The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg

"Welcome to the Kingdom... where 'Happily Ever After' isn't just a promise, but a rule.

Glimmering like a jewel behind its gateway, The Kingdom is an immersive fantasy theme park where guests soar on virtual dragons, castles loom like giants, and bioengineered species--formerly extinct--roam free.

Ana is one of seven Fantasists, beautiful "princesses" engineered to make dreams come true. When she meets park employee Owen, Ana begins to experience emotions beyond her programming including, for the first time... love.

But the fairytale becomes a nightmare when Ana is accused of murdering Owen, igniting the trial of the century. Through courtroom testimony, interviews, and Ana's memories of Owen, emerges a tale of love, lies, and cruelty--and what it truly means to be human." (goodreads)

 

 

** There are Trigger Warnings for this book but I have not listed them to avoid spoilers. If you are someone who is triggered easily or wants to know these warnings before reading this book feel free to message me privately through Instagram @taleswithnicole or Twitter @nmshears (I have made a Google Doc to refer back to) **

 

 

Think of The Kingdom as a futuristic Disney World, with cyborg animals and princesses engineered to make all your dreams come to.

The story follows Ana as she begins to have feelings beyond her programing, love, for a human boy that works at the park. But Ana is on trials for his murder in the trial of the century and neither verdict will resolve in a Happily Ever After for her.

 

I could not put this book down for so many reasons and I really don't want to spoiler anything. Ana resembled a human in so many ways and I felt she really was evolving but had to constantly remind myself she was a programmed cyborg. I questioned throughout the whole book if she really did murder Owen. So much was happening behind the scenes of The Kingdom, it was also equally as easy to believe the park would do anything to hide its secrets.

The cover is what originally got my attention and I am just as obsessed with the story as I am the beautiful cover. No picture can do the cover justice, in person you can see the details and sparkles.

The Kingdom paints a fantasy, and once you get lost in it your emotions will be thrown all over the place. You will feel for Ana and can relate to the eye opening experiences of the things humans are capable of.

 

This world of The Kingdom was painted so perfectly and beautifully I could see my childhood self being mesmerized by the fantasy and my adult self was trying to uncover the secrets of the park and addicted to the details of the murder trial. Ana and the other Fantasists princesses were such amazing characters I felt like a huge injustice was being done to them. The girls had no idea the darkness that happened in the safety of their home.

So the question is: did Ana evolve enough to be able to love and kill, or was she programmed to do so?

I highly recommend this fun and obsessive read to fans of Disney and The Lunar Chronicles Series, with that amazing added thrill of a murder trial.

 

There is the possibility of a sequel if the author decides, but I hope there isn't. The story wraps up nicely and I feel like a sequel is not necessary. There are currently no mentions of a sequel but it is something that has been talked about online by reviewers. I would, however, love to experience this world again and go back to The Kingdom for an Alice prequel.

 

My Rating: 5/5 Stars