this book was pretty great, i loved the vibe of it and the characters were definitely cool. its biggest flaw, to me, was just its unfinishedness. It felt not just like it's being set up for a second (third, fourth, fifth....) book but like it was just one book cut in half and handed to a reader. 3.5 stars tysm for the arc.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced reader copy.

I loved the American Royals series from Katharine McGee and was excited that she had a new book out. But I think the magic of the American Royals series was the juxtaposition of modern day storylines mixed with an alternate history of the United States. The characters and plotlines in A Queen's Game, set in the time of Queen Victoria, just didn't zing the same way.

⭐️: 3.5/5

Some of my favorite YA series have come from the mind of Katharine McGee, so when I got the chance to read her newest book, I was excited! Off the bat, it gives big Bridgerton vibes, along with the multiple FMC POV narrative that I know I always expect when it comes to McGee’s books. I say it gives Bridgerton vibes, since it’s that same sort of British Regency time in history, but the twist here is all the characters in the books are based on real people in European history. Obviously, this also means that you can easily find out what happens to all of them at any point with a simple Wikipedia search, which I admit that I did once I was about one third through the book, since I wanted to to verify that these people were actually real, as advertised. Obviously, that gave spoilers, but whatever.

There are some relatively big time jumps in this one, which should have made it feel like it moved faster, but honestly the book itself was kind of slow. I think I expected more drama and overlap of storylines, but they honestly moved mostly independent of each other, while still being in close proximity. I think this one would be more fun for people who are really into this period of history, or who are really into the British monarchy, but neither of those are big topics of interest for me, so that, along with my age, made me not the target audience of this one.

Clearly this is the start of a new series by McGee, since none of the storylines reach their conclusions at the end of this book, and although I do recommend this book to those who are interested, I think I’ll personally be skipping the rest.

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhousekids for this eARC provided for my review!!

A Queen’s Game
Katherine McGee
Publishes November 12, 2024
Thank you and random house children’s for this ARC!

I adore Katherine McGee’s writing. Her American Royals series hooked me with its compelling characters and royal storyline. I’m forever a Bea and Teddy fan. This new novel, A Queen’s Game, is just as intriguing and in a historical setting.

This novel follows three royal women, May, Helene, and Alix. And they are all after a prince. That, however, is where the fairy tale ends.

Each woman holds a different place in royal society with very different family situations. I grew to understand and empathize with each, even when some really terrible decisions were made. The story itself is captivating, but I truly loved the character depth and growth.

I also found it funny that of course the American in the story is brash and pushy.

This book is listed as YA, however there are a lot of references to sexual relations. It’s never described, but I was a little surprised by the numerous mentions. I even double checked if this book was YA. I think YA can mean different things to different people so I wanted to note this.

Like the American Royals series, this first book ends with unfinished business. I’m looking forward to seeing where this goes in book 2!

If you liked Katharine McGee's earlier books about American Royals, you will also enjoy A Queen's Game. This follows 3 of Queen Victoria's granddaughters though their personal royal relationships. Even though the setting is the Victorian Era, McGee's writing style makes the reader feel like they are a part of the inner circle.

i received an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley.

I think this novel may be a win for young fans of historical romances, but it didn't work for me. It's based in historical reality but somehow feels anachronistic. I didn't dislike the story, but it seems to be a start to a new series. That's disappointing. American Royals should have be one novel, or at most two. I'm not willing to follow McGee into another series.

American royals like but set in 19th century Europe . Absolutely excellent read and I cannot wait for the next (please ) installment. This book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

A Queens Game was a quick and easy read, full of historical women and their gossip/daily demands. Very similar to her other series, American Royals! I enjoyed the characters story and was definitely left wanting to know about how each women’s love life as well and their friendships would turn out. This may change with publication, but author repeated phrases quite a bit throughout the book - not my favorite. Either way, still a great read!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

I was a huge fan of American Royals, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one. Unfortunately, this one didn’t live up to the hype for me. I had a hard time liking and being invested in these characters. I still enjoyed it, but not a 5 star like American royals was for me.

4.5 stars.

