Majesty is the sequel to American Royals where we follow the same four POVs. Majesty starts six weeks after the events of American Royals. Beatrice is now queen and set to marry Teddy. Samantha gets entangled in a fake-dating plan. Nina meets someone new and Daphne continues her plan to get back together with Jeff.

Just like American Royals, Majesty is a fun and quick read full of romance and scandal. I have to admit that I enjoyed Majesty more than American Royals. Less drama but still enough scandal to keep you entertained. Once again Samantha's POV was my favorite. A very enjoyable sequel.

As far as sequels go, this was one of the more disappointing experiences. Where it felt like the first book had laid a strong foundation, this second book in the series seems more like the bump against the table that makes the flimsy house of cards topple down.

To say that this sequel went in a different direction than I expected, is an understatement. It didn't just end up in a different direction, it bulldozed its way straight through the forest before flipping over into a ravine, not even giving us the satisfaction of seeing it all burn down in the end.

Of the four main characters, only Sam really got the ending she deserved in my opinion. Beatrice's ending was close, but the story could and should have pushed her further towards standing on her own two feet and taking on the daunting task of being the first female ruler. Nina, who was underused and underappreciated in this book, deserved a lot more than what she got this time around. And then there's Daphne, who always gets what she wants, but at the same time was also written in a way that felt like the reader is supposed to pity her. All in all, a very strange reading experience.

I can only hope that there will eventually be a third instalment to fix the disaster that is this sequel. Because one thing that hasn't changed is the delicious Gossip Girl-esque drama and intrigue that somehow always leaves you wanting more despite its flaws in execution.

From the moment I put down the first book I knew I had to read the sequel, even if there was the best part of a year to wait for it!

I was worried in that time I would forget, but within pages I was once again catapulted into American royalty, picking up just after where the previous book left off.

I can't really comment as to whether it works as a standalone, as I was too busy devouring the latest in the lives of Beatrice, Sam, Nina and Daphne.

And what a tangled web they all lead, I apart from Daphne who I despise, I was willing them all to find happy endings with ideally their own men.

I loved seeing how Beatrice has to come to terms with being America's first Queen, how Samantha has to step up suddenly from the "spare" to the heir and what that may mean for her.

And Nina, is in a new relationship, but how will the Royals react when they discover who she is now with.

I am just loving this author's world so much, I can see its loosely based on elements of the British Royal family while at the same time being vastly different.

I have no clue if there are plans for a third book, but I certainly would be curious to see how things would continue for my favourite characters.

I just loved every second of it, from the chapters being from the different ladies viewpoints, to the character development and ultimately I was cheering on some of Beatrice's biggest decisions.

Another stand out book and whatever the author writes next i will have my eyes out for!

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily,

I really enjoyed this sequel to American Royals! The characters are great fun to follow, and I found the split of POVs really easy to follow.
I just wish this series had more diversity in the main characters.

I loved the first American Royals book when it came out and was excited to see where this second installment would take the characters. This review contains spoilers for book one, so turn away now if you would prefer to avoid those.

The American Royals series imagines an alternate timeline where George Washington chose to become America’s first king rather than its president and his family still rules to this day. As with the first book, American Royals II: Majesty alternates between the perspectives of four female characters: Beatrice, Samantha, Nina, and Daphne. At the end of book one, the king had suddenly died leaving Beatrice to assume the role of Queen of America—the first woman to rule—and this is precisely where Majesty picks up. Beatrice’s chapters ended up being some of my favorites as she begins to navigate the politics and protocols of being Queen, hampered all the way by men who are clearly unhappy at having a young woman in charge. There are some surprisingly feminist messages here, and it was a delight to watch Beatrice grow in confidence as the book progressed with a few stand out moments. Her relationship with future King Consort Teddy was awkward at times, as could be expected from what will be in effect an arranged marriage, but the growth between them felt natural and ultimately believable.

