Royal Replicas

Royal Replicas #1

by Michael Pierce

"Princess Amelia is dead... and one of you will replace her."

Seventeen-year-old Victoria Sandalwood has served the Duke and Duchess all her life. Over the years, she’s learned to make do with what she has and endure her surrogate father’s awful punishments. She dreams of escape, but never expected it to come in the form of a message from the Queen of Westeria.

Victoria learns that she’s the Queen’s daughter, the younger sister to Princess Amelia, and it’s time to come home and claim her birthright. When she arrives, she discovers she’s not the only one who received the royal message.

Victoria must compete with six other girls to earn the affection of both the Queen and a princely suitor… and to replace the secretly deceased Princess Amelia. If she fails to win the crown, Victoria may just have to fight for her life…

Royal Replicas is the first book in a YA dystopian series. If you enjoy courtly intrigue, heart-pounding adventure, and sweet romance, then you’ll love this captivating story. Perfect for fans of Kiera Cass, Bella Forrest, and Veronica Roth.

Genres: Fantasy, Dystopia, Young Adult, Romance, Science Fiction, Audiobook, Royalty

420 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 10, 2017

About the author

Michael Pierce loves stories that are thrilling and unexpected, fantastical and romantic—addictive tales that keep you reading long past the witching hour.

He currently lives in Southern California with his wife, kids, and two blood-thirsty chiweenies. When he's not at the computer, he enjoys spending quality time with family, practicing yoga, playing guitar behind closed doors, and listening to audiobooks.

Find him on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Michael-Pierce...

Visit his website: www.michaelpierceauthor.com

List of Michael's books:

SPELLCREST ACADEMY

Spellcrest Academy (Book 1)
Crestfallen (Book 2)
Crystallize (Book 3)
Medial Candidate (Book 4)
Medial Candidate (Book 5)
Chrysalis (Book 6) ➜ Releasing July 10, 2020
Sapient Curse (Book 7) ➜ Releasing early 2021

ANGELES VAMPIRE

Angeles Vampire (Book 1)
Angeles Underground (Book 2)
Angeles Betrayal (Book 3)
Angeles Covenant (Book 4)
Angeles Prophecy (Book 5) ➜ Releasing Fall 2020

ROYAL REPLICAS (Completed Series)

Royal Replicas (Book 1)
Royal Captives (Book 2)
Royal Threat (Book 3)
Royal Return (Book 4)

HIGHER REALMS (Completed Series)

Provex City (Book 1)
SUSY Asylum (Book 2)
Doria Falls (Book 3)
Archanum Manor (Book 4)

And don't forget to say "hello" on...
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mrpierceauthor
Twitter: @mrpierceauthor
www.michaelpierceauthor.com

Reviews

[TL *Humaning the Best She Can*]

This reminded me of the concept for the "Selection" and the vibe of "Princess Diaries" in its own way... it was easy to read but overall fell flat for me. I couldn't feel anything for the characters but the plot was interesting so I pressed on.

DNF at page 136

Another case of "its not you book its me"... Makes me wish some of these books had been around when I was a teen. I would have gobbled this up I bet and annoyed the librarian asking for the next ones.

Buddyread with my good friend Melissa

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Royal Replicas by Michael Pierce is a young adult sci-fi romantic drama written in first-person (with the exception of the Prologue and Epilogue which are both in third-person). The book is well written, flows well, and is confusion free. The pace is steady and reveals information to the reader at a rate that is neither overwhelming or boring. This is not an action-packed story, it is a drama.

The point-of-view character is an eighteen-year-old named Victoria. She is a young woman who has already endured more than most her age. This has shaped her into the person she is but has not broken her.

The story starts out interesting enough, however, I had a few problems with it.

-Characterwise, Victoria seemed to be the only one of the 'candidates' to be more than one-dimensional, although Piper started to become more interesting nearer the end.

-The 'candidates' didn't seem to react very convincingly after the big reveal at the Queen's dinner. They seemed to just continue on in the competition as if they hadn't learned something so dire.

-The Prince. I found him really annoying. And not just because of the way all the candidates acted around him which made me see them as pretty shallow. I found him personally annoying. His double standards alone had me ranting at a fictional character like a mad woman. Sure, you're all in a weird wife finding competition among seven versions of the same woman together, but that doesn't mean you get to kiss (and who knows what else) with all of them, expect them to all be perfectly fine with it, and then get angry when someone else shows interest in one of them at a masquerade ball.

He wants all the candidates to want him but is only going to pick one. When Victoria is shown interest by another man he has a little temper tantrum and ignores her for a week instead of including her in the one-on-one dates he's supposed to take ALL the candidates on. Man, there are six other girls (all who look exactly like Victoria), check your ego, this one girl dancing with another guy and getting kissed by him should not bother you, you met her a few days ago!

Also, I found the way the prince seemed to be grooming Bethany as a replacement to Victoria after he got mad at her really creepy. The date he takes Bethany on is the EXACT date he takes Victoria on later. Bethany couldn't even ride a horse, but he takes her on Victoria's dream date. He didn't do that with any of the other girls. Why? It seemed like he decided she'd make a great Victoria 2.0 to me.

I just can't with the prince. I really hope he dies in the next book, but chances are he won't (I'm never that lucky).

