I'm not quite sure the worldbuilding holds much together on close inspection, especially the Computer and the combination of religions/historical harmony, autonomous identity, and cohesion under an empire.

Show More slagging on America that happened in this book. ★ ' powerful and resonant story of compassion, love, and finding a way to fulfill obligations while maintaining one's identity.'- PW, starred review … ( more) ★ 'This witty and romantic story is a must-read.'- SLJ, starred review ★ 'Compelling and unique-there's nothing else like it.'- Booklist, starred review. 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. 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. 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. But before she does her duty, she'll have one summer of freedom and privacy in a far corner of empire.

The imperial tradition of genetically arranged matchmaking will soon guide Margaret into a politically advantageous marriage. Victoria-Margaret is the crown princess of the empire, a direct descendent of Victoria I, the queen who changed the course of history. Speculative fiction from the acclaimed bestselling author of Exit, Pursued by a Bear and Star Wars: Ahsoka.

That inevitable victorian thing