*Starred Review* Genre-hopping Johnston (Exit, Pursued by a Bear, 2016) takes a peek into a future where the British Empire never fell. The descendants of Queen Victoria still rule, and Victoria-Margaret, Crown Princess of the Empire, has always been pragmatic about her future. Genetic-matchmaking technology (the Church-sanctioned Computer) will find her an advantageous match, but first Margaret has bargained for one summer of freedom. Posing as commoner Margaret Sandwich, she travels to Toronto, part of the Empire, to spend the summer with people she will one day rule. There she meets Helena Marcus, the quiet, practical daughter of geneticists; she, like Margaret, has always known her future. Despite what the Computer says, Helena plans to marry her childhood friend August heir to a shipping company and currently dealing with American pirates and live a simple life. But Margaret and Helena develop an unexpected connection, and suddenly their predictable futures might be changeable after all. This slice of speculative summer is an extraordinary feat of world building; Johnston neatly avoids the trap of revisionist history and takes care to acknowledge the effects that this new world would have on countries and cultures beyond Great Britain (most notably China and the First Nations). Within this world, characters soar: Helena and Margaret's budding romance is sweet, and the trio's struggles with their respective futures sincere. Compelling and unique there's nothing else like it.--Reagan, Maggie Copyright 2017 Booklist

Gr 9 Up-Years from now, Victoria-Margaret will be the next Queen and continue the work her ancestor Victoria I started two centuries earlier: to strengthen the British Empire for all of its people, and promote genetic diversity and inter-Empire politics with an advantageous marriage. First, the crown princess will have a summer of freedom for her debut season in Toronto. Although her brown skin, epicanthic fold, and freckles make her easily recognizable as the current Queen's daughter, Margaret is able to disguise herself with the help of her natural hair and a civilian alias. Helena Marcus is looking forward to a quiet debut in New London and making her unspoken understanding with August Callaghan official. August wants nothing more, but hopes to delay their official engagement until he can see himself clear of the American pirates plaguing his Canadian and Hong Kong Chinese family's lumber business. When her mother's position as a placement geneticist brings Helena to the far more prestigious Toronto debut scene, she and Margaret strike up an immediate and easy friendship with a hint of flirtation. Spending the summer up north at the Marcus cottage near Lake Muskoka allows Margaret to see more of the Empire and to find her own place among the raucous Callaghan family. Helena's chemistry with both Margaret and August crackles despite being couched in Victorian manners and conventions. As Margaret, Helena, and August grow closer and learn more of one another's secrets, they realize they may be poised to help get everything they've long wanted. Johnston's standalone novel blends light science fiction elements in a near-future setting with the tone and style of a Victorian novel. Chapter headers including maps, society gossip pages, and correspondence serve to expand the detailed world-building and highlight the Empire's deliberate and thoughtful inclusivity (despite realistically damaging colonialism in the Empire's distant past). VERDICT A clever and self-aware novel set in a fascinating world, this witty and romantic story is a must-read.-Emma Carbone, Brooklyn Public Library © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

What if the British Empire never fell, and its traditions of debutante balls and royal matchmaking survived into the 21st century? In this vividly imagined alternate history, set in the near future, the Church of the Empire runs a DNA-matching service to ensure that mates are biologically compatible, both for commoners and for royals such as Crown Princess Victoria-Margaret. When the heir spends a summer living under an assumed name in Canada, an unexpected love triangle with newfound friends Helena and August illuminates the limitations of the system and of these young adults' self-conceptions. The introduction of an intersex character shines a spotlight on the individual's fear and confusion, and on the necessity of finding a safety net of understanding. The characters all have secrets, and the politeness inherent in Victorian attitudes will only conceal them for so long. It's a powerful and resonant story of compassion, love, and finding a way to fulfill obligations while maintaining one's identity. As with the dragon-infested modern world of Johnston's The Story of Owen, the thoughtfulness, attention to detail, and humor in this alternative Earth are rewarding on multiple levels. Ages 12-up. Agent: Josh Adams, Adams Literary. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

In Johnston's alternate history, the British Empire is still vast and strong with a multiracial populace that values equality. Eighteen-year-old Crown Princess Victoria-Margaret travels to Canada, where she befriends Helena and her beau, August. Readers follow their alternating perspectives as the relatable characters navigate society balls, secrets, and unconventional romance (involving an intersex person). Johnston's world-building is a unique mix of Victorian customs and advanced technology, while also thoughtfully addressing timely topics. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Three young adults negotiate sexuality in a science-fiction Ontario where the British Empire took a decidedly different path.Helena, shy and practical, looks forward to marrying her best friend, August, after what she hopes will be a quiet, small-town debut. A surprise invitation to Toronto, where the queen herself will be visiting, upsets all her plans. Margaret, a visitor to Toronto from England, forms a bosom friendship with Helena but doesn't reveal her secret: Margaret is Her Royal Highness, the Princess Victoria-Margaret, disguised heir to the throne. Helena has her own secret. When she enters her DNA into the Computer at the core of the Empire's religion, it records her as having XY chromosomes. In an empire that believes genetic compatibility is holy and the Computer's inspired by God, will being an intersex woman destroy Helena's chance of happiness? Convenient coincidences and the teens' own thoughtful choices come to the rescue. The worldbuilding, though clunky, fascinates. In this alternate history, Queen Victoria married her children outside of Europe's royal houses. Brown-skinned Margaret, with kinky hair and epicanthic folds, has genes from "Hong Kong, Iraq, Zululand, and more besides." This queer-friendly Canada is multiethnic (August is of Hong Kong, Chinese, and Irish heritage, while Helena is predominantly white); culturally, despite hijabs, kippot, and salwar kameez, it's overwhelmingly Anglo-Canadian. Despite this bustle, the tale itself is a lovely, quiet coming-of-age. A thoughtful exploration of class consciousness, genetics, and politics that doesn't lose track of the human story. (author's note) (Science fiction. 14-adult) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.