341 reviews for:

The Rules of Royalty

Cale Dietrich

3.31 AVERAGE

jpdubs's review against another edition

3.0

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I am disappointed in this book. The summary was all I wanted as someone who grew up loving The Princess Diaries and loves the Royal trope thanks to Merlin Fanfics.

First of all, I did not realize that it was YA when I got the ARC. That is fine but it was a bit of a surprise when the characters were 17. I thought the characters were sweet and their relationship was very cute. But there were some things so unbelievable that it took me straight out. Firstly, Jamie did not seem to care that he suddenly had a whole new family. If I found out I had a dad and a brother that would be my priority rather than a cute boy. It seemed like he didn't have any interest at all in his new brother. Then he called all the royals first names only. This seems way too casual for foreign royals or even parents of your boyfriend/friends. I still call my friend's parents Mr. and Mrs. Also, is much tell rather than showing. Some of the writing seemed like it was a first draft. There was never a stated reason why one character forbids a relationship besides convenient conflict. I would love to see this book have a couple more drafts to perfect some of the flaws. I did enjoy how well-adjusted the family dynamics were. No silly dynamics of jealousy between siblings or step-parents and bio-parents. It is overall very fluffy and an easy, fast read so teens may enjoy it more than me despite the flaws.

bailz05's review

5.0

funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

ainsley_b2's review

3.0

lighthearted relaxing 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: No

kayimreading's review against another edition

2.0

slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

isabell_elaine's review

4.5

funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

lil_booklover's review against another edition

4.25

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

neylane's review against another edition

3.0

funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

becreally's review against another edition

4.0

hopeful medium-paced

ogollovesbooks's review against another edition

2.5

adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

biblionerdrflxn's review

3.0

hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

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***Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***

I don’t quite know how to express my feelings about The Rules of Royalty. I’m conflicted. The premise was great, and I loved how it mixed ideas from The Princess Diaries and Red, White & Royal Blue into something fun for a YA audience. The story just required such a suspension of disbelief, and I wasn’t able to get there. Most aspects of the story also lacked depth, and I often found myself wanting more from it.

My favorite thing about The Rules of Royalty was how it made me feel while reading it. There were a ton of adorable moments, and the story had an atmosphere of positivity that was infectious. I grinned so much while reading and loved getting to experience the royal life alongside Jamie. Additionally, every interaction between Jamie and Erik was just so heartwarming and wholesome. They really were couple goals even if things did move a bit quick.

Unfortunately, the character development in The Rules of Royalty felt a bit lopsided. Jamie was seemingly great at everything and took the giant upheaval to his life in stride. It made him seem really flat. A perfect person doesn’t really make for a riveting character. Erik on the other hand had a great arc with significant growth. He had to learn to stand up for himself and not let his family control his whole life. Hiding his true self from everyone, even oftentimes himself, took its toll, and I loved that Jamie helped to kickstart Erik’s journey to living more authentically. I just wish Jamie had a more satisfying arc of his own considering the difficult circumstances he faced in learning to be a prince.

As for the plot of The Rules of Royalty, there wasn’t that much to it. Once Jamie finds out that he is a prince, the story mostly focuses on his lessons of royal etiquette and his blossoming relationship with Erik. Everyone accepted Jamie very quickly. He faced almost no obstacles that he didn’t immediately overcome. I needed way more angst. lol. The end finally provided a little more drama, but I never doubted that things would work out.

If you are looking for something heartwarming that doesn’t take itself too seriously, you might love this book, especially if you’ve ever harbored fantasies about being a secret royal. I wanted more depth and angst from both the plot and most of the characters. However, I still enjoyed my time with The Rules of Royalty and found the lovable vibes endearing. Therefore, I rate the book 3 out of 5 stars.