*ARC was provided by NetGalley for an honest review*

Do you like The Selection? Are you looking for something with a similar vibe but more fantasy?

Well, do I have the book for you! Surprisingly, or not so surprisingly, I felt the selection was ok. But reading Royal Matchmaking Competition made me feel lightly like I was reading the selection again, only with better looking men and less page-turner vibes.

I truly tried to get into this novel. However, at the end of the day, it couldn't hold my interest. The main character was annoying. Annoying in the sense that she cared heavily about vain materialistic things. When introduced to the men, her eyes were drawn to the ones who looked attractive or offered her items of high monetary value (aka ooo sparkles!), rather than those who valued wisdom and offered her books (Yes, she turned down books, the shame right?).

That being said, I could definitely see this being of interest to very young "I don't wanna read" readers. And hey, if it gets them reading, then that's a good thing.

I was really excited to read this story as it's my first book from this author and I enjoyed the blurb of the story. I wish I could say that this was a 5-star read for me, but unfortunately it wasn't. I tried to like this story. I tried to give it time for the characters to stop acting so immature, judgmental and snobbish. There was a lot of repetitiveness when it came to the opulence of the palace, everyone's social status, and the commoner. Given that the commoner was the only character that I enjoyed in this series. I liked Kipp and maybe it was because his character came off as having more sense than those who actually paid for their education and learning. I didn't like Qloey or any other character, especially her mother and father. All I can say is that as much as I had hope to love this book and series, I have to say that this story just isn't the one for me. I truly dislike rating a story 2 stars but there truly was very little that I liked about this story.

I’m sorry to say this book is not for me. They premise sounded like it would have potential but overall it fell flat.

I feel like there were too many characters so there wasn’t a lot of time to get to know any of the characters. Many of them were very unlikable including the FMC. It does read
Very young, so that could definitely be a factor.

I wish I felt differently, but hopefully book 2 will offer us more!

I had so much fun with this one! Between this book and G.K. DeRosa's Hitched series, I think I've finally found my sweet spot: bachelor trope with supernatural suitors. Not all of the suitors in here were supernatural, but there were elves and a dwarf and there was a scuffle with centaurs so it scratched that itch for me.

I was totally invested and picked my favorite suitors along the way. I liked the final choice, but my one complaint is that we didn't see enough of their relationship develop. I really wanted to be head over heels for Qloey's final choice, and although I did like him, I didn't feel that satisfaction I was looking for in their happy ending.

Regardless, this was a good time and I will definitely go onto the next one.

I really wanted to love this book because the premise sounded so interesting. But sadly it fell a little flat for me. Honestly everything felt a bit rushed and underdeveloped. I was expecting a bit more excitement or action in the book with it being a competition to see who will win the crown Princess’ hand to become King.

I think this could be a great book with some more workshopping and development of the story

With a little romance, many hidden agendas, and a secret intrigue driving everything, it's impossible to guess where this one is going and who the princess's husband will be.

Twelve males from the twelve different districts, kingdoms and species meet to compete for the right to become the Crown Princess's husband. Each one has their own reasons for attending, but all know the power such a position would bring to their people. The princess, always surrounded with agendas and manipulation, is determined to only accept the best choice for her future kingdom. But not only are the players holding more than a few secrets, others are looking for a chance to grab their own chances at power. What begins as a simple game, soon has the princess struggling not only for her own rightful future but for her very life.

When I picked this one up, I wasn't sure if it'd be seeping in royal, teen romance or take a more interesting twist. Luckily, it does lean more toward the later of these...at least, somewhat. The princess heads into this contest fully aware of her responsibilities and holding little to know interest in romance. The young men involved offer everything from flirtations to compete disregard, giving this a wide variety of possibilities. It's hard to guess where each character is headed, and there are more than a few surprises in store...and these not only come from the contestants.

Still, this holds a solid, teen flair. The princess might come across, at first, as solid and determined, but she quickly wanes when she meets the 'hot' guys and soon finds herself more than ready to flirt away. Her uncertainty and naive behaviors do make her age and situation believable...if not a bit too much, at times. On the other hand, it creates an inviting romance for young adult fans, who do want some heartthrobs and moments to sigh. It's entertaining but sometimes more believable than others.

