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!

As a fan of this author, I was excited to read this new book. I can say that once again Katharine McGee delivers that wonderful aching love story where everything appears to be going perfectly and then factors built in during the story complicate things.

There is such clear distinction between the three main characters as they tell their stories. And since they are so different it is easy for a reader to find themself in one of those characters. The longing that each character embodies in their own way is very relatable as well.

Beyond being a romance, this novel is a historical representation -despite being fiction- on how differently women were regarded let alone treated by men. With that in mind, there is a great amount of intrigue at work since women in that time really had to hide or veil their abilities, ambitions, and actions.

In summary, this is a great read as it draws you in with romance, political intrigue, and such fascinating historical characters as Queen Victoria.

To preface this review, I must say I am a BIG Katharine McGee fan. I absolutely devoured the American Royals series and loved the fresh and unique take on young adult romance. I felt a void when I finished the last book of that series and couldn't have been more thrilled when she announced A Queen's Game. I couldn't believe it when I was selected for an eARC of A Queen's Game!

I am hoping and praying this will turn into a series because I think it will make me appreciate and enjoy this first installment even more. I know that the first book of a series needs to be expository in nature just to get the ball rolling but at many times, I found myself... bored? I don't feel endeared to any of the characters yet and so far, it's feeling like American Royals in a different font.

That being said, I can feel the potential - if continued, this WILL be even better than American Royals, if that's even possible! I love a Regency novel and I love a unique YA romcom so this checks all the boxes. Can't wait to see where this one goes!

I have enjoyed Katharine McGee's previous books, so I was excited to receive an e-arc of A Queen's Game. I love historical fiction with a royal twist, so this was perfect. The book absolutely didn't disappoint. I devoured it quickly--I was only delayed by my constant googling to divide fact from fiction.

A few general thoughts:
--This is the first book in a duology. I did not know that going in, and I was a little disappointed. Although I know who ends up with whom after googling, I really thought that the book was a standalone.
--I don't always love when authors take liberties with real people. I would love to know what kind of research the author did and how historically accurate it is. My googling indicates that much of it is historically accurate (maybe not some of Helene's arc).
--This book is told from multiple POVs. I think that it works really well, but I know that some people don't like that style.

Thanks Netgalley and publishers for the free e-arc in exchange for my host review. I can't wait to read the sequel!

I will be the first to admit that historical romance is not my favorite genre; but for Katharine McGee, I am willing to give anything a chance. Surprisingly, this was a fun read!


A Queen’s Game follows three young women in Victorian England as they struggle to find love and their place in the world of English royalty. May of Teck has a terrible home life and is desperate to get out from under her father’s thumb. She has her sights set on the future king, Prince Eddy, as her ticket to freedom, but is he the right person for her? Helene d’Orleans is the exiled French princess who has a habit of falling into unrequited love. She has caught the eye of Prince Eddy, but can two people as different as them be together? Alix of Hesse wants a quiet life and is not interested in a betrothal that would cast her into the spotlight like the Queen wants. When she marries, she wants it to be for love, which may come when she least expects it.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book! I think, for me, what made the difference between this book and other historical romances I’ve read were the characters. I was so invested in all three women and wanted each to find love and happiness. I appreciated how authentic May, Alix, and Helene were (despite being based in history). I could easily see this book becoming a television show or movie (in the vein of Bridgerton) and cannot wait for book 2!

I think this book is perfect for those who enjoy historical romances or even for those who don’t, but want a book filled with intrigue, love, and characters trying to discover who they truly are.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children’s for the ARC!

**2.5 STARS**

Content Warning: slap in the face

I remember reading and enjoying American Royals but I never finished the series. So when I saw this was about European royals, not going to lie, I wanted to read this for the drama. Here are my thoughts:

Likes:

+ If you want royals, there are all kinds of royals in this one. Apparently Queen Victoria of Britain had 22 grandchildren? And she was trying to marry a few of them to one another – I’m so glad they don’t do that anymore. In this story, there is a lot of drama going on between who is going to marry who. I’d say it got mostly interesting in the second half of the story.

+ I did like the historical aspect of the story and learning a little bit more of Queen Victoria’s grandkids.

+ This story is told between 3 POVs: Alix, Hélène, and May – each girl with a different background and each girl trying to make an advantage marriage. Alix was okay – she’s the demure one, Hélène is the fun and flirty one and May is probably the more interesting one because though she’s plain, she gets caught up with blackmail plans by of course, an American heiress trying to infiltrate the royal crowd.

Dislikes:

~ The beginning is too slow and I wasn’t connecting to any of the characters. I wasn’t sure if I cared enough about their marital market drama until the second half.

~ I think because there is no real connection to the characters, I didn’t feel anything for the romance either. Maybe also the fact they were cousins were turning me off. The romance does happen quick for the girls except for May, who is the more practical of all of them, but it’s just too fast with no real investment for me in the couples.

~ The ending is abrupt and even though I did enjoy the messiness and drama of the second half, I don’t think I’ll read the sequel.

My Thoughts:

This one didn’t quite work out for me but I did enjoy the second half of the story. I just didn’t connect to the characters, or romance, but I did like the blackmail. I think younger readers would enjoy this one though if you liked the American Royals series.

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.