I really liked the first book but I was disappointed with the direction this one took. I would still read a third book to see what happened next. I think fans of The Royal We and similar books would like this series.

It has been a long time since I read a book that entertained me so much. I didn't enjoy it American Royal, but Majesty, it was another thing, I really liked it. The book was super easy and quick to read, compared to the first one, it doesn't go back and forth whit some scenes or plot in general
.
The story continues where it was left. At the end of American Royals, Beatrice finds herself at a dilemma, either she follows her heart and lets an entire country down or accepts her destiny which is to be queen and she let goes the "love of her life."

The plot took a totally different turn, at first I felt it as something silly because the author changed the romantic interests and throws all that development of the previews ones into the trash; that's why many have readers been bothered and haven't liked the book. However, this change, which did bother me at first, managed to win my heart a little.

Now let's talk a little about the protagonists, we have four points of view: Beatrice, Samantha, Nina, and Daphne. Each one is different, they have different personalities and not all of them are likable.

➤ Beatrice in the first book was super annoying and boring for me, but in this book her character changed a bit and ahe felt more mature. What did bother me was her relationships, it seemed too convenient and it didn't have a good development. I would have believed her more if she stayed with her other suitor.

➤ Samantha, it will be my favorite character in this duology. I love her crazy personality and she's badass. I liked that she had the ending she deserved which was to be happy and her new romantic interest stole my heart.

➤ Nina, this time I don't know why she was in the book. In truth, I don't know why they introduced the character in the story if her relationship with Jeff wasn't going to be developed, because everything that the poor girl suffered in the first book for that relationship was gone overboard in Majesty. I think the character was there just to give a contrast to the character of Daphne.

➤ And speaking of the "greatest villains", Daphne, I didn't see a development in her, it was the same as in the previous one, she is still calculating and manipulative. I would have loved if she got what she deserved, but nooo. Well, not everything happens the way you want to, and in my opinion, her outcome was unrealistic.

Another problem that I found in the book was the ending of certain characters, it was too abrupt and I felt like there were missing pages, and it bothers me because according to Katharine McGee, there won't be a third book.

Overall, it was a good book to pass the time, this is second installment there wasn't unnecessary drama nor so many clichés. What I do have to say is that, if you read American Royals, and you liked shipped some of the couples, I have to tell you not to get too excited because as I said before, the author changed EVERYTHING.

It’s incredibly rare that I like a sequel more than the original, but in the case of American Royals and American Royals II: Majesty that’s exactly what happened. I felt that the characters were far more developed and exhibited deeper personalities within the second book than the first. I also completely fell for the main character, Beatrice, as she dealt with the grief of losing her father, coming into her own as a new ruler working against established men that think she is in over her head, and dealing with a complicated forced relationship. She was easily my favorite character in this book. (And I especially love how it ended!)

I believe all of the characters “grew up,” or at least did the best they could considering most are still about 18 years old. Samantha’s transformation meant that I actually liked her this book - I couldn’t stand her in American Royals. I even felt myself caring more for Daphne, despite being a self-obsessed snake, because we learn more about the pressure she’s under and her torn desires.

Overall, Majesty is a wonderful sequel and the cliffhanger at the end means I can’t wait for the next installment of this series! (Oh how I hope there is one!!)

I was so excited to dive in to American Royals II: Majesty after reading American Royals last year! This one definitely was not as good as American Royals, but it was still an overall pleasant reading experience! I loved coming back to the characters, but there were just SO many POVs that I felt like a lot of them didn't get the love I wanted them to.

Also, the romances were great, but I didn't really root for some of them because they weren't who I originally wanted them to end up with.

Keep in mind that this is the second in a series that must be read in order, and that the events of this book pick up about six weeks after the first book ends.

I found Majesty to be easy to get into and overall a very fast read, it just seemed like it was missing the emotional connection that I felt to the characters in the first book- the characters also felt less like people and more like ideas of people. The first book made me so emotional, be it super angry or conflicted, right along with the characters, whereas this one was basically a pleasant read that I found moderately enjoyable while reading and will now promptly forget. The strong feelings that I experienced in American Royals (be it good or bad) did not exist, and I am feeling a little meh about the experience. Also, it seemed like relationships were easy to forget, very transitory with little to no emotional issues.

Sorry if this is a spoiler for anyone, but I do have to gripe for a minute. I will say that the one character that I actively despised was never punished for her misdeeds and basically got everything she wanted (be it she was not happy with what she wanted, but she still got what she set out for). I needed her to get some sort of justice for being evil, but alas, I was let down.

While this wrapped up so I am pretty sure it is the end, I felt like there could have been more ending, more like all the characters are works in progress- which some people like that kind of ending, but I like mine to be spelled out completely.

This series is the perfect read for a lazy day where you just want to escape the realities of our messy world and hang out with the rich and famous teens of the American Royals' world. The second in the series continues a few of the relationship storylines from the first story as Queen Beatrice, Princess Samantha, and Nina all figure out how to balance finding themselves and finding love. I recommend this to 8th grade and up readers who love romance stories and contemporary fiction with a dash of dystopian elements.