This is for anyone who loves a good historical fiction royalty romance novel. It is a closed door YA romance. Eddie (future King of England) needs a bride. His grandma picked one, he picks another, and another girl wants him. There are love triangles, court politics, and a lot of longing looks. I was not able to put this down once I started reading. It was so good!

I have not read her American Royals series, but I definitely will after reading this. It was captivating and I can't wait for book 2.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for the arc! All opinions are my own..

As someone who would, literally, drop everything to read the American Royals series, I guess you could say I was interested in this one. It's very similar stylistically, naturally, except the plot is set in the 19th century with European royalty. So, different, can't you tell? "A Queen's Game" had as compelling of language as ever. Despite the obvious regency setting, the story really did feel quite modern which made it exponentially easier to read as a modern human. I ended up really digging "A Queen's Game." I mean not as much as American Royals, but definitely a close second. Like, "A Queen's Game" is really the regency precursor to the American Royals series. And then that ending, oh boy, I fear I need more content/answers STAT.

Entertaining read of what I'm sure will be an amusing series. Sometimes found it hard to remember which POV I was reading, but I can often have that with multi POV books

Thanks, NetGalley!

This book is the perfect follow-up to the Dear America and Royal Diaries historical fiction that I grew up reading in the early 2000s. I really enjoyed reading about how all of these young women were tied together (though I have to admit, I did google to find out where they all ended up). Based on where the book ends, it clearly is meant to be a series—though I would have liked for the story to be tied up in one book (similar to the historical fiction novels I used to read). Still an enjoyable read, and one I would recommend alongside Dear America and Royal Diaries!

I was nervous how I’d feel about A Queen’s Game, after really enjoying the American Royals series. Would a new series that is somewhat based on history be able to live up to its predecessor? I actually ended up liking A Queen’s Game more than American Royals.

The novel is based on May Teck, Alix of Hesse and Helene of Orleans, vying to marry various heirs to thrones in Europe. There’s the rivalry, drama and twists that McGee used in American Royals, but I actually found myself really liking each of the princesses, despite the things they sometimes did to each other. Their developing friendships were as intriguing as the relationships they were trying to forge.

The ending was a mild cliffhanger, but it made me really want more! So I’m looking forward to the sequel, whenever that may be.

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House and Katharine McGee for the ARC.

This book was…fine. I expected this to be a standalone novel but unfortunately it appears to be the beginning of a series, and I’m not sure if I will continue reading it. The premise is good- three different young women vying for attentions in 19th century Europe British circles, trying to find love during courting season. But the substance of the book was lacking in my opinion. Nothing substantial happened in this book… lots of gossip and talking, not much progression or development of characters, and no resolution at the end of the book. It felt like it was missing more chapters at the end. Kind of bummed, as I was looking forward to this book.

An enchanting and addictive addition to McGee's canon! I appreciated the historical details and the humanization of the characters. No one was villainized and characters were treated with nuance. I look forward to reading the next installment in this duology.

🤍 Thank you to the publisher for the e-arc 🤍

I absolutely loved the American Royals series, and this book kept up with the signature drama, glitz, and glam of this authors writing.

Sadly, this book was not my jam. I felt like it was too much like her first series and the historical figures really threw me off.

For the reader who loves:
• historical figures dramatized
• all the drama
• multiple POVs
• bingeable reads

★ ★ ★ ☆/5 (3.5 Stars)
Steam: vague open door

I had not read Katharine McGee's other books yet, and now I am so excited to get to read them. A Queen's Game was written in a way that made me want to turn each page as quickly as possible. I am not the biggest history buff, and when it comes to the British monarchy my knowledge is mainly from TV shows like Bridgerton and The Crown. I enjoyed the history part of the book and loved learning more about how intertwined different countries are.

This was kind of a rinse and repeat of American royal. The author obviously took a lot of liberties with the historical accuracy. It’s definitely a work of FICTION. But easy enough to read!

Thank you so much for letting me read this early release book! My tween daughter & I both loved it! We adore Katharine McGee, and hope she writes more stories with strong characters and fun plots. Excited to share this book with my audience!