen library blog.
  
  When new “princess” Jenna, her long lost cousin Melena and their friend Jonas save their country, everything is great, right? Not so much. After an unflattering picture of Jenna appears in newspapers around the world and she discovers her boy-crush kissing another girl she has had it. Jenna runs away but stumbles across mother’s boyfriend’s son, Perry, who is on the run for his own reasons. They decide to hang low for awhile but when Perry gets back from buying some food, you’ll never believe what he has found: An explanation of the shortages of food and necessities which having been occurring in Scandia, their beloved country, that everyone assumes was caused by the rebels. But last year, when the rebels helped Jenna, she found that things aren’t always as they seem and that includes people. Could her father, whom she just met for the first time last year before he was forced into exile, be the cause of another crisis in Scandia? If he’s isn’t in charge, then who is?
  
  This was an excellent book with cliff-hanger ending chapters. I highly recommend it but advise reading the first book in the series, The Princess Plot by the same author first. I loved that the book had different viewpoints so there were many different things and sub-plots going on. I really enjoyed both of the books. They are a great combination of mystery, fantasy & politics.