-And I don't see how after Victoria discovered the Queen's plans she would make some of the decisions she did returning with the prince (especially with the trust issues she supposedly had after her upbringing).

-I also would have liked a stronger female lead. It seemed she just went with the flow for most of the story and relied too heavily on Kale.

-And Twilight? Really? She's going to go from Jane Austen to Twilight? Sigh.

I really would have liked more sister team-up and active fighting back together. It would have made all the difference in the story.

The story was interesting and well written, and I wouldn't mind finding out how it ends (but I would hope for more character development in the next book and maybe the 'sisters' helping each other and fighting back as a team).
Although after reading the excerpt from the next book I might have to change my mind. It looks to be a multi-first-person book. I can't read anything that is written from multiple people's perspectives but all in first-person, it gets too confusing and jarring. I don't care if the chapter says who's perspective it's from, I lose the connection with the character if I'm constantly having to remember who the narrator is and the flow of the story is interrupted.

Warnings: depictions of abuse, violence toward women and children, and a Twilight endorsement

Recommended to those who enjoy love triangles, romance, drama, the bachelor, and Twilight

Also I really dislike Twilight, so if you like it, you might like this story a lot more than I did.

[Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Check out more YA book reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...

Victoria has spent her whole life caught between being a daughter of the house, loved by her surrogate mother and a servant to the man who abuses her with terrible beatings he calls "punishments." The last thing she expects is a message from the Queen calling her the younger sister to Princess Amelia. When she arrives she learns all is not as it seems when she meets 6 other girls who mirror her in almost every way. Kale a boy from her past and Byron the fiancee to Amelia will vie for her attention, but will she choose to become a princess? Or a pauper?

The Good...

I read this really quickly. That is the biggest pro to this book... it is easy to read. I mean really easy to read. Sometimes a book is not the best written (or story crafted) but I enjoy it anyway because its sooooo easy! That is this book.

Okay, I admit the cute drone caught my interest. I loved that it checked their identity before showing the hologram. I settled in for a well developed story... and found the details quite compelling. It kept my interest right up to the end.

The premise is not new but there's enough different about it that it was fun and twisty. The plot was a lot of what made the book so easy to read. It wasn't complex or depthful but there were unexpected moments that shocked you! The twists were done right!

The sister relationships with Mina, her servant, Kimera, and Bethany and Piper. I LOVED Mina and want a little sister just like her! Kimera really put herself out there for Victoria... it was a little convenient but I can see that if their person won their own worth would be increased. Piper was my favorite of the other girls. She plays an integral part of the plot and I loved that she shared that with Victoria in a really natural way.

The Bad...

Victoria was not a compelling character. I didn't understand what drew her to either boy. Most girls would go with the prince because the outcome is rather obvious, so that is what she does! She was abused and stood up against her attacker but his arrival was rather random...

While Victoria was portrayed as a woman who wants to be strong and has the capacity to figure things out the plot was just too convenient. If you want a character to be strong you have to put them up against multiple situations where they have to struggle.

The Queen made an excellent villain but she only stepped up in the beginning and at the very end! She was just another convenient aspect of the plot. For example when the truth came out about their future she gave in awfully easy when one girl stood up to her for a couple minutes.

I wanted MORE with the other girls!! There is this throw down with 7 females and there is NOT enough drama... Actually some more twists and unexpected trope upsets would have really helped the story be less convenient. Like Bethany being the real villain of the girls and the other abused girl becoming a friend of Victoria!

The Ugly...

Prince Byron. I can see the appeal... wealth, prestige, good looks! But then when he melts down after Victoria is seen with another man AT A BALL he acts in a very dangerous way. Men who act the way he did are not going to treat ANY woman right and there were no red flags!!

Kale. The boy stalks Victoria and she has ZERO memory of him from day one. He wants to take her away! Why? And Victoria was never curious about his motives or the time they spent together. She just accepted (but didn't like) that this strange boy put his life at risk for her.

The petting. Neither boy created a single moment that said to me - I'm falling for this man. Yet any time either guy was with Victoria he was all over her touching her and kissing her. It was disgusting. They hadn't even talked one date worth the entire book!!! It smacked of instalove!

The abuse was an aspect of Victoria that I was drawn to immediately. This was not developed well... when this kind of story is used we need to show an accurate portrayal of what that emotionally is like as well as an accurate way to overcome that treatment. It isn't nearly as easy as portrayed and that is dangerous for a teenage girl.

So why 3 star and not a 2 star rating?

Totally all about ease. I didn't like Victoria but I didn't hate her. I liked Kale but only wanted to see them interact more. I just wanted more! It's not a book that I felt should be trashed... it had so much potential!

BOTTOM LINE: Sci-Fi Royal Bachelor Knock-off!

Thanks to YA Bound Book Tours and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. See my special perspective at the bottom of my reviews under the typewriter...

[⋆☆☽ Kriss ☾☆⋆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm stating this as a 2.5, maybe 3 if I'm being a little more generous. Which is honestly rather sad considering that this looked primed to be a really engaging, unique story.

So, why was the execution off? Well, it's too short, too simple, too shallow, too swift. It had the makings for some really dark, intense themes and some rather interesting ideas. I was expecting a much more severe, sharp, sensual kind of book, but ultimately it was trying too hard to appeal to the lower end of the YA spectrum by cashing in on The Selection's fading notoriety without being a complete rip off.

