Of Princes and Promises by Sandhya Menon is the second book of St. Rosetta’s Academy.

Caterina LaValle has recently broken up with her boyfriend Alaric, who cheated on her. She is determined to show everyone that she is still the queen of the school. When Caterina finds out that Alaric is taking a supermodel to the upcoming gala, she plans to show him up. Tired of the same boring boys, she recruits Rahul Chopra to be her date.

Rahul Chopra fondly remembers the moment with Caterina at the winter formal, and he is sure it meant something to her too. He has loved Caterina for years, but he is unsure how someone like him can fit in her world. When Caterina invites him to the gala he is ecstatic. Rahul uses a magical and mysterious pot of hair gel he was given and becomes a completely different person. A person who is charming and loved by all at the gala and quickly invited into elite social circles. This transformation comes at a price, though, as he begins to lose sight of who he really is.

This series is just so great! The modern spin on classic fairy tales is so addicting and fun. Caterina and Rahul are such a breath of fresh air. I haven’t read a couple like them before!

3.5 stars ✨ thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the ARC!

Of Princes and Promises is the second book in Sandhya Menon's St. Rosetta's Academy series, a series that combines a touch of magical realism and a dash of modern fairy tale retellings with my long time literary love: boarding schools. This book focuses on two characters we were introduced to in the first St. Rosetta's Academy book (Of Curses and Kisses, if you're interested in starting there!): Caterina and Rahul.

Rahul has a long time crush on Caterina -- but as one of the most popular girls in school, Caterina has never given Rahul the time of day. Until Caterina suffers a humiliating break up at the winter formal, and Rahul steps in to dance with her (and maybe get her to see him in a different light). When Caterina comes back from winter break and needs Rahul to step in at another fancy gathering, Rahul does it -- with the help of a pot of hair gel.

The fairytale loose retelling (read: very loose, more like the fairy tale inspiration) was The Frog Prince, which isn't a fairy tale I'm super familiar with and I found myself getting a little lost with that. I also found it to be a little more tell than show and tell, so I found that a little cumbersome at time.

But I love the way Menon writes teenage characters -- with all their deep hopes and dreams -- and the setting of a boarding school was excellent. I also love the way Caterina softened throughout the book, and loved falling a little more in love with her and Rahul.

Long story short, I liked it and I'll read the next one, but it wasn't a wow or one I'd try to put in all my friends hands.