Review: Avalon High by Meg Cabot

in a sentence: Ellie (new girl at new school, thanks to her professor parents on sabbatical) meets will, the
potential reincarnation of king arthur (and serious hottie). let the fun begin!

this was seriously one of the most fun, enjoyable, and sweet stories i have ever heard. i listened to it in the car, and i found myself laughing out loud, smiling, and sometimes even gasping while listening! Ellie, the main character and narrator, was very relatable, and you felt as if you were her best friend through the whole ordeal. the teen lingo was spot on - all of the "whatevers" and "duhs" were perfectly placed, to make it that much more believable. the story moves quickly and deliberately through her first days at a new school with all of the token, and realistic, awkwardness of the experience. you could tell that Cabot knew where she was taking you with the plot, but was making sure you enjoyed the journey too.

the blend of the chick lit + hist fic novel was PERFECT. the story of king arthur is one that is well known enough to be hinted at, but is explored more deeply by Cabot throughout the tale. the romance is sweet and genuine, while the drama - though fantasy - is very tastefully done. i also found ellie's parents to be so refreshing - genuinely caring, loving, and interested in her...despite their aloofness at times. i feel like a lot of young adult novels out there have the token 'crappy' parents, and it was nice to have the alternative in this novel.

i can't say enough great things about this book. as soon as i was done, i was 1) sad it was over and 2) ready to pop disc one back in and start at the beginning!

favorite quote (listening to it makes it harder): i liked how each chapter was prefaced by a stanza or so from the Tennyson poem that Ellie gets her name from. so clever, that Cabot...

fix er up: while i did find the style of writing to be true to a teenage girl speak - i could see that being irritating while reading. that is really my only complaint, and that's nit-picking hardcore.

title: Avalon High
author: Meg Cabot
genre: historical fiction, romance, fantasy