I don't know if it's obvious to anyone else, but it's very obvious to me, as if a siren were screaming it in my ear that a 30-40 something white man trying to get into the head of an 18 year old girl and thinking he's doing a great job of it because he read some female-targeted YA for research and copied a lot of those tropes/details/scenes wrote this book and fully believed it was going to be a success because he thinks female audiences are stupid and only need a few tropes to be popular.

Michael Pierce doesn't seem like a bad writer, but he didn't really nail down the psyche of a believable 18 year old girl. He honestly doesn't seem to understand them at all.

Victoria's motivation ends up coming off as very shallow and not well thought out, it feels... repackaged and basic. All her justifications for doing something seem to stem from the author's belief that ALL YA heroines do things for these reasons, rather than the justification coming from the unique beliefs and motivations of the heroine. Her actions are sometimes jarring because it feels like she'll do one thing, then she does something else.

For example, you'd think a girl so willing to sacrifice and take risks to protect her younger adopted sister would take advantage of an opportunity to do something about her abusive foster father so that he's no longer a threat, yet, Victoria leaves him be because she "just wants to leave it in the past." That seems so out of character for her! It's in character for someone who's proven themselves too passive or too forgiving, or even if the justification was that Victoria is so traumatized she feels totally helpless in the face of her abuser (which could then lead to a moment of growth later where she CAN face him properly and eliminate his ability to be a threat), but Victoria didn't appear that way and with her position, it seems like she'd have no reason to be too afraid to take action against him.

Like this, it's almost like the author went "Hm, teen girls never seem to kill bad guys because they think its too immortal, so Victoria will just have to let him go because that's what all other heroines I've read about do."

This book feels so much like a cobbled together female-targeted YA without much substance sadly, and it definitely ripped off the worst parts of The Selection without drawing in much of the good. Although the new additions to the plot are interesting, they can't make up for how poorly the rest of the story fares.

As for the romance aspect... Byron is a joke of a love interest in my opinion and he does that same "Well, you ignored me so I kissed several other girls" thing that Maxon in The Selection did, except instead of it clearly being multiple unique individuals, it's a bunch of clones of one girl that all look identical and who aren't given very fleshed out characters, so they're essentially just slight tweaks of Victoria and it honestly wouldn't surprise me if Byron didn't really care to differentiate. Plus, he's super spineless and lacking in any princely qualities. Kale has an unfortunate name and is overall shaping up to be a pretty good love interest, but he is pushed to the side probably just because the author thinks all heroines are dumb and always pick the prince over any other love interest.

And as for the villains... the queen's motivations aren't given to us in book 1 and she seems 1-dimensionally evil. Like, what we know is that her actual daughter has some sort of illness and so she's been kept locked away and for the sake of appearances, the queen had clones created and is deciding which of the non-sickly clones will take up her daughter's identity and act as crown princess, but it overall seems like the queen could have just made 1 clone and raised it up herself however she liked. What was the point of sending all these clones to different families to be raised then making them compete and then being like "all the losers are gonna die"? Why even put yourself in a position to have those loose ends and then put yourself in a position where you'll have to kill all but one off? Maybe things will be explored more later, but so far the queen just seems cruel for the sake of being cruel because she's too stupid to be a more threatening villain.

The majority of the story is Victoria going on dates or doing basic shit in the palace, which I honestly found mega boring and pointless because it doesn't really do much for her or Byron or Kale and it offers almost nothing towards the plot about clones or what the queen's plans are or anything like that.

I may read the next three books just because I'm curious whether book #1 is just a rocky start or if things keep the same vibe. We'll have to see. I already own book #3 because I was thinking positively that I'd like this series a lot and the author baited me with "get it now and get a free extra chapter that'll be removed later" and I wanted to have that in the book and now it just seems like a dumb bait to get $4 out of me which probably is not doing him any favors with my disposition regarding his stark inability to do a heroine character justice in a story.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars ✨

[Lalla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.



When I first read the plot I was terribly intrigued. Too bad I found myself reading what felt like a mash up between The Selection, Twilight & The Hunger Games.


Truth is, I practically have only about two positive things to say about Royal Replicas :

1. The cover is amazing

2. The pages fly by


Unfortunately I found the characters flat and dull and the book felt full of stereotypes and senseless violence. Victoria's stepfather violent actions were - most of the time - unjustified. At some point I decided that he was simply mentally unstable and that I should stop to wonder why he was behaving in this or that way. I applied the same thing to his wife. Now, tell me what kind of woman would allow him to treat her children and stepdaughter like that. If I were her I would have poisoned him long ago.


Victoria terribly bothered me or better yet her unquestioning attitude did. *Girl, seriously how can't you see that there is something wrong?? She basically accepted everything that was told her without wondering or stopping to question anything at all. Nor did she have an existential crisis after she is told she is a replica ----I mean one would expect - at the very least - some kind of reaction.


If that wasn't enough to bother me we also had her in the position of not refusing the prince because he is a prince. OH HELL NO! The author later tried to put it right but it was too late.

