If I had a dime for every time someone (yes, publishing world, I'm looking at you) said something was like "Downton Abbey," I'd probably have enough money to buy my very own Downton Abbey. On the surface, "Downton Abbey" and Michelle Cooper's  A Brief History of Montmaray share similarities -- both are about British families right before a world war starts and both have their fair share of drama. But in reality, A Brief History of Montmaray, is much more closely related to I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith's often-overlooked classic about an impoverished English family living in a castle in the 1930s. So maybe using "Downton Abbey" was a semi-cheap ploy for your attention. But A Brief History of Montmaray is so good that I'm willing to resort to gimmicks just so you'll pick it up and read it.

For any fans of I Capture the Castle, this should automatically sell you on A Brief History of Montmaray, which is also about an impoverished family living in a crumbling castle in the '30s -- but this time, the family is royal. Sophie FitzOsborne and her sister live with their beautiful cousin Veronica and her father, the mad King John, in the fictional island kingdom of Montmaray, located just off the southern coast of England. The book is perfect at capturing that period feeling; Sophie's voice matches exactly how you'd expect a sixteen-year-old to sound in 1936. Sophie writes in her journal about everything that happens in the small island kingdom, including sharp observations like, "There's a fine line between gossip and history, when one is talking about kings."

The book picks up with the arrival of two German soldiers in Montmaray. Suddenly, the looming war that seemed so distant is right on their shore. What follows next is the fight to hold onto home when the world seems to be exploding.

Michelle Cooper writes beautifully, and the pacing and plot are spot on. This is a work of young adult historical fiction that you will not want to miss.