by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books)
Thanks to Partner NetGalley for the digital ARC of Katharine McGee’s Majesty in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on Tuesday, September 1, 2020.
***Warning: It’s impossible to review Majesty without spoilers from book one, American Royals, so proceed with caution!***
Katharine McGee’s YA novel Majesty picks up right where American Royals left off: After the death of King George, Beatrice is Queen of America . . . she just needs a coronation. Though Beatrice loves Collin, her guard, she’s still engaged to Teddy, who had a quick fling (of sorts) with Beatrice’s sister, Samantha. Samantha’s best friend, Nina, who dated Samantha’s twin Jeff for a while, is recovering after her relationship came to a brutal end at the hands of Daphne. And Daphne is still determined to win Jeff, even though she really likes Ethan.
It’s just the soapy goodness it sounds like, all set in an America that has boasted a royal family since George Washington first accepted the crown.
After we talked about American Royals on the Unabridged Podcast (check out the episode here!), I hoped for a second book that would offer some surprises, that would enrich the story beyond each of the four female protagonists ending up paired with the man she loved at the end of the first book.
While I won’t give away any details here, I’ll just say that I was pleased with the way that McGee developed her story. She allowed some characters to grow and change and find that they could love someone new, while other characters end up staying true to their original goals.
The details about this alternate America are just as fascinating as they were in book one, and watching Beatrice navigate being the first queen in the royal line raises some great feminist issues that I appreciated. I thought the author also added some nuance in her character development, which meant that there was plenty of story for these two books.
Overall, this is a fast, fun, romantic read with some serious questions sprinkled in. I think that fans of American Royals will be so thrilled.
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