And let's not talk about Kale named after a vegetable (seriously?) and whose name and character is suspiciously too reminiscent of Gale from Hunger Games (The reigns names were no better:.. Westeria, Easteria, Northeria, Southeria---really? Couldn't we have come up with something more original? *face palm*). Anyway, Kale tries to save Victoria but ends up just making a mess. I don't understand why a woman must necessarily need saving, there are those who are pretty capable of saving themselves...thank you very much.


It pains my heart to say that in the end, Royal Replica was a book with potential but poorly constructed.The final verdict? Meh. Read it you feel up to it but don't expect too much out of it.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book. Victoria has served the Duke and Duchess all her short life, not a great life for one so young. Then a summons from the Queen. Don’t miss out on this superb story.

[Megha · Rating 1 out of 5]

A man ruins a book (copied premise to begin with) by believing he knows how teenage girls think.

[ME E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dead. 5 million dystopian stars... I have been on this crazy hunt for a book similar to the Selection. Well, this story gave me all the Selection feels and so much more!! If the series continues the way this first book has, then I can honestly admit this will become one of my favorite series.

Victoria serves the Duke and Duchess of the 24th Ward. Being nothing more than a servant while dealing with physical and emotion abuse from her surrogate father, I'm sure Victoria dreams of escape. So when Victoria receives an invitation to the Palace by the Queen herself, Victoria is beyond shocked yet extremely grateful to leave her monstrous life behind. Victoria Also discovers she is the Queen's daughter and has been hidden away from the public eye. Victoria is a princess and needs to return home.

Only when Victoria gets to the palace she learns that she is not the only hidden daughter. Victoria must compete with 6 girls who look just like her to win both the heart of the Queen and her potential betrothed, a neighboring Prince from another kingdom.

When danger, schemes, twists and turns are met around every corner, suddenly Victoria needs to decide if staying in this royal competition is worth the trouble.

When I originally started this book I was looking for my "Selection fix" but was beyond shocked with how quickly I became obsessed with this story. I was expecting it to be predictable and fun...well some things might fall into the typical dystopian troupes but Pierce builds on them and made them his own. This book was definitely fun but not as predictable as I anticipated. I was genuinely shocked with several turn of events!! To say I am eager to read book 2 is an understatement.

[MK ( MaKayla) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here's the deal , I went into this expecting good things . The concept sounded original , I was expecting a fresh take on this dystopian The bachelor type plot . Unfortunately those points weren't given the attention they deserved . Along with this shortcoming it was also incredibly slow paced .

What made the slow pacing almost painful was the pointless chapters about things like her going to buy a dress , and then the man who abused her ripping it in half . On that note I have a burning question to ask the author . I'd like to know how does one rip a ball gown in half with thier bare hands ?

I felt like I was watching an episode of a bland run of the mill episode of the bachelor ,when what I really wanted was the dystopian plot points it promised ! ( I really hate that show )

I mean we're talking about cloning here , and all the author wanted to talk about was cat fights , horse rides , etiquette , and dresses .


To make matters worse (for me ) there really wasn't much "action" except for the beatings which were just horrific . So it wasn't for me . There were some things that I was interested in slightly in the story ,but there were some ...plot holes that did in the entire story .

Trigger warning ;
The beatings in this book truly disturbed me . The guy who beat her made her find the sticks he would beat her with . I knew this was going to be in here but I felt a little sick when it came across as borderline rapey every time he was about to beat her . 😭

Conetent ;
-Language _Very little
-Abuse

Well that's a wrap for this .

[Gayle (OutsmartYourShelf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following the prequel 'Reset', 'Royal Replicas' sees Victoria Sandalwood summoned to the palace, leaving behind her life as basically a servant to the Ramseys. She is told she is actually Princess Amelia's younger sister and is soon to be married to Prince Byron. When she reaches the palace, however, Victoria finds that she is one of seven identical girls who will have to compete to replace the deceased Amelia and marry the Prince.

I enjoyed reading this for the most part. It was an interesting premise and it mostly works. The author writes well and I was pleased to see that there was little evidence of spelling or grammatical errors. Character-wise, I didn't care for Prince Byron, he was almost insipid at times, and I found it strange that Victoria seems to trust him so quickly and easily. Her interactions with Kale seemed a lot more genuine to me. As for Master Ramsey, there's one person I could cheerfully punch in the face. Obviously a psychopathic sadist, I find myself hoping he doesn't make an appearance in the next book. On that subject, I did find the physical abuse scenes difficult to stomach and thought they were rather brutal for a YA novel.

Overall, I am interested in seeing where the story goes in the next book. I received a free ebook from the author, and I am voluntarily giving an honest review.

[Jill Jemmett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is part of the blog tour from YA Bound Blog Tours. 

Victoria Sandalwood lives with Duke and Duchess Ramsey. She has lived with them all her life, but she has never been treated as a daughter. She has been banished to the cellar and is constantly punished for silly things, resulting in her being beaten by Master Ramsey. One day, she gets a message from Queen Hart that says she is her daughter and must return to the castle to marry a prince. Victoria is shocked at this news but also happy to leave her painful life. However, when she arrives at the castle, Victoria meets six other girls who look just like her. She must compete with these other girls to win the Prince's heart. 

