Having the read the first American Royals book, which I found pretty average and awarded 3 stars, I was still really intrigued to see what they would do in the sequel. And I'm so glad that I read American Royals 2.
It was considerably better than the first and even though it's not been confirmed, I would love to see a third book in this series I was that invested in the characters and story by the end of this one.
The drama was better, as was the romantic entanglements and character development.
I went from viewing Sam as pretty bratty in the first book to her being my favourite character in the second. Daphne's scheming is on another level and seeing Beatrice take on the role of Queen was all really enjoyable.
I would say that Nina's character really isn't given as much time or storyline as the other three young women. But to be honest, her story wasn't as interesting as a result.
The male characters such as Ethan and Jeff aren't as developed as I would have liked but given that this is told from the perspective of the four females, this does make some sense.
And what happened re. Himari and how she ultimately lets Daphne get away with it, felt like a bit of a cop out.
But I still looked forward to reading more and really liked the book overall.
If you were a fan of Gossip Girl, I've got a feeling that you will really enjoy this.
And I look forward to seeing what the author does next.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating 4.5/5

I have so been looking forward to this book ever since I read the first book at the start of the year, it ended on such a cliffhanger and I have been desperate to know what the repercussions of that would be.

Majesty was every bit as consuming and entertaining as American Royals, I was a bit worried that this book wouldn’t quite hit the mark in the same way, which can sometimes be the curse of the second book, but once I started reading it I knew that was not the case here. This book has all the drama and scandal of the first book but also gives us a bit more depth to the characters.

I really enjoyed getting back into these characters lives and seeing how events of the first book would change their direction and to be honest there were a lot of changes. I was happy to see a different side to Beatrice, she is under so much pressure but instead of letting it get to her, she starts to push back against what’s expected of her and her position.

I really enjoyed her developing relationship and that they are well suited to each other, I thought it was nice that she could find something unexpected in it. I was pleased that the relationship between Beatrice and Samantha gets explored a little more in this and that they come to understand a lot more about each other.

I think I loved Samantha even more in this book than in the first, she becomes even more vulnerable and I love how self-aware she is, she really works through what she is feeling and does it in a self-reliant way. I enjoyed her back and forth with Marshall, despite their understanding of being together to make other people jealous, they had a connection that jumped off the page and I was actively looking forward to her chapters just so I could find out what would happen next.

I was a little disappointed with how Nina’s character progressed in this book, I felt like there was something very interesting there to explore with her being ‘a commoner’ and Jeff being the prince, once you add in Daphne who is scheming to get Jeff back it makes for a lot of tension. Unfortunately, this whole storyline went a different way and to be honest I do feel like it wasn’t quite as captivating as I was hoping. I also thought it was a shame that Jeff got kind of relegated to an almost non-existent character from someone who was so integral to the first book.

In a surprising turn of events, I ended up quite enjoying Daphne’s chapters you start to see a slightly different side to her and whilst she is still the love to hate character it was good to get a more rounded view of her personality. I don’t know if it makes me a slightly evil person to admit that I quite liked seeing her comeuppance, it’s not often that a book gives the antagonist what they hoped for and also what they deserved.

I am quite surprised that there won’t be another book, or maybe I’m just disappointed because there won’t be one and I have enjoyed these characters and their stories so much.

So I enjoyed this sequel more than the first, probably because I knew what to expect going into it. With ‘American Royals’ I got a bit hung up on some of the details and while I felt that an American royal family was an interesting concept the set up was poorly executed. However, with ‘Majesty’ I was ready to suspend my disbelief and just enjoy the ride.

This is a perfect read when you just want something light, fast paced and with plenty of relationship drama!

There’s a bit more background on the history of this alternative America and its constitution, I found these parts a lot more interesting than the relationships and wish more time had been spent on this. Bee becoming Queen and struggling with established courtiers and Sam adjusting to her new role as heir were highlights.

The rest of the book felt less original, relying heavily on typical romance tropes. That said, it wasn’t entirely predictable with some big changes in direction. This did have the effect of undermining some of the first book and it felt like the characters were playing musical partners but I was happy to be taken by surprise and see the progression of the characters... until I realised this was the last book in the series!

