Booklist Reviews
It's our world, almost: after the Battle of Yorktown, General Washington was given a crown, and his descendants still sit on the American throne. Princess Beatrice will be the first woman to rule, her grandfather having abolished the rule that says only sons can inherit. Beatrice, 21, has never had a scandal—or a life—and the pressure to find a suitable partner is mounting. At 18, her twin siblings Samantha and Jefferson don't have the same kind of pressures, and Sam especially is starting to feel like no one cares what she does. Jeff, meanwhile, dumps the girl the public loves and falls for one they think is beneath him—but should the public get a say? McGee (The Thousandth Floor, 2016) stays surface level in the development of her speculative world; the American Court blends modern British and American politics, and there's little exploration of how history differs in this alternate reality. But for readers looking for intrigue—and for those who like their royal fever with a twist—this is a quick and delicious read. Grades 10-12. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.
Kirkus Reviews
Grab a cup of mead and gather round for a story of kings, queens, princes, princesses, lords, and ladies: the modern ruling families of America. With the ease of a curtsy, McGee (The Towering Sky, 2018, etc.) has established a monarchy made up of the direct descendants of George Washington. There's enough palace intrigue, royal shenanigans, and even a smidgen of sex to satisfy anyone who loves a bit of gossip. Set in the contemporary United States, there are characters we love to love, love to hate, and those we want to send to timeout. Princess Beatrice, who will be the first queen regnant, her twin siblings, Princess Samantha and Prince Jefferson (those noble scamps), Jefferson's wicked ex-girlfriend, and a couple of commoners who make falling in love with the wrong person too easy all tell their sides of the story in alternating third-person chapters. Critical questions tantalize readers through the foibles and flaws of characters who are frustratingly human. Crown jewels aside, the events of the story are as familiar as college parties or family dinners. Not all questions are answered, and readers will eagerly awa it the next installment to find out whether true love will win or stodgy tradition will triumph. A Latinx main character with two mothers lends a bit of diversity to the majority white cast. An entertaining royal family modeled after the residents of Buckingham Palace. (Fiction. 14-19) Copyright Kirkus 2019 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Reviews
America's new queen has a royal wedding to plan in the follow-up to 2019's American Royals. Imagine that George Washington was crowned America's first king instead of president, and you've got the intriguing premise of McGee's addictive series. In the wake of the sudden death of King George IV, his oldest daughter and heir to the throne, Beatrice, must put her grief aside and throw herself into her new responsibilities as queen. But first, she must get married. Even in a contemporary America, the very idea of a single woman taking the throne is controversial. She's engaged to the perfectly nice son of the Duke of Boston, Theodore "Teddy" Eaton, but her heart lies with a commoner, and Beatrice is torn between love and duty. Meanwhile, her younger, hard-partying sister, Samantha, is consumed by her own romantic foibles, as is her best (and nonroyal) friend, Nina, who briefly dated Samantha's twin brother, Jefferson. Then there's relentless social climber Daphne, Jeff's ex, who plans to win him back at any cost—along with the status that comes with him. McGee ski llfully juggles each woman's narrative, framing their struggles with plenty of pomp and circumstance and the challenges of living very public lives. Add in a dramatic finale that packs in all the feels, and you've got a royal winner. Most characters are white, but Nina is Latinx, and there is diversity in the supporting cast. An immensely fun sequel. (Fiction. 14-19) Copyright Kirkus 2020 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.
Publishers Weekly Reviews
In this drama's reimagined United States of America, George Washington was crowned king rather than becoming the country's first elected president. Now, hundreds of years later, his descendent, Princess Beatrice Georgina Fredericka Louise of the House of Washington, the first female heir to the crown, is 21 and expected to find a husband. Her parents, the King and Queen of America, have vetted several potential candidates, whom she is expected to meet at the upcoming Queen's Ball. There, her tabloid-headline-grabbing twin siblings, Samantha and Jefferson, 19, who have just returned from a postgraduation tour around the world, will make their first official public appearance. Samantha invites her childhood best friend, Nina, as her guest, but Nina is secretly in love with Jefferson, whose ex-girlfriend, meanwhile, has a plan to win him back. Written from multiple perspectives, McGee (
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