Geekerella by Ashley Poston Narrator: Eileen Stevens, Tristan Morris
Published by Blackstone Audio, Inc on April 4, 2017
Genres: Young Adult Romance
Length: 10 hours and 32 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Borrowed
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Anything can happen once upon a con…
When geek girl Elle Wittimer sees a cosplay contest sponsored by the producers of Starfield, she has to enter. First prize is an invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot. Elle’s been scraping together tips from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck behind her stepmother’s back, and winning this contest could be her ticket out once and for all—not to mention a fangirl’s dream come true.
Teen actor Darien Freeman is less than thrilled about this year’s ExcelsiCon. He used to live for conventions, but now they’re nothing but jaw-aching photo sessions and awkward meet-and-greets. Playing Federation Prince Carmindor is all he’s ever wanted, but the diehard Starfield fandom has already dismissed him as just another heartthrob. As ExcelsiCon draws near, closet nerd Darien feels more and more like a fake—until he meets a girl who shows him otherwise.
I loved Geekerella! This was fun to read and it brought out the fangirl in me!
Geekerella is a modern day, fairytale retelling of Cinderella that centers around pop-culture conventions. Elle Wittimer loves Starfield (a sci-fi like Star Trek and Star Wars). Her love for the show has inspired her blog and fanfiction. When she sees a cosplay contest sponsored by the upcoming Starfield movie, Elle is determined to enter. The first-place prize is an invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play her favorite character, Federation Prince Carmindor, in the upcoming movie. The contest isn’t going to be easy. Elle not only needs to have the perfect cosplay but also sneak away from her evil Stepmother. Teen actor Darian Freeman is a closet fan of Starfield and landing the role as Prince Carmindor is a dream come true. Pressure from the fans and his manager leads to Darian second guessing all his decisions. By a chance encounter Elle and Darian meet and their love for Starfield ignites a friendship. But will their secrets ruin their chances for romance? You have to read Geekerella to find out!!
Why did I love Geekerella?
- We are a family of pop-culture conventioneers and have gone to some of the main cons (San Diego Comic Con, WonderCon) and local cons. Ashley Poston brought to life the excitement we feel for conventions. I was geeking out from the beginning to the end.
- I identified with Elle’s passion for Starfield. I have my fandom’s and have felt the disappointment and shock when I received news of my favorite characters.
- There are diverse characters. There is a f/f romance and Darian is described as dark skin (not white). These are mere facts and their friendship for Elle is what makes them memorable and lovable.
- This is a Cinderella retelling and has the expected evil stepmother and stepsisters. I thought the author brought a unique twist with the alternating POVs of Elle and Darian. We get a glimpse of both their insecurities and struggles with being accepted by their family. I’m not a big fan of Cinderella but I loved how Elle finds the courage to stand up for herself.
This is my first Ashley Poston book and it won’t be my last. She captured the fun of fandoms and the emotions of teen insecurities. This is a fun and heartwarming story and I hope you all enjoy this too.
5 Star Audiobook Review
Eileen Stevens and Tristan Morris do an incredible performance for Geekerella. They each brought distinct voices for their characters. Their performances brought out the humor, tenderness and romance of the story and made this an even more enjoyable experience. My only complaint is in the editing. There was repeating of some lines, which at first I thought it was just my copy. But after seeing other Audible comments it is clear the publisher, Blackstone Audio, Inc, should review the recordings closely before releasing. Despite that I enjoyed their performances and will look out for more audiobooks from these narrators.
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About Ashley Poston
ASHLEY POSTON loves coffee, moving castles, and starry night skies. A graduate from the University of South Carolina, she earned a degree in English and became a scholar in procrastination. When not in search of her next great adventure, she lives with her bossy cat in rural South Carolina. They are both firm believers that cosmic princesses can be space pirates, too.
Sometimes, you can catch her lurking around in coffee shops where she reads copious amounts of fanfiction and plays a lot of video games. Oh, and she writes nerdy books for young adults.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2017 Audiobook Challenge
- 2017 New Release Challenge
