If I’d known that drinking tea in American Royals is considered unpatriotic, I might have avoided reading this one. Out of protest for my favorite beverage, of course.
Naaaaawwww, jk! This book is awesome. I’m so glad I didn’t know about the tea thing beforehand.
Author Katherine McGee’s version of America apparently never quite recovered from the slights of the British against the colonists, and the American Palace refuses to serve tea to its guests!
Yep, you heard me. Palace. Because traitorous tea isn’t the only thing that’s different in America Royals, a completely charming novel that re-imagines the United States of America as a monarchy, complete with a royal family — the Washingtons — descending directly from “King” George Washington I.
(Which kinda makes you think, right?? I mean, G-Dub must’ve had descendants. Where are they now? Why don’t we ever hear about them?? If better historians than I know the answer, please chime in!)
I read American Royals in between two fast-paced, heart-pounding thrillers, and it was a welcome escape read. Passions abound — in a relatively PG-13 way — in this fun, breezy, YA novel that also manages to cleverly address some pretty tough concepts: marrying for duty vs. love, a woman’s ability to rule, and overcoming social class barriers. I was also glad to see how forward-thinking the American monarchy is, particularly when held up against our current governmental leadership and its beliefs. (I’ll just leave it at that.)
The main characters are a mix of royals, commoners, and the ever-present “social climbers” who fall somewhere in between (but who, of course, desperately long to be royals). Beatrice, Nina, Jeff, and Samantha are all highly relatable and likable (though I had a hard time picturing anyone but Claire Foy as Beatrice), and although Daphne grated on me (she’s supposed to; she’s our villain in this story), McGee manages to evoke several twinges of sympathy for her, too.
Like any good royal drama, American Royals is chock-full of love triangles and forbidden romances, which, as we all know, are the most delicious kind. Each character struggles with typical “normal people” problems: there’s lots of teen angst, as well as quite significant family drama and concerns. Of course, everything is compounded by the fact that they all simultaneously deal with royal life, which brings its own share of unique complications.
The only bad news about American Royals? It’s part of a series. *groans* Which means the book ends on a pretty emotional and dramatic cliff-hanger, and that we have to wait until September 2020 to get our hands on the sequel, Majesty. *groans again* [Note: I realize September’s not that far away, but back when I read American Royals last fall, it seemed like an ETERNITY to wait for the next book.]
I’m usually not into starting a series unless I can access all the books in it at once (patience is not my forte), but I’m totally hooked on everything going on in American Royals. I’ll definitely be checking out Majesty in the fall to see what happens next.
As a lover of all things royal, I had so much fun stepping into McGee’s world of American princesses, palace drama, and adventures usually reserved for the British monarchy. Fans of The Royal We and The Princess Diaries will love this fresh spin on a royal story. What are your favorite books about royals?
