American Royals

Isn't this a fun idea: What if George Washington had accepted the role of king rather than president? What if his clan continued to rule America as kings until modern times? How would America look and feel if America was governed by a large network of kings, queens, dukes, and other members of royalty? What would it be like to be one of those royals, in the continual public spotlight? What if one of those royals wanted to date someone who was not so royal?

The world the author has created seems so real that I felt most of the time that I was reading a contemporary fiction novel rather than a fantasy. The characters are young adults, and each is struggling with some aspect of the world of royals that conflicts with his personal worldview. Beatrice is heir to the throne, and she will be first to rule as queen in her own right. Her parents push her to find a suitable royal spouse, and she reluctantly begins to seek out potential husbands, though she has already found herself deeply attracted to one who is outside the possible royal spouse loop. Her brother and sister are considered “spares,” and they are given much more freedom to act and love and speak out in their world. There are also the friends of the royals, some of whom are minor royals themselves and some of whom are not, and they also have their own conflicts and troubles. Add to this mix a few intrigues and secrets, and you will find you can't stop turning pages.

The author can't resist throwing a few delicious bones to those of us living in these real political times: “Elect the king or queen—what a funny concept. Everyone knew that elections only worked for judges and Congress. Making the executive branch pander to the people, go out begging for votes—that would only end in disaster. That structure would attract the wrong sort of people: power-hungry people with twisted agendas.”Love it.

The nobler characters, like that of Beatrice and her father and Teddy, offer a wonderful picture of what a kingdom could be like, while a look at the overly ambitious folks, like Daphne, almost made me want to throw away the queenly crowns and princess castles of my little granddaughter and her peers. Ah, but the glittery world of priceless jewels, and servants for every task, along with the glory of unlimited power will always, though sometimes against our better judgment, draw us back into this fascinating world. And this author has brought this fairytale dream right into our own America—a delightful ride of a book, and the author leaves us headed down one of the steepest ramps of the roller coaster at the conclusion, eagerly awaiting book two of the series.