E. K. Johnston

In a near-future Toronto where the British Empire never fell, Helena, August, and Margaret are caught off-guard by the discovery of a love so intense they are willing to change the course of the monarchy to keep it.

That Inevitable Victorian Thing

iris

it tried to be progressive but the ending is the most unprogressive thing i’ve ever seen

jess

I was incredibly fascinated with the concept of That Inevitable Victorian Thing at first; I love alternate history, and even though I dislike the British Empire and its colonialism, I find it interesting to study. While I did like this book quite a bit, my problem with it is that the basis for its alternate history called for such suspension of disbelief that I couldn't buy how the world worked. 

The point of divergence (i.e. place where history turns into alternate history) for That Inevitable Victorian Thing is the idea that Queen Victoria decided to marry her grandchildren into parts of the British empire that were not European. Here's the thing: it's a good idea, looking back - the family tree of European monarchs is more of a web at this point, and genetic diversity isn't one of their strong suits. Hemophilia, for example, was prevalent in Victoria's family because of all the intermarriage. However, and to put it bluntly, Europe in the nineteenth century - including Britain - was horrifically racist and xenophobic to the point where the majority of the world is still trying to contend with nineteenth century racism today. Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, is an example. Edward VII abdicated his throne because he chose to marry a (white) American. In Canada, where the novel is set, Indigenous people at that point had been contending with cultural and physical genocide for centuries by the eighteenth century, and it would only get worse. 

My problem is that the British Empire in That Inevitable Victorian Thing discusses none of this, and instead creates a very idealized world where racism is virtually nonexistent, and most characters are mixed-race, including the royal family themselves; where Zulu and Chinese are languages taught to the upper-class. If this had been a fantasy, I wouldn't have questioned it, but completely ignoring the consequences of colonialism and imperialism seems very disingenuous to me, especially because the world was less of a multicultural one and more of a traditionally British world with the mask of diversity. I do understand that this was well-intentioned and I respect that; however, the erasure of British imperialism lends some very unfortunate implications to this book that I just couldn't accept as veritable. 

I did enjoy the characters. I didn't really care for August, but I liked both Margaret and Helena and was really pleased that they ended up a romance and it didn't seem like too big of a deal. (view spoiler)[The ending, though, was so disappointing, because even in a world that claims to be this progressive, Margaret and Helena still can't publicly be together, and Margaret has to marry August and keep Helena as a secret lover? I'm obsessed with royal lineages and succession, so I can understand that traditionally, the heir apparent not intending to have biological children would - and has, in history, been a significant problem. However, another huge part of this book is based on genetic matches. Why does Margaret have to marry August, then - are there no other options for pregnancy or biological children in this world? (hide spoiler)]

Though I enjoyed reading That Inevitable Victorian Thing, the alternate history did not seem authentic and carried some problematic implications. While I think this could work in an entirely original universe, ignoring the effects of colonialism in worldbuilding heavily weakens the book.

Amanda Kordeliski

Great potential in this one but I feel like it began to fall apart in the middle. I was very unhappy with the way Johnston approached intersex individuals and the relationship between Margaret, August and Helena and the "solutions" for everyone to have a *mostly* happily ever after. I also found the reaction of August's family when he was discovered dealing with pirates to be extreme and out of character for the way his family had been presented. This conveniently left August in a dire situation that pressured him into agreeing to the arrangement Helena and Margaret have decided is best.

Libby G

I picked up two books at the library because of their covers. Ink (which was totally amazingly fantastically worth the leap) and this one which was lets just say a major disappointment. No only is the world building very bland, I never got attached to the characters and I never felt any real conflict in this supposedly "perfect" society. 
This was a DNF
Two starts though for beautiful cover and title and interesting premise that unfortunately did not deliver.

Grace O'Callaghan

** spoiler alert **
           An alternate history of what could’ve happened if Queen Victoria l chose her daughter as her heir and sent her to another part of the world to find a husband. In this near future, there’s a Computer that tells you the best genetic match for you as well as becoming more diverse and accepting. We follow Margaret, the princess of the Empire, who goes undercover to Canada for debut season to experience normal life where she meets Helena and August.

The weakest part about this book is without a doubt the worldbuilding. It hinges on some very iffy subjects like colonisation and sort of pretends that’s not what happened. That everyone was fine with being a part of the British Empire. Besides this, the world building is still considerably lacking and I was very confused throughout. I liked all the ideas about the world but it was executed poorly. I couldn’t picture the places very well, or what anyone was wearing really. Sometimes it seemed they were wearing clothes from now, and sometimes Victorian clothing.

So basically, if you don’t really care about worldbuilding and just want drama and romance, this will probably work for you.

The characters are what redeemed this book from being a one star book. At least, Helena and Margaret were. I really enjoyed both their characters. Their chemistry together was so good, I really felt it. I just always love seeing f/f relationships. August was not my favourite. He was a bit bland if I’m honest, I only cared about his welfare because Helena cared. I liked that at the end we had a sort of open/poly relationship between all three of them, I just love seeing queers getting happy endings.