Majesty very much feels like a set up for a final book, introducing some big curve balls that just don’t have the time to fully develop in one book. Some of the characters endings are satisfactory but others, primarily Nina and Jeff, are overlooked. I went into this with less expectations and enjoyed it more but as a conclusion it doesn’t quite stick the landing.

American Royals 2: Majesty is the second book in the American Royals series. It continues the stories of the characters from the 1st book. It is basically a look at what if America had a royal family and what goes on behind the palace walls. The scandal, the love, the loss, the heartbreak and politics. As the royals try and balance living their lives but also living up to the rules and traditions that come with being a monarch. It;s a gripping page turner that throws you head first in their fictional lives, Fantastic and very enjoyable read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

McGee has done it again! American Royals surprised me by being one of my favourite reads of 2019, and Book 2 is just as enjoyable and addictive. As before, the concept of American royalty is genius and McGee allows her characters to shine while discussing themes of feminism, race and finding out who you are. You will not be able to put it down!

This is not my usual type of book, but OMG… it was just as addictive as the first installment! «Majesty» picks up right after the events of the first book, «American Royals», which I read and reviewed last year. If you haven’t read it, I wouldn’t recommend reading this review. Even though I’ll try to keep it as spoiler-free as possible, the blurb for the second book does give away a lot of things that happen in the first one.

I mentioned in my review of the first book that reading this story reminded me a lot of my favorite TV shows – «Gossip Girl» and «The Royals». There was just enough drama to keep me flipping pages as fast as possible without being overly-exhausting to read.

Surprisingly, both of the books in this dualogy received 4 stars from me. However, I did enjoy «Majesty» a little bit more than «American Royals».

For this review, I thought I’d look back at my critiques of the first book and see if the second one improved some of the aspects I wanted, and if it did something different, and also if there was any change in how much I liked/disliked certain characters.

After reading «American Royals», my main “critiques” were:

It was too long (almost 450 pages) and still had a cliffhanger ending;
There were quite a few love triangles, which I’m not a fan of;
Some eye-rolling moments, especially when it came to the drama between the characters.
Let’s see if «Majesty» improved on any of these points!

1 – Unlike installments in fantasy series that tend to get thicker and thicker, «Majesty» had a nice reduction of pages! It was only 320 pages long and it felt good to fly through it. There weren’t any boring moments. The story was paced quite well and actually benefitted from having fewer pages, in my opinion. I prefer it when authors are more succinct with their story-telling and shorter books do force them to stay focused on the main plotline without unnecessary deviations.

And of course, there is NO cliffhanger! I was very happy to wrap this story up. There is a possibility for Katharine McGee to explore the future stories of some of the characters, particularly Samantha’s and Nina’s, but overall I was very satisfied with how things ended. 👍

2 – NO LOVE TRIANGLES! I’m pretty sure there wasn’t any. 🙌 (let me know if I missed any geometric figures in the numerous relationships of the royals family and their friends!) One of the main reasons I stopped reading Cassandra Clare books were love triangles. I just can’t stand them. So of course I was very excited to find out that Katharine McGee spun her story in a way that was still exciting to read (without the triangles) but that also allowed me to root for multiple people at the same time, as I wanted them all to live their “happy ever after”!

3 – «Majesty» was still full of drama, but I didn’t roll my eyes. Not even once! 🥂 Lots of drama, but also lots of heartwarming and “awww” moments that just melt my heart. I even shed a few happy tears and was swooned by many romantic gestures and dialogues. ❤

Now! Did I change my opinion about the characters?

The answer is yes! In the first book, both princesses felt a little bit underwhelming and very cliché. So my “favorite” character or the most interesting one was Daphne. But that definitely changed after the events of book 2. I really loved Beatrice and how much of her character development we got to see. Sam was still my least favorite one, although her romance was one of the most exciting.

This is more of a 3.5 stars for me because although I really enjoyed it, a few things felt very rushed and random.