2.25 out of 5

American Royals II: Majesty by Katharine McGee is both a fast-paced and two-faced sequel to American Royals, which was released in 2019. McGee herself has noted that, as of right now, this is a duology, which is really unfortunate, as American Royals II: Majesty ended with more unanswered questions and varying levels of frustration and disappointment for many readers. The sequel proved to be a challenge for the author, Katharine McGee, who states in her Acknowledgments, “For reasons I still don’t understand, sequels always seem to cause more trouble than their predecessors!” All in all, American Royals II: Majesty failed to live up to the hype of book one, as well as my expectations, mainly due to all of the unnecessary and irritable changes with character development and the plotline for almost all of the main characters in the duology. Many of the characters also appeared to have huge personality changes and all of the original romances that captivated me in American Royals had ceased to exist due to a lot of misunderstandings and politics. The book also seemed to suggest that its characters can just immediately fall in love with other characters, on a whim, and immediately forget about their other loves that they had so much chemistry with, etcetera. Also, even with characters like Nina, and her parents, Julie and Isabella, and characters like Himari and Marshall, there is a huge lack of diverse characters, including characters of color and LGBTQ+ characters. I appear to be in the minority of readers who were disappointed with the happenstances of the 2020 sequel, even though it is much shorter than book one, and it left its readers with an incomplete, and unsatisfying ending. In the sequel, Beatrice stopped being number one at everything and seemed to be fine with letting others tell her how to be queen. Samantha actually became less annoying and shifted into the bad-ass heir to the throne, completely on accident. Jeff basically stopped existing and seemed to have a similar amount of “airtime” as Franklin, the adorable Labrador puppy that Beatrice adopted. Daphne had a lot of “airtime,” and kept walking through fires of her own making completely unscathed. Nina became forgiving and boring, as she decided that Ethan, Jeff’s best friend, treated her better than Jeff ever did. Teddy became more and more despicable, as he was clearly marrying Beatrice for money to save his family’s estate, which brings into question his character as a human being. And poor Connor exiled himself to avoid watching Beatrice marry Teddy.

A warm-hearted and much-appreciated thank you to Random House Children’s, Random House Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for providing an advance copy! Please make sure to pick up a copy of American Royals II: Majesty at your local book depository.

After the cliffhanger of an ending of the first book, I was so relieved that I already had a copy of this sequel so the I could immediately dive right in! The bulk of the book begins six weeks after the close of American Royals. Like the first book, the perspectives alternate between Beatrice, Samantha, Nina and Daphne. I'll admit that, at first, I was a bit disappointed in some of the plot's turns - some things that I really wanted to see happen, just didn't... but with new faces and new twists (plus existing characters that grew even more into themselves to only become more likable), I soon found myself changing my mind over what I really wanted to happen!

It's a well-written and strong sequel. And it ends on a more final note than the first one - although I sincerely hope that there will be more to come from this series! I not only love the characters, but I also love the backdrop of this different world that includes an American monarchy. It's such a fun and well-executed idea!! Fingers crossed that a third book is in the works!!

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!

After falling in love with American Royals, I knew I had to get my hands on the sequel ASAP and practically screamed when I received an eARC!

I finished the book last night, and all in all, I really, really enjoyed it. In this sequel, I think we learned so much more about Sam and Daphne, but less about Beatrice and Nina. Personally, it didn’t bother me much, as I still felt like all characters had strong development overall.

The only thing that was slightly frustrating was how all of the characters treated each other in the end. I don’t want to share any spoilers, but McGee really surprised me! There was thing after thing that kept happening, which at points could be hard to keep up with, but kept me intrigued and entertained. It’s also perfectly set up for the third and final novel. I can’t wait to read it next!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

A really sweet romance and a fitting sequel to the first book. Luckily, it seems like there is plenty to explore if it becomes the series it should. Strong female characters propel the story and they are each likeable and complicated, even Daphne.

American Royals II: Majesty picks up just months after American Royals leaves off: with Beatrice ascending the throne as Queen, Nina and Samantha both nursing broken hearts, and with the indomitable Daphne Deighton plotting as always. As Beatrice settles into her new role, she finds that being a Queen in a land always ruled by men will be more challenging than she first realized, and she throws herself into wedding planning to help the American people move past her father's death. Samantha teams up with a notorious party boy to make Teddy jealous, but soon finds that her charade may be more fact than fiction. Nina moves on from her breakup with Prince Jefferson with his best friend, and Daphne continues to plot to make Prince Jefferson hers and get a crown on her head.
Majesty has a breadth of complex and lovable characters with clear goals and problems. I think that's my favorite part about it. I adore all the girls in this book--even Daphne to an extent--because they all have to balance their hearts and dreams against the spotlight shined down on them from being in the royal orbit. I loved watching the different plot twists and drama that unfolded on the page. I especially loved Beatrice's storyline the most: how she takes hold of her power as Queen and overcomes the plots of men who seek to bridle her power as the first single female monarch. That was very satisfying. American Royals II: Majesty was just as fun as the first book, a story about the double standard women and girls face when they are in positions of power and prestige and how they seek to make their own way in a world dominated by men.

