Two things to take into account:

1) the format of this book on my Kindle just didn’t not work. Everything was all over the place, which made reading it so difficult.

2) I got 6% in and honestly this didn’t feel like my type of book. Nothing to do with the author, but just my personal preference.

A perfect imagining of Disneyland as dystopia. I love all the changing back and forth between the court case and what actually happened, really keeps you guessing about what actually happened. Plus the collection of princesses were a compelling cast of characters to follow.

3.5 stars

The Kingdom is a theme park where nearly anything is possible and where 'Happily Ever After' is a rule.
The star attractions of the Kingdom are the seven Fantasists - beautiful young women engineered to act like princesses and to make everyone's time at the theme park as magical as possible.
Ana is one of the Fantasists and she is content with her life.
Then Ana starts spending time with Owen, a park employee, and she begins to feel things that she isn't programmed to, like love, and to question everything she has been told.
Things go from magical to a nightmare when Ana is accused of murdering Owen.
Did Ana turn on Owen?
Is there a dark side to the Kingdom?

The premise of The Kingdom really intrigued me - an immersive, magic-like theme park where one of the biomechanical princesses potentially goes crazy and murders someone? Yes, please!
I couldn't help but imagine the theme park as a Disneyland but with a major tech upgrade. I can definitely see there being theme parks like that in the future.
I found the idea of the engineered Fantasists and the extinct species brought back to life as hybrids a bit scary and worrying, but also interesting because of the science aspect.
Ana was a good protagonist - she was likeable and I enjoyed reading her interactions with people, especially the other Fantasists.
I liked that each Fantasist represented a different culture and that one of them was Maori (Pania).
The plot was interesting and held my attention. I liked that the mystery element was woven throughout the story, which was told by interviews, courtroom testimonies, and Ana's memories.
I wasn't a big fan of the romance, partly because I feel like it could have been fleshed out a bit more, but I didn't dislike it.
The writing style was engaging and easy to follow. I would definitely read another book by the author.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read that I would recommend.

Not really my cup of tea. Love Disney, love the twisted dark Disney retells but too sci-fi for me this one. But a very easy read although I still can’t decide if I enjoyed it or not it’s one I have to think about.

This is actually a 4.5 stars for me.
I was a little unsure of how much I would enjoy this, or if I would enjoy this at all. When I was originally going to pick this up last year I saw nothing but 'meh' reviews for it, and I've been putting off reading it ever since, and after devouring it in the space of a few hours (only taking a break to sleep and eat breakfast) I'm so annoyed at myself for waiting. This book is absolutely brilliant and I'm glad I finally got round to reading it, better late than never right?

I loved the dystopian feel to this, and how I definitely imagined a future Disneyland type place, what with the 'princesses', a pavillion, meet and greets, lunch with them - I was instantly imagining my way around Disneyland Paris for some parts as I've recently been there and it's fresh in mind. The out of chronological order the book was written in can often not work, but I thought this one was done really well with us starting out knowing that Ana is on trial for murdering Owen. We get the story from Ana's point of view, but slotted inbetween is moments in her trial; testimonies, interviews, etc. The Kingdom is made to be this perfect place, where people can escape the horror of the real world (which we never fully know the truth about, or if we do, we do not know it's the truth). It's interesting to see Ana, as a robot programmed to see only the happy and to be grateful, begins to see that The Kingdom isn't as perfect as it seems. She sees for herself all the bad that the people in charge don't want people to see and we see her develop more and more human emotions that make her feel like she is malfuctioning.

I would 100% recommend this book, however I would like to add trigger warnings for both animal abuse and heavily implied sexual assault of a robot

The cover - you’ve got my attention (bravo because that’s hard/I’m fickle)
The setting - life-like AI technology in a Disney style theme park? Yep sold.
The plot - M U R D E R trial. You got me.

Every single thing I’ve watched has taught me to be nice to AI tech/robots as one day they’ll rebel against their primary functions. If you’ve played Detroit: Becoming Human, you’ll get what I’m saying. If only the owners of the park paid attention.

