Review (35): A Royal Match by Tyne O’Connell

A Royal Match

by Tyne O’Connell

Series: The Calypso Chronicles

Other Reviewed Titles: None
Release Date: February 15, 2011

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA

Pages: 512

Source: Purchased

Challenge: None

Author Website

My Review: 

This includes the first 2 out of 4 books in the Calypso Chronicles which is a series about a girl named Calypso Kelly who is an American teenager attending boarding school in England. She yearns to be popular and gets just that when the heir to the throne, Prince Freddie, takes interest in her. A picture of them kissing ends up in the tabloids which causes big problems for both. Calypso is able to tackle the disaster and hopes that her second term (semester) at school will be better. But Honey O’Hare, her nemesis as well as the reason her picture ended up in the trashy magazines in the first place, has different plans. She turns most of Calypso’s friends against her in the hopes of pushing them, as well as Freddie, away.

I was actually so excited to read this because it sounded really cute and fun from the synopsis, but it just wasn’t. There were so many good ideas in this book and it really had the potential to be great. The plot just seemed to jump from one event to another randomly. I think if each book had been longer this wouldn’t have happened and it wouldn’t have been so confusing.

The characters were also problematic for me. It might just have been me, but they felt ridiculously immature for 14-15 year olds. And obviously I wasn’t expecting them to act like they were 20, but the only thing they ever talked about was pulling boys (the British equivalent of making out). Well, that and their pet bunnies.  

Despite how long this is, I finished it rather quickly but only because I couldn’t wait to get it over with. Like I said, it had potential, I just don’t think it was executed well. 

Rating: * *