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American Royals #2
Majesty
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Young Adult Fiction (2020)Is America ready for its first queen?
Power is intoxicating. Like first love, it can leave you breathless. Princess Beatrice was born with it. Princess Samantha was born with less. Some, like Nina Gonzalez, are pulled into it. And a few will claw their way in. Ahem, we're looking at you Daphne Deighton.
As America adjusts to the idea of a queen on the throne, Beatrice grapples with everything she lost when she gained the ultimate crown. Samantha is busy living up to her "party princess" persona...and maybe adding a party prince by her side. Nina is trying to avoid the palace--and Prince Jefferson--at all costs. And a dangerous secret threatens to undo all of Daphne's carefully laid "marry Prince Jefferson" plans.
A new reign has begun....
Power is intoxicating. Like first love, it can leave you breathless. Princess Beatrice was born with it. Princess Samantha was born with less. Some, like Nina Gonzalez, are pulled into it. And a few will claw their way in. Ahem, we're looking at you Daphne Deighton.
As America adjusts to the idea of a queen on the throne, Beatrice grapples with everything she lost when she gained the ultimate crown. Samantha is busy living up to her "party princess" persona...and maybe adding a party prince by her side. Nina is trying to avoid the palace--and Prince Jefferson--at all costs. And a dangerous secret threatens to undo all of Daphne's carefully laid "marry Prince Jefferson" plans.
A new reign has begun....
374 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2020
About the author
Katharine McGee
15 books6,027 followersKatharine McGee is the New York Times bestselling author of American Royals and The Thousandth Floor trilogy. She studied English and French literature at Princeton University and has an MBA from Stanford. She lives in her hometown of Houston, TX with her husband.
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July 1, 2023
Edit 12/08/21: There is a God, and we're getting a third book! I have the utmost faith in the author that all of the unresolved issues will now get finished!
THIS REVIEW & MORE → Paws and Paperbacks
ARC provided by Random House Children's through NetGalley.
1.5 stars ✨
Buckle up kids, you’re in for one hell of a review.
If I was going to predict my biggest disappointment of the year, Majesty would never have even crossed my mind. I’m a huge fan of Katherine McGee’s books: they’re full of delicious drama, juicy secrets, complex characters, and angsty romance. I absolutely adored American Royals and I was really looking forward to reading this sequel. Reading Majesty felt like I was in the Twilight Zone. This book was not anything close to what I had been expecting and I’m still not sure what the fuck I read.
I’m going to try to try to keep this as spoiler free as possible, but I have to divulge some major plot points in order to explain what went so wrong with this book. So if you want to go into Majesty completely blind, I would just skip this review altogether.
The first major issue with the book are the romances. If you, like me, think you are going to go into this book with the expectation that the characters are going to work through the angst and mend the relationships left broken by the end of American Royals, you will be extremely disappointed. The characters basically play roulette with each other’s partners. This is one of the most frustrating things to me when reading a sequel. Why spend the first book developing relationships and building up the reader’s interest in those relationships only to completely dissolve them all? I’ve already become invested in the relationships introduced in the first book, so not only am I going to be upset with the sudden change of heart, but I’m going to spend my entire time reading actively rooting against them.
My second issue was with the characters. I felt like they all had a major personality make-over. As with American Royals, this book is also told through the four POVs of Beatrice, Samantha, Nina, and Daphne.
→ Beatrice – I really loved her in American Royals. I could not stand her in Majesty. In the first book, a majority of her chapters were focused on her struggle between her desires and the expectations of her. All of her chapters here were dedicated to her swooning over Teddy. I will never enjoy reading about a relationship in which the character suddenly develops feelings for their sibling’s ex. Like, it’s a Big No for me when I read. So reading her chapters and her blooming relationship with Teddy was just nauseating. I skimmed most of them.
→ Samantha – Opposite of her sister, I actually enjoyed her chapters much more this time. In fact, I would argue that her POV was probably my favorite. I was definitely more sympathetic towards her and began to better understand her as a person. Of all the romances introduced, hers was the only one I enjoyed.
→ Nina – She honestly felt so, blah. There was nothing to her character in this book. First of all, she barely had any page time. And whatever page time she did have was solely dedicated to her romantic feelings. She was my favorite character in American Royals, but I hardly gave her a second thought her because she was scarcely present.
→ Daphne – The only character who remained the same. She’s still horrible. I still hate her. I’m still waiting for her conniving, scheming self to be revealed to everyone who holds her in such high esteem. And her last chapter? What the fuck kind of ending is this? Her shenanigans are never addressed and basically she gets everything she ever wanted?
Jefferson was basically nonexistent. You honestly could have replaced him with a doormat and it would have made no difference to the story. And when he did appear, he pulled a complete 180 towards the end of the book. After everything he went through to be with Nina, now all of a sudden he believes himself in love with Daphne. Gag me.
And last but not least: the fact that apparently this is the last book? I was under the impression that this was a trilogy, not a duology, but the author herself stated that this was the final book. If this was only the second book of a trilogy, a lot of my complaints wouldn’t seem so severe. However, as a conclusion to the series Majesty feels grossly incomplete, underwhelming, and lacking. I am shocked that this was written the way it was to be the final book. Nothing has been wrapped up plot-wise. There are multiple loose ends, things left unsaid, broken relationships, and incomplete storylines. The reader is left with so many questions.
2020 really did me dirty with this book. Reading Majesty felt like I had wandered into a parallel universe and read a completely different story. Who are these characters? Who are these romances? While I still encourage anyone who enjoyed American Royals to read this for yourself to form your own opinions, I would caution you to curb your enthusiasm and check your expectations.
THIS REVIEW & MORE → Paws and Paperbacks
ARC provided by Random House Children's through NetGalley.
1.5 stars ✨
Buckle up kids, you’re in for one hell of a review.
If I was going to predict my biggest disappointment of the year, Majesty would never have even crossed my mind. I’m a huge fan of Katherine McGee’s books: they’re full of delicious drama, juicy secrets, complex characters, and angsty romance. I absolutely adored American Royals and I was really looking forward to reading this sequel. Reading Majesty felt like I was in the Twilight Zone. This book was not anything close to what I had been expecting and I’m still not sure what the fuck I read.
I’m going to try to try to keep this as spoiler free as possible, but I have to divulge some major plot points in order to explain what went so wrong with this book. So if you want to go into Majesty completely blind, I would just skip this review altogether.
The first major issue with the book are the romances. If you, like me, think you are going to go into this book with the expectation that the characters are going to work through the angst and mend the relationships left broken by the end of American Royals, you will be extremely disappointed. The characters basically play roulette with each other’s partners. This is one of the most frustrating things to me when reading a sequel. Why spend the first book developing relationships and building up the reader’s interest in those relationships only to completely dissolve them all? I’ve already become invested in the relationships introduced in the first book, so not only am I going to be upset with the sudden change of heart, but I’m going to spend my entire time reading actively rooting against them.
My second issue was with the characters. I felt like they all had a major personality make-over. As with American Royals, this book is also told through the four POVs of Beatrice, Samantha, Nina, and Daphne.
→ Beatrice – I really loved her in American Royals. I could not stand her in Majesty. In the first book, a majority of her chapters were focused on her struggle between her desires and the expectations of her. All of her chapters here were dedicated to her swooning over Teddy. I will never enjoy reading about a relationship in which the character suddenly develops feelings for their sibling’s ex. Like, it’s a Big No for me when I read. So reading her chapters and her blooming relationship with Teddy was just nauseating. I skimmed most of them.
→ Samantha – Opposite of her sister, I actually enjoyed her chapters much more this time. In fact, I would argue that her POV was probably my favorite. I was definitely more sympathetic towards her and began to better understand her as a person. Of all the romances introduced, hers was the only one I enjoyed.
→ Nina – She honestly felt so, blah. There was nothing to her character in this book. First of all, she barely had any page time. And whatever page time she did have was solely dedicated to her romantic feelings. She was my favorite character in American Royals, but I hardly gave her a second thought her because she was scarcely present.
