If I’d known that drinking tea in American Royals is considered unpatriotic, I might have avoided reading this book. Out of protest for my favorite beverage, of course.
Naw, jk! American Royals is awesome. I’m so glad I didn’t know about the tea thing beforehand.
What’s American Royals about?
America Royals is a completely charming novel that re-imagines the United States of America as a monarchy, complete with a royal family descended 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!)
That whole tea thing? Author Katherine McGee’s version of America apparently never 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 tea being traitorous isn’t the only thing that’s different in McGee’s America.
What I loved about American Royals
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 cleverly addresses some pretty tough concepts like 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. (Of course, the “climbers” 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 managed 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.
Should you read American Royals?
If you love royal fiction like The Royal We and The Princess Diaries, you’ll love American Royals. It’s a fresh spin on a classic royal story. I loved stepping into McGee’s world of American princesses, palace drama, and adventures usually reserved for the British monarchy.
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’ll definitely be checking out Majesty in the fall to see what happens next.