I’m a sucker for teenage drama, so after adoring American Royals when I first read it, I was very excited for the sequel. But I have to say, nothing I had hoped would happen did. Am I sad? A little, especially because I loved certain people together and after this book, I highly doubt they’ll ever be an item. Am I mad? Not really. Characters I didn’t really care for became favourites of mine and some that I loved, I don’t care for them as much anymore.

If you think you know how the story will go in the sequel, I’d bet you will be very surprised when you actually read this book.

Every relationship was bulldozed to the ground after the King’s death. But did any of them survive? Depends. If you were a fan of Teddy and Beatrice, you’ll be happy with this book - they spend most of their time together in some way.

Samantha becomes my favourite girl in the book. I love her character growth in this book. I also love her significant other in this book. And I ship them a lot! They’re probably my favourite couple. I do think their relationship felt rushed, as did most others.

On the other hand, Jeff’s character is underdeveloped, disregarded by everyone and manipulated to no end. It’s like the author made him into a puppet. No personality or ability to make decisions of his own. Throughout the book he is easily influenced and used as a plot device to move the narrative and other relationships forward. It really annoyed me.

The pacing was off and very vague all throughout the book and that bothered me a lot. We don’t get precise dates and are merely told that certain chapters take place weeks after the previous one when it feels like they happened just the day before. The book is supposed to span over half a year (if I remember correctly) but instead it felt like it all happened in one month. This led me to feel that most of the relationships weren’t as deep and meaningful as the author tried to make me believe they were.

Despite these “problems” I had with the book, I still enjoyed it a lot! I do hope there’s a third book because it ends in a way that makes you want more. I haven’t seen it announced anywhere so I’ll definitely keep my fingers crossed!

I absolutely adore this series and this was even better than the first book. The character development was so brilliant and my heart hurt, was happy and I laughed and cried throughout. I just love this series so much and I can’t wait for the next book already!

The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Following the success from the first book in the American Royals series, Majesty looked to hold promise. However, the inconsistency of characterisation and the lack of realistic relationships within the book makes this a difficult read and one which does not live up to it's predecessors notoriety.

The ending lacked any real punch following a fast-paced storytelling which doesn't quite work for the novel. Ultimately, the book seems to lack any real consistency within the series and, if the book had been a standalone, it would have been mediocre at best. As it is, mediocre is a compliment.

Not quite as juicy and dramatic as first volume & some plot elements feel a bit repetitive and obvious but any fans of the first should enjoy this follow up

Interesting story and continues on well from the first book. Was a bit surprised by the ending as the characters developed so quickly and at times was irritated by how it was all the women talking about the boys they like and not much else? I would have loved to see Beatrice dealing directly with matters of state or solving issues with her brain rather than them just happening at random.

But it was a very entertaining read and especially if you are on holiday!

What draws me to these books is the insane whirlwind and over-dramatic nature of their love lives. It's just so excessively insane and I love the sheer hedonist escapism of it all. I raced through MAJESTY, wanting to see what bonkers twist would come next. The series is so far from what I usually read - "guilty pleasure" books that are the perfect pick-me-up

The romances in this book went a very different way from how I had wanted them to go at the end of the first book. Of the three pairings I wanted, not one happened! While being cagey about the ending, one of them really does make sense and the one I wanted... I would have loved it, but I suppose this ending makes sense and probably is more ethical?

The romantic arcs are breakup arcs to start with, largely. Beatrice, Samantha, and Nina have made choices to end their romances, and so have to deal with that - as well as the world watching them. I'm not much of a romantic. Well, I'm not so bothered about the romance. I love where Nina ends up, though. For a book around love and romance, having her romantic arc end <em>there</em> is a nice breath of air - and far more inclusive of different romantic experiences.<

Beatrice's arc is both frustrating to see her go through a world that sneers at her (first American Queen) and because it takes her so long to do anything/realise what's happening. But when she does, it's SO satisfying, because there's all this pent up frustration.

I didn't like Daphne's ending. She's a horrible, self-absorbed character - and I <em>did</em> like seeing everyone realise that about her. She has consistently been my least favourite of the girls, and I had no idea if I was supposed to like her, or if she was meant to be disliked - and thus a really good foil for the others.