→ Daphne – The only character who remained the same. She’s still horrible. I still hate her. I’m still waiting for her conniving, scheming self to be revealed to everyone who holds her in such high esteem. And her last chapter? What the fuck kind of ending is this? Her shenanigans are never addressed and basically she gets everything she ever wanted?
Jefferson was basically nonexistent. You honestly could have replaced him with a doormat and it would have made no difference to the story. And when he did appear, he pulled a complete 180 towards the end of the book. After everything he went through to be with Nina, now all of a sudden he believes himself in love with Daphne. Gag me.
And last but not least: the fact that apparently this is the last book? I was under the impression that this was a trilogy, not a duology, but the author herself stated that this was the final book. If this was only the second book of a trilogy, a lot of my complaints wouldn’t seem so severe. However, as a conclusion to the series Majesty feels grossly incomplete, underwhelming, and lacking. I am shocked that this was written the way it was to be the final book. Nothing has been wrapped up plot-wise. There are multiple loose ends, things left unsaid, broken relationships, and incomplete storylines. The reader is left with so many questions.
2020 really did me dirty with this book. Reading Majesty felt like I had wandered into a parallel universe and read a completely different story. Who are these characters? Who are these romances? While I still encourage anyone who enjoyed American Royals to read this for yourself to form your own opinions, I would caution you to curb your enthusiasm and check your expectations.
October 26, 2023
Whhhaaatttt theeeee heeeecccck juuuuust happpeeeneeedd?is that all? No, it can’t! This must be a prank, right? This cannot be the real book! No! No! Noooooooooooooooo!
( a few denying hours later)
Yes, my friends, unfortunately this book is real. During my reading, I thought I would find a chapter telling us this was all a bad dream and real story would start up sooner with better conclusion but that chapter never appeared!
I wrote an extremely unpopular review to the first book cause I found the world building nonsense and the girls’ sisterhood dynamic were faker than Kardashian sisters ( maybe author plans to write a sequel named: “Nina and Samantha take Washington.”to clear the messy storylines she recently destroyed in this book but I’m not really hopeful she can!!!)
I was thinking maybe this time the characters start magically growing on me. And there were some unresolved angst and lovely blooming relationships between them which gave me enough hope the second installment would be better!
But the author decided to do something so radical and killed those relationships we’d pleased to see their HEAs and the create the most nonsense and illogical couples! Yes, the couples we we’re introduced at the first novel are separated and matched with not so compatible characters.
I felt like somebody hacked the author’s manuscript and changed the entire storyline ( hacker might be a ex screenwriter who was writing the worst drafts and got fired from her/his daytime soap opera gig! ) for revenge and poor author has no idea the released version of her unique work! It’s the only explanation I can find!
Only reliable character from the beginning of the duology is Daphne. At least she was mean, disgusting, shitty person and she never surprises us as bu turning into a gold hearted sweetheart! She plays her mind games and with her detailed devilish schemes, she gets the guy. Poor foolish Ethan has no idea he was manipulated by her to dare with Nina! Yes, Nina and Ethan became the unreliable couple with no chemistry, love sparks, nada!
And as soon as the author flipped her fingers, Beatrice also turns into a lovesick puppy who adores her sibling’s ex!
I cannot take any more! I’m gonna stop here!
My notes:
-I thought the first book was disappointment but this one is extremely truly heartbreakingly disappointment!
-I don’t know this is a good or bad news but this is final book. Is there a chance the author can save the destroyed storylines of the lovely couples? ( Big and bold NOOOOO!!!)
-Do we get the satisfying conclusion? I didn’t! I hope you think otherwise.
-I wish my future self would come to save me before I started my reading and delete the digital copy from my e-reader! But my lazy future self still watches last episode of “The Boys” on the Amazon prime, nursing her Pinot Grigio, already forgetting this book!
That’s why I plan to do! My future self is always wiser than me! I am gonna act like I never read this book and I never wrote this review !
( a few denying hours later)
Yes, my friends, unfortunately this book is real. During my reading, I thought I would find a chapter telling us this was all a bad dream and real story would start up sooner with better conclusion but that chapter never appeared!
I wrote an extremely unpopular review to the first book cause I found the world building nonsense and the girls’ sisterhood dynamic were faker than Kardashian sisters ( maybe author plans to write a sequel named: “Nina and Samantha take Washington.”to clear the messy storylines she recently destroyed in this book but I’m not really hopeful she can!!!)
I was thinking maybe this time the characters start magically growing on me. And there were some unresolved angst and lovely blooming relationships between them which gave me enough hope the second installment would be better!
But the author decided to do something so radical and killed those relationships we’d pleased to see their HEAs and the create the most nonsense and illogical couples! Yes, the couples we we’re introduced at the first novel are separated and matched with not so compatible characters.
I felt like somebody hacked the author’s manuscript and changed the entire storyline ( hacker might be a ex screenwriter who was writing the worst drafts and got fired from her/his daytime soap opera gig! ) for revenge and poor author has no idea the released version of her unique work! It’s the only explanation I can find!
Only reliable character from the beginning of the duology is Daphne. At least she was mean, disgusting, shitty person and she never surprises us as bu turning into a gold hearted sweetheart! She plays her mind games and with her detailed devilish schemes, she gets the guy. Poor foolish Ethan has no idea he was manipulated by her to dare with Nina! Yes, Nina and Ethan became the unreliable couple with no chemistry, love sparks, nada!
And as soon as the author flipped her fingers, Beatrice also turns into a lovesick puppy who adores her sibling’s ex!
I cannot take any more! I’m gonna stop here!
My notes:
-I thought the first book was disappointment but this one is extremely truly heartbreakingly disappointment!
-I don’t know this is a good or bad news but this is final book. Is there a chance the author can save the destroyed storylines of the lovely couples? ( Big and bold NOOOOO!!!)
-Do we get the satisfying conclusion? I didn’t! I hope you think otherwise.
-I wish my future self would come to save me before I started my reading and delete the digital copy from my e-reader! But my lazy future self still watches last episode of “The Boys” on the Amazon prime, nursing her Pinot Grigio, already forgetting this book!
That’s why I plan to do! My future self is always wiser than me! I am gonna act like I never read this book and I never wrote this review !
May 4, 2020
Y'all, I have been on A Journey™ this evening. I got an ARC of Majesty earlier today (there is a God and she is a woman named Random House), casually yelped and scared my poor mother (whom I'm quarantining with), and read the entire novel in a single sitting without getting up. My butt and my heart hurt.
I'm just gonna say it: I really liked American Royals, but I loved this sequel more. Ending the first book on a cliffhanger was a risk, and to be honest, I was afraid that Majesty was going to be predictable and drawn out. But the upside of Katharine McGee giving these characters more room to breathe is that this novel wasn't about establishing who they were; instead, it was all about who they needed to become.
I don't want to spoil anything, but for real: There's no way in hell you can guess what happens going into this book. Brb my heart is still screaming.
I'm just gonna say it: I really liked American Royals, but I loved this sequel more. Ending the first book on a cliffhanger was a risk, and to be honest, I was afraid that Majesty was going to be predictable and drawn out. But the upside of Katharine McGee giving these characters more room to breathe is that this novel wasn't about establishing who they were; instead, it was all about who they needed to become.
I don't want to spoil anything, but for real: There's no way in hell you can guess what happens going into this book. Brb my heart is still screaming.
September 10, 2020
More reviews up on my blog Inside My Library Mind
The Old Switcheroo
Imagine reading a first book in a series where you spent the entire book getting attached to the characters and their relationships with each other. Imagine that the focus of the book was the romantic relationships, there are several of them, and they’re all built up over the course of 300 pages. There’s angst, there’s pinning, there’s miscommunication and SO MANY OBSTACLES, but they’re all in love and they have to eventually end up together, right? Because everyone has great chemistry with each other and it works. And it’s fun. That’s American Royals for you.