This book is very similar to other popular YA dystopian series right now: The Selection, Red Queen, The Lunar Chronicles. But this one has a clever twist involving genetics. 

Every time I thought I had figured out what was happening, I was pleasantly surprised to find out I was wrong. The twists were surprising and the pace moved quickly so I was never bored. 

The ending left the story open to a sequel, which I look forward to reading. 

[Alaina · Rating 5 out of 5]

One word. AMAZING. This book was interesting from the start and I absolutely love Victoria. I thought the ending was going to be a cliché but WHAM! no. it. didn't. I really hope there is going to be another book!! :)

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Opening line intrigues you from the start, making you want to know more. “Beatrice Ramsey stood against the wall by the bookshelf while the doctors were working on her daughter; the girl was still lying unconscious from the procedure and so peaceful lying in her bed.”

Author Michael Pierce's style is brisk but not brusque; most of the time gets right to the point and has a grasp of grammar and spelling- shame nowadays that’s something you have to take note of.

The setting is in a dystopian future America built upon the salvaged infrastructure and divided into districts similar to PanEm and other works. This got a little confusing at first as the story was billed as steampunk, but it’s not.

Characters were almost cookie cutter typecast; I never really felt a link or connection to any of them, but I did enjoy their personal quirks and habits- the little touches that made them more believable. The MC, Victoria, was the standard ingénue- always reading Pride & Prejudice, but also Twilight. The cast of characters rounds out pretty much the way you’d expect in a story like this, but a few surprises emerged- such as the darker nature of Victoria’s stepfather, Duke Ramsey.

The driving conflict- to be the last girl standing- is a prime motivator, naturally. But the fun lies in some of the twists the story takes- like the clone angle- and goes a few places I didn’t expect which helped to keep things fresh. Beyond the obvious plotline, there are some wrinkles to the tale that’ll keep you interested in things. Despite some plotholes in the story, it’s pretty tight overall and a fast read that’ll entertain you for a bit with a sequel already in the works.

3.5/5 stars.

[Vesper Vesper · Rating 2 out of 5]

Click the logo for the full review.

The Selection meets Twilight (at least in my opinion).
WARNING: Spoiler alert

When I agreed to review this, I was moved by the summary. I was intrigued. Sure, the plot wasn't very unique considering what it reminded me of, but I still wanted to see what kind of adventure this would take me on. Let me start off by saying that I do not intend to be mean in the slightest; these are my opinions and thoughts that I had while reading the book.

First off, let me start off by asking; what is it with a man beating a child and the wife not doing anything about it and just apologizing for it? I don't get it. I don't like it.

Oh; and warning for graphic violence and potential hints to sexual abuse.

I absolutely loathe the whole somewhat "love triangle" thing happening. If I lost all memory of this one person, I wouldn't be pining after them regardless of how much they knew about me. That would just make me want to at least get to know them better -- not kiss them and talk about how much I think about them. They're still a stranger. Period. All this back and forth love-kiss crap is so annoying it's insane.

You would think that if someone, while you're trying to ... (please click the logo for the full review)

[Julianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has me very torn because while it is interesting I also feel like I have read it before. It feels so much like The Selection but with a sci fi twist of cloning.

At times it was incredibly hard to read because of the sheer amount of physical and emotional abuse that Mr Ramsey inflicts on Victoria, with very little resolution. It feels like the author wanted a Cinderella story, except the evil stepmother beat Cinderella within an inch of her life and left Cinderella to meet the prince with two black eyes.

If the escaping abuse storyline isn't your thing, steer far away from this book. It is here and the abuser keeps popping in to ruin our heroine's day.

I'm really unsure if I'll finish the series. If its a Cinderella story, I know how it ends. But reading the abuse and manipulation is truly jarring and hard to stomach at times.

[JenBsBooks]

So, I don't really feel like I should leave an official rating, as I'm marking this DNF at just 5% in. That was several chapters (12 of them, plus a prologue). I was one of those who loved The Selection, but Bella Forrest novels not so much (both hyped used for promotion "If you liked xxx then you'll love this!")

The premise intrigued me, but once the chapters started, and it switched to the first person perspective, it was grating. The writing didn't feel natural, very stilted, not at all what a young girl would be thinking. As she is reflecting upon the beating her "foster father" gives her, to bend her to his will, she thinks "And I was a small girl who could easily be bent." But she's really a princess and the parents of this family know this, and instead of trying to find favor with the Queen, she's more of a "Cinderella" servant type (although the "step-sisters" and mother aren't bad, it's the father who beats her). Did he not fear that the queen would be angry when she finds out the daughter she put in their care was abused so? Is the mother aware? She seems to have a good relationship with Victoria but doesn't care that her husband, and the governess are constantly hitting her and leaving welts and broken skin? As the queen recalls Victoria to the capital to marry a prince from the neighboring kingdom, was there any reason why a younger daughter had been kept secret and raised away from the castle all these years? We, and Victoria, are told "your questions will be answered when you get here" and Victoria sure seems to accept that a lot more than I did!

As I read these few chapters, what went from a promising premise and my happy interest, went to my face being scrunched up thinking "uhhhh" ...

So in this world of billions of books at my fingertips, I'm not going to press forward on one that is rubbing me the wrong way so early on. Perhaps it gets better? Maybe I'm in a mood? The title, the cover, the premise were promising but I just didn't feel like they were going to deliver after all.

