Let’s talk a bit about the story and the characters: Qloey is a young princess who, according to tradition, launches a contest to find her future husband, at the key a marriage. It must be said that this young woman has lived to this day a protected and naive life under the tutelage of her parents.

She does not believe in love and her goal is to find the best future leader and partner, a winning combo without love at stake. Does this remind you of anything? I was reminded of "Kiera Cass selection" or "Amy Ewing’s jewel.

It is important to know that this type of marriage is a long-standing tradition, but there are certain conditions that must endure: it must include a commoner and a dwarf. At the son of the novel, we understand that Qloey does not want to follow in his mother’s footsteps, do you think it will benefit him?

Qloey is a half-tinted character at the same time very detestable but touching, she tries to learn more about the pretenders, their culture and the world outside the walls of the palace. For certainly her goal is not to find love, but to find in her future husband a worthy ally.

“For which is harder, helping someone in need of trampling over the weak? It takes a good leader to care about the least of us”

Despite a great misunderstanding at the beginning of the novel vis-à-vis the characters, we gradually manage to get attached to some of them, we also see Qloey going from a naive young woman to a future sovereign. I liked looking at its evolution.

I spent a good time discovering this book, the concept is well engaged. Some moments of the novel, we drag on, of course, I understand that it was to make the set up, but it can sometimes lead to confusion for the understanding of the novel. Despite these few caveats, I look forward to reading more.

DNF’d

I really really wanted to like this, to me it sounded like a fantasy version of ‘The Selection’ by Kiara Cass- an easy and slightly cheesy but fun read, with magic and elves and dwarfs and unicorns!

However I just couldn’t get in to it! The writing felt extremely juvenile and the main character seemed much younger the she was meant to be. If it wasn’t for the ages of the characters it honestly read more like a MG.
The main character, Qloey, was shallow and vain, and all the characters fell completely flat. I can’t tell you the amount of times I rolled my eyes or forced myself on in the first few chapters alone. Every other sentence felt like Qloey wanted to “Jump for joy” or “dance with happiness”, and her judgment of others felt really cringe and just plain wrong :
<i>’Humans married eleven frequently, as elves were beautiful creatures and highly respected, but dwarves, having short stubby legs and being bigger boned, weren’t considered attractive to humans. Being unappealing to the eye meant elves and humans treated them with less respect.’ </I>
And then you want to go on and tell me this character was gifted compassion on her birth, yet she’s merrily just sat and judged 12 men on their race and beauty, as looks and wealth is everything? I don’t think so….

This book was definitely not for me. An Ok idea, but unfortunately the execution lacked.

****Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review*****

Given the premise of a princess choosing a betrothed and one of the suitors being an assassin, I was not expecting this story to be as juvenile as it read. The plotting is rushed, it missing the gravity it would need to really be in the YA genre, but the plot is not suitable for the Middle Grade.
There is no violence and it is a completely clean chaste romance. Both of which can be done well and still make for a gripping plot with high stakes, unfortunately here it made the story feel weak.

Rating: 4 / 5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Zoiy G Galloay for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was super interesting, and so unique in my opinion. I was hooked from the beginning I just couldn’t put it down! I really love the world building and character development, as well as all of the angst drama and even mystery! I can’t wait to read more of this author‘s books.

4.5/5 stars

If you like The Selection by Kiera Cass, then this is the book for you!

The book is about Princess Qloey finding a future husband during the RMC which is a competition where 12 suitors compete to be her husband. She goes on dates with them and in the end is supposed to choose the one that she will marry. The men range from all the kingdoms, some being princes, elves, dukes, lords, dwarves, knights, and one commoner. Add an attempted assassination and the possibility of a war into the mix and you have a fantastic story!

When I began reading the book, I absolutely despised Qloey and I thought she was vain judging the suitors based on beauty and status. However, as the story progressed she has extraordinary character development. As she got to know the boys she began to change and her views became more practical when trying to find a husband. Of course, out of the suitors I had a few favorites and it was great to find out if she picked the one I wanted her too. I couldn't tell who she was going to pick until the very end and I was pleasantly surprised on how that played out.