However, I didn't feel she got her just deserts, ending up with a boy who did not deserve her at all - and was just going to get hurt down the line. I mean, it felt like the most realistic ending for her, but not a satisfying. I wanted it to end on her rejection by someone else. When her final scene started, I was hoping she'd say no, she'd complete the arc that had been shoved into her last few chapters.

All in all, a satisfying series ending, and one I will return to no doubt!

I loved the first book in this series so I couldn’t wait to get into this one and it did not disappoint! I started the book with the intention of only reading a little book and managed to finish it in one sitting. There’s so much going on, great to be back in this world with these characters and Would love to see more in the future.

So I read this in a day after reading book 1 in a few days the day before!!
This is such a fab duology (hoping for a trilogy though) and one of my favourite YA books I’ve read in the while. The American perspective is so interesting and I loved the characters, storyline and the important feminist and anti-racist conversations ongoing in the books.

Absolutely loved this sequel, completely addictive reading. I enjoyed how the storylines were spread equally through all the characters and not just about Beatrice. Heroes and villains abound in this story which makes it all the more enjoyable. There’s still So much story that could be told here and my fingers are firmly crossed for another book.

I am SO obsessed with these books. I love anything to do with royalty as some of you may know and I enjoyed book one immensely so when I was approved for this ARC I was literally running to get my kindle so I could read it.

- Sam’s character development in this book was incredible. She’s honestly my favourite person. I thought Beatrice was nice, kind of the same, kind of boring and I really liked Nina in book one but in this book I found her kind of annoying. And Daphne, I have never wanted to punch someone in all my life.
- The writing, plotting and pacing was incredible as always. I find myself really falling into the world created and I can believe what is happening.
- I enjoyed the ending!

Overall, this is a fun, witty and interesting sequel to a really good modern day royal series!
I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year. I was desperate to read this after the cliffhanger of the first one.
One thing I love about this series is the drama! The tension, the will they wont they, the politics. This book did not let me down following on from the first. There were so many twists I didn't expect. I think one of Katharine McGee's strongest points is her characters. They are so real and raw and I would love to know them. They act in such believable ways that I genuinely almost forgot they weren't real at points.
Beatrice challenging the patriarchy and old fashioned ways of the monarchy had me literally cheering out loud! Its done in such a way that you feel the struggle and the turmoil she faces. It's not easy.

I am so incredibly desperate for the next book, I need to have more. I would read 100 books in this series and I need to know what happens to these kids!

5/5 Stars

I absolutely adored American Royals, the end broke me and so this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and wow it was worth the wait. I loved it!

I always worry going into a sequel that I wont love it as much as the first but I think I loved this even more that the first one, I feel like even though McGee really shook things up she stayed true to her characters. I also absolutely loved the use of the fake relationship trope, its one of my favourites and this author just writes it so so well.

Potential spoiler:
I have to admit I was expecting certain things to happen, certain couples to reunite after a long struggle to get there but nothing that I expected to happen did. At first I was really uncertain of this and the couplings didn't sit right but the more I read the more I could completely see why and how they worked even better that the original pairs I had loved so much.

I need book 3 and I also need a steamy spin off of what Connor gets up to in Texas, thank you please!

I read American Royals last year and absolutely adored it. As you may have realised by now, I’m a sucker for a romance and Katharine McGee delivered an addictive story and an interesting premise. When I heard Majesty was on Netgalley, I jumped at the opportunity to get an eARC (and hoped desperately than my terrible review percentage would not deter Penguin). If you loved American Royals, you are going to love Majesty just as much, but trust me when I say that it is absolutely not how I expected book two to go down.

This review is going to have spoilers for book one, so if you haven’t read American Royals yet read on at your peril (but also, go read it).

A shift in expectations
So right before I started, I saw Sofia (The Reading Fangirl) had just finished Majesty and this was her reaction:

Majesty by Katharine McGee
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I can’t believe this book made me change all of my opinions on the series.
@SofiaSaghir

Naturally, I was very confused about how it had changed all her opinions and I was apprehensive. Books that do about-turns in sequels confuse me, because it’s like, why spend a whole book setting all this up just to go back on it again in the next book. What was the point?