Beatrice’s younger sister Samantha, the party princess, was left heartbroken when the man she loved ended up engaged to her sister instead and in Majesty, she is determined to make him jealous. To this end, she begins a fake relationship with a Duke with an equally promiscuous reputation. Sam’s chapters were certainly some of the most fun but also felt somewhat predictable, which was a shame. Unlike with Beatrice, her story rarely touched on anything that wasn’t related to her relationships, which also did her a disservice. By the end, I was happy for Sam, but her chapters were not as good in this book as they were in the first. As for Sam’s best friend, unlike in book one, Nina felt virtually non-existent in Majesty. Her new relationship with Prince Jefferson’s best friend Ethan is awkward throughout, largely because we as readers are privy to the secret of how it came to be. Her previous relationship with Jefferson felt brushed aside to make way for new plot developments, and this sensation of sidelining could really be applied to Nina’s character as a whole.

Last but not least is Daphne. In the first book, Daphne was a social climber determined to win back Prince Jefferson as her whole life plan hinged on marrying him and restoring her family’s name and finances. Majesty continues this with Daphne determined to do whatever it takes to claw her way back into Jefferson’s good graces. Two things stand in her way, however. First, her BFF Himari has finally woken up from the coma that Daphne accidentally caused and it’s unclear how much she remembers, and second, Daphne has developed feelings for Ethan. Daphne is a fantastic antagonist and her chapters were consistently some of the most interesting and shocking to read.

As with the first book, Majesty reads like a soap opera or teen drama along the lines of Riverdale and Gossip Girl with characters endlessly trading romantic partners, blackmailing one another, and generally entangling themselves in drama. Personally, I loved it, but I can also see that for many readers it would come across as ridiculous. The ending of Majesty came as a real shock to me. Unlike with the other two books in this list, I did not see many of its elements coming and was taken aback with a few in particular, especially when I learned that this is currently intended to be the final book of the series. Despite its fairytale settings, Majesty is certainly not a book that is concerned with giving a happily-ever-after to all its protagonists. While I can’t exactly claim to be happy about the way some characters’ stories ended, the ending was certainly refreshing for being so different to how I expected it to play out.

If you want something with all the scandal and drama of The Crown—particularly Princess Margaret’s stories in the early seasons—then look no further than this.

In my opinion this sequel is much better than the first book. While it still kept all the angst and drama and revenge and royal reality tv show feel of it, there was a bit more to the story. I like how some important themes were discussed, even though briefly, like racism and gender equality. It is a very entertaining book and it you are just looking for some royal love drama then this is right up your alley. As for the ending, <spoiler> I like the note this book ended on and the message it gave. It is by no means a perfect ending but it's a realistic one and I think its the best ending the story could have had for all characters, even Daphne. Also, i like how it ended with the whole 'girl power' message and how it proved that women don't need men in their lives to function and they can be an independent person with or without a love interest.</spoiler>

Thanks NetGalley and the Publisher for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Well, I tried. I really tried.

I thought the first one was okay, but a bit disappointing. I thought "maybe this one will be better", but nope. The characters are very flat and the plots as well. It's just not for me.

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....

I'm going to keep this brief because its book two and I don't want to ruin the first book for anyone who hasn't gotten to it yet. Essentially, this is an alternative history where George Washington accepts a crown rather than a presidency and follows his descendants. Come book 2, Beatrice is now queen, America's first ever, and the drama continues.

There is just something super fun about rich people drama and this has rich people drama in abundance! Book 2 is just as much of a joy as Book 1 and I'm excited for more Katharine McGee.

Not being the biggest fan of the first book in this series, I still wanted to give the sequel a try because I am a huge fan of McGee's writing style - it just flows and pages fly by without you even noticing.
And while this was slightly better than the first one, I do have to say that most of the time, I just draw a LOT of comparisons to the TV show The Royals (which I've seen about a dozen times now because it's my guilty pleasure) and, honest to God, some of the plot points in this book series are taken straight out of that show, not to mention the dialogue. I don't know if the author has ever seen the show or has come up with all these ideas herself but I just felt like I was reading a novelization of that TV show at times and that's not the best experience when you want something a bit more original.
Still, solid effort and the writing was as engaging as the last books by this author , so I'll stay tuned for her next work!

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.

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 this 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.

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.

One of the most disappointing books I have ever read. I am sad and I might go cry now.

This was just what i wanted from it. It was light, fluffy, over dramatic and soap operay. I liked the new characters that were introduced and the ones from the last book that were built on. This was a fun sequel and I hope there is another sequel to see how Beatrice continues to reign as Queen of America.

