rachelisathomas22's review
3.0
3.4/5 stars overall; 3.2/5 for whole series.
Reign, the fourth and final installment of Katharine McGee's American Royals series, was an entertaining and fitting end to her work. The entire series is a treat for those of us who loved the Princess Diaries movies and wished we had more time with Princess/Queen Mia. While I genuinely enjoyed Reign and felt each character's ending made sense to wrap up the series, I wished for higher stakes in the plot and more hard moments that felt difficult for the characters.
The pros of Reign:
I soared through Reign! This was a breezy, cozy read. And I was entertained by the characters. As a light and fun read, Reign succeeds.
The concept of America as a constitutional monarchy and all that comes with it for those inside and close by the monarchy continued to be one of the strongest and most intriguing parts of the book. It helps shape the decisions of each of the four women the book focuses on, and fills in some gaps in the characters motivations and the plot the story would have otherwise.
Samantha's arc & conclusion - a fitting and deserved conclusion to Samantha's choices and desires. It felt like Samantha and Marshall got to make choices for themselves and worked hard for a good relationship. I liked that there were consequences for Samantha and Marshall leaving like they did, despite the fact that I agreed with their choice to leave. While I did not love that she went to live in a random house on a whim, I wished she could have done those things at Nina's or somewhere else, I enjoyed her discovering herself outside of the monarchy.
Daphne turning in the Madisons for embezzlement was great. I laughed so hard!
Beatrice & Teddy's wedding - I'm glad the conclusion of their love ended in the wedding, and that Beatrice came to the conclusion that it was about doing what was best for her and the crown, and that making choices only based on the expectations of others wouldn't move the country forward. I loved this lesson in her story.
The lows:
Nina's arc. Nina throughout the four books felt all over the place. I think Nina had much more potential as a character than she was given. I'm glad Nina did the play, experienced college, and went to Oxford for herself. I just think Nina had the potential to be more than a friend/rival/love interest and be someone who made more of a difference in the world she lived in. And while I think it was nice for Jamie to serve as a catalyst to her healing what she'd be willing to do for a relationship, I was a little disappointed she was dating another prince and the door for her and Jeff remained open. I wanted her to move forward with the only "royal" connection being Sam.
Daphne's arc - Daphne has always been the most complex and cunning character in the series, and to me that has always been an asset. I am happy she found a place that was power for her, that she let real love in with Ethan, and that she did not marry Jefferson. I am disappointed she did not face more consequences for her actions, especially from Jefferson. She hurt a lot of people throughout the entire series and lied about many things. For her to get away relatively unscathed felt like a disservice to other characters and to herself.
Beatrice's amnesia, and the vote to depose her - to me, this whole point felt a bit clunky. Having consequences to the car accident felt right, but it had the potential to have her really reflect on her life and actions in a way we only barely scratched the surface of. And while I appreciated the stuffy old guard sexism, I again wish we could have had more. I wanted it to be a bit more gritty, feel more dire and manipulative. I wanted to see more of the politicking from her and Teddy, and I wanted to see the negotiating and strategizing. I feel like both of these pieces of the plot could have given us the chance to explore Beatrice, Teddy, and the world deeper and it was a missed opportunity we didn't get to. It also put a pause on the conversation between Beatrice and Teddy about his role, and I wished we would have picked that up, seen them work it out together, and come to a conclusion.
These lows are only lows because overall I wanted more, and I believe McGee crafted wonderful characters and world for a reader at the end to want more. For those looking for an interesting YA fiction romance where you can turn off your brain and turn on the fun, Reign is for you!
Reign, the fourth and final installment of Katharine McGee's American Royals series, was an entertaining and fitting end to her work. The entire series is a treat for those of us who loved the Princess Diaries movies and wished we had more time with Princess/Queen Mia. While I genuinely enjoyed Reign and felt each character's ending made sense to wrap up the series, I wished for higher stakes in the plot and more hard moments that felt difficult for the characters.
The pros of Reign:
I soared through Reign! This was a breezy, cozy read. And I was entertained by the characters. As a light and fun read, Reign succeeds.
The concept of America as a constitutional monarchy and all that comes with it for those inside and close by the monarchy continued to be one of the strongest and most intriguing parts of the book. It helps shape the decisions of each of the four women the book focuses on, and fills in some gaps in the characters motivations and the plot the story would have otherwise.