The whole series was available on Kindle Unlimited - I'm a bit sad I didn't like it.

[RaeAnna Schmidt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reminded me a lot of The Selection except with less fleshed out characters and plot.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story does no justice to the synopsis. I did not like any of the characters at all.

[Holly Ryanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Michelle Beer · Rating 2 out of 5]

http://midnightreadingsreviews.blogsp...

[Courtney Kessinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fans of The Hunger Games and The Selection will notice similarities with the story. It’s an entertaining read that keeps the reader wanting to continue the series.

[Mikayla Gray · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF 43%

Confession time - I recieved a free e-copy of his book in exchange for an honest review. However, as you can see, this didn't influence my rating or feedback in any way, shape or form.

The story started out promisingly enough and had an interesting premise, however it suffered in my eyes from an lacklustre protagonist and a big dollop of misogyny. The idea of a poor, put-upon everygirl who turns out to be a long lost princess is fairly standard, so I loved the twist that this everygirl was one of seven, and she'd have to compete for her place. Unfortunately the book seems to go out of its way to bring to mind The Hunger Games; the salt-of-the-earth love interest named "Kale" (K's not all that far from G on a keyboard, right?), the wards of varying poverty and importance surrounding the all-powerful First Ward, the train journey to the power centre and the lavish parties worlds away from our heroine's rough upbringing. Some of the story elements felt a little unpolished too. Four kingdoms called Westeria, Easteria, Northeria and Southeria sounds like something from a first draft. Even the blurb, which states that Victoria is the sister of Princess Amelia is proven to be incorrect in the story - she's actually a clone. Not the same thing.

Victoria was too flat for me to connect with as a narrator. She barely reacted to huge, life-altering events and I never got a sense of how she was feeling. She accepts and never questions. The potentially interesting reveal that she is in fact one of seven clones of the secretly-dead Princess Amelia is squandered, because she - like the other clones - immediately and wholly concerns herself with getting into the prince's pants. She doesn't worry for her future (presumably there can't be clones of a princess running around the realm, so are the six surplus ones executed when the princes makes his choice? We don't know, because none of the girls even think to ask the question), she doesn't fret over her humanity, or lack thereof, and she stomps around referring to herself as a princess within about five minutes of arriving at the castle. I don't want pages and pages of inner turmoil, but Victoria accepts every twist in the tale that's presented to her laughably easily without so much as a raised eyebrow.

Her "relationship" with Prince Byron was unbearably trite too. He seems to take an immediate shine to her after she stumbles ass-backwards and literally falls into his arms (bleurgh!) but there didn't seem to be much going for him other that the fact he was pretty. There's an incredibly uncomfortable scene when they first kiss where she outright states that she can't pull away or refuse him - and he knows it - because he's a prince. That is not cool. Later on, the author tries to ret-con this by having Victoria say that the prince was forceful, but didn't force her, but no, I'm sorry, I call bullshit on that. She literally said that she couldn't refuse him, and he knew it. Ergo, he forced her. Add to this the numerous scenes of Victoria's step-father/owner beating and abusing her with a thinly-veiled sexual angle and her sort-of-boyfriend-who-she-can't-remember Kale turning up uninvited to "rescue" her from the castle (because women are of course things that you can lay claim to) despite her having no desire to leave, this book's treatment of its main character - and women in general - was a little too skeevy for me.

Once Prince Byron is introduced, the seven clones, seven young women who've had their entire worlds turned upside-down and their very existence thrown into question, descend into the absolute worst cliche or girls fighting over a guy. They bitch, they back-bite, they throw each other under the bus, and for what? The chance to marry some guy they've never met before? And what happens if they don't want to marry him? Who the hell knows, because it never comes up. What happens to the clones who fail to win the prince's hand? Who knows that either, because they never ask. They just get down to the business of fighting amongst themselves, because that's what girls do right? I detest stories that pit women against each other over a man, and, when it became apparent that this was the entirety of the plot, I put the book down because I knew it wasn't going to get any better for me.

[Ksandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 Stars

Warning: Some mildly graphic depictions of physical abuse, and potential depictions of sexual abuse (it was almost hard to distinguish so giving warning just in case).

Sigh, I actually had really high hopes for this novel. The premise sounded so intriguing. It was essentially a Sci-Fi selection, where the girls competing are clones of a dead princess. However, it became brutally... underwhelming and annoying.

We meet Victoria as she is getting "reset" (a term that, at least in this instance, means that certain memories of hers were wiped). Then we learn about her home life, which is rather horrid. Her foster father (who treats her like a servant and has her call him Master), beats her with switches. Mainly just for the hell of it to show her that he "owns her".

Now, it wasn't until we get to the whole selection process and realization of the cloning point of the story that it loses me. Victoria is supposed to be competing for the Prince's hand (aka, Selection series anyone?) But then she has *gasp* another love interest. And man... they do a terrible job of covering up their tracks.