There are only 2 criticisms I had about the story. The first being that it should be mentioned that we have to learn about the stories and relationships between Qloey and the 12 suitors, adding other characters that aren't necessary super important to the story makes the story itself seem crowded. Either take some characters out or make the book longer. The second criticism I has is that since there were so many suitors from different places, there should have been more world building. It felt like at times the story only focused on specific places more than others. Again, this might be the issue that the book's length wasn't long enough to truly go into greater detail about the other places.

I can't wait to read the second books when it comes out!

Thank you to the author and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for sending me an arc of this book for an honest review.

This was just not my cup of the tea. Right away the writing just turned me off. It was so awkward and cringy. And there was soooo much telling and absolutely no showing. The beginning was bogged down by pointless exposition and absolutely no dialogue or action. Also, the MC Qloey was just truly unlikable, so full of herself and vain.

"My lips were pink like soft rose petals invigorated with morning dew drops" - Qloey, the heroine, contemplating her reflection.

"Near the end of my song, some aristocrats made supercilious remarks about how rude the guards were. And then someone screamed and shook me from my daydream of dancing with Edgar." - Just.... cringe.

I was so worried this was going to be too similar to the Selection series and boy was I wrong! This is not another fluffy YA romance it is packed with action, adventure and mega world building. Please give this book a try you really can't go wrong!

The Royal Matchmaking Competition
3 Stars

I love this book's gorgeous cover!!

I found The Royal Matchmaking Competition book blurb intriguing enough. However, I didn't care for how it was executed. The further along I read the story, I found myself comparing this novel to Ilona Andrews's Sweep of the Heart. There are several similar parallels and their (IA) book sets a very high standard.

I had a hard time completing this book. The struggle was real. The pace of the book starts slowly and is slightly off throughout. The writing is solid. The world-building and story are OK. I'd prefer a more mature main character. I was less than impressed with the Happy for Now ending. I want my HEA!

Thank you, NetGalley and Victory Publishing, for an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

“For which is harder, helping someone in need of trampling over the weak? It takes a good leader to care about the least of us”
This book was so fun.
A fantasy romance story about a future empress, at the center of a competition to win her hand in marriage.
Elves, dwarves, fairies and humans all there to try and win her over to be emperor next to her.
But the competition gets more complicated by the minute when the princess has to unravel a plot to attempt at her life … thankfully she has the help of some very handsome and kind princes whose only purpose there is to be with her.
I had such fun getting through Qloey’s attempt at figuring out if she has feelings for any of them and who’s more suitable to be by her side.
It was an easy book to get through and I devoured it in a short time.
It wasn’t spicy in the least but overall I found the romance fo be a good one and very enjoyable !!
I’m really glad I had the chance to read this book !!

Overall rating: 3.5/5
Story: 3/5
Character development: 4.5/5
Romance: 4/5
Worldbuilding: 3.5/5

Genre: YA fantasy romance

Qloey is a young princess embarking on a matchmaking competition to choose her future husband (think bachelorette meets fantasy royalty). She has lived a sheltered and naive life up until now and struggles under the oppressive leadership of her parents, mainly her mother. She doesn't believe in love going into this competition and initially judges the competitors in a more analytical sense as to who would make the best future leader and partner. This competition is a longstanding tradition and must include a commoner and a dwarf, both of whom have always been eliminated in the first round of this competition. Qloey soon realizes that she doesn't want to follow in her mother's footsteps. The story sees Qloey grow as a character from the shared experiences with the bachelors and from learning more about their culture and the world outside of the palace walls. She grows to form long-lasting bonds with some of these young men and learns what type of ruler she hopes to become one day.

I enjoyed this story and loved getting to know some of the bachelors more and seeing Qloey's character arc. There was a lot going on in the story early on and I was struggling to feel invested in any of the characters. There is a large cast of characters in the story and it does feel overwhelming at first, at least for me, but as the story unfolds you start to learn more about the competitors and begin rooting for a few. I enjoyed reading Qloey's responses to various situations and seeing how she handled herself. She went from a naive young girl to a strong female lead and future ruler.

Overall, this story is a 3.5/5 for me. While I did love the character growth and concept, I feel the story dragged a little at times and was difficult to connect with. It's a well written debut novel and I would recommend checking it out if the premise is something you're interested in. This story did remind me of 'The Selection' initially, but it soon became its own story that was well developed and original. I'm glad I decided to pick this one up and I'll be looking out for the sequel in the future. I have high hopes for the series as a whole!

I received a free advanced copy/galley in exchange for an honest review

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op for this ARC.

