A captivating read for fans of historical romance and strong female protagonists, offering a sweeping tale of love, loyalty, and self-discovery set against the opulent backdrop of European royal courts in the late 19th century.

I LOVED A Queen’s Game! I’ve read other books by McGee and was excited to see this one! I really loved how she brought history alive.

Pros: I'm generally not a historical fiction fan, but this book is just the kind of historical fiction I do want to read--I love reading about royals! Although I am familiar with two of the three princesses featured in this book (and know who they end up marrying), I did not know how May of Teck, Alix of Hesse, and Helene d'Orleans were all connected to Prince Albert Victor. I really enjoyed how the author imagined how these characters would have interacted and brought the many courtships and potential marriages to life.

Cons: The only con I can think of is that now I have to wait for the next book in the series. Even though, historically, I know what happens to the three princesses in this book, I look forward to reading how the author will tell their stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's | Random House Books for Young Readers for the opportunity to read this book.

THANKS TO THE PUBLISHER FOR THIS ARC IN EXCHANGE FOR A HONEST REVIEW.

I've been bumping into the American Royals series for a few years. I like royal drama and politics but don't have the time and temperament to engage in a series. So, A Queen's Game sounds like a perfect fun read, as it was supposed to be stand-alone. The story is based on real-world events and some real characters. Almost every character has their own chapter. Everyone is looking for a happy ending but has different struggles. Alix of Hesse has everything that a future queen should have but her inner struggles are hidden. Helene d'Orleans, daughter of an exiled king, likes to break rules which princesses don't. May of Treck really wants to get married and move out from her abusive family, but she is too ordinary to be noticed by any royalty. 

Individually, each track was unique, and their struggles made sense. At the same time, the story felt dragged, much was happening but nothing contributed toward an ending. All characters were not likable. I just wish some had more spine. The American guest was so hateful and selfish. I just wish there was more to the story. The ending was sudden and open-ended. Several hints toward a sequel. I started this book for a standalone, not for a cliffhanger. I literally wasted my time on it. Because there is no way I'll catch up with the sequel.

For what this book was supposed to be, it hit the mark. 3 women in courting age, looking for husbands, love, and a way out of their predicaments.
One comes from a disgraced royal line, one looking for real love, and one wanting adventure.
I liked how the story was somewhat based on history, but also totally fictional. All of their lives intertwined and it was nice to see the ebb and flow of their stories.
What I didn’t like was how it ended. It’s left open ended, which is sometimes nice, but I was hoping for a real hea.

Set in Victorian era Europe, A Queen's Game follows 3 young women seeing success in the marriage mart.

This story was lacking in character/relationship development. Couples suddenly in love with no real depth.

McGee's writing also seemed to flip between a period feel to a more contemporary vibe. It felt disconnected and distracting.

I absolutely loved American Royals and really liked The Thousandth Floor. A Queen's Game is my least enjoyed book by McGee. It's clearly going to be a series but I'm not intrigued enough to pick up the next one. I just went on Wikipedia to find out what happened to the real-life characters.

A Queen's Game by Katharine McGee is a thrilling and romantic journey through a captivating period in history that will captivate both history enthusiasts and those seeking a taste of high society escapism.

No one does a cliff hanger quite like Katharine McGee, and now I am going to have to wait awhile for book two. I'm ready already! I was able to get an ARC of this from NetGalley (Thank you!) I love The American Royals series so I was excited to see the beginning of a new series from the same author. The three young women who are followed in this story are so different but I feel like if they could all just sit in a room and talk it out they could all be friends, and some of the drama of this story could have been avoided. Alas, if that was the case there would be no book. The title is great because the queen is definitely at the center of a lot of the decisions and drama. The book was different but I could recognize the style of the author in the writing. Im excited for the series to continue.

I am a big fan of Katharine McGee! I absolutely love and recommend her American Royals series again and again.

It was so nice to jump back into the world of the Royals in this book. We've got a coming of age, royal drama situation. I appreciate the development of the characters and the fact that they are each caught in the middle of duty/responsibility to country and love. It is interesting to imagine how the royal world works.

