Take a photo of a barcode or cover
kzofrea 's review for:
American Royals
by Katharine McGee
If you are looking for a royal version of Gossip Girl have I got a book for you!
American Royals takes place in an alternative universe where instead of president, George Washington agrees to be the first King of the United States. This story focuses on four perspectives involved with the now modern Royal family and the descendants of King George I.
First we have Princess Beatrice, first in line for the throne and the nations future first Queen. She is seen as the "perfect daughter" who follows every rule given to her. As the prospect of her ascending to the throne grows nearer, she is starting to question what she wants in life and if she is really willing to give up all freedom and choice in order to put her country first, especially as she finds herself falling for her guard.
Next is Princess Samantha, Beatrice's younger sister, who is starting to get sick of always feeling like she is nothing more than the "spare" to her sister. She is lost and powerless and is under constant criticism from the press for her "party girl" reputation due to her seemingly not quite knowing what to do with the rest of her life. All she knows is that she wants more out of life and she finds herself falling for a guy who turns out to be completely off limits.
Then we have Nina, a commoner who happens to be best friends with Princess Samantha. While Sam is her best friend, she starts to distance herself from the royal family and all the scrutiny that comes with them, however that is much easier said than done when she and Sam's twin brother Prince Jeffery start to fall for each other.
Last is Daphne, the recent ex-girlfriend of Prince Jeffery who will do everything in her power to get Jeff back, and for her there is no such thing as going too far.
The book was predictable filled with unsurprising twists and romantic plots. I, personally did enjoy the four different perspectives and thought the four girls journeys were interesting enough despite being pretty stereotypical, although there wasn't a huge amount of growth until the end where we start to see bits and pieces. The love interests, honestly were pretty interchangeable, without any huge distinguishing differences.
Thats not to say this book wasn't enjoyable! I read it in about 3 days and did find myself wanting to know what exactly would happen next, however, I'm not sure if it was successful in spreading the message it seemed to set out to promote.
For a book that is promoting some feminist ideals and critiques the double standards in which women are treated verses their male counter parts, there were honestly very few moments where the girls in this story made decision that weren't revolving around their romantic involvement with a guy. This was honestly the biggest disappointment of the book as the best parts in my opinion, were the moments not involving the love interests. Those part were fun, however, I liked the time that Sam and Nina spent together exploring their friendship, or when Bea was discovering what it truly means to rule a country, or when Daphne has to face her controlling parents, so much more!
Overall, it was an enjoyable read and was a nice bit of fluff to enjoy but I couldn't help but want more.
This first book did leave us with quite the cliffhanger and I am curious to see how the story continues in the next book.
3.5 Stars
American Royals takes place in an alternative universe where instead of president, George Washington agrees to be the first King of the United States. This story focuses on four perspectives involved with the now modern Royal family and the descendants of King George I.
First we have Princess Beatrice, first in line for the throne and the nations future first Queen. She is seen as the "perfect daughter" who follows every rule given to her. As the prospect of her ascending to the throne grows nearer, she is starting to question what she wants in life and if she is really willing to give up all freedom and choice in order to put her country first, especially as she finds herself falling for her guard.
Next is Princess Samantha, Beatrice's younger sister, who is starting to get sick of always feeling like she is nothing more than the "spare" to her sister. She is lost and powerless and is under constant criticism from the press for her "party girl" reputation due to her seemingly not quite knowing what to do with the rest of her life. All she knows is that she wants more out of life and she finds herself falling for a guy who turns out to be completely off limits.
Then we have Nina, a commoner who happens to be best friends with Princess Samantha. While Sam is her best friend, she starts to distance herself from the royal family and all the scrutiny that comes with them, however that is much easier said than done when she and Sam's twin brother Prince Jeffery start to fall for each other.
Last is Daphne, the recent ex-girlfriend of Prince Jeffery who will do everything in her power to get Jeff back, and for her there is no such thing as going too far.
The book was predictable filled with unsurprising twists and romantic plots. I, personally did enjoy the four different perspectives and thought the four girls journeys were interesting enough despite being pretty stereotypical, although there wasn't a huge amount of growth until the end where we start to see bits and pieces. The love interests, honestly were pretty interchangeable, without any huge distinguishing differences.
Thats not to say this book wasn't enjoyable! I read it in about 3 days and did find myself wanting to know what exactly would happen next, however, I'm not sure if it was successful in spreading the message it seemed to set out to promote.
For a book that is promoting some feminist ideals and critiques the double standards in which women are treated verses their male counter parts, there were honestly very few moments where the girls in this story made decision that weren't revolving around their romantic involvement with a guy. This was honestly the biggest disappointment of the book as the best parts in my opinion, were the moments not involving the love interests. Those part were fun, however, I liked the time that Sam and Nina spent together exploring their friendship, or when Bea was discovering what it truly means to rule a country, or when Daphne has to face her controlling parents, so much more!
Overall, it was an enjoyable read and was a nice bit of fluff to enjoy but I couldn't help but want more.
This first book did leave us with quite the cliffhanger and I am curious to see how the story continues in the next book.
3.5 Stars