Plus, she literally flip flops between the two the entire second half of the book. Like, dude, I get that love is confusing sometimes, but you kiss each of them multiple times (sometimes both in the same day) and after each kiss you are so "sure" of your feelings. Nah girly, you are just an indecisive girl who enjoys having the attention of two men. And it's annoying. At least in the Selection series America stays away from Aspen to begin with because of their relationship growth and such. In this one, it hardly shows relationship growth other than the physical. There's a touch of the emotional, but not enough to keep you invested.

Plus, none of the characters other than Victoria grow throughout the novel. Not the prince, not the queen, not even any of the other clones. It's flipping ridiculous. I would have DNFed this book if it wasn't practically impossible for me to do that.

Part of me wants to read the sequel and hope that more will happen. But then again, part of me doesn't really care at this point. I suppose time will tell.

**Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review

***Update: I received an updated ARC from the author and with the added epilogue, the story is going in a better direction. However, the rest of my review still stands

[Lauren - SERIESous Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

**I received a copy of this book from YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not influenced by my source.**

This was a lighter dystopian read that is perfect for fans of royalty in their dystopian novels.

I was really drawn into the suspense of the plot. Trying to figure out why Victoria was called in with the other girls to replace Amelia kept me on the edge of my seat. Throughout the novel I was coming up with all these conspiracy theories which was a lot of fun. I loved that mystery.

I also liked that the focus was on Victoria and the competition moreso than the world itself. You aren't overwhelmed by the politics of the people, etc. I'm hoping that might be the focus in later book(s) but it worked great here. Made everything seem fresh.

The romance was the big disappointment for me. I found it to be really choppy and all over the place. The love triangle seemed forced because I really didn't see any of the chemistry between Victoria and the boys. While I could understand her indecision given the circumstances, I thought the connections were really shallow and the lack of chemistry didn't help either. But I didn't pick this story up for the romance so I can't be too upset.

I have so many unanswered questions that I'm curious to see what is going to happen next! I'm hoping now that the novelty of the romance is done, we can get back to the nitty gritty of the plot and trying to uncover what is at play.

Check out more spoiler-free book and series reviews on my blog SERIESousBookReviews.com as well as read book series recaps!

Full Review: http://wp.me/p7hLUw-29Z
Actual Rating: 3/5

[Kelsey Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this book went beyond my expectations.
I'll start off by saying that there is some detailed child abuse in this story. Just to warn people that are sensitive to the matter. It's mostly whippings gone to far. I did not like the abuse in the story, but it did make the story more complete and rounded. You really feel for the character and understand how much winning and over coming it all means to them.
I saw some previous reviews comparing it to Twilight, but I don't think it's anything like Twilight at all. There is a one paragraph shouting out Twilight and that is it. I actually quite liked the mention of Twilight, I thought it was cute because she had no idea what Twilight was because it was thousands of years before her time. I also saw it was compared to The Selection, but I have not read that series yet so I do not know.
There was a lot of drama and sadness but, also a lot of charm, and charisma and heart racing moments. This really is different than most dystopian stories. It was interesting from the beginning, and it kept me interested. The ending was so fantastic I just know the next book is going to be even more awesome. This series is definitely going to be great. I cannot wait to see where Micheal goes with this story.
Full Review on my blog: https://criticuncriticalbookwormblog....

[Lorena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recensione in italiano sul blog (link profilo)
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PLOT & CHARACTERS

Servant of the Dukes of the 24th Ward, Victoria grew up hoping for an escape from the place where she was treated so badly. The Duke, in fact, makes her life a hell with psychological and physical torture, and although she loves other members of the Ramsey family, she hopes that sooner or later all this will end. Her get-away is a message from Queen of Westeria in person who calls her to the palace to take the place of her dead daughter Amelia. What Victoria still does not know that she is not the only lost daughter out there and that seven of Amelia's replies are awaiting her. Can she conquer the heart of Prince Byron of Easteria, became the future queen and above all save her own life?

"Royal Replicas" was one of those books for which I had really high expectations, which unfortunately have been disillusioned. I was expecting something like Pawn or Diabolic, instead it was more like a mix between Hunger Games and The Selection. Although the author assured in a note at the beginning that the book was born before his reading Cass' novel, it was not difficult to find the many similarities between the two and I was also sorry that the novel had so much unexpressed potential. However, it was not a terrible reading and some element can be saved. So if you're a fan of The Selection you will surely also love this book by Michael Pierce.

First painful note: the characters. From the plot I had an idea of Victoria completely wrong. I imagined this girl, fragile, but still ready to fight for her life with determination. In fact, I was expecting a very strong female protagonist. Unfortunately, it wasn't the case: she was not so interesting, and, despite she is not the worst protagonist I have ever read, her voice remains quite indifferent to the reader. The blame for this feeling in my opinion falls on the second sad note of the book: the loving triangle. Unfortunately, Michael Pierce was wrong in the same way Kiera Cass was - and before her many other writers. Unconsciously they made the loving triangle an obstacle to the plot. It happens very often to see the classic unsure female protagonist between two male characters, but this time the mistake is not to spark the connection between these two potential pairs. Victoria is for a moment in love with one and the second after almost seems to forget him in favor of the other loving contender. It's ok to love or be attracted by two people at the same time but to change in that way from day to night was not so good. Otherwise, her actions are often unpredictable also because of these volatile feelings. There is no actual transport for either of the two couples and it does seem that even Victoria doesn't have feelings for the two contenders.

