Period Drama
A Queen's Game
Teen, Young Adult, British Historical Fiction, Historical Romance
Random House Books for Young Readers
November 12, 2024
Kindle, Audiobook, Hardcover, Paperback
368
In the last glittering decade of European empires, courts, and kings, three young women are on a collision course with history—and with each other.
Alix of Hesse is Queen Victoria’s favorite granddaughter, so she can expect to end up with a prince . . . except that the prince she’s falling for is not the one she’s supposed to marry.
Hélène d’Orléans, daughter of the exiled King of France, doesn’t mind being a former princess; it gives her more opportunity to break the rules. Like running around with the handsome, charming, and very much off-limits heir to the British throne, Prince Eddy.
Then there’s May of Teck. After spending her entire life on the fringes of the royal world, May is determined to marry a prince—and not just any prince, but the future king.
In a story that sweeps from the glittering ballrooms of Saint Petersburg to the wilds of Scotland, A Queen’s Game recounts a pivotal moment in real history as only Katharine McGee can tell it: through the eyes of the young women whose lives, and loves, changed it forever.
“Princesses were born to be pawns in their parent’s political ambitions. They didn’t get to marry according to their own desires.”
Katherine McGee creates a fictional interpretation of the historical royal personalities; May of Teck, Alix of Hesse, and Hélène d’Orléans. As these young royal blooded woman come of age they are forced to navigate the world of political machinations they were born into. A system that is based not on the desires of the heart but on the political positioning that a marriage can achieve. To navigate it all they would have to be cunning… “To listen at keyholes and bribe servants and hide her intentions behind a demure smile.” A Queen’s Game is the fictional retelling of events during the glittering Victorian Era, leading to the marriage of the future King George.
“How was anyone supposed to know the truth about another person when society forbade you from revealing your true self?”
Told from the point of view of each of the three women, A Queen’s Game is a fascinating look inside a world where women were held to a strict code of behavior and decorum. A time where the thoughts, feelings, and desires of women were disregarded for the power and political status that could be obtained through a marriage alliance. Mary, Alix and Hélène each have different forces and circumstances that are motivating their choices and different personalities to carry them out. I was pleased with how Katharine gave us such depth with each character which allowed me to think differently about each, than I otherwise would have, had I only judged them based on their actions. While I know the outcome of their lives based on history, I still found it fascinating the backstory Katharine chose to create for each young woman.
I found A Queen’s Game to be a richly created and well written story that all ages will enjoy. It is so much more than a history retelling with its personal insights, palace intrigue, and interpersonal drama. Katharine’s writing transports you to a time and place of opulance and wealth, where the fashion and etiquette were over the top, with a story that keeps you engaged from beginning to end. But, A Queen’s Game does not conclude Mary, Alix and Hélène’s story as Katharine leaves us with the ending to their relationships still to come. I’m looking forward to reading it when it comes out.
Tanya’s love for books has been a lifelong passion that she likes sharing with others. Reading is also the thing that relaxes her after a day of juggling the many responsibilities that come with being being wife to an amazing man, mother to four great kids spread around the world, business manager, and farm hand on their place in southwest Missouri; home to Akaushi cattle and a menagerie of pygmy goats, horses, chickens, dogs and cats.
