Book Review: "American Royals" by Katherine McGee
“American Royals” by Katharine McGee
Synopsis: Two princesses vying for the ultimate crown. Two girls vying for the prince's heart. This is the story of the American royals.
When America won the Revolutionary War, its people offered General George Washington a crown. Two and a half centuries later, the House of Washington still sits on the throne. Like most royal families, the Washingtons have an heir and a spare. A future monarch and a backup battery. Each child knows exactly what is expected of them. But these aren't just any royals. They're American.
As Princess Beatrice gets closer to becoming America's first queen regnant, the duty she has embraced her entire life suddenly feels stifling. Nobody cares about the spare except when she's breaking the rules, so Princess Samantha doesn't care much about anything, either . . . except the one boy who is distinctly off-limits to her. And then there's Samantha's twin, Prince Jefferson. If he'd been born a generation earlier, he would have stood first in line for the throne, but the new laws of succession make him third. Most of America adores their devastatingly handsome prince . . . but two very different girls are vying to capture his heart.
The duty. The intrigue. The Crown. New York Times bestselling author Katharine McGee imagines an alternate version of the modern world, one where the glittering age of monarchies has not yet faded--and where love is still powerful enough to change the course of history. - Random House
Rating (out of 5): 4.25
Review: I have a habit of pre-ordering books for myself and then forgetting about it, so every so often, I’m surprised by the thoughtfulness of past Elizabeth. This was not one of those books. I first put in my Kindle order for “American Royals” in the spring, and every time it was mentioned — on a podcast, in an article about anticipated books, on Instagram — I went to Amazon, only to be reminded that “you moron, you have already done this.” This book has so many things that I love - royalty, romance, really well-written female characters. My expectations were high, and they were definitely met in this fun and frothy YA read.
The central premise of this book is great: what if George Washington had accepted a crown instead of the Presidency? And then, what would that monarchy look like in the modern day? The book covers the adventures of four women: Beatrice, the first to-be-queen to reign America on her own; Samantha, her spunky younger sister; Nina, Sam’s loyal best friend; and Daphne, ambitious ex-girlfriend of Sam’s twin brother, Jeff. It does bop between their differing POVs, but it isn’t confusing or jarring. I’d say this actually adds to the narrative, as we are able to see different events from opposing points of view, as well as get in the heads of some well-written female protagonists (always a treat!).
Of course, one of the most essential aspects of monarchy is securing the dynastic line, so the main events of this book center around finding Beatrice a husband (who will serve as King consort, not as King outright), even though she’s just graduated from college. Of course, there are various…social entanglements…that accompany such a search; well, let’s just say hijinks ensue. I loved getting in each of our main character’s heads during this time; it made me like everyone more.
I first came across Katharine McGee’s work with her Thousandth Floor series (and I loved that), and I may like this series better (…it better be a series). The premise was easier to relate to, and it was a little snarkier - I loved lines like this: “Everyone knew that elections only worked for judges and Congress. Making the executive branch pander to the people, go out begging for votes — that could only end in disaster. That structure would attract the wrong sort of people: power-hungry people with twisted agendas." Speaking in 2019, I’d say that’s pretty spot on.
This book ends with a fairly big event (I’m not going to call it a twist) that sets it up well for a sequel. Don’t worry, I checked - it isn’t available for pre-order yet, but rest assured, it’s already on my TBR.
TL;DR: A fun what-if-that-had-happened novel about a totally different America that combines romance, rebellion, and royalty.
If you liked this, try these:
“Red, White, and Royal Blue” by Casey McQuiston (Momo’s review here!)
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