Now imagine the second book in this series showing you a huge middle finger and doing the old switcheroo with everyone’s love interest. Scrap everything that happened in the first book – the relationships developed? WHO NEEDS THEM. The character arcs? NO ONE CARES. Out with the things that make sense, and in with absolute nonsense. That was American Royals 2.
At the beginning of the novel, all of the previously established pairings and ships just get abolished, and everyone gets paired up with a new person, that was previously someone else’s partner. I think this made the first book obsolete and moreover, it made everything feel incredibly forced and contrived.
I absolutely loved Beatrice and Connor’s relationship in the first book. And we spent the whole of the first book rooting for them. More importantly, it made sense for Beatrice and Connor to fall for each other. It was believable and it felt very organic. Moreover, this relationship was juxtaposed with the fact that Beatrice was supposed to marry Teddy, which she felt absolutely nothing for, which made the whole dynamic really interesting. But for some godforsaken reason, the other decided that is not interesting enough, so Connor was out and Beatrice falls in love with Teddy. WHY? Beats me.
Same goes for all the other characters. Ethan and Nina were an atrociously bad coupling, that had nothing going for itself, and was used as this supposedly juicy and controversial pairing (on the count of Nina being in love with Ethan’s best friend like a week ago). This was probably my least favorite of all the new dynamics we got, because it was so boring, it had no chemistry and I just kept thinking WHY. WHAT WAS THE REASON. Sam got a new love interest at least, which is better than her dating her sister’s boyfriend but still, her relationship was just as uninspired as the rest of them.
I Love When Things Make Zero Sense
This book succeeded at one thing – it made me hate all of the characters. I just think they made zero sense and as if they got a retouch of their personality from someone who has not used Photoshop before and is like gRaPhIc DeSiGn iS mY pAsSiOn.
Beatrice was such an interesting character in the first book, with her inner struggle between everyone’s expectations and her wanting to live her own life, but in this sequel she just became a character that swooned over Teddy and had this meek, annoying approach to everything. The author also decided to sideline Jeff as a character in this book, which was annoying on a lot of levels, since he is important to every other character in the novel. Nina was such a bland, uninteresting PoV, made insufferable by her relationship with Ethan.
Most frustratingly, I hated that Daphne’s character was so bad. She is like a mean girl in the first book, but you keep seeing this complex side to her, and her trying to compensate feeling worthless by becoming someone important. I think she was a really interesting character, and this book said fuck that. Daphne goes through no growth, ends up in the same place, does not learn and she deserved better than an ending in which she ends up with a person she does not love, being unhappy despite finally getting what she wants. It was such a sad ending to her arc. I mourn for her character. There was so much potential for the narrative to give her what she deserves while still letting her grow. Instead, we got her still being awful and yet she gets all that she wanted. But she’s sad. The point eludes me.
An Unsatisfying Ending Is Putting It Lightly
I think it’s obvious that this was supposed to be a trilogy and then something fell through. The ending was so unsatisfying and I really felt like no one of the characters ended up where they were supposed to. Moreover, a lot of them felt like they ended up back where we started, as if they had no character arc at all. There was a tone of stuff that was left unresolved and even the attempts to wrap somethings up were so poorly handled. The dialogue in this book also felt so contrived, and fake and stilted, it was so annoying to read and left such an unsatisfying feeling overall.
If You’re Gonna Do Something, Do It Right
This book also made some really lame attempts to handle some important topics, such as race and feminism. Firstly, the way this book tries so hard to make some supposed feminist statements and then frames them as these amazing, groundbreaking things really hurt my head.
This book also decided to introduce a Black character and did a lot of things poorly in that aspect. First of all, when we meet Marshall, Samantha introduces him by saying that his family was born into slavery and that they joined the kingdom after the abolition of slavery, and the whole discussion ends there. However, it really begs the question who were the slave owners if not the royal family. Supposedly, Washington became king instead of president and there’s a royal family now, but I feel like there was a discussion here that needed to be engaged and it was not. I feel like Samantha had to acknowledge and engage with her privilege there, but that just did not happen. She is also painfully unaware how the press might treat Marshall because he is Black and yet she is also represented as this woke queen that is dragging the monarchy into the 21st century. There was also a bit at the end that where Beatrice applauded Sam for being so inspirational to her people and stressing that it’s nice that she is dating Marshall because it would be nice for their family to represent the nation. As if Marshall is a token to be paraded around for the fucking royal family. It was just kind of gross to be honest.
To Sum Up
One of the most disappointing books I have ever read. I am sad and I might go cry now.
I received an eARC of this novel from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
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The Old Switcheroo
Imagine reading a first book in a series where you spent the entire book getting attached to the characters and their relationships with each other. Imagine that the focus of the book was the romantic relationships, there are several of them, and they’re all built up over the course of 300 pages. There’s angst, there’s pinning, there’s miscommunication and SO MANY OBSTACLES, but they’re all in love and they have to eventually end up together, right? Because everyone has great chemistry with each other and it works. And it’s fun. That’s American Royals for you.
Now imagine the second book in this series showing you a huge middle finger and doing the old switcheroo with everyone’s love interest. Scrap everything that happened in the first book – the relationships developed? WHO NEEDS THEM. The character arcs? NO ONE CARES. Out with the things that make sense, and in with absolute nonsense. That was American Royals 2.
At the beginning of the novel, all of the previously established pairings and ships just get abolished, and everyone gets paired up with a new person, that was previously someone else’s partner. I think this made the first book obsolete and moreover, it made everything feel incredibly forced and contrived.
I absolutely loved Beatrice and Connor’s relationship in the first book. And we spent the whole of the first book rooting for them. More importantly, it made sense for Beatrice and Connor to fall for each other. It was believable and it felt very organic. Moreover, this relationship was juxtaposed with the fact that Beatrice was supposed to marry Teddy, which she felt absolutely nothing for, which made the whole dynamic really interesting. But for some godforsaken reason, the other decided that is not interesting enough, so Connor was out and Beatrice falls in love with Teddy. WHY? Beats me.
Same goes for all the other characters. Ethan and Nina were an atrociously bad coupling, that had nothing going for itself, and was used as this supposedly juicy and controversial pairing (on the count of Nina being in love with Ethan’s best friend like a week ago). This was probably my least favorite of all the new dynamics we got, because it was so boring, it had no chemistry and I just kept thinking WHY. WHAT WAS THE REASON. Sam got a new love interest at least, which is better than her dating her sister’s boyfriend but still, her relationship was just as uninspired as the rest of them.
I Love When Things Make Zero Sense
This book succeeded at one thing – it made me hate all of the characters. I just think they made zero sense and as if they got a retouch of their personality from someone who has not used Photoshop before and is like gRaPhIc DeSiGn iS mY pAsSiOn.
Beatrice was such an interesting character in the first book, with her inner struggle between everyone’s expectations and her wanting to live her own life, but in this sequel she just became a character that swooned over Teddy and had this meek, annoying approach to everything. The author also decided to sideline Jeff as a character in this book, which was annoying on a lot of levels, since he is important to every other character in the novel. Nina was such a bland, uninteresting PoV, made insufferable by her relationship with Ethan.
Most frustratingly, I hated that Daphne’s character was so bad. She is like a mean girl in the first book, but you keep seeing this complex side to her, and her trying to compensate feeling worthless by becoming someone important. I think she was a really interesting character, and this book said fuck that. Daphne goes through no growth, ends up in the same place, does not learn and she deserved better than an ending in which she ends up with a person she does not love, being unhappy despite finally getting what she wants. It was such a sad ending to her arc. I mourn for her character. There was so much potential for the narrative to give her what she deserves while still letting her grow. Instead, we got her still being awful and yet she gets all that she wanted. But she’s sad. The point eludes me.
