Hi y’all!

Today I am thrilled to be sharing a new book list with you featuring some of my favorite royal novels. As I started compiling this list, I actually found it so easy to find royalty in novels. So I decided to break this list into 2 parts.

• First, contemporary and historical fiction. These books are either set in modern times or connected to real royals like Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria.
• Second, fantasy and dystopian fiction. These novels are set in fairy tale, dystopian, magical settings and/or have magical elements in them. These royals are inspired by fairy tales or simply created by the authors.

I hope you enjoy my lists of royal reads!

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot // I loved these books as a teenager and remember them being so much fun. There are several books in the series and it’s fun to follow Mia’s adventures as she finds out she is a princess.

Before the Crown by Flora Harding // This novel is based on the courtship of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. I love them and their love story. It’s intriguing to get inside both their heads in the novel and see what they might have been thinking as their courtship progressed. The ending saves this novel for me. I wanted more true love before then but certainly enjoyed the ending and happily ever after.

Victoria by Daisy Goodwin // This novel tells the story of Queen Victoria’s early reign as Queen of England. Goodwin wrote the popular BBC series Victoria and this is a novelization of the TV show. It was fun to read what I enjoyed watching. The story of Queen Victoria is a favorite of mine, and I love her lovely relationship with Albert.

In the Shadow of the Queen by Heather B. Moore // I really enjoyed this novel about the life of Queen Victoria’s daughter, Louise. This novel offers an illuminating glimpse into life as a child of Queen Victoria that is brimming with heart, love, and the complexities of family relationships. Moore’s meticulous research is impressive! I appreciated her candor about the research process as well as the notes at the end of the book. I was captivated by Princess Louise and her story from start to finish.

The Gown by Jennifer Robson // This novel focuses on the seamstresses who created then Princess Elizabeth’s wedding dress in 1947. The details about creating the gown were so compelling and I loved getting glimpses of the royal family in the story. At times, the story was a bit slow but overall this novel offers a fascinating glimpse into life in England post WWII.

Royally Rearranged and Royal Gone Rogue by Emma St. Clair // If you’ve been here long, you’ve heard me rave about Emma St Clair’s books. I love everything I read from her! These royal romcoms are some of my favorites from Emma. The first book tells the story of Princess Serafina as she learns the arranged marriage she thought she was destined for has fallen apart. And the second follows Prince Philip, the crown prince, as he searches for the perfect bride. Both novel are set in neighboring imaginary countries in Europe and the stories are full of heart, love, and incredibly swoony kisses.

The Selection by Kiera Cass // I love these books so much! The Bachelor meets dystopian fiction in this fantastic series about America — an average girl who gets the chance to go to the palace and win the heart of the prince. Even though she’s already in love. And is only there to send money home to her struggling family. It doesn’t matter that she meets the prince. And that they have instant chemistry. I love the journey America goes on and the complexities surrounding this seemingly “perfect” country set up in a post dystopian world inspired by ours. There are also 2 books about their daughter’s selection which are fun.

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale // If you’ve never read any of Shannon’s books, start here. This story is based on the fairy tale of the same name and follows the story of Ani, a crown princess who is betrothed to the prince of a neighboring country and has to journey there over the course of several week. After a series of betrayals, she finds herself working as the goose girl at the castle of this neighboring country and must fight for her rightful place as a princess. The world building is incredible and I love the characters!

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale // Another favorite novel from Shannon follows Miri, a girl from a mountain village where the newest Princess Academy is established. Each time the prince of her country comes of age, the leaders establish a princess academy in a different region of the country. There they train the local girls to be princesses culminating in the prince coming to choose his bride. Things are not as they seem as Miri and the other girls begin their training and they must come together to save their village.

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Briged Kemmerer // This retelling of the Beauty and the Beast story is intense, enthralling and full of twists. Prince Rhen has endured years of a powerful curse on his land and has no idea how to escape a powerful monster and a wicked sorceress. Harper has always been defined by her cerebral palsy but when she finds herself transports to Rhen’s kingdom, she discovers more about herself than she’s ever known. This is the first book in the Cursebreakers trilogy that cleverly retells this fairy tale with action packed, thrilling stories and complex characters. Definitely a series for teens and above as it is quite violent at times.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis // No list about royalty would be complete without a mention of this classic series. The story of Narnia is also a story of it’s kings and queens from the Pevensie siblings to Prince Caspian and the ultimate king, Aslan. I love these stories so much and have loved reading the first few with my kids. I highly recommend reading them in publication order rather than chronological.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer // Another fantastic start to a series of fairy tale retellings. This is a cyborg, dystopian retelling of Cinderella. This whole series is absolutely fantastic with such clever details bringing the classic tales into a unique, science fiction retelling. I love the characters and the incredible journeys they go on. Again, I would recommend this for teenagers as there are violent moments especially in the final book.

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull // This is another series I rave about a lot on my blog. I love these books so much! Set on the magical creature preserve called Fablehaven, this book is the first in a fantastic fantasy series for middle grade readers. I love adventuring with Kendra and Seth as they seek to save their preserve and ultimately the world. At the heart of their story is the Fairy Queen who helps the pure in heart and the Demon King who will try anything to escape his prison. If you love this series, I highly recommend the sequel series Dragonwatch which has even more magical royalty like the Giant Queen and the Under King. Fantastic books!

Bonus: There Once is A Queen by Michael Morpurgo // I love this rhyming book published in honor of Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee last year. It’s a darling book with lovely illustrations and beautiful tributes to Britain’s longest reigning monarch.

What are some of your favorite royal novels?