The plot however was pretty much non existent. The first part is incredibly slow and it’s only about a third of the way in where we get to the summer by the lake that it actually got interesting. I wouldn’t have finished this book without the audio. There’s no plot other than a very weak pirating plot, romance and secrets.

We find out that Helena is intersex part way through the book because the computer tells her, she then proceeds to talk to someone called Lizzie who’s her genetic match, who turns out to be Margaret. I’m not sure if the intersex representation is accurate, but the thing I’m most annoyed about is that she never even asks her parents whether they knew. Wouldn’t you ask them? 

The biggest thing that frustrated me while reading this book was the amount of secrecy. August and Helena never make it clear what their intentions are with one another, but they’re sort of together and kiss a few times. But then Helena and Margaret kiss and are sort of together and Margaret is lying about her identity. August is also lying to Helena about his family’s business. Then in the end, none of them cares about it and they just all jump into a relationship. It’s just so incredibly messy. Helena basically cheats on August and faces no repercussions.

Communication is the biggest part to any relationship and August, Helena and Margaret start a relationship off that. It would’ve been much better if Helena had realised her feelings for Margaret and told August about them, then they could’ve come to an agreement. I just hate it when if the characters actually talked to each other, there wouldn’t be any plot.

Basically, if you don’t mind poor worldbuilding but love romance that is rather swoony, but full of miscommunication, this is the book for you. I appreciate E.K Johnston’s efforts, but I don’t think it was that well done.

Stephanie Haynes

Danielle H.

Maybe 4 stars? I'm honestly kind of confused about the ending but maybe that's just because I have a migraine and am panicking over Hurricane Irma barreling towards my loved ones. Will write out a review soon!

Set in a near-future world where the British Empire never fell and the United States never rose, That Inevitable Victorian Thing is a surprising, delightful, and thought-provoking novel of love, duty, and the forces that change the world. Victoria-Margaret is the crown princess of the empire, a direct descendent of Victoria I, the queen who changed the course of history two centuries earlier. The imperial practice of genetic curation (think arranged marriage via online dating) will soon guide Margaret into a politically advantageous marriage like her own mother before her, but before she does her duty, she'll have one summer incognito in a far corner of empire. In Canada, she meets Helena Marcus, daughter of one of the empire's greatest placement geneticists, and August O'Brien, the son and heir apparent to a powerful shipping firm currently besieged by American pirates. In a summer of high-society debutante balls, politically charged tea parties, and romantic country dances, Margaret, Helena, and August discover they share an unusual bond and maybe a one in a million chance to have what they want and to change the world in the process--just like the first Victoria.

Hayley 📖🌈💜🌸

3.5 stars.
This was a 4.5 star read until the last few chapters ffs. That ending was a bit of a cop out? I sort of hated the ending. 
UGHHHHHHH. 
Anyway: I loved Margaret and Helena and Fanny and Elizabeth (& wished we actually had more of her tbh) and August was OKAY I GUESS except he was a bit of an idiot most of the time. 
AAAAANYWAY this was really good until the super rushed and stupid ending but tra la la Imma make up my own ending thanks.

Read for the 2018 New Years Readathon I co-host on instagram.

Emma

Something about this story was exceptionally wonderful for me. I can't say what it is, but in any case I love this book. It makes me so, so happy. It's part slice-of-life and part fairy-tale-romance woven together to make something sweet- something like young, summer love.

Lacy W

treena

E.K. Johnston

Speculative fiction from the acclaimed bestselling author of Exit, Pursued by a Bear and Star Wars: Ahsoka. Victoria-Margaret is the crown princess of the empire, a direct descendent of Victoria I, the queen who changed the course of history. The imperial tradition of genetically arranged matchmaking will soon guide Margaret into a politically advantageous marriage. But before she does her duty, she'll have one summer of freedom and privacy in a far corner of empire. Posing as a commoner in Toronto, she meets Helena Marcus, daughter of one of the empire's greatest placement geneticists, and August Callaghan, the heir to a powerful shipping firm currently besieged by American pirates. In a summer of high-society debutante balls, politically charged tea parties, and romantic country dances, Margaret, Helena, and August discover they share an extraordinary bond and maybe a one-in-a-million chance to have what they want and to change the world in the process. Set in a near-future world where the British Empire was preserved not by the cost of blood and theft but by the effort of repatriation and promises kept, That Inevitable Victorian Thing is a surprising, romantic, and thought-provoking story of love, duty, and the small moments that can change people and the world. ★ "This witty and romantic story is a must-read.”—SLJ, starred review ★ "Compelling and unique—there's nothing else like it."—Booklist, starred review. ★ "[A] powerful and resonant story of compassion, love, and finding a way to fulfill obligations while maintaining one’s identity."—PW, starred review

That Inevitable Victorian Thing

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