The Last Princess by Galaxy Craze

Eliza Windsor is The Last Princess. In post-apocalyptic Britain, the ruling family is holding on to the throne by the skins of their teeth. The world was devastated by the Seventeen Days, an unspecified apocalyptic event, and global communications were obliterated. The last of the Windsors are struggling to maintain some semblance of normalcy, but revolutionary forces are demanding their heads. When the palace is invaded, Eliza is the only royal who manages to escape. She doesn't know what has happened to her family, but she's determined to find out -- and to avenge them, if necessary.

This is the grittiest "princess book" imaginable -- don't expect poofy skirts and court intrigue! Instead, as I remarked to a co-worker, this book has cannibals and death camps. Not that I'm complaining -- it's certainly a valid way of picturing a post-apocalyptic future. I thought that ties to the present day were generally well-done, though I'm perhaps not familiar enough with UK politics to see any gaping plot holes. And, while I found Eliza a little flat in her grim determination to exact revenge, I must admit that a less forceful character would not have survived in the world that the author has created. I would recommend this to fans of dystopian and post-apocalyptic novels, particularly readers who find some recent dystopias just a little too wimpy.

(Reviewed from a copy borrowed through my library system.)