Kaiuolani

Description

Honolulu, 1893. Queen Liliuokalani rules a Hawaii poised between two worlds—the old island ways and the hungry ambitions of foreign planters, merchants, and adventurers who call themselves Progressionists. When the queen attempts to reclaim ancient royal privilege, a ruthless cabal begins plotting her overthrow, and with it the annexation of her kingdom to the United States. At the center of the storm stands a young Hawaiian princess, courted on one side by a decent American of conviction and on the other by scheming men who see her only as a pawn. Around them move riflemen, rival cabinets, a dangerous adventuress working her own intrigues, and envoys dispatched from the White House itself. What begins as a garden party ends in gunfire on a plantation wall—and before the last shot is fired, a princess must decide whether a crown is an inheritance, a burden, or a voice she claims for herself.