An Unsatisfying Ending Is Putting It Lightly
I think it’s obvious that this was supposed to be a trilogy and then something fell through. The ending was so unsatisfying and I really felt like no one of the characters ended up where they were supposed to. Moreover, a lot of them felt like they ended up back where we started, as if they had no character arc at all. There was a tone of stuff that was left unresolved and even the attempts to wrap somethings up were so poorly handled. The dialogue in this book also felt so contrived, and fake and stilted, it was so annoying to read and left such an unsatisfying feeling overall.
If You’re Gonna Do Something, Do It Right
This book also made some really lame attempts to handle some important topics, such as race and feminism. Firstly, the way this book tries so hard to make some supposed feminist statements and then frames them as these amazing, groundbreaking things really hurt my head.
This book also decided to introduce a Black character and did a lot of things poorly in that aspect. First of all, when we meet Marshall, Samantha introduces him by saying that his family was born into slavery and that they joined the kingdom after the abolition of slavery, and the whole discussion ends there. However, it really begs the question who were the slave owners if not the royal family. Supposedly, Washington became king instead of president and there’s a royal family now, but I feel like there was a discussion here that needed to be engaged and it was not. I feel like Samantha had to acknowledge and engage with her privilege there, but that just did not happen. She is also painfully unaware how the press might treat Marshall because he is Black and yet she is also represented as this woke queen that is dragging the monarchy into the 21st century. There was also a bit at the end that where Beatrice applauded Sam for being so inspirational to her people and stressing that it’s nice that she is dating Marshall because it would be nice for their family to represent the nation. As if Marshall is a token to be paraded around for the fucking royal family. It was just kind of gross to be honest.
To Sum Up
One of the most disappointing books I have ever read. I am sad and I might go cry now.
I received an eARC of this novel from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest
September 19, 2020
Oh 2019 Me had such high hopes for this book! 2020 Me feels cheated. This can't be the "closure" ending ending, I didnt get any closure, I feel like she didn't really know where to go with this book. Those 3 stars are me being generous at 2 in the morning...
Nov. 11, 2019 - What if she abolishes the monarchy so they can sll get their happy ending? And
instates "Democracy"?!
Nov. 11, 2019 - What if she abolishes the monarchy so they can sll get their happy ending? And
instates "Democracy"?!
March 23, 2020
If there is not a scene when Nina runs into the chapel during Daphne and Jefferson's wedding and exposes Daphne for the snake she is, I am going to cry.
October 22, 2020
1.5/5 stars. ⭐️⭐️
Nothing hurts more than absolutely falling in love with the first book in a series…then having your soul tragically crushed by a disappointing sequel.
Folks, I too have been hustled, scammed, bamboozled, hoodwinked, led astray!! *high five if you understand the reference* When I first read American Royals at the beginning of the year, I thought I had found a new favorite series. However, after finishing its lackluster sequel, I now have trust issues.
Majesty is the finale novel in the American Royals trilogy duology, following the lives of Beatrice, Samantha, Nina, and Daphne. Through their perspectives, we unveil the drama of fake American politics, secrets of high society, and all the angsty romance.
This book takes all the character development and personal growth in the first book…and yeets it into the wind. Their personalities do a 180, and everyone becomes an empty shell of their old character. Beatrice becomes less independent and firey; Samantha returns to her childish self. Nina loses her fighting spirit, but good ole Daphne remains a conniving social climber.
Let’s take a second to talk about the romance…and how I hated it. I was such a big supporter for Beatrice and Connor, Sam and Teddy, Nina and Jeff, and Daphne and Ethan. It made sense but nooOoooOOoo. Katharine McGee thought we needed to change everything up. What was the purpose of developing the relationships in Book 1 if they served virtually no purpose in Book 2?
The author intentionally creates the most frustrating scenes and pushes her characters to make idiotic decisions (with no logic backing them) to get a rise out of her readers to push them to keep reading. Well, it works. At some point, I stopped reading for enjoyment and was simply reading to finish the book.
The ending itself is what leaves me feeling frustrated and unfulfilled. While it is arguably a realistic ending, the execution was both underdeveloped and underwhelming. As a conclusion to the series, this was a huge disappointment because it simply just seems incomplete.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
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Nothing hurts more than absolutely falling in love with the first book in a series…then having your soul tragically crushed by a disappointing sequel.
Folks, I too have been hustled, scammed, bamboozled, hoodwinked, led astray!! *high five if you understand the reference* When I first read American Royals at the beginning of the year, I thought I had found a new favorite series. However, after finishing its lackluster sequel, I now have trust issues.
Majesty is the finale novel in the American Royals
This book takes all the character development and personal growth in the first book…and yeets it into the wind. Their personalities do a 180, and everyone becomes an empty shell of their old character. Beatrice becomes less independent and firey; Samantha returns to her childish self. Nina loses her fighting spirit, but good ole Daphne remains a conniving social climber.
Let’s take a second to talk about the romance…and how I hated it. I was such a big supporter for Beatrice and Connor, Sam and Teddy, Nina and Jeff, and Daphne and Ethan. It made sense but nooOoooOOoo. Katharine McGee thought we needed to change everything up. What was the purpose of developing the relationships in Book 1 if they served virtually no purpose in Book 2?
The author intentionally creates the most frustrating scenes and pushes her characters to make idiotic decisions (with no logic backing them) to get a rise out of her readers to push them to keep reading. Well, it works. At some point, I stopped reading for enjoyment and was simply reading to finish the book.
The ending itself is what leaves me feeling frustrated and unfulfilled. While it is arguably a realistic ending, the execution was both underdeveloped and underwhelming. As a conclusion to the series, this was a huge disappointment because it simply just seems incomplete.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
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October 6, 2023
If I hadn’t been listening to this, and were reading a physical copy, this book would have been tossed several times! 😡🤬 Rage. Anger. Frustration. Sadness. Flirty banter. 😍 It’s frustratingly good and like a bad car wreck, you just need to check it out. 🫣
January 17, 2021
I think I am in the minority where I can honestly say that I loved the second installment even more than the first. Majesty continues the journey of Beatrice, Samantha, Jefferson, Nina and Daphne. It picks up six weeks after King George has died and the family is trying to pick up the pieces. Beatrice was left in a position of choosing between her heart and her country.
In American Royals, I felt like the alternating POV’s made it difficult to connect with the characters since they were so new but in Majesty I felt like I really knew each of the characters. There was also a lot more character growth, particularly with Beatrice and Samantha. I really enjoyed the relationships between Marshall and Samantha and between Beatrice and Teddy. I did feel like the Jefferson-Ethan-Nina-Daphne saga fell a little flat for me and I found myself not even really caring if Daphne and Jefferson ended up back together. Jefferson is so easily manipulated that it’s difficult to really root for him. That being said, I loved the book overall and can’t wait for the sequel. There is a definitive Gossip Girl feel to the series. I highly recommend for fans of young adult and royal romances. Counting down to Katharine McGee’s next book!
In American Royals, I felt like the alternating POV’s made it difficult to connect with the characters since they were so new but in Majesty I felt like I really knew each of the characters. There was also a lot more character growth, particularly with Beatrice and Samantha. I really enjoyed the relationships between Marshall and Samantha and between Beatrice and Teddy. I did feel like the Jefferson-Ethan-Nina-Daphne saga fell a little flat for me and I found myself not even really caring if Daphne and Jefferson ended up back together. Jefferson is so easily manipulated that it’s difficult to really root for him. That being said, I loved the book overall and can’t wait for the sequel. There is a definitive Gossip Girl feel to the series. I highly recommend for fans of young adult and royal romances. Counting down to Katharine McGee’s next book!
November 5, 2020
2.5 stars
It pains me to write this review. Seriously. I was so looking forward to this book. I loved the first book and I was patiently waiting for my library borrow to come in so I could finally get to this book. I love Katherine McGee’s writing and there were some things I liked about this, but overall, I was so disappointed. Mainly in all the romances (except maybe one) and the direction so many of these characters stories took. I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone, so I won’t go into detail about anything but I’m truly bummed I didn’t love this one.