I absolutely loved the American Royals series and was so excited to find out about this new read from Katherine McGee. I had such a fun time reading this book and look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Very cute historical fiction! I have really enjoyed her other books and am so glad that I got to read this one. :)

Thank you NetGalley and Katharine McGee!

American Royals started out fantastically and ended so badly. This new novel gave a promising start to McGee's new series, this time based on real people and real events. I will definitely look forward to the next in the series.

This book just left me with the best feeling. I loved everything about it. If you want to feel good about life, yourself, and the world, this is a must read.

first of all, thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review! american royals was such a fun series, and i was excited to see katharine mcgee tackle some historical fiction.

this was super enjoyable, and a quick, easy read — i've always been into historical fiction and wasn't disappointed. it's light, but i think that's expected with this author, especially as this is a ya novel at its core. the characters were likable if not insanely complex, and even though it takes 5 seconds to google the "ending" to this series (i think i read it'll be a duology?) via actual history, that doesn't make the journey less fun.

nobody will accuse this book of being super historically accurate or serious, but that's not what i came into it looking for. one comment i have is that i had to look up dates because i'm a nerd and it would've been nice to have a reference as to when the story starts (like even just a year), but i also recognize that makes timelines trickier and that the author is probably taking a few liberties in that respect. overall, i would've ate this up as a teenager and hey - i still ate it up at 31.

This story was interesting. It is basically a fictionalized version of Queen Victoria's many children and grandchildren and how royalty tends to make marriages of political gain vs. love matches. There are 3 main female characters: Alix, May, and Helene. They are all in differing "stations" in relation to the British Royal Family. Each chapter is usually from one of their points of view. Alix is the only one that Queen Victoria is looking to marry off and then to her Grandson, Prince Eddy. May is the "poor" relation and most looking to "move up" with a marriage. Helene is the most "worldly wise" of them and has a cavalier attitude regarding the "proprieties" of the British Royal Court.

This story is well written and has complex characters in it. It was interesting to have a peek into Queen Victoria's time when she is looking to make good matches for all her grandchildren. The story has a good flow and I liked the style of writing . I really wanted to like this book . All this being said; I was disappointed by the ending. I don't know it this is going to be a series or if the author is leaving a conclusion up to the reader.

After devouring American Royals I was so excited to dive into another series by this author!! Unfortunately, I just don't think this book was for me. I bet a younger crowd would love it!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC!

I have been a huge fan of McGee's since her Thousandth Floor series, and she won't lose me any time soon.

A Queen's Game follows three women, Helene d'Orleans, a French princess in exile; May of Teck, a disgraced noble woman struggling with her family's fall from grace; and Alix of Hesse, Queen Victoria's favorite granddaughter. Each woman has her own desires and designs, and each is compelling in their own way.

The common denominator in their lives is Prince Eddy, future heir to Queen Victoria's throne, with each woman's involvement with him varying.

McGee kept me enthralled until the final pages and I am absolutely GASPING for the sequel!

I loved American Royals, McGee's other royal YA series, so I knew I was going to like this book. It's based on real women, and if you know anything about that era of history you can start to pick up the true stories which is a fun aspect of reading historical fiction. The main characters are approachable and easy to care about, which isn't easy when you have three distinct characters and they're all vying for the same group of men on the marriage market. This is a fun read and very easy to get into, I can't wait until the next book comes out (which really needs to happen sooner rather than later. It was a mild cliffhanger but I MUST know how it turns out for the girls).

Katherine McGee is doing what she does best and that’s coming of age royals. I loved the American Royal series and this new novel is just as good. Told from the POV of three v different young women trying to find their place in society with v little rights. Katherine did a good job of including the history of women for her readers to understand. It’s a fun and charming book. You did it again! Thank you to NetGalley for giving me this arc in exchange for my honest review. Pre-order because it comes out soon!

Did this feel oddly similar to the American Royals series? Yes.
Did I enjoy it almost as much despite that? Also yes.
Katharine McGee's voice and writing style feels very familiar between these two series, and there are also a lot of similarities with the multiple POV and focus on romantic lives of young royals. It's pretty interesting that these characters are all based on real historical characters - I couldn't resist a deep dive, and now I'm especially curious to see how the book series plays out vs. the real lives of these historical figures. Ultimately, if you liked American Royals you'll probably like this too. An enjoyable, quick read!