Well, let’s talk first about how the first book ended. The King is dead, Beatrice believes her loving Connor has killed her father, Sam is in love with her sister’s fiance (and future King Consort), Nina broke up with Jeff because Daphne blackmailed her and Daphne is waiting in the wings. Everything is up in the air, but we know who loves whom, right?

Wrong.

This book is all change – no spoilers, but it was not what I expected and… I didn’t hate it. Okay, sure, I’m not a huge fan of 180s mid-series and it did seem strange for a bit, but by the end of the book, I was fully onboard.

“You don’t need to be similar to your friends, not when you have so many years of shared history. Besides, your friendship is probably stronger because of all the ways you’re different.”

While no one necessarily goes into a series like American Royals looking for complex interpersonal relationships and heavy content, Majesty takes your typical teen drama and makes it relatable and fun while also dealing you some heavy blows (and apparently dealing with complex interpersonal relationships). We see how both Beatrice and Sam’s grief affects their relationships with each other, their romantic attachments and the outside world. We see how Nina picks herself up after her break up with Jeff… and we see Daphne scheming as per usual.

Swoony-worthy romance: delivered
This book may have been vastly different from the first, but one thing it didn’t lack was its swoon-worthy scenes. As I said above, I was fully on board by the end of the book and that means McGee put some serious work into making me fall in love with these pairings. Sure, the work was already half done considering how much I already adored Beatrice, Sam and Nina, but trust me when I say that you will fall in love too.

“I gave you part of my heart a long time ago, and I’ve never gotten it back.”

One of the things that is so great about this serious is the way it takes typical romance tropes (and believe me, it’s a lot of them) and adds them into the ever-burgeoning chaos unfolding in the palace. With four POVs and multiple possible love interests for each, you can imagine she sheer span of tropes being utilised. But it isn’t necessarily messy or overwhelming – it’s just an enjoyable romp. I can’t say this enough but, if you loved the first, I feel you will be equally satisfied with the second.

Sister-sister
One of the biggest underlyng conflicts in this book comes from Beatrice and Sam’s relationship. While this was touched upon in the first book, their grief over the loss of their father, Beatrice’s ascension to the throne, and the resulting romantic kerfuffle, really brings this conflict to a head, leaving the pair on barely speaking terms for the majority of the book. While I have never had a sister, I related pretty hard to the strong feelings of sibling conflict, coupled with the desire to protect them at all costs.

I also really loved seeing how both sisters battled with the expectations which hang heavy on their shoulders and rise up through their grief together while trying their best to be better. It was lovely to read this show of inner strength along with the sisterly love/hate.

“Beatrice had come to understand that the human heart was a magic thing. It had so much room inside it, enough room to contain more than one love over the course of a lifetime.”

Representation and content warnings
Rep: Latinx MC (with a POV), Black love interest, F/F parental unit referenced but not seen, other minor queer characters mentioned or featured but not prominently.

Content warnings: Misogyny, reference to past event of a character being drugged and falling down stairs, grief, loss of family member, blackmail / bribery. This list is not conclusive. Please use caution if you think you may be affected by any of these things.

TL;DR: Majesty is an enjoyable sequel to the addictive American Royals: a fun, swoon-worthy romance for young adult readers which will make you wish you could be best friends with the Washingtons.

3.5 STARS - Like the first book in the series, this was a fast-based, addicting read perfect for anyone who loves the royals of the world!

And, like the first book, Majesty (American Royals 2) follows four storylines - Beatrice, Samantha, Nina, and Daphne. I thought that two of them were really well done, but the other two left me wanting more (so much more). Where McGee gave some characters some incredible strength and development, she made others look like right idiots, and not in a way that added to the plot.

I'm a huge fan of this series and, though it sounds like this might be the last one, will 100% read anything else that comes out about the Washington family; however, I just wasn't completely satisfied by how things wrapped up in this book. So I'm really hoping that there's a third one!