This was a early reviewer selection. The description is "Somewhere in space, in the last domain, 743 years from now... A princess dreams of a different reality. Her name is Bettina – ‘Bettie’ to her friends – and she thinks that anything would be better than her position as the spare behind a very irritating heir. She’s wrong. Even princesses must grow up, but Bettie never expected to have to do it on the run. Not that it’s all negative, but can learning who your friends are when the chips are down offset the risk of beheading at the hands of a ruthless tyrant? Can growing stronger neutralize a close call with sex slavery? Can finding true love compensate for devastating betrayal? Can learning what went wrong in the Outlands help you save your “designed to be perfect” domain? Can the boy you loved, the boy you love, and the boy who loves you most of all work together with you to save your world?"
First of all I started with the Prequel which is on smash words for free, and it set things up nicelyI felt. It really let me know what I was in for.
As for Royal Progress itself, I really liked it. The characters were relatable and engaging, they made me want to know what happens. I'm a little disappointed I need to wait for the next book. Fairchild's writing is very smooth and simple, but also allows the characters to grow and evolve. The Bettie at the start of the book is nothing like the Bettie at the end of the book. I think it will be a great series with a lot of potential.
For additional reviews please see my blog at www.adventuresofabibliophile.blogspot.com ( )

This novel had a lot of good pieces that didn't quite add up to a coherent whole. Fairchild has created an interesting world, but there is little explanation of the political intrigue between the different groups that would give the story more complexity and depth. The main character thinks about the need for change, for demonstrating leadership skills, and proving herself at several points, but in actuality makes very few decisions. There are a number of plot holes (well after the fact we learn why Auban decided to join the group traveling to warn Bettie, but we never learn how; no one speculates about how Maryce ended up favored when the others became slaves), and there is a focus on rape and sexual degredation throughout the book, without any good justification for why it's critical to the story; there are some brief references to hard labor, or other forms of physical punishment that are equally likely to show up in societies with such stark power differences in social groups. I kept waiting for there to be some reason why non-consensual sex was so central, but it never connected to the political plots in a satisfying way.

I managed to drag myself through three chapters before I had to put it away. I wanted to like this book because it sounds quite interesting, but it isn't. To me, it felt as if the chapters were never ending and seemed to go nowhere, fast. Sorry, others might like it, but I didn't. ( )

Overall I liked this book, I really did. I thought the story line was solid, the characters were relatable, the world building was lovely. My only complaint is that it felt really, really long at places, but overall a wonderful book by a great author. I would recommend this book. 4.5 out of 5 stars. ( )

I'm really not sure what to make of this book. The story is set in the future, on a planet colonized after Earth became uninhabitable (we're not really given a lot on that, just that it was abandoned for a better atmosphere). After settling the new world, many different forms of government were tried, and abandoned -- at least, so it seems at first. However, you soon find out that those other forms of government still exist, in various locations around the world. The government we're most concerned with, however, is essentially feudal, with a few twists. I didn't really have an issue with that -- monarchies are remarkably stable over the long term, historically. Still, I felt that the story floundered with its handling of teen romance. To have such a strong central character (Bettie) mooning over a boy that is so obviously only using her almost hurts. Without this element, the book would have been MUCH better. ( )