Imagine an alternate America, one in which instead of establishing a democracy at the end of the American Revolution, the Founding Fathers created a monarchy, with George Washington as King of America. Now fast-forward to present day, where the descendants of George Washington are still in power and ruling over the American people. Such is the premise of American Royals, a new series by the best-selling author of The Thirteenth Floor series, Katharine McGee.
Meet The Washingtons. There's George and Adelaide - King and Queen of America; Beatrice, heir-apparent to the throne, and the first woman in America who will ever do so, as the succession laws have recently changed; and Samantha and Jefferson, the fun-loving, care-free twins and younger siblings of Beatrice. Also thrown into the mix are Nina, Samantha's best friend; and Daphne, Jefferson's long-time girlfriend. The relationships among these key characters are the makings of American Royals, and unfold throughout the story, told in alternating chapters through multiple perspectives.
I am the first to admit that American Royals has so much promise as a series for either YA or adults. People are fascinated with royal life, and what great fun it would be to imagine America, the land of the free and home of the brave, being ruled by a monarch. The story-telling possibilities are endless; the potential secrets and scandals, immense. Unfortunately, this is not the story that we get with McGee's American Royals. Her imagined America falls flat, and is hardly exciting or eyebrow-raising. If I had to describe it in one word, I would call it vanilla, when what I wanted was double chocolate fudge with extra sauce on top.
It should be stated that I liked this book, but I didn't love it, and the reason why I didn't love it is because McGee could have fleshed out the narrative so much more. Instead she chose to play it safe, to do more telling than showing, and to leave her readers bored in the process. Not to mention that much of this story felt like a rip-off from the British royal family.
This book is incredibly long for a YA novel - 448 pages - and yet, nothing much happens on these pages. The novel is primarily consumed with the love interests of the characters, but even this is stale. There were several times in the story where I thought McGee was going to go left with the plot, to do something daring, scintillating, and exciting, but instead, she chose the safe path - she went right, & this story plotted on much as I expected. There is such a lack of depth and dimension in this book, and I can't help but feel disappointed because, as I have stated before, it held such promise.
Read American Royals if you love books involving aristocracy, but be prepared to have a better storyline running in your head than what you are reading on the pages.
Rating: *** Stars (I liked it)
- Brooke, Public Relations Librarian
ARE YOU AND THIS BOOK A GOOD MATCH? DISCOVER MORE WITH NOVELIST APPEALS! American Royals
GENRE: Alternative Histories; Multiple Perspectives; Teen Chick Lit
THEMES: Royal Reads (It's good to be king…or is it? These books delve into the responsibility, privilege, and peril experienced by young royals throughout history.) CHARACTER: Flawed TONE: High-Drama WRITING STYLE: Engaging
SUBJECT: Courts and Courtiers; Forbidden Love; Heirs and Heiresses; Inheritance and Succession; Interpersonal Relations; Princes; Princesses; Royal Houses; Social Conflict; Teenage Boy/Girl Relations
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