Not even male characters stand out for personality. For a good part of the book I had liked Byron, then I changed my mind at the end. Also Kale, the other boy, is too similar to Gale from The Hunger Games, but at the same time with a less pronounced personality.
In short, I throw most of the protagonists, including Victoria's replicas sisters. Perhaps the only one who struck in the sign is the Duke with its wickedness towards the daughters and Victoria, in this latter case virtually unmotivated. But, of course, it seems to be even more diabolical than the Queen seeking a replacement for her Amelia.

WORLD BUILDING
I liked this touch of modern and antique with palaces and latest technologies. Too bad that the world building did not have the space it deserved and above all it was not original as in these small intuitions.
The division in Ward reminded me too much of Hunger Games, as well as the transport used - a train equipped with all the comforts. Same as Amelia's courtship/choice model reminded too much of The Selection, which in turn copied the American program The Bachelor.
There were too many references to other things that, though unwanted, have made my not so happy.
I think focusing only on an original WB would be the brilliant key and maybe even include a few elements similar to other books. However, with holograms, replicas of people, cell phones, and more, a great book could have come out equally.
THE END
I expected to say a different ending, counting on a character which left me surprised. Victoria and her last move were intrigued enough to want to go and see how the novel continues.
RECAP...

PRO

CONTRO

flowing style
world building with good potential
ending




characters not so interesting
love triangle
less action than expected
too many references to other books





As I said in the presentation, the author's style is good, so the book flies away. Almost I was sorry I did not appreciate it because there was a potential.

The opportunity of a lifetime knocks on Victoria's door. Become the future Queen and marry the prince are almost impossible dreams for her. But before she can grasp this opportunity she will have to face up to six "replicas" of  herself. Will she be able to win? 

Rating: 

[Caroline Hanssen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a rollercoaster of a book, a lot of plot twists even though some of them was pretty obvious. I really liked this book, but it reminded me a lot about The Selection book.

I’m really excited to read what’s happening next! Can’t wait to buy it! :)

[Thalassophile_takemetotheocean · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first read by Michael Pierce and I thought the idea behind this story was pretty interesting. This is a young adult drama with a little science fiction and romance. It was an easy read and is well-written. The story and its drama is balanced nicely to keep you entertained and interested throughout the entire book.

The story starts out reminding me a bit of Cinderella. The main character Victoria is a step-daughter of Duke Ramsey and his wife, along with their two daughters. Victoria is treated like a servant and is severely beaten numerous times for 'disobeying orders'. Despite her many scars, she is still not broken and is determined to leave this house when she turns 18. However, due to a previous accident, she has lost some of her memory. Memory that includes a young man named Kale. Victoria finds Kale 'stalking' her, but it turns out that Kale and Victoria talked about running away together. She just doesn't remember anything about him.

One day, a drone comes to the Ramsey house to deliver a message to Victoria that will change her life. After the drone scans her face to make sure she is the right person, holograms appear of the queen and Prince Byron. The queen says that Victoria is the queens daughter and needs to move into the castle immediately and she needs to win the heart of Prince Byron.

When she gets to the castle, she discovers that she is not the only daughter....! There are 6 more daughters and they look almost identical, aside from make-up, hair styles, clothing, etc. This is where it reminded me of 'the Selection with a bit of The Hunger Games'. Each sister is actually an exact replica...clones... of the real Princess Amelia who is thought to be deceased. They need to compete for Prince Byron's hand in marriage to form an alliance with both kingdoms. This is where we get to know each girls personality by their cat fights, pranks, comments, etc. They find out that there is a catch for the losers that Prince Byron did not agree to.....

I really enjoyed the supporting characters. There were twists that were unexpected, but much enjoyed. However, some of the main characters could have been stronger.

Prince Byron came off as a bit cocky...wanting to kiss all the girls right away just because he had to make a choice in a month. He became really angry when someone else showed attention to Victoria during a masquerade ball. He ends up ignoring her all week because of it. Then later in the book, he became a wimp. I'm still not sure what made him choose Victoria in the first place, other than their initial meeting in the pasture. He wasn't that bad but he did seem to be the damsel in distress while Victoria took the lead. Not that its a bad thing. I was just hoping that Prince Byron stood out more as a brave, stand-up-for-what's-right instead of cowering in the corner waiting for Victoria to come up with the plant type of guy.

When he chooses Victoria and the queen objects to his choice, Prince Byron easily and quickly chooses Bethany, one of the other clones.

Victoria is the heroine and is a pretty good main character. However, a girl who was abused throughout her whole life easily trusts people, such as when she willingly goes to meet her abuser alone, Duke Ramsey, in the limo with 3 other men. She was a bit weak. I was hoping that she would challenge her wrong-doers a bit more. She also seemed to rely on Kale too much.

When the big secret is revealed of what will happen to the losers, there wasn't much shock. I would have expected the girls to be devastated, but Constance was the only girl to really act out.

I did laugh when the author mentioned the Twilight books when Victoria was searching the library for something to read. Perhaps the author has an advertisement agreement for to endorse Twilight....? Who knows...I didn't mind though. I love Twilight.

I really enjoyed this story, minus a few flaws. I'm already halfway finished with the second book and it is so much better. SO...continue reading this series. It gets better.