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A review by valeriapena
Reign by Katharine McGee
3.0
4.5*
after god knows how many years I finished this series, I liked how everything was eventually “full circle” but I feel like we could’ve gone there faster.
EDIT
rating: 3.5
now that I have processed the contents of the book and the hype and nostalgia have worn out, gotta say, i low key hated this book, hear me out, this was good in the sense of we get the drama we love, royals and their issues, a bit more mature settings and we also get to see all the characters (even those you wouldn’t think of) and can get deeper understanding of each characters’ personalities, reasoning and so on, however, I don’t think any of the problems presented by the author get solved. I truly believe Katharine just wanted more drama and kept coming up with new obstacles but then, she also wanted a happy ending and so she pushed everything aside so everyone could be happily ever after, here are my thoughts on each situation (spoilers ahead):
SPOILER ZONE
Bea and Teddy
when I tell you I was SHOCKED when beatrice had amnesia is short, i couldn’t believe that after all the work Bea puts into her relationship, family, friendships and overall self was basically destroyed overnight which actually makes a great plot, I thought we were getting some 50 first dates type of trope but Katharine hates me personally and didn’t do it. Instead of getting all these great moments of Teddy specifically getting his fiancée back, recreating dates, being present in her life or even Louise supporting her so called friend and helping build Bea’s confidence back, we get “deep in my heart I knew I loved them and could trust them” FROM BEATRICE??? dear author, you need to read your damn books cause that ain’t your mc.
I also didn’t like how Beatrice is not the sole focus of the book, she is literally the queen that just had an accident but we get more scenes from Daphne? girl… if you wanted to talk more about other characters write their own stories but don’t take THE main chatacter out.
Sam and Marshall
i HATED that they stripped Sam from her titles but NOT Marshall?? THEY DID THE SAME THING AND ONLY THE FEMALE CHARACTER FACED CONSEQUENCES?? i’m out. The author also NEVER acknowledges that this was done by Marshall’s own grandfather and Sam and Marshall’s relationship is basically doomed because the head of the house despises her, so she did all of this and for what??
I hate how this couple has no plans for the future, I get that they’re young but they ARE royals at the end of the day and doing something as erratic as leaving the country with no clear plan or goal was just stupid, they come back and basically solve nothing and all they’re troubles were in vain B O R I N G.
Nina
listen, I used to be the biggest supporter of the Nina -Jeff ship BUT it has been said throughout the books that Nina does not like to be on the public eye and doesn’t want to be a princess, so tell me why she keeps going back to Jeff??? I get that it’s her first love and all, but I think Nina is one of the only characters with a strong personality and don’t think she would do this to herself willingly, which is why it baffles me that she decided to go out with Jamie, girl, USE YOUR HEAD. That said, I love Jamie, he’s the best.
Also, whilst on the topic of Nina being the only thinking character with a decent moral compass, WHY IS SHE FRIENDS WITH DAPHNE?? I couldn’t get behind that, yeah she learns Daphne has a harsh life, boo fucking hoo, that does not excuse her from being the worst and can’t believe Nina forgives the cruel things she did to her and Jeff (and all those other characters too).
Jeff
he is literally plain cereal, no milk, even with him being acting king and facing actual challenges by being the now heir, I don’t think he had any development at all. He’s still playing with Nina’s feelings and being naive as hell, it was exasperating tbh.
Daphne
oh god, i have always hated this hoe and even after getting a glimpse into her family life and stuff, can’t get behind her redemption, like sorry for not being able to forgive someone that put her best friend in a coma (almost murdered her), blackmailed her QUEEN, cheated on her boyfriend, ruined his ex’s relationship, faked a pregnancy and forced her bf to marry her only because her mom is terrible, news flash, YOU’RE NOT THE ONLY ONE, get a real problem. I also HATED WITH A BURNING PASSION that she gets no consequences AND gets good opportunities by being evil??? Katharine really said I can excuse murder cause wtf.
Overall, this wasn’t a great way to end the saga, the author wanted to tackle everything and did nothing by the end so the book just feels empty, this could’ve been so much better if they addressed all those feminist talks as Beatrice is facing being the first queen of the damn world instead of bringing Connor back for nothing.
after god knows how many years I finished this series, I liked how everything was eventually “full circle” but I feel like we could’ve gone there faster.