The cover of this book is absolutely gorgeous.

I wanted to like this book so much. It was difficult to find a likeable character. Qloey seems much younger than the age she was supposed to be and her internal dialogue was not pleasant.

I liked the idea of the novel. A royal matchmaking competition, twelve competitors, twelve dates, many competitions (archery and talent, oh my), and ultimately one winner. A watered down, teen version of The Bachelor(ette). It seemed fun.
I am sad to say, it wasn’t fun and rather boring.

Please make your own decision and give it a shot for yourself.

I dnf’ed on page 156.

The plot line is what initially drew me to this book, but it’s been fairly slow thus far and I’m really struggling with the characters. They all just feel incredibly flat to me. And Qloey is exceeding shallow and has the personality of a 12 year old versus the 18 year old she’s supposed to be.

<i>*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review *</i>

Honestly, the Royal Matchmaking Competition felt sort of like a reverse gendered The Selection, mashed together with a bunch of other YA tropes, and not in a good way.

Qloey came across as a very unlikeable MC and the assassination plot didn’t really seem connected to the story at all. None of the male characters were really developed enough, and there were oo many kingdoms and characters mentioned without enough context that it just felt kind of dissociative.

A naive and unlikable Princess trying to choose a husband; 12 bachelors whose names and Kingdoms you keep getting mixed up; a loosely fantasy setting that isn't explored at all; a mystery that disappears as soon as it starts, only to reappear again at the end of the story. There's a lot that fell flat for me in this book, but I can't deny it kept me gripped. I wanted to keep reading and find out which bachelor the Princess would choose and I was surprised by how invested in the story I became.

The description states that this is intended to be a light-hearted and playful read and I think it's important to know this going into the book. A lot of the characterisation and plot is exaggerated, verging on silly (like the character who keeps cartwheeling everywhere and the exclamations of "dear unicorns"). The writing often feels blunt and inelegant with lots of telling without showing, and the book sets up very clearly who the "good guys" and "bad guys" are. All of this means the book falls on the middle grade / younger side of YA, which creates a mismatch with the story, which is about a bachelor dating competition - something that isn't very suitable for middle grade. Because of this, the book has a jarring, conflicting tone throughout and I'm unclear who the target audience is.

A really interesting premise but I couldn't really get behind the main character's voice. First-person is often a hit or miss; for me, this was a miss.

The book cover and title instantly caught my attention as a book right up my alley. It was and if you love The Selection then you'll absoutely love this first book in this series. I couldn't put it down as I wanted more.

This book tells about the Royal Matchmaking Competiton where elves, dwarfs and humans fight to win the hand of Crown Princess Qloey through a series of challenges. Qloey is a bright, strong young woman who is to hte next empress of the emperor. I don't want to spoil the book but you will fall in love with Qloey just as a I did. I hated her mother, she's vile and to be honest a unfit empress who doesn't want her daughter to rule. Qloey has a heart of gold.

Like all good books they are people you'll absoutely loath and love. I don't want to spoil too much but Zoiy has been added to my favourite authors for sure.

I can't wait to read the second book in the fanastic series.

Roll on February 2023!

Oh my what a concept!! Medieval fantasy meets the Bachelor meets The Selection. Such a fun one! I would definitely read more from this author.

Excitedly awaiting the next book in this series. I felt it was so easy to follow along with and had me laughing greatly as I read. If you love a strong female character along with a fairytale this is a must read for you!!

DNF around 50%

I found this book hard to get into. I would recommend categorising this as Teen rather than Romance/YA, the story is written perfectly for a tween audience.

I found the MC is immature and superficial, she is about to choose a partner to rule her empire and yet she is more focused on looks and status rather than alliences. With a mother like hers though... yeesh, I can understand her behaviour somewhat.

Having a first cousin as a love interest was so uncomfortable.

At first glance I was not the biggest fan of The Royal Matchmaking competitions. I felt I couldn't connect with the mfc and her naiveness. However after going back and doing a little more research of the intended audience and style of writing the author was going for ("Takes place in a fantasy High Renaissance era. Intended to be a light-hearted and playful read.") I was able to reevaluate and regroup. I can see a preteen audience falling right into this book.
As for older ya fans, for example fans of the selection or The Damsel, I feel as if this book would not hold interest.

Over all a good debut book.