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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
Really not a great book. Found it laborious and definitely had to force myself to finish it. The writing was fine but it just wasn’t my cup or tea.
I wanted to like this. It came recommended by fellow book lovers, was a new spin on historical fiction/alternate history, and switched between different POVs. All things I enjoy.
I kept reading with the hope that it would improve and deviate from the expected, but ultimately the book failed to deliver for me. The main areas that niggled at me:
2. I was ready for re-imagined history, the fleshing out of how America might have developed under a monarchy, and all I got was a whiff of same old politics saturated in nepotism and devoid of term limits. Nothing beyond the concept of lineage & titles distinguishes the events and interpersonal dynamics as being "royal" in any way.
3. The clichés. Oh the clichés! I'm not talking the in your face ones, like forbidden love for your bodyguard (the entire premise of First Daughter, down to the college setting) or the inevitable love triangle(s). I'm not even talking about the extremely tired "poor, bohemian girl gets makeover help from her wealthy friend", which is supposed to fix the underlying problems, but, surprise! it doesn't. My bigger issue was with the many clichéd descriptors sprinkled throughout the book that added little to no value to the plot or in fleshing out the characters.
It may have improved if the characters were aged up by about 3-4 years. At least the relationship drama might be a tad more believable then. I always struggle with 17/18 year olds having the time, energy, and wisdom to be studios, socially involved, philanthropic, AND manipulative in books, when reality refutes that on a regular basis.
We could have avoided some more cliché and gotten a bit more original and thoughtful with the plot, if only the king had chosen to disclose his health issues with people beyond his doctors & 21 year old daughter. It would have allowed us to really dig into what it takes to properly plan succession to a powerful position beyond the utterly tired "you're a woman, therefore you must marry a man before becoming the queen" trope. In the same vein, women have been queens in other countries & no one bats an eye of same sex marriage in this fictional world but patriarchy is still alive and kicking in this re-imagined America?
Overall, it just fell flat in both the writing and content. A tentative 2.5 because anything lower feels mean. (Kudos on conceptualizing the story, writing it, and getting it published, but against other novels, this one struggled.)
I kept reading with the hope that it would improve and deviate from the expected, but ultimately the book failed to deliver for me. The main areas that niggled at me:
Spoiler
1. It started off with the promise of being an original concept, and then fell woefully short. Instead, this read like a mashup of The Princess Diaries, First Daughter (Katie Holmes movie), Gossip Girl, and the British royal family's various lives.2. I was ready for re-imagined history, the fleshing out of how America might have developed under a monarchy, and all I got was a whiff of same old politics saturated in nepotism and devoid of term limits. Nothing beyond the concept of lineage & titles distinguishes the events and interpersonal dynamics as being "royal" in any way.
3. The clichés. Oh the clichés! I'm not talking the in your face ones, like forbidden love for your bodyguard (the entire premise of First Daughter, down to the college setting) or the inevitable love triangle(s). I'm not even talking about the extremely tired "poor, bohemian girl gets makeover help from her wealthy friend", which is supposed to fix the underlying problems, but, surprise! it doesn't. My bigger issue was with the many clichéd descriptors sprinkled throughout the book that added little to no value to the plot or in fleshing out the characters.
It may have improved if the characters were aged up by about 3-4 years. At least the relationship drama might be a tad more believable then. I always struggle with 17/18 year olds having the time, energy, and wisdom to be studios, socially involved, philanthropic, AND manipulative in books, when reality refutes that on a regular basis.
We could have avoided some more cliché and gotten a bit more original and thoughtful with the plot, if only the king had chosen to disclose his health issues with people beyond his doctors & 21 year old daughter. It would have allowed us to really dig into what it takes to properly plan succession to a powerful position beyond the utterly tired "you're a woman, therefore you must marry a man before becoming the queen" trope. In the same vein, women have been queens in other countries & no one bats an eye of same sex marriage in this fictional world but patriarchy is still alive and kicking in this re-imagined America?
Overall, it just fell flat in both the writing and content. A tentative 2.5 because anything lower feels mean. (Kudos on conceptualizing the story, writing it, and getting it published, but against other novels, this one struggled.)
If you like the drama from people being in relationships with the wrong people, you'll love this. I often found it very frustrating.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book is painful, and I am in deep pain right now. Honestly I hate most of the characters except a few, and I cant even rate this right now because of all my hatred for the plot and some of the characters. *immediately downloads book 2*
I’m here for the historical premise. I’m here for all the Gossip-Girl style drama. Loved it. Moving on to the second.
This was so breezy and fun that I need to read book two just for the fun of it.
This is like Gossip Girl meets the Crown.
This is like Gossip Girl meets the Crown.
I was very interested in this book and wanted to know what came next throughout. Without giving away any spoilers, there were several characters that rubbed me the wrong way, some more than others. I still want to know what happens next and am planning to read the 2nd book- unsure if I’ll make it to the 3rd, we’ll see how I feel after reading book #2.