It pains me to write this review. Seriously. I was so looking forward to this book. I loved the first book and I was patiently waiting for my library borrow to come in so I could finally get to this book. I love Katherine McGee’s writing and there were some things I liked about this, but overall, I was so disappointed. Mainly in all the romances (except maybe one) and the direction so many of these characters stories took. I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone, so I won’t go into detail about anything but I’m truly bummed I didn’t love this one.
Audio book source: Libby (library borrow)
Story Rating: 2-2.5 stars
Narrators: Brittany Pressley
Narration Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Contemporary
Length: 12 hours and 39 minutes
May 25, 2024
And here we are with Book Two in the American Royals series. Beatrice is now queen. Daphne is still scheming. And everything else...
If you like the trope of ships that are established in one book getting switched around later in the series, this one is for you! Every couple gets switched around. Often that can be a tricky trope to pull off as it relies on the chemistry between the new set of couples being even stronger than the initial ones, or you wind up just being bitter for the initial ships. In this case, I was actually okay with most of the new pairings, even though I was so invested in book one.
Beatrice/Teddy-This one worked for me simply because the relationship was cute, I still enjoyed Bea’s journey as she prepared to be queen, and I already liked Teddy as a character. The baseball and hamburger date was fun. I thought I wasn’t going to get over Beatrice/Connor, and I love bodyguard romances and that forbidden element, but this was an example where the replacement romance worked and the writing really sold it.
Sam/Marshall-I wasn’t as wild about this pairing. Sam was a character I loved so much in the first book. The conflict in book one between her and Bea not only over their royal roles, but over Teddy gave every chapter fire. Here she felt like she got less page time and I guess that since Marshall was new, I just didn’t have so much of a chance to form a strong impression about him.
Nina/Ethan-I was only so-so about Nina and Jefferson to begin with (I always wished that Jefferson could have gotten more page time in both books) so I thought Nina and Ethan were a great match. They’re both sort of taken for granted by others in their life so it works.
Daphne-I like Daphne as a character just in general because she’s so scheming, so manipulative and terrible and so much fun to read on page. She stayed very true to character from book to book. I actually sympathize with her a bit because her parents are very difficult. Just a bit. She’s really terrible. I found myself not really caring about her relationship with Jefferson one way or another and finding myself more invested in the relationship with her and Himari, and the plotline where Daphne had caused her to get hurt before the start of the first book. Daphne isn’t likeable, but she’s interesting.
All in all, this was a fun series with lots of juicy drama and addictive characters.
If you like the trope of ships that are established in one book getting switched around later in the series, this one is for you! Every couple gets switched around. Often that can be a tricky trope to pull off as it relies on the chemistry between the new set of couples being even stronger than the initial ones, or you wind up just being bitter for the initial ships. In this case, I was actually okay with most of the new pairings, even though I was so invested in book one.
Beatrice/Teddy-This one worked for me simply because the relationship was cute, I still enjoyed Bea’s journey as she prepared to be queen, and I already liked Teddy as a character. The baseball and hamburger date was fun. I thought I wasn’t going to get over Beatrice/Connor, and I love bodyguard romances and that forbidden element, but this was an example where the replacement romance worked and the writing really sold it.
Sam/Marshall-I wasn’t as wild about this pairing. Sam was a character I loved so much in the first book. The conflict in book one between her and Bea not only over their royal roles, but over Teddy gave every chapter fire. Here she felt like she got less page time and I guess that since Marshall was new, I just didn’t have so much of a chance to form a strong impression about him.
Nina/Ethan-I was only so-so about Nina and Jefferson to begin with (I always wished that Jefferson could have gotten more page time in both books) so I thought Nina and Ethan were a great match. They’re both sort of taken for granted by others in their life so it works.
Daphne-I like Daphne as a character just in general because she’s so scheming, so manipulative and terrible and so much fun to read on page. She stayed very true to character from book to book. I actually sympathize with her a bit because her parents are very difficult. Just a bit. She’s really terrible. I found myself not really caring about her relationship with Jefferson one way or another and finding myself more invested in the relationship with her and Himari, and the plotline where Daphne had caused her to get hurt before the start of the first book. Daphne isn’t likeable, but she’s interesting.
All in all, this was a fun series with lots of juicy drama and addictive characters.
October 3, 2020
I loved this continuation of an excellent story. I love all of the characters so much. Majesty develops the characters more. All of the characters mature based on their new roles. Sam is no longer just breaking the rules, but now has an important role.
I won’t give anything away, but I was very happy with the outcome of this book. I love all of Katharine McGee’s books, so that wasn’t a surprise.
I highly recommend the American Royals series to any fans of YA, princesses, and cute romances.
Full review: https://justreadingjess.wordpress.com...
I won’t give anything away, but I was very happy with the outcome of this book. I love all of Katharine McGee’s books, so that wasn’t a surprise.
I highly recommend the American Royals series to any fans of YA, princesses, and cute romances.
Full review: https://justreadingjess.wordpress.com...
September 24, 2020
Sadly I didn't love this one as much as the first one. It was still enjoyable but some story arc's I didn't like. My favorite story arc was Beatrice, gah I adore her and I enjoyed Sam's growth in this book a ton as well!
Nina was underused in this book and Daphne...still horrible.
Nina was underused in this book and Daphne...still horrible.
July 25, 2023
#1) American Royals: ★★★☆☆
As one of my most anticipated reads of 2020, this was a huge disappointment.
The great George IV has died and Beatrice is now the first-ever Queen of America. She is being pressured to marry Teddy so that she looks more mature and can perform her duties. Nina is trying to live her normal life after breaking up with Prince Jefferson. Samantha is trying her best to live her to her position as heir to the throne. Daphne is still the same as before.
This is one of the worst sequels I’ve ever read.
In American Royals, I felt that some of the characters were carbon copies of characters from The Thousandth Floor, and in this book, I can see the similarities a lot more. I believe I read a couple of the same lines from The Thousandth Floor in Majesty.
I don’t think a single couple stayed together from the first book. All of the relationships in American Royals are nonexistent here. I’m so frustrated and disappointed by this. Why was there even the first book then? I didn’t care for any of the characters. They were all ruined.
The story arc for each of the characters was basically the same. Fall in love, break up, and make up. The worst thing about this is that they all happened at the same time. It felt so repetitive and boring.
The ending is super unsatisfying. There are so many loose ends and I have a lot of questions.
As one of my most anticipated reads of 2020, this was a huge disappointment.
The great George IV has died and Beatrice is now the first-ever Queen of America. She is being pressured to marry Teddy so that she looks more mature and can perform her duties. Nina is trying to live her normal life after breaking up with Prince Jefferson. Samantha is trying her best to live her to her position as heir to the throne. Daphne is still the same as before.
This is one of the worst sequels I’ve ever read.
In American Royals, I felt that some of the characters were carbon copies of characters from The Thousandth Floor, and in this book, I can see the similarities a lot more. I believe I read a couple of the same lines from The Thousandth Floor in Majesty.
I don’t think a single couple stayed together from the first book. All of the relationships in American Royals are nonexistent here. I’m so frustrated and disappointed by this. Why was there even the first book then? I didn’t care for any of the characters. They were all ruined.
The story arc for each of the characters was basically the same. Fall in love, break up, and make up. The worst thing about this is that they all happened at the same time. It felt so repetitive and boring.
The ending is super unsatisfying. There are so many loose ends and I have a lot of questions.
March 29, 2023
I actually liked this more the second time reading this, bumped this up to 4 stars
__________________________________________________
Its been two weeks since i finished this and im still mad at this book, if i write a review then its just gonnna be me complaining hehe....