SWOOOOON! I really really liked this! While I thought the first book had a bit too much drama, I really grew to like the characters in this book (welll.. except for Daphne of course UGH)! It honestly feels like The Crown, but for and with teens. I enjoyed every minute of it and really took my time reading it because I kinda didn't want it to end! (again... I could have done without Daphne POV chapters lol). Beatrice is a bad-ass queen and I hope there will be more books in the series :)

If you're looking for a feel-good read and/or a book focussed on royals, I'd highly recommend this series!

I’ve been looking forward to this book, having enjoyed the first one in the series so much. Pure fantasy and escapism, but so entertaining. Highly recommended.

After the death of her father, Beatrice has to take on the role of Queen of America. Prepared from birth for this eventuality, Bee realises that not every person is happy with the changes to come or the implications of a woman being in charge.
The big questions of power and how such an establishment can forge a place in the modern era are pertinent ones. We don’t really get answers, but there’s lip service paid to the discussion.
We also have the relationship dilemmas focusing on the characters introduced in book one. Who’s in love with who? How far are people prepared to manipulate those around them to get what they want? What do you do when these dilemmas are on the periphery of an institution such as the Royal Family?
This is fairly slow paced, but it moves a few scenarios on. I’m sure it will set things up well for the next part. Thanks to the publishers, Penguin Random, and NetGalley for letting me read and review this before publication.

I didn't think I could love a book more than American Royals, and then American Royals: Majesty was published! This is such a fun book, with characters you can't help but love even if they are ridiculous! A must read for any and all fans Crazy Rich Asians.

If possible, this book was even better than the first... And I loved the first. Having set up the characters and the world, the sequel allowed the characters free reign, and boy was that wonderful to read. It was amazing to see these women grow and mature and find themselves, and not be constrained by the stereotype 'your first love is your only love'. As these women grew and evolved, so too did what they need romantically. It was amazing to see them come to terms with the choices made in the first book and grow and adapt and become comfortable within themselves. I cannot wait for the next instalment.

As a follow up to the first novel American Royals, Majesty is possibly even better than the first. Picking up not long after where we left off as Beatrice not only has her love life to deal with but also the small matter of becoming the first Queen of the United States.

The novel is, again, told in multiple perspectives Beatrice herself, Princess Samantha, her best friend Nina and social climber Daphne as each woman finds her way in this new era for America. Each of them has guy troubles, parental expectations, the public eye and their own feelings to contend with.

I felt this novel grew more than the first. I mentioned in my review of American Royals I felt that it had very close ties to The Crown and following the life of Queen Elizabeth 2nd. At the start of the novel I wondered the same but this picked up and I really enjoyed seeing not only Beatrice grow as a Queen but also Samantha as a person.

One small thing I would say is that I’m not sure how needed Nina was in this novel. It may be that 4 perspectives in a novel of this length is 1 too many for me. It feels as if there is only room for Nina or Daphne – in this case we learn much more about Daphne.

Katharine confirmed on Twitter that American Royals is a 2 book series (for now at least) I’m really, really hoping that she changes her mind about this because there is so much that is left open at the end of the novel. I really feel like there are opportunities to come back and let us know what happens next.

I gave this novel 4 stars because I couldn’t put it down. There’s secrets, romance, scheming. It’s an excellent book for when you want to be absorbed into a novel that you can flow along with – a perfect companion to the first novel.

Thank you to the author, Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I can't fault my enjoyment of this book. And it was a lot like the previous one, in that it is 80% enjoyable YA trash, and 20% something meaningful that pulls you back to it. But in this book, the actual meaningful, assertive decision-making came much closer to the end. And the parts that were trash were really trash.

In fact, the way the characters were behaving was as though the previous book had never happened - everyone was rebounding on everyone else and basically someone at the tea party shouted 'all change' and they all swapped partners. And I'm not convinced all of the romance swaps were for the best and some of them ended up being just as messy (if not worse - because secrets and manipulation). It would be different if we were supporting them in their flawed relationships, trying to make things work, but instead we just tried out something new. And it wasn't great.

