And what about the Princess herself? Let’s just say – she is spunky – a definite Princess Jasmine. Part of the story – including a ball – also takes place in Maradova so we get to meet Ellie’s family and see more of the world of the “privileged”. The school itself has tons of character and comparisons to Harry Potter might come from its houses, and the kindly man with half moon glasses – as well as hints in the authors note that a hint of magic is in its makeup. The new threat is cleverly introduced just as one is neutralised but who or what are they? The adventure starts with a miscommunication that shy Lottie seems unable to put right but it leads her perhaps to where she is destined to be? With a cast of teen characters who pretty much all come under suspicion we are definitely left guessing about who we can trust and what exactly they are after.īecause this is the first in the series, some questions raised are left slightly unanswered but we aren’t left on a huge cliffhanger. I wonder if the name Portman came from Natalie Portman’s role in Star Wars? I really need to read more about how author Connie Glynn came up with her ideas as I just assumed that Portmans (fake royals) and Partizans (royal assassins) were real things. Be Kind, Be Brave, Be Unstoppable – and what a mantra to live up to – this is definitely a driver for her actions.

Our main character – Cornwall based – Lottie Pumpkin – yup that’s her name – is a Cinderella, Princess and fairytale obsessed teen who lives by a mantra passed down from her mum.

I like to think of this first book as The Princess Diaries meets Freaky Friday at Boarding School and it’s so much fun. My memory is atrocious so I’m super impressed by how much I remembered of book one considering I read them in 2017/8!! I’m glad I re-read as I’d definitely got the plots of the first two books in the series mixed in my head – which only leads me to be more excited to continue the re-read as I vaguely remember something that happens in book two – this is pretty miraculous in itself. Follow Connie on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr I Thought Connie now writes music and fiction full- time. After five years of publicly documenting her life and hobbies to an audience of 900,000 subscribers on YouTube, Connie closed the book on the Noodlerella project in a bid for more privacy and to pursue her original passions in the performing arts. It was at university that Connie started her hugely successful YouTube channel Noodlerella (named after her favourite food and favourite Disney princess). This passion for stories has never left her, and Connie recently finished a degree in film theory. She had a love for performing stories from a young age and attended Guildhall drama classes as a teenager.

Connie Glynn has always loved writing and wrote her first story when she was six, with her mum at a typewriter acting as her scribe.

The rosewood chronicles