So I finished this and I'm really disappointed. RTC
Edit: I honestly want to cry my expectations were so high and nothing went the way I wanted to *sobs*
________________________________________________________
Update 3, the same day: I HAVE THE BOOK BYE SEE YALL WHEN IM FINISHED
Update 2: It is now Tuesday and I just got an email saying they have sent out my book to me and it is on its way, I'm sooooooooo exiiiiteeeeed
Update: they didnt have this at the bookstore so i had to order it online, if im lucky ill get it on friday *fingers crossed*
Someone give me this book NOW I don’t want to wait I’ve waited long enough
Also the fact that this book only has 320 pages is really making me worried
__________________________________________________
Its been two weeks since i finished this and im still mad at this book, if i write a review then its just gonnna be me complaining hehe....
So I finished this and I'm really disappointed. RTC
Edit: I honestly want to cry my expectations were so high and nothing went the way I wanted to *sobs*
________________________________________________________
Update 3, the same day: I HAVE THE BOOK BYE SEE YALL WHEN IM FINISHED
Update 2: It is now Tuesday and I just got an email saying they have sent out my book to me and it is on its way, I'm sooooooooo exiiiiteeeeed
Update: they didnt have this at the bookstore so i had to order it online, if im lucky ill get it on friday *fingers crossed*
Someone give me this book NOW I don’t want to wait I’ve waited long enough
Also the fact that this book only has 320 pages is really making me worried
September 15, 2020
My only complaint: Not enough Jeff.
No, but seriously. This series is so much fun. It’s light and entertaining, like watching a cheesy tv show. I wasn’t expecting many turns and my ships haven’t sailed as I wanted to, but the road is worth it. Those books don’t have the most beautiful prose nor the most original story line or characters, but I always have the most fun reading it.
UPDATE: I have been told this was a duology... So I am lowering my rating to 3 stars because THIS ISN’T A CONCLUSION. WHAT WAS THAT ENDING. WHAT HAPPENED TO JEFF. AND CONNOR. AND-
No, but seriously. This series is so much fun. It’s light and entertaining, like watching a cheesy tv show. I wasn’t expecting many turns and my ships haven’t sailed as I wanted to, but the road is worth it. Those books don’t have the most beautiful prose nor the most original story line or characters, but I always have the most fun reading it.
UPDATE: I have been told this was a duology... So I am lowering my rating to 3 stars because THIS ISN’T A CONCLUSION. WHAT WAS THAT ENDING. WHAT HAPPENED TO JEFF. AND CONNOR. AND-
October 29, 2020
First off, I want to start by saying that my disgruntled review does not come from Katharine’s actual writing. Katharine McGee can tell a story. It’s just this specific story that was terrible. Yeah, terrible.
This book could hardly be considered a sequel.
My biggest question: why have us get so attached to specific relationships and take us through all that was said in the first book, only to rip things away with no explanation at all?
You’re telling me that Beatrice was LITERALLY about to give everything up for a man she loved so much, then in a split second tosses him aside like a damn wash rag? It’s something I could hardly comprehend.
In the first book, you feel for Sam and want nothing more than to see her and Teddy get the happy ending they deserve. Then the second book comes along and boom! Bye Teddy and Sam. Just like that.
Not to mention Beatrice’s total lack of remorse for going through with the wedding. All of that beautiful transformation in Beatrice’s and Sam’s relationship in the first book, they finally come together as sisters and promise one another that they’ll always have each other, then JK! Didn’t mean it! Psych! Done.
I really just don’t understand. I enjoy a good plot twist, but I truly believe that it didn’t make sense here. It’s not what we’re here for.
The stories in the first book were amazing, I’ve read it multiple times and will consistently give it 5 stars. But after reading Majesty, I feel like everything in the first book was simply thrown out to the trash. Gone. Didn’t matter. Even though you spent over 400 pages getting attached to specific characters and all that they’ve been through.
I’m frustrated, because I quite literally waited months and months for this sequel, only to have it take away all that I was excited for. Beatrice and Connor. Teddy and Sam.
And my goodness, let’s not get me started on Beatrice and Teddy. I loved Beatrice and was so excited by the fact that she wasn’t going to repeat her fathers history - giving up someone she loved for the crown. I admired her tenacity when it came to calling off the wedding and not letting outdated laws dictate her life.
But giving into it all? That’s not the Beatrice I respected in the first book. It verged on the edge of pathetic.
I won’t lie, Nina and Jeff I could do without, and I love me some Ethan, but why flip flop so many things? In my eyes, it simply wasn’t necessary.
And character wise, this book was just so dang BORING. Beatrice was my favorite in the first book but I literally grew to completely dislike her in this sequel. Everything with her and Teddy was terrible. She was a crappy sister and all of these feelings for Teddy were so random. And does she not have a conscience? How can you just go for your sisters ex with no remorse? It was so weird and such a let down.
Sam is easily the best character, but her relationship was the most predictable. A fake relationship that becomes real? Profound!
Nina was boring as hell. Not much to add there.
Daphne ends up with Jeff? I don’t even like Jeff and I know that that shouldn’t have been what happens. All of the horrifying things she did and no consequences? Nothing? It’s all good? What on earth?
Jeff never even learns what Daphne did in the first book. Nothing is resolved or addressed and it’s ridiculous.
I’m sad, disappointed, and clearly if you couldn’t tell, I’m bitter. I’ll be reading American Royals again, but Majesty is a one-and-done for me. Sigh.
This book could hardly be considered a sequel.
My biggest question: why have us get so attached to specific relationships and take us through all that was said in the first book, only to rip things away with no explanation at all?
You’re telling me that Beatrice was LITERALLY about to give everything up for a man she loved so much, then in a split second tosses him aside like a damn wash rag? It’s something I could hardly comprehend.
In the first book, you feel for Sam and want nothing more than to see her and Teddy get the happy ending they deserve. Then the second book comes along and boom! Bye Teddy and Sam. Just like that.
Not to mention Beatrice’s total lack of remorse for going through with the wedding. All of that beautiful transformation in Beatrice’s and Sam’s relationship in the first book, they finally come together as sisters and promise one another that they’ll always have each other, then JK! Didn’t mean it! Psych! Done.
I really just don’t understand. I enjoy a good plot twist, but I truly believe that it didn’t make sense here. It’s not what we’re here for.
The stories in the first book were amazing, I’ve read it multiple times and will consistently give it 5 stars. But after reading Majesty, I feel like everything in the first book was simply thrown out to the trash. Gone. Didn’t matter. Even though you spent over 400 pages getting attached to specific characters and all that they’ve been through.
I’m frustrated, because I quite literally waited months and months for this sequel, only to have it take away all that I was excited for. Beatrice and Connor. Teddy and Sam.
And my goodness, let’s not get me started on Beatrice and Teddy. I loved Beatrice and was so excited by the fact that she wasn’t going to repeat her fathers history - giving up someone she loved for the crown. I admired her tenacity when it came to calling off the wedding and not letting outdated laws dictate her life.
But giving into it all? That’s not the Beatrice I respected in the first book. It verged on the edge of pathetic.
I won’t lie, Nina and Jeff I could do without, and I love me some Ethan, but why flip flop so many things? In my eyes, it simply wasn’t necessary.
And character wise, this book was just so dang BORING. Beatrice was my favorite in the first book but I literally grew to completely dislike her in this sequel. Everything with her and Teddy was terrible. She was a crappy sister and all of these feelings for Teddy were so random. And does she not have a conscience? How can you just go for your sisters ex with no remorse? It was so weird and such a let down.
Sam is easily the best character, but her relationship was the most predictable. A fake relationship that becomes real? Profound!
Nina was boring as hell. Not much to add there.
Daphne ends up with Jeff? I don’t even like Jeff and I know that that shouldn’t have been what happens. All of the horrifying things she did and no consequences? Nothing? It’s all good? What on earth?
Jeff never even learns what Daphne did in the first book. Nothing is resolved or addressed and it’s ridiculous.