EDIT
rating: 3.5
now that I have processed the contents of the book and the hype and nostalgia have worn out, gotta say, i low key hated this book, hear me out, this was good in the sense of we get the drama we love, royals and their issues, a bit more mature settings and we also get to see all the characters (even those you wouldn’t think of) and can get deeper understanding of each characters’ personalities, reasoning and so on, however, I don’t think any of the problems presented by the author get solved. I truly believe Katharine just wanted more drama and kept coming up with new obstacles but then, she also wanted a happy ending and so she pushed everything aside so everyone could be happily ever after, here are my thoughts on each situation (spoilers ahead):
SPOILER ZONE
Bea and Teddy
when I tell you I was SHOCKED when beatrice had amnesia is short, i couldn’t believe that after all the work Bea puts into her relationship, family, friendships and overall self was basically destroyed overnight which actually makes a great plot, I thought we were getting some 50 first dates type of trope but Katharine hates me personally and didn’t do it. Instead of getting all these great moments of Teddy specifically getting his fiancée back, recreating dates, being present in her life or even Louise supporting her so called friend and helping build Bea’s confidence back, we get “deep in my heart I knew I loved them and could trust them” FROM BEATRICE??? dear author, you need to read your damn books cause that ain’t your mc.
I also didn’t like how Beatrice is not the sole focus of the book, she is literally the queen that just had an accident but we get more scenes from Daphne? girl… if you wanted to talk more about other characters write their own stories but don’t take THE main chatacter out.
Sam and Marshall
i HATED that they stripped Sam from her titles but NOT Marshall?? THEY DID THE SAME THING AND ONLY THE FEMALE CHARACTER FACED CONSEQUENCES?? i’m out. The author also NEVER acknowledges that this was done by Marshall’s own grandfather and Sam and Marshall’s relationship is basically doomed because the head of the house despises her, so she did all of this and for what??
I hate how this couple has no plans for the future, I get that they’re young but they ARE royals at the end of the day and doing something as erratic as leaving the country with no clear plan or goal was just stupid, they come back and basically solve nothing and all they’re troubles were in vain B O R I N G.
Nina
listen, I used to be the biggest supporter of the Nina -Jeff ship BUT it has been said throughout the books that Nina does not like to be on the public eye and doesn’t want to be a princess, so tell me why she keeps going back to Jeff??? I get that it’s her first love and all, but I think Nina is one of the only characters with a strong personality and don’t think she would do this to herself willingly, which is why it baffles me that she decided to go out with Jamie, girl, USE YOUR HEAD. That said, I love Jamie, he’s the best.
Also, whilst on the topic of Nina being the only thinking character with a decent moral compass, WHY IS SHE FRIENDS WITH DAPHNE?? I couldn’t get behind that, yeah she learns Daphne has a harsh life, boo fucking hoo, that does not excuse her from being the worst and can’t believe Nina forgives the cruel things she did to her and Jeff (and all those other characters too).
Jeff
he is literally plain cereal, no milk, even with him being acting king and facing actual challenges by being the now heir, I don’t think he had any development at all. He’s still playing with Nina’s feelings and being naive as hell, it was exasperating tbh.
Daphne
oh god, i have always hated this hoe and even after getting a glimpse into her family life and stuff, can’t get behind her redemption, like sorry for not being able to forgive someone that put her best friend in a coma (almost murdered her), blackmailed her QUEEN, cheated on her boyfriend, ruined his ex’s relationship, faked a pregnancy and forced her bf to marry her only because her mom is terrible, news flash, YOU’RE NOT THE ONLY ONE, get a real problem. I also HATED WITH A BURNING PASSION that she gets no consequences AND gets good opportunities by being evil??? Katharine really said I can excuse murder cause wtf.
Overall, this wasn’t a great way to end the saga, the author wanted to tackle everything and did nothing by the end so the book just feels empty, this could’ve been so much better if they addressed all those feminist talks as Beatrice is facing being the first queen of the damn world instead of bringing Connor back for nothing.