Katharine McGee's 'American Royals' books are everything I am looking for in young adult fiction focused on royalty: they are soapy, drama-filled and a lot of good fun! After the cliffhanger style ending of the first book, McGee's characters are back, picking up mere weeks after the first story. This sequel certainly doesn't disappoint and I can already predict it will be as popular as the first in the series.

Set in an alternative America, where George Washington was not the first president but the country's first king, 'Majesty' picks up with Queen Beatrice as she takes to the throne following her father's funeral. Whereas the first book was definitely about the royal siblings as young teenagers and adults, their father's death has forced them to quickly grow up and face their duties with maturity. Despite some party-girl antics in there, we get to see Samantha's serious side as well as Beatrice's more fun side, McGee giving these characters the developmental arc they deserve.

There is a danger this would just be a retreading of the first book but Beatrice's new role, new couplings and some fresh characters inject the narrative with a sense of progression. Of the new characters, I loved Marshall and laughed frequently at his quips (wait until you get to the royal carriage section!). Unfortunately, I was disappointed by the lack of closure at the novel's ending. I seriously hope the author changes her mind about this being a duology because I am not ready to leave the world of these characters quite yet!

Overall, the target audience will lap up the soapy fun of this book. A fun young adult novel which is a quick and engaging read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An enjoyable follow-up to the first book in the series, although it does set up at the end for a third (predictable really in today's YA "must be a trilogy" mindset!) This title was actually much easier to get into and relate to the characters more quickly and easily than in the first, and both Beatrice and her sister Samantha come across as much deeper and well-rounded characters than the spoilt princesses of the first - their brother, however, still comes across as inept and utterly spoilt, although as we are never privy to his thoughts or feelings, merely their interpretation by others, it is hard to know for definite how he too has grown as a person in this novel. Beatrice overcomes her reluctance to be queen while growing a backbone and strong sense of duty, while Samantha (no other way to put it) gets over herself! I do like the premise of these books, the "alternative" American foundation myth, and they are enjoyable, easy-to-read teen/YA affairs with undertones of feminism and women being strong leaders. The romances are sweet and rather innocent compared to a lot of YA out there, although how Daphne has not yet been called out for the manipulative schemer that she is yet, I do not know?!

I am super lucky to get ARCs (advanced reader copies) where I get to read and review some books before they are released. Yesterday I was approved for American Royals 2: Majesty by @katharinemcgee and I’m already finished.

I first read The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee a few years ago and fell in love with it. Imagine Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars set in the future. It was so much fun, addictive and an interesting look at class divides while remaining generally light. I devoured the whole series as each book came out and I was not disappointed.

Last year, American Royals came out; a reimagining of modern day America if George Washington had been King rather than President. We follow the lives of the Princesses and their friends (and sometimes enemies) as they navigate their changing lives, coping with fame, fortune and royal duties. The amazing thing about these books is how much you start to care for the characters and how invested you get - one chapter you hope two characters will get together and then the next you realise how wrong they are for each other!

So why should you read this book? It’s fun, light hearted escapism and who doesn’t need escapism in these times? Not only that, but I must do a shout out to @katharinemcgee herself, who has great interaction with her fans and really cares about her stories.

If you like teen dramas with a bit of an edge, a different spin and something that will get you out of the pandemic world, then these books are for you!

American Royals: Majesty will be released on 1st September. Enjoy!

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'Majesty' was one of my most anticipated books of 2020 and I read it in, essentially, 24 hours - which is very uncommon for me. Whilst I'm sure I need a little more time for the book to digest, there are some thoughts that I have on this latest installment in the 'American Royals' series.

What did I enjoy? Much like the first book, the characters are incredibly compelling and the book itself is immensely readable. What it improves on significantly is it isn't bogged down in the details of each character, so it doesn't take as long for the book to get going. It pretty much picks up where it left off, answering a few questions along the way and whilst it often falls into exposition, I wouldn't expect much more from a YA sequel. Once you're hooked in, it's almost impossible to put it down - you want to know what happens next and you want to find out the consequences of rumours and secrets and lies. It's essentially 'Gossip Girl' by way of 'The Crown'.

Which brings me nicely onto the reason I dropped the rating - and something I didn't enjoy. A lot of what happens in this book is clearly lifted from 'The Crown', 'The Princess Diaries' or from the real life British monarchy. It's too close to even be considered a coincidence. In some instances, it's interesting - for example, a new character named Marshall is introduced in close proximity to the royal family, and there's a discussion about the racist vitriol that the press and social media extoled upon him, which has clearly been mirrored on the racist treatment of Meghan Markle by the British press and random American authors. In other instances, it's so almost identical to the fictional films and TV shows - it's borderline plagiarism.

The best example of this is the ending. I won't say what it is, but I was so disappointed by it. Whilst I understood the context and why the character was doing what they did, it was so anti-climactic. McGee spends the entire book building up to this big moment - only for it to never happen. There was no pay-off. Plus the chapter that actually explored the reasons why it happened was left to the very very end, which frustrated me endlessly. I don't care about the other characters in this moment, I want to know what has happened in reality. Ultimately, it's parallels to the ending of The Princess Diaries 2 are uncanny - but at least that felt like a satisfying conclusion to the film's narrative, which this ending was lacking.

It's not to say I didn't enjoy the book. It's filled with drama and all the little details of royal life that I love to watch and read about. I would not have read it so quickly if I didn't really like it. I was just a little disappointed by the end of the sequel, which let down what is ultimately, a very strong follow-up novel to 'American Royals'.