This does set off the basis for a series nicely with promises of much more intrigue and excitement to come, although book two already sets the ending couple with two children and one on the way (not exactly young adult, anymore). It was a fun read, and I can recommend it to those who just want some elf, troll, and magical moments with royal intrigue and danger mixed in.
I received a DRC through Netgalley and enjoyed the read.

An utterly charming YA debut novel by Zoiy Galloay about a princess coming of age royal marriage competition [no dragons need be slain] where she must chose between a dozen disparate contenders for her hand who seek to become emperors at her side. Two seek to become emperors without her consent; one allying with her mother to serve pecuniary interests; the other seeking to eliminate both her and her brother to secure for himself the line of succession. Along the way the future empress learns to leave aside her juvenile romantic pictures of who is most charming and to value qualities she had not previously envisioned like who would be her greatest helpmeet as a ruler, not only loved by her but also providing value to her eventual rule. She makes hard decisions in the end, compromising desire for greatest practicality and gaining allies of value for her eventual rule. The book benefits from wonderful artistic renderings of the contestants.

Hmm I really wanted to like this but it just didn't initially wow me. Qloey has her choice of twelve suitors but I'm still conflicted as to whether I liked her as a main character or not. At times she's naive, then she can become brash. Clearly she's very sheltered about what is happening amongst those outside the Palace which gave me Marie Antoinette vibes and yet as things progressed she showed remarkable common sense and dare I say guile ?
As to the would be Emperor's it took a while to differentiate between a couple of them although I hasten to point out that one or two stood out from the start. Did I find it romantic ? That's very difficult to answer because our heroine is pragmatic enough to make hard choices which definitely leaves the way open for another book although I'm hoping for less characters so that those focused on can be fleshed out more.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

I really wanted to love this book. I mean, the premise sounded entertaining so why not? But Galloay's world was just that - entertaining.
It felt like watching a dating reality TV show where the bachelorette had oh so many handsome bachelors to choose from and fell in love with a new boy each day. I sped through this due to the aforementioned fun factor, so I suppose that speaks somewhat positively.

My main complaint would be the pacing of this book - too fast. I have read a number of standalone fantasy books that know how to get the pacing just right, and despite being the first book in a series The Royal Matchmaking Competition fell short on this front. The rushed story could maybe have done with a lesser number of bachelors because the side characters were not well developed. Not only that, our MC Qloey doesn't seem to have much of a personality either. Her tyrannous mother, uncaring father and brother, her search for love, and the colour purple seem to be repetitive factors that Qloey continually alludes to.

Something I did like about her, however, was her growth - the way she stands up for herself by the end to her mother - and even throughout the book to the boys - was pleasing to read. I still wish the book had at least 50% more content and took us through events rather slowly.

Overall an amusing but rather fast-paced book.

***Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book.***

The Selection but better .

I did not expect her to end up with who she did, but i was satisfied nonetheless, the boys were interesting in their own ways, but there were a few that felt like they were there just to fill the space. I had to note down their names and what i renembered them by so i wouldnt get confused. There were alot of times i mixed Zack and Zazans names.
I loved the friendship between Victorya and the mc, wish there had been more of it. It kind of reminded me of Penellaphe and Tawny From blood and ash.

My favourute quote-
Youd be surprised how much wisdom you can get from a fairy tail

This debut has a lot of potential.

Note: I read Galloay’s post that she listened to her reviewers and made adjustments to the second book in the series. I can absolutely get behind that. I look forward to reading the next book.

Thank you for this ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op.

Well that was completely unexpected. I am blown away by how I was 100% fully invested in every page. I’m sure what I was expecting but I got so much more. To sum it up it’s almost like a bachelorette but clean, wholesome and very ya, which is a genre I never read, just not my thing. But again I was shocked on how much I loved it. The guys are all evolving and as Q learns more about each one, as a reader I was excited and had my favorites, and as the story evolves my favorites changed. A little shocking, and little tear jerking moment but I can’t wait for the next book.

This was an interesting read for sure. It wasn’t a bad read but it also isn’t one that I’ll likely feel compelled to pick up and reread over and over again.

The plot reminded me of the selection (which I love) and it was one thing that made me choose this book. I really wanted to love it but it fell flat for me. The first thing that dialogs and the FMC inner dialogs and thought process felt immature and shallow to me. However, I believe it might be due to me being older and the story being targeted more to a teen/very young adult audience. I wish some of the story lines actually developed instead of plugged in just to fill a hole in the story. Overall I believe it has potential more towards a younger audience but it just wasn’t for me.