Samantha's arc & conclusion - a fitting and deserved conclusion to Samantha's choices and desires. It felt like Samantha and Marshall got to make choices for themselves and worked hard for a good relationship. I liked that there were consequences for Samantha and Marshall leaving like they did, despite the fact that I agreed with their choice to leave. While I did not love that she went to live in a random house on a whim, I wished she could have done those things at Nina's or somewhere else, I enjoyed her discovering herself outside of the monarchy.
Daphne turning in the Madisons for embezzlement was great. I laughed so hard!
Beatrice & Teddy's wedding - I'm glad the conclusion of their love ended in the wedding, and that Beatrice came to the conclusion that it was about doing what was best for her and the crown, and that making choices only based on the expectations of others wouldn't move the country forward. I loved this lesson in her story.
The lows:
Nina's arc. Nina throughout the four books felt all over the place. I think Nina had much more potential as a character than she was given. I'm glad Nina did the play, experienced college, and went to Oxford for herself. I just think Nina had the potential to be more than a friend/rival/love interest and be someone who made more of a difference in the world she lived in. And while I think it was nice for Jamie to serve as a catalyst to her healing what she'd be willing to do for a relationship, I was a little disappointed she was dating another prince and the door for her and Jeff remained open. I wanted her to move forward with the only "royal" connection being Sam.
Daphne's arc - Daphne has always been the most complex and cunning character in the series, and to me that has always been an asset. I am happy she found a place that was power for her, that she let real love in with Ethan, and that she did not marry Jefferson. I am disappointed she did not face more consequences for her actions, especially from Jefferson. She hurt a lot of people throughout the entire series and lied about many things. For her to get away relatively unscathed felt like a disservice to other characters and to herself.
Beatrice's amnesia, and the vote to depose her - to me, this whole point felt a bit clunky. Having consequences to the car accident felt right, but it had the potential to have her really reflect on her life and actions in a way we only barely scratched the surface of. And while I appreciated the stuffy old guard sexism, I again wish we could have had more. I wanted it to be a bit more gritty, feel more dire and manipulative. I wanted to see more of the politicking from her and Teddy, and I wanted to see the negotiating and strategizing. I feel like both of these pieces of the plot could have given us the chance to explore Beatrice, Teddy, and the world deeper and it was a missed opportunity we didn't get to. It also put a pause on the conversation between Beatrice and Teddy about his role, and I wished we would have picked that up, seen them work it out together, and come to a conclusion.
These lows are only lows because overall I wanted more, and I believe McGee crafted wonderful characters and world for a reader at the end to want more. For those looking for an interesting YA fiction romance where you can turn off your brain and turn on the fun, Reign is for you!
peri_winkle's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
brennakaye's review against another edition
4.0
This is exactly what I was hoping for in the conclusion to this series. American Royals is such a fun series and this book did not disappoint. There’s so much drama and while I didn’t love all the relationships and hookups that were going on, overall I really enjoyed the plot! This book has such a perfect ending and I loved how all the characters got their own satisfying (because I wouldn’t necessary say happy) ending.
brennakaye's review
4.0
This is exactly what I was hoping for in the conclusion to this series. American Royals is such a fun series and this book did not disappoint. There’s so much drama and while I didn’t love all the relationships and hookups that were going on, overall I really enjoyed the plot! This book has such a perfect ending and I loved how all the characters got their own satisfying (because I wouldn’t necessary say happy) ending.
thelaurenpug's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I’ve enjoyed reading this series over the past couple of years, beginning with the first novel as I rode in the backseat on my first drive down to college. When I finally saw Reign on my public library shelves, I devoured it in a few days. This book hits all the right young adult romance notes, but I genuinely think that the character development is better than most, although so much of their characterization happens in response to romantic experiences. As I finished the last page, I felt a new excitement and appreciation for the “idea” of college - there’s such a romanticized view of higher education in this series, and although it’s pretty inaccurate, it’s nice to have some of that wonder renewed when exams are getting me down. I have so much love for Beatrice, and I was miffed at how they erased so much of her progress from the third novel. However, I think the story ended nicely, leaving me feeling satisfied by the open-ended finale to this story.
jcwlib's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
peregrinep's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
janineg's review against another edition
4.5
the final book of the series! this was the best book, so many twists and good integration. I will always have a special place in my heart for this series. I will always be team connor though. I didn't love how they had 2 canceled weddings, that nina is dating another prince, and jefferson always get the shirt end of the stick but everything else made up for that. I loved seeing the character development as well
lhkmuse18's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5