I’m sad, disappointed, and clearly if you couldn’t tell, I’m bitter. I’ll be reading American Royals again, but Majesty is a one-and-done for me. Sigh.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2020
The main reason I didn't enjoy this was just because IT DIDN'T ACTUALLY GO ANYWHERE
The only character that had any sort of resolution was Daphne, and she did not deserve to - the others are all more or less stuck in their loops of anxiety?
And I feel like some characters like Jeff were just horribly mistreated here.
The only character that had any sort of resolution was Daphne, and she did not deserve to - the others are all more or less stuck in their loops of anxiety?
And I feel like some characters like Jeff were just horribly mistreated here.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 28, 2020
These books give me such The Selection vibes and I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm totally here for it.
April 13, 2023
J’ai littéralement dévoré ce deuxième tome entre 16h et minuit. 10/10 would recommend this delightful drama/TV show/romance romcom omgosh
October 22, 2020
All hail Queen Beatrice of America!
Katharine McGee’s American Royals series returns with Majesty , the second book and another enjoyable installment. Beatrice has just been crowned Queen and is trying to figure out how to negotiate a role she has prepared for as long as she can remember, although she wasn't expecting to assume that role so soon.
Beatrice is the first woman to become Queen in American history, but despite living in modern times, there are some who only believe she can govern if she has a husband at her side. And her engagement is fraught with its own tensions.
As her family and the nation move through their grief, there are other issues causing stress—an employee who doesn’t seem to think Beatrice is ready to be Queen; her sister Samantha, who resists being “the spare” and resents Beatrice for so much more than that; and the tensions caused by desperate social climber Daphne.
I enjoyed this book and find the characters so engaging (except Daphne, lord). Because this is the second book there’s less background information about how everything works, which allows for more drama, tension, and character development. (That being said, I loved all of the background McGee shared in the first book.) I liked that a few of the characters really grew into their own in this book, and McGee introduced some interesting social issues into the mix.
I’m fascinated with the idea behind this series. Even when I struggled with some of the melodrama around the characters (which was a little repetitive from the first book) I just felt McGee’s storytelling was so enjoyable. This is a world I wouldn't mind being in, at least for a little while!
Can’t wait for Book 3, although a few people have said a third book isn't definite. Where do I start begging?
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
Katharine McGee’s American Royals series returns with Majesty , the second book and another enjoyable installment. Beatrice has just been crowned Queen and is trying to figure out how to negotiate a role she has prepared for as long as she can remember, although she wasn't expecting to assume that role so soon.
Beatrice is the first woman to become Queen in American history, but despite living in modern times, there are some who only believe she can govern if she has a husband at her side. And her engagement is fraught with its own tensions.
As her family and the nation move through their grief, there are other issues causing stress—an employee who doesn’t seem to think Beatrice is ready to be Queen; her sister Samantha, who resists being “the spare” and resents Beatrice for so much more than that; and the tensions caused by desperate social climber Daphne.
I enjoyed this book and find the characters so engaging (except Daphne, lord). Because this is the second book there’s less background information about how everything works, which allows for more drama, tension, and character development. (That being said, I loved all of the background McGee shared in the first book.) I liked that a few of the characters really grew into their own in this book, and McGee introduced some interesting social issues into the mix.
I’m fascinated with the idea behind this series. Even when I struggled with some of the melodrama around the characters (which was a little repetitive from the first book) I just felt McGee’s storytelling was so enjoyable. This is a world I wouldn't mind being in, at least for a little while!
Can’t wait for Book 3, although a few people have said a third book isn't definite. Where do I start begging?
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
January 18, 2021
Loved the soapiness of this, but the brilliance of the world she's envisioned cannot be ignored. With America ruled by a royal family, other countries that have since also become democracies are still monarchies as well, like Germany and France. D.C. is the hub, not only of the government, but of the nation, with the Statue of Liberty there, and New York being relegated to just a city in an east coast duchy. McGee also did a great job with all the threads she had started spinning in the first book: Beatrice, Samantha, Nina, and Daphne, all got the time they needed to resolve their stories, and I found it very satisfying. I would IMMEDIATELY read any further books she did in this world!
September 12, 2020
This followup was perfection! I expected some soapy fun a la Gossip Girl, and it certainly delivered that. But it also went in directions I didn't expect and I LOVED the ending for all of the characters. And I would read more in this world if she wants to write it. Just saying... I can't talk too much about this one without spoilers, but I will offer a few thoughts.
- Book 1 kind of glossed over the impact that slavery and the colonization of America & treatment of Native people would have on this alternate version of the U.S., but I'm happy to say this book course corrected in a significant way. A major side character is introduced who is a Black member of the nobility which opens the door for discussions of what happened after emancipation. Also, members of the royal family acknowledge the damage their ancestors did through colonization and the enslavement of people.
- Without saying too much, I loved that some of the themes of this book are finding your inner strength and being who you want to be- resisting misogyny, racism, and elitism. I loved the way that it handled storylines in that vein.
- Some of the endings might be polarizing, but I thought they were perfect. The author didn't do what I expected in the best possible way.
- In many ways this felt realistic to peoples actual experiences of relationships, i.e. and I was HERE for it!
This was an easy 5 stars and such a pleasant surprise. I expected to have a good time with this, but it gave me more than I expected. I received an audio review copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
- Book 1 kind of glossed over the impact that slavery and the colonization of America & treatment of Native people would have on this alternate version of the U.S., but I'm happy to say this book course corrected in a significant way. A major side character is introduced who is a Black member of the nobility which opens the door for discussions of what happened after emancipation. Also, members of the royal family acknowledge the damage their ancestors did through colonization and the enslavement of people.
- Without saying too much, I loved that some of the themes of this book are finding your inner strength and being who you want to be- resisting misogyny, racism, and elitism. I loved the way that it handled storylines in that vein.
- Some of the endings might be polarizing, but I thought they were perfect. The author didn't do what I expected in the best possible way.
- In many ways this felt realistic to peoples actual experiences of relationships, i.e. and I was HERE for it!
This was an easy 5 stars and such a pleasant surprise. I expected to have a good time with this, but it gave me more than I expected. I received an audio review copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
Want to read
October 9, 2019I am already DYING to read this!!
April 29, 2020
Majesty Rating: 4/5
Great news...THE SEQUEL DID NOT DISAPPOINT! Beatrice, Sam, Daphne, and Nina are back in all their royal glory as they adjust to their new roles and relationships in life after the death of King George. Since this book doesn't come out for a couple months, here is my spoiler free review of what I liked and didn't like about the four main leading ladies in Majesty.
Beatrice - She is as majestic as ever and she makes me yearn for a day when the US will have a strong and competent woman running the country. Her story arc is great and I loved watching her character develop as she dealt with the grief of losing her father, coming into her own as a ruler, working against powerful old white men that think they can do her job better than she can, and dealing with a complicated relationship situation. She was the definition of poise and was easily my favorite character this book.
Sam - Sam started off Majesty being a whiny 18 year-old who throws a tantrum because she didn't get what she wanted, but she grows up through out the book. As expected, her shenanigans and relationship with her boy of choice was entertaining!
Daphne - Damn...Daphne is as scheming, conniving, and ruthless as ever in Majesty. AND I LOVED IT. Though Daphne's intentions to "marry Prince Jefferson" are annoying, i still admire how she goes after what she wants. Well not the most likable character, she is the most interesting. Daphne did have some unexpected moments of clarity in Majesty that I think readers will enjoy.
Nina - Nina's arc was disappointing. It felt like her character was only used to advance the plot of Daphne's arc. I didn't see enough of the outsider with a kickin' personality that I enjoyed in the first book.
Now that I've talked about the ladies, I'd be reminisced if I didn't talk about the hunky lads. The love interests for all these ladies were fantastic (except Jefferson...he is an idiot). Based off the first book, the women didn't always end up with the people I expected them too, but I was pleasantly suprised by the coupling in Majesty.
