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The Prince and the Apocalypse by Kara McDowell is a road trip book with an apocalyptic twist. Following a girl who makes a deal with a runaway prince 8 days before the end of the world, this one contains two entertaining main characters and travel across Europe. This is a more upbeat take on the apocalypse trope that is perfect for those who enjoy adventure books.
Title: The Prince & the Apocalypse Series: The Prince & the Apocalypse #1
Author: Kara McDowell
Also by this author: Just For Clicks
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult Fiction
Publication Date: July 11, 2023
Rating:
An American teen stranded in London is forced to team up with the British crown prince if she wants to make it back home before the end of the world in this delightfully rompy high-stakes rom-com.
Wren Wheeler has flown five thousand miles across the ocean to discover she’s the worst kind of traveler: the kind who just wants to go home. Her senior-year trip to London was supposed to be life-changing, but by the last day, Wren’s perfectly-planned itinerary is in tatters. There's only one item left to check off: breakfast at The World’s End restaurant. The one thing she can still get right.
The restaurant is closed for renovations—of course—but there's a boy there, too. A very cute boy with a posh British accent who looks remarkably like the errant Prince Theo, on the run from the palace and his controlling mother. When Wren helps him escape a pack of tourists, the Prince scribbles down his number and offers her one favor in return. She doesn’t plan to take him up on it—until she gets to the airport and sees cancelled flights and chaos. A comet is approaching Earth, and the world is ending in eight days. Suddenly, that favor could be her only chance to get home to her family before the end of the world.
Wren strikes a bargain with the runaway prince: if she’ll be his bodyguard from London to his family’s compound in Santorini, he can charter her a private jet home in time to say goodbye. Traveling through Europe by boat, train, and accidentally stolen automobile, Wren finds herself drawn to the dryly sarcastic, surprisingly vulnerable Theo. But the Prince has his own agenda, one that could derail both their plans. When life as they know it will be over in days, is it possible to find a happy ending?
❃ I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. ❃
Review: The Prince & the Apocalypse by Kara McDowell
After travelling to London with her best friend, all Wren really wants is to go home. However, when the news breaks that the world is ending in 8 days, leaving her stranded, all of her plans go out the window. By chance, she ends up meeting a prince and saving him from the paparazzi, and in exchange, he offers her a favour: she’ll be his bodyguard as he travels to Greece and he’ll let her use his private plane to fly back to her family. As the countdown to the world’s end begins and Wren and Theo travel through Europe covertly, Wren gets the feeling that Theo isn’t telling her something—something that could threaten all their plans.
❀ High-Stakes Story
I enjoyed Wren and Theo, and they have an interesting dynamic. Wren is a planner, and she must learn to be more spontaneous as all of her itineraries backfire in the face of the end of the world. While Theo seems to have it all, being a prince, he is running from something, and I liked the suspense that this adds to an already high-stakes story. Following them across Europe is so entertaining, and I loved reading about the ways they cleverly evade getting discovered.
❀ Immersive Adventure
Because this book spans many countries, the travel elements are really well done. Wren and Theo travel by boat, train, and car through several European countries, and I really felt immersed in their adventure while reading. Even with the end of the world looming, the chaos of their travels keeps the book fun and upbeat.
❀ A Unique Story
The Prince and the Apocalypse by Kara McDowell is a unique adventure story set 8 days before the end of the world. I enjoyed the main characters and their dynamic, and the descriptions of each country they travel to are immersive. This is a great read for fans of books about royalty and travel.
About Kara McDowell
Born in the mountains and raised in the desert, Kara McDowell spent her childhood swimming, boating, and making up stories in her head. As the middle of five children, Kara entertained her family on long road trips by reading short mystery stories out loud and forcing everyone to guess the conclusion. After graduating from Arizona State University with a BA in English Literature, Kara worked as a freelance writer. Now she writes young adult novels from her home in Arizona, where she lives with her husband and three young sons.
JUST FOR CLICKS is Kara's debut novel.
About The Candid Cover
Olivia ❀ Canadian YA book blogger, Starbucks lover, & professional bibliophile.
I like the summary!
It has a great concept! 🙂
This seems like a lot of fun! Great review.
It is! Thanks! 🙂
It sounds like a great book from the summary! Thank you for sharing
Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Great review. I like unique stories. 🙂
nice review
This one is on my TBR, glad to hear it was so good!
Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature) recently posted…Release Blitz Review: Body Check by Teagan Hunter
Not something I would normally read, but sounds interesting.
Sounds really good!
I can not wait to check this book out, thanks for the review.
I remember seeing this around! Glad you enjoyed
Unusual plot. Sounds fresh if you can say that about an apocalypse…
I am glad Wren met Theo. It sounds interesting.
I just started this book, so far so good.