I very much enjoyed The Royal Matchmaking Competition by Zoiy G. Galloay! It features Princess Qloey searching for her future husband during the competition where 12 suitors compete to be her husband. It gives me similar vibes to the selection, but with a more fantasy-esque world to it. The men competing are princes, dukes, lords, elves, knights and even one commoner. Mix in the risk of war after a failed assassination attempt and you've got a fantastic story with a lot to offer. Our Princess main character is largely unlikable, but I think that has more to do with not enough time in the pacing of the book, that given my only wish is that the book was longer, as I feel we could have learned more about the relationships, but I am definitely excited to pick up the sequels. If you love fantasy/royalty or the selection this one is for you.

Also -- this book cover is gorgeous - not the reason I liked it, but something I felt the need to mention.

**I have received a free ARC of this book in exchange for an HONEST review.**

This was really disappointing.

I expected a fairly tale story, but ended up with fairy tale, mystery.

The Heroine fell well short of being likeable and the whole story felt really old fashioned.

This was not for me.

Thank you Netgalley for offering me this amazing ARC!

🤍🤍🤍/5

In this epic tale, Princess Qloey learns what love is and how to love well. Coming from a royal family that shows a large lack of love, Qloey was gifted compassion by her fairy god mother. She is able to use this gift to learn so much about her 12 handsome suitors during her Royal Matchmaking Competition.

Princess Qloey has my HEART! She becomes fearless and truly understands what her people need.

Things I loved:

I loved the Competition aspect of this novel. This book gives Selection by Kiera Cass with much more fantasy intertwined!

Hedgewood— I absolutely loved this character from the beginning. I truly hope to see a pairing in the future with the dwarf kingdom in this series!

Complex family— this allows a lot of readers to explore the gaslighting that occurs in this novel. I think a lot can be said by how Qloey is treated!

Things that need work:

The overall plot of the story was rushed. I felt that the last 2 chapters had so much going on and needed to be lengthened. Additionally, the language in this book went back and forth quite a bit. It went from “I’m old an accident” to something my students should say.

I feel that overall plot and storyline was good, it how the story was told needed work and lost stars for me.

I would recommend this book to those who love a fantasy romance, and don’t mind something simple!

The Royal Matchmaking Competition (RMC) is a competition where the crown princess/ prince chooses their spouse out of 12 representatives after interacting for 4 weeks. It is a romance with elves, dwarfs, commoners and nobility from various regions.

I really enjoyed the first half of the book. Even though the beginning was rather slow, seeing Qloey (female main character) interacting with the 12 contestants and her palpable chemistry with some was really engaging. The middle portion of the book was especially well-written. The portraits of Qloey and the 12 contestants were really interesting too. Some contestants were as I pictured, while some were hilarious to look at (ahhem Prince Edgar’s portrait). Her updated RMC list, where she draws hearts over her favourite contestants, was really adorable too,

*Spoilers Ahead*

However, I didn’t like how Qloey was stringing them along. She proclaims that she has fallen in love after every. single. date. She once kissed more than one contestant on a single day, and confessed to multiple people that she loves them. It was really uncomfortable to read those portions, and felt more like infatuation than real love. In addition, the ending was not satisfying to me. I will first preface this by saying that my favourite contestant is Hedgewood. It was really upsetting to see how he was her first choice, but she ended up getting married to her second choice instead due to external forces. It would have been refreshing to see her end up with someone she never expected to fall for instead of a “hot attractive elf”. It would have shown great character growth, where she grew to love inner beauty more than outer beauty. “I’ll always love you.” “And I’ll always love you. In our next lifetime perhaps.” As he stepped into the carriage, I witnessed a tear fall down his cheek. Even well after his carriage was out of sight, I gazed into the horizon, wondering what life would be like if we were allowed to be. This truly broke me. They would have gone on to become outstanding rulers of Velazia.

The beginning is 3 stars, the middle is 5 stars, while the ending is 2 stars. Overall, this is ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

There was a lot of telling and not showing in this that gave the overall feel that it needed more editing. The premise was good, but ultimately, other books have done the same thing but better.