Overall, Majesty is a solid sequel that I think fans of American Royals will enjoy! If you decide to read Majesty, a couple non-spoiler scenes you have to look forward too include a scandalous pool party for two, the threat of Daphne's deepest secrets being revealed, and a truly wild Royal Wedding. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for Young Readers for the egalley in exchange for an honest review.
Great news...THE SEQUEL DID NOT DISAPPOINT! Beatrice, Sam, Daphne, and Nina are back in all their royal glory as they adjust to their new roles and relationships in life after the death of King George. Since this book doesn't come out for a couple months, here is my spoiler free review of what I liked and didn't like about the four main leading ladies in Majesty.
Beatrice - She is as majestic as ever and she makes me yearn for a day when the US will have a strong and competent woman running the country. Her story arc is great and I loved watching her character develop as she dealt with the grief of losing her father, coming into her own as a ruler, working against powerful old white men that think they can do her job better than she can, and dealing with a complicated relationship situation. She was the definition of poise and was easily my favorite character this book.
Sam - Sam started off Majesty being a whiny 18 year-old who throws a tantrum because she didn't get what she wanted, but she grows up through out the book. As expected, her shenanigans and relationship with her boy of choice was entertaining!
Daphne - Damn...Daphne is as scheming, conniving, and ruthless as ever in Majesty. AND I LOVED IT. Though Daphne's intentions to "marry Prince Jefferson" are annoying, i still admire how she goes after what she wants. Well not the most likable character, she is the most interesting. Daphne did have some unexpected moments of clarity in Majesty that I think readers will enjoy.
Nina - Nina's arc was disappointing. It felt like her character was only used to advance the plot of Daphne's arc. I didn't see enough of the outsider with a kickin' personality that I enjoyed in the first book.
Now that I've talked about the ladies, I'd be reminisced if I didn't talk about the hunky lads. The love interests for all these ladies were fantastic (except Jefferson...he is an idiot). Based off the first book, the women didn't always end up with the people I expected them too, but I was pleasantly suprised by the coupling in Majesty.
Overall, Majesty is a solid sequel that I think fans of American Royals will enjoy! If you decide to read Majesty, a couple non-spoiler scenes you have to look forward too include a scandalous pool party for two, the threat of Daphne's deepest secrets being revealed, and a truly wild Royal Wedding. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for Young Readers for the egalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 7, 2020
I really enjoyed American Royals but this was honestly a complete and utter let down.
August 7, 2022
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Overall, I did enjoy reading Majesty but unfortunately, it wasn't as good American Royals. I flew through the book and finished it in a day but it definitely left me wanting more. I'm quite frustrated with how Majesty ended and can't believe this series is only supposed to be a duology. I really hope Katharine McGee will decide to write a third part sometime in the future because I just feel like some of the characters' stories felt unfinished and simply shouldn't end the way they did.
2022 REREAD: I actually enjoyed this a lot more than I did when I read Majesty for the first time. It was very entertaining and once again a really quick read. I’m still not very happy with the ending but I didn’t mind it too much this time around because Katharine McGee did end up turning this series into a trilogy, so I’m looking forward to reading Rivals now.
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Overall, I did enjoy reading Majesty but unfortunately, it wasn't as good American Royals. I flew through the book and finished it in a day but it definitely left me wanting more. I'm quite frustrated with how Majesty ended and can't believe this series is only supposed to be a duology. I really hope Katharine McGee will decide to write a third part sometime in the future because I just feel like some of the characters' stories felt unfinished and simply shouldn't end the way they did.
2022 REREAD: I actually enjoyed this a lot more than I did when I read Majesty for the first time. It was very entertaining and once again a really quick read. I’m still not very happy with the ending but I didn’t mind it too much this time around because Katharine McGee did end up turning this series into a trilogy, so I’m looking forward to reading Rivals now.
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August 23, 2020
"As if she wasn't a young woman at all, but a queen."
Summary
Majesty kicks off six weeks after the tumultuous end of American Royals in the aftermath of the shocking events. Beatrice has had to choose between duty and heart. Sam is stuck between being true to herself and living in Beatrice's shadow. Jeff is still stuck between the two girls vying for his attention - Nina and Daphne. While Nina is trying to move on from the events of six weeks ago, Daphne will do anything to claw her way back in to Jeff's- and America's - heart.
Review
This was a thoroughly enjoyable sequel! I had just as much fun reading this one as I did the first book. There is so much juicy drama and fun plot twists. This truly feels like a Gossip Girl-esque novel set to the backdrop of something wholly unique - the American monarchy. Part of what makes this duology so fun is the royalty set among typical American imagery. It's fun to imagine what would have happened had American been a monarchy - and the drama that would follow a very American royal family around.
It felt like there was a complete switch around of love interests and yet it never felt forced. The twists and turns of the relationships were definitely one of the most fun aspects for me! This follow up novel managed to keep the spirit of the first one, but switch it up in a way that kept it fun and not repetitive.
If you're looking for a fun read this is definitely a book for you!
Summary
Majesty kicks off six weeks after the tumultuous end of American Royals in the aftermath of the shocking events. Beatrice has had to choose between duty and heart. Sam is stuck between being true to herself and living in Beatrice's shadow. Jeff is still stuck between the two girls vying for his attention - Nina and Daphne. While Nina is trying to move on from the events of six weeks ago, Daphne will do anything to claw her way back in to Jeff's- and America's - heart.
Review
This was a thoroughly enjoyable sequel! I had just as much fun reading this one as I did the first book. There is so much juicy drama and fun plot twists. This truly feels like a Gossip Girl-esque novel set to the backdrop of something wholly unique - the American monarchy. Part of what makes this duology so fun is the royalty set among typical American imagery. It's fun to imagine what would have happened had American been a monarchy - and the drama that would follow a very American royal family around.
It felt like there was a complete switch around of love interests and yet it never felt forced. The twists and turns of the relationships were definitely one of the most fun aspects for me! This follow up novel managed to keep the spirit of the first one, but switch it up in a way that kept it fun and not repetitive.
If you're looking for a fun read this is definitely a book for you!
November 10, 2020
J'ai énormément aimé cette histoire.
Mais genre beaucoup beaucoup, et pourtant quand j'y repense je me dis qu'au final ce livre n'a rien d'exceptionnel. L'autrice a associé toutes les pièces dont a besoin un contemporain et en a fait une jolie petite histoire, aussi simple que cela.
Et pourtant, je me suis attachée à quasiment tous les personnages. J'ai adoré suivre les protagonistes féminin seulement, et voir les premiers pas de Béatrice en tant que Reine des Etats-Unis.
Chacune des relations au sein de son livre m'ont fait rêvées.
Et au final, c'est peut-être juste ça qu'il me faut parfois : une histoire simple, avec des personnages plus attachants les uns que les autres, une ribambelle de relation d'amour, un soupçon d'émotion et je suis conquise.
Sur un échelle de 1 à 10, je pense que cet univers va me manquer à au moins ... 1 000?
Mais genre beaucoup beaucoup, et pourtant quand j'y repense je me dis qu'au final ce livre n'a rien d'exceptionnel. L'autrice a associé toutes les pièces dont a besoin un contemporain et en a fait une jolie petite histoire, aussi simple que cela.
Et pourtant, je me suis attachée à quasiment tous les personnages. J'ai adoré suivre les protagonistes féminin seulement, et voir les premiers pas de Béatrice en tant que Reine des Etats-Unis.
Chacune des relations au sein de son livre m'ont fait rêvées.
Et au final, c'est peut-être juste ça qu'il me faut parfois : une histoire simple, avec des personnages plus attachants les uns que les autres, une ribambelle de relation d'amour, un soupçon d'émotion et je suis conquise.
Sur un échelle de 1 à 10, je pense que cet univers va me manquer à au moins ... 1 000?
September 7, 2020
Utterly delectable. But how dare people tell me there won’t be a third in the series!?!? How can this BE?
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