Howdy YAL!

To see full review click here: http://yalbookbriefs.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-runaway-princess-hester-browne.htmlI started this book right before my last final and had a hard time putting it down (thank God the final was open note and I basically started the book when study time was over). This book was simply a breath of fresh air. Yeah, it was predictable and it was ridiculously fluffy, but I really enjoyed it.Maybe it's because I love any book with princesses in it-you can blame Meg Cabot for that one folks. Also, I was sort of obsessed with the royal wedding a few years back as well. To be honest, when I was a kid I always imagined myself marrying a prince(I was six years-old, okay). And reading these books sort of bring me back to that first memory when I told my mom I wanted to be the queen of England when I grew up.Of course, that didn't happen.Though in Amy Wilde's case it sort of did. She fell in love with a prince. A real bonafide prince. And she wasn't even prince hunting (and yes, there are some honest bonafide prince hunters out there).Honestly, I feel like the best thing about this book was Amy and Leo's relationship. They are so cute together and they really work as a couple. I feel like the best part of the book happened during their courtship.However, once they ended up getting engaged Leo's role diminished and he was merely mind candy. I didn't like this. It was like he lacked a backbone. His sister, who is a horrible witch, essentially got what she wanted in the end. And yeah, I guess it was better for Amy, but I really think that she and Leo could've worked things out even if..... okay, I'm going into spoiler territory. But let's just say the ending was sort of a bummer.I think it's partially because the whole resolution of the plot seemed extremely rushed. Not only with the Amy and Leo relationship but with the side plot concerning Amy's sister.That aside, I really enjoyed the book. The characters were great and I really did get caught up in the story. It's not the deepest book I've ever read, but it has a lot going for it.Best Feature: Grown Up Princess Diaries. I love books about princesses. The first YA book I ever read was Meg Cabot's The Princess Diaries and this book is like that book but grown up. I love Browne's whole take on royalty.Worst Feature: The last thirty pages. Honestly, I didn't like the way this book wrapped up. It just seemed so quickly and I felt like some characters got a happier ending than they deserved (cough, Sophia and Kelly, cough).Appropriateness: This is an adult book, but it's pretty mild. There's some language and some partying, but that's about it. Really, it's a lot calmer than a lot of YA books out there.