I'm a sucker for a good royals book, so I am absolutely the right audience for this series. But these books are so much decadent, romantic, plot twisty, angst-ridden fun that I think they could sway anyone into fictional royal watching. This sequel totally lived up to my expectations, and I liked that the ending left more room for a third book, but left me satisfied should this remain a duology.

I was probably the wrong person to review this, as I wasn't wowed by the first book, but I requested it because the first one ended on such an abrupt cliffhanger. Unfortunately, I was pretty disappointed with this sequel.

While the first book was a little rushed and heavy on the shock a la Gossip Girl, I actually enjoyed the drama and the way the romantic relationships developed. In this book, McGee completely abandons the romantic pairings she set up in the first volume; though she tries to justify the new couples, the effect is somewhat distancing; I no longer felt invested in the characters, particularly the ones who didn't get their own POVs. I did, however, think the growth of Sam and Beatrice was really well done; both were more mature than they were in the first book.

I listened to American Royals in audiobook form, and I absolutely loved the YA romance and alternate history involved with America having a royal family. The basic premise is that when George Washington was asked to be king of the USA, he accepted instead of asking to become president. Many things are the same, but some are different (like the flag is red, white, and gold). I was so excited to find a galley for the sequel because I'm dying to know what happens to the royal house of Washington!

Spoilers for the first book ahead, but these are not spoilers for Majesty!

The drama from the previous book continues in this novel. Princess Samantha is in love with her sister Beatrice's fiancé Teddy. Queen Beatrice doesn't love Teddy, but she feels obligated to marry him since her father died when she told him that she was in love with her bodyguard Connor. Nina likes Prince Jefferson but broke it off with him when the attention from the entire country became too much. Jefferson's ex-girlfriend Daphne is still determined to win him back and be a princess, even though he doesn't have feelings for her. Daphne is covering up her secret hookup with (and feelings for?) Jefferson's best friend Ethan and hoping it won't ruin her chances with the prince. And Daphne is hiding secrets that, if discovered, will ensure she never becomes royalty. Basically, this YA book has all the drama of a reality TV show or soap opera that's perfect for the genre.

The drama continues throughout this novel, with love lost and found and fake dating scenarios for more than one character. Most of the characters are planning to get married or date someone else to make their exes jealous, and none of the characters end up where they thought they would at the beginning of the novel. Love sneaks up on some of the characters, and love is lost between some of them as well.

The book's romances are messy, just like real-life ones. I've seen many Goodreads reviews that tear this novel apart and I don't understand the vitriol. Although the American royals are far from real, the characters are very much so. Each character has an ending, or at least the beginning of the rest of their lives, in this novel.

Brittany Pressley returns as the narrator from the first book in the series. She is a great YA narrator and has different voice inflections for each character that makes it easy to understand who is speaking. Her narration voice is calm and easy to listen to.

Recommended for fans of the British royal family, especially American Anglophiles. Readers of YA romance will also love this novel and the American Royals duology.

After reading American Royals and finding out that there was going to be a second book,I could not wait. This book was even better then the first one. I don’t want to give away to much but this book is a definite read.

I received an ARC of this book From Random House and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

A great follow-up to an amazing first book. This sequel really turns the romances from the first book on their heads, and it ends up being pretty unpredictable. This ends in a good spot, but I would also read more if she does decide to release a third in this series.

The second I finished American Royals, I scrambled to see if there would be a sequel released, and I was beyond excited to see that Majesty would be coming soon.

I barreled through this novel in less than 24 hours, completely wrapped up in the world of the Washingtons. While I won’t spoil the ending of the first book, I loved that this picked up where American Royals left off.

Katharine McGee has woven another phenomenal tale, and even changed how I felt about some of the relationships, though at first, I was hesitant and huffy. Much like many of the main characters, I realized that sometimes what you need is better than what you thought you wanted.

I can’t say enough good things about this book, or about McGee’s writing. I highly recommend this to anyone that’s obsessed with Royals, that wants to read a YA or “closed door” romance novel, and of course, anyone that loved the first book.

How do you make a sequel as good as the original, AND leave the door open for more? McGee has figured it out with Majesty.

Five star read! Huge thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are my own.

I would like to thank netgalley for access to an arc of the book.
Honestly I liked this book, but I also found it a little boring. The author completely shifted around the love interests and then sort of throws out those ideas by the end. I liked the story and how we got to the end, but it was getting a little too predictable. There was a point or two where I could tell what was coming next before I turned the page. It wasn’t bad though. I know this was a Duology but it is open ended enough that it could be added to later on. I would read more in this universe, even if it were a companion.

Overall I think I’d give it a 3.5

This book wasn’t as good as the first and I feel like it was stretched out a little. I assume a third book is coming? I think teen patrons will like this one though.