Score: 4/5 Bookmarks

Steam Rating: 🍆 /5 (maybe half an eggplant)

I had so many feelings while reading Majesty by Katharine McGee, the second in the American Royals young adult series. I loved the first book so much and I can’t deny I had hopes for how things would end up in this book. They went a totally different direction and I was mad about it for a hot minute before it all started to come together and I realized it was the only possible outcome, and that all of the characters had to grow into themselves in the particular way the author shaped them.

In this installment of American Royals, Beatrice is now the queen, and Princess Samantha has been upgraded from ‘the spare’ to ‘the heir’ and is struggling to find her new place and identity. Nina Gonzalez and Daphne Deighton also still play crucial supporting roles in this book as their aspirations to get away from the royal family, and marry into it (respectively) never seem to go quite as planned. Prince Jefferson is also in this book although I didn’t feel he was as much a feature as he was in the first book. My guess is that he’ll have his own book soon enough—I’m crossing my fingers.

This series is all about family drama, growing up in the spotlight, and trying to find out who you are and what you stand for despite it all. I didn’t always love every character or their actions, but they were all brought to life wonderfully and I found myself wanting to get to know each of them even more.

Did I love it as much as the first book? Not quite, but it was a high bar. By comparison, I felt like the first book was more entertaining, and this book was more emotionally complex. While the first book had some heavy moments, this one felt even more weighty. Plus I was really hoping for more insights into how American history had changed by having a monarchy, but we only got a few snippets here and there.

I read the first part of the story as a physical book and then just had to get the audiobook when I found out Brittany Pressley was narrating. She is one of my all-time favorites and has narrated so many wonderful books, including Oona Out of Order, Well Met, American Royals, The Roommate, The Lost Night, The Sun Down Motel, and Paris is Always a Good Idea just to name a few. The audiobook comes in at just over 12.5 hours but it felt like it flew by—I just couldn’t stop listening!

You can get a physical copy of the book here, or click the button below for the audiobook (which I highly recommend).

Synopsis:

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....