[Rachel’s Review]: Majesty by Katharine McGee

Majesty (American Royals, #2)
by Katharine McGee
Series: American Royals #2
Pages: 320
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers
Release Date: September 1st 2020
Genres: YA
Source: Publisher
Format Read: ARC, eBook
Goodreads

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 was already looking forward to this sequel, but after reading it I can honestly say it was better than I even expected!

If you need a refresher on the first book before diving in, American Royals is an alternative history where George Washington decided to become King instead of President, starting a dynasty that leads to Beatrice, Samantha, and Jefferson Washington, three siblings who are struggling to mesh together their real and royal lives.

I enjoyed American Royals, it was a fun alternate history but wasn’t one that soared into my favorites list. I wanted to read the sequel for the romances and as something light to perk me up during quarantine, but I never expected to actually get invested in where some of the characters ended up. Majesty surprised me in that it flipped that expectation on its head. I did care about these characters by the end of the novel and was actively rooting for them to succeed!

The character I was most surprised to find myself attached to was Princess Samantha. In the first book I mostly thought she was whiny and entitled and so very lost. She couldn’t decide what she wanted and purposefully did things she knew were bad for her, but the Samantha we see in Majesty is an entirely different person. If you loved her character but wanted something more for her, something meaningful I think you’ll be happy with her journey in the sequel.

On the flip side of that, if you want any impactful developments for Jefferson or Nina, not even their relationship necessarily but them as characters, you’ll be disappointed. They still have plotlines and sometimes even feature as the POV character in chapters but I was left wanting so much more with each of them.

I was also invested in Beatrice’s struggle to take on more responsibility as Queen after her father’s death. She’s blocked at every turn by social expectations, grief, and complicated emotions from the love triangle she is still in.

Overall this was another fun read that brightened my quarantine and I would recommend reading it if you liked the first book, but I wouldn’t classify it as a must read.