What's worse, though, is that I've just found out that this is a duology? And that this is the final book? Or at least that the author has no current intention of writing a third. It's so NOT. It's a middle book! There are lots of things that need tying up. That doesn't mean that it needs to end in marriage, but it does need to have some kind of resolution?!
(I'm actually so fuming now I'm tempted to bump it down a star).

The only character who actually had any closure (if it can be called that), and full storyline, is Daphne. She's worked for what she wants, she's cut every tie and become her own mother to get it. I loved the sad realisation she had at the end, and that probably reflects poorly on me. But that still shouldn't make this the final book.

What actually also worked for me was Beatrice's character, and I would have enjoyed just reading about her, to be honest. She grows a lot more - she is grieving for her father, struggling to assert herself as Queen, to work out where she stands but also keep up her persona. Not to mention her personal turmoil, and I loved seeing the slow growth of her relationship with Teddy because, when someone gives you the exact support and care you need, it's hard not to feel something for them! (What I didn't like was how it was barely addressed that this was her sibling's ex).

And I appreciated all the the revelations the Sam, Nina and Beatrice had towards the end - the 'we are enough type' discovers - but I didn't really get any satisfaction from that. Partly because they had all been mooning over various men, or boys, for the last two books. So either go full romance, or go full autonomous feminism but don't give me a bit of one and some of the other.

Not to mention that all of the men in this are just a bit bland and side-lined. This is something that frustrates me no end. I get that the focus is on the female characters. But if their love interests are uninteresting, or one-dimensional, then that really detracts from my appreciation for the women's decision-making and strength. Because we're not getting a good message; they're just making poor decisions that reflect poorly on them. The men don't have to dominate the story, but they do need to compliment the women's ability to make decisions by at least being interesting ...

And, quite honestly, there are a lot of good YA books out there that deal with a wide range of relationships, sexualities and ways of showing love. This book actually felt quite dated, with four heterosexual couples all wanting basically the same thing from their relationships.

In all, I got a lot of enjoyment out of reading this, but not much satisfaction - 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

I liked this one better than the first book! Though apparently, it's the final book in a duology which is.. deeply unfortunate, because this book very much reads like the middle book in a trilogy.

What I liked:
- The ships felt much more realistic and like something you could really get behind, especially for Beatrice and Sam. I also really liked that their former relationships were worked through in a healthy, positive way (e.g Beatrice acknowledging how much her former boyfriend meant to her, and them exchanging promises to always be there if the other needed them). Buuuuut if you were into the ships in the first book, this one probably isn't going to do it for you.
-Character growth for Beatrice and Sam <3 Sam is my favourite, but Beatrice definitely went up in my estimation in this book. They're really growing up :')
-Sam/Marshall!!! <3
-Samantha in general T B H, she's 100% my favourite character.
-That the racism and slavery of America was finally acknowledged in this universe, in multiple ways.
-Daphne/Himari stuff was brilliant
-Ethan/Daphne's final conversation bc lol
-On the one hand I hate that it ends there, on the other hand I can admire the poetic irony of Daphne's conclusion
-Beatrice's journey towards being the kind of queen she really wants to be, and the way the book (and Beatrice, eventually) dealt with the sexism she was experiencing and how she ultimately took control of her own life
-Beatrice/Sam learning how to be proper sisters again, and how to grief for their dad.
-Daphne continues to be a fascinating character

What I didn't like:
-This DOES NOT READ like the final book in the series!! Never mind loose ends to tied up, this series is a sweater that's missing an arm and part of its back. Beatrice + Sam's stories wrapped up to my satisfaction, but Nina + Daphne's were... not.
-Even though he is the brother of TWO of the narrators and the friend/kind-of-love interest of the other two narrators, I feel like we never really get much of a grip on Jefferson's character? Honestly, I don't think I even saw a scene written between Beatrice and Jefferson. Also, Jefferson was SERIOUSLY done dirty by literally everyone in his life, which probably wouldn't bother me so much if I didn't feel that the AUTHOR just flat out used him as a plot piece rather than considering him as an important character
-Nina has no real presence in this story outside of her love problems and that kind of sucks because she has SUCH POTENTIAL

This book felt a bit more trope-ey than its predecessor and I must say I think I preferred reading American Royals to its sequel.
I still love the concept of this book and think its a true guilty pleasure read in the best way.