PROMCHANTED, by Morgan Matson, Disney Hyperion, March 5, 2024, Hardcover, $18.99 (young adult)
A modern-day teen suddenly finds herself inside Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, in Promchanted, by Morgan Matson.
Stella Griffin doesn’t believe in fairy tales. Ever since her boyfriend dumped her three weeks before the prom—not ideal timing—she’s convinced every love story is a lie.
She’s ready to skip the prom entirely. But she and her best friend, Nisha, have been planning for years to celebrate at Disneyland before the prom . . . an OG OC tradition. But even being all dressed up at the Happiest Place on Earth isn’t salvaging Stella’s night. Nisha has brought along her friend Reece to join them, and he and Stella do not get along. They’re like oil and water. Cats and dogs. Aladdin and Jafar. And so what if Reece is, fine, kind of cute? Stella’s over it all. Happily-ever-afters, true love’s kisses, princes on white horses. It’s not real.
. . . Or is it?
Because when Stella and Reece push through a hidden door in Sleeping Beauty’s castle, they’re not in Anaheim anymore. They’re in the story. In Sleeping Beauty—with Aurora and Phillip, the fairies, Maleficent, and extremely intelligent woodland creatures.
Unfortunately, they’ve landed right in the middle of the story—which throws things off. Suddenly, Aurora and Phillip are meeting before they were supposed to. The fairies are suspicious of the interlopers, and even Maleficent gets word of their arrival.
Stella and Reece will have to put aside their differences, make sure Aurora and Phillip fall in love, and get the story back on track—because if things don’t end the way they’re supposed to . . . they might never get home. —Synopsis provided by Disney Hyperion
The premise of Promchanted promises a lot — modern people dropped into a fairy tale, what could go wrong?
The book starts out fine. Author Morgan Matson does a good job with the setup, but once Stella and Reece actually end up in Sleeping Beauty, the place where you’d think the action would pick up, it grinds to nearly a halt.
Stella is not a particularly likeable character, and Reece, at least initially, feels very one note. And all the asides and inner thinking just kind of get in the way of the story. Thankfully, Matson gets into her groove further on, but some readers might not have the patience to stick with it.
I suggest Promchanted as a library read prior to purchasing.
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