Enter Ana. A weird princess hybrid drone with super intelligence and human like instincts otherwise known as a Fantasists. They were created with one goal - to make people’s dreams come true, yet the book opens with her clearly being on trial. Unless that person’s goal was to end up 6ft under, something clearly went massively wrong. Did she snap or was this a situation where the Fantasists were being set up? NO IDEA. I was hooked. I had to know more.

The rest of the book switches between the trial, court transcriptions and her previous life. You’re thrown in to the year 2095 where most animals have become extinct and can only be found in the sanctity of The Kingdom, unfortunately at the mercy of their handlers. You’ll meet Mom & Dad - a pair of humans who’ll you’ll dislike pretty quickly and the rest of her dysfunctional ‘family’ which are made up of old and new Fantasist models. And you’ll meet Owen; her best human friend and the one she’s on trial for murdering.

This book will make you despair for the future of humanity mainly because I could see it happening, but it’s a page turner and a half.

Beautifully written - a short but great read that will have you talking about it even after you've finished.

As much as I hate to say that I dnf a book this was the one I couldn’t finish. It’s a massive jump of genre for me and I just couldn’t get on with it. This is by no means meant to be disrespect to the author, it just wasn’t for me.

The world building was brilliant in this but the book itself felt too short and didn't have enough decelopment. It ended quite quickly too. But it did have some interesting points it brought up.

I loved the imaginative narrative. A fantasy tale set in a fantasy world. Through its different narratives the story takes us on an incredible journey. Highly recommended!

I loved this book A fantasy theme park hosted by Fantasists who have been programmed to serve humans and make their every wish come true Think of Westworld as the Fantasists begin to think for themselves A great science fiction/fantasy novel which I would recommend to my students

Thank you NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for providing me with a copy for review.

The Kingdom is a fairytale theme park where wishes come true and anything is possible, but chaos ensues when one of the performing Fantastists, Ana, is accused of murder and put on trial. The Fantastists are half human, half android princesses that live to perform at The Kingdom and are programmed to behave is certain ways, but Ana has begun to show signs of emotions and feelings, something she is not programmed for.

This is a fantastic book that pulls you in right from the beginning. It is fast-paced and constantly leaves you wanting to read more to find out about the strange world that the characters live in and to learn more about Ana's trial. It jumps around and gives you little snippets of information that build up the tension and the intrigue.

One of the things that I like most about this book is that many of the chapters are written in different formats, from interviews to transcripts to general prose. It jumps around in time based around the trial. The chapters are short. It makes it an incredibly quick and easy read.

I really love this book and the way it was written and am so glad that I was given the opportunity to read it.

Sophie’s first book of the month ended up being her favorite as well. The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg is a YA sci-fi novel set in the near future at a truly immersive theme park where extinct creatures roam, the world’s best rides tower into the sky, and every dream you can imagine can be lived.

Ana is one of twelve Fantasists, half-human half-android princesses who live in The Kingdom and are programmed to make every wish of their guests come true. Only now, Ana has been accused of murder and her very humanity is on trial because she has begun to experience emotions and romantic feelings—things she was never programmed for.

The Kingdom is told through a mixture of court testimony, interrogation records, and flashbacks from Ana’s perspective as we see her world the way she did. Is The Firewall, the edge of the virtual space Ana and her Fantasist sisters are permitted to explore, really there for her safety or is it there to control her? Are her romantic feelings real or only a glitch in her programming and, given that all human emotions are merely electrical signals in our brains, what is the difference?

As a huge theme park enthusiast, Sophie really enjoyed the exploration of what these places that already toe the line between reality and fantasy could become as technology continues to improve and the dangers and moral dilemmas that technology could pose. The Kingdom is an easy read but a thought-provoking one that will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading. This is a book that poses many questions worth careful consideration as, given the pace that technology is racing forward, the issues raised here might not be as unimaginable as they seem.

Sophie absolutely loved The Kingdom and is already hoping for a sequel. For more on this book, check out Robin’s review over on GeekDad.

Wow this book was a brilliant read. In the blurb about The Kingdom it says if you like the TV series West World then you’ll like this book. I really enjoyed West World, but I soon lost interest, but with this book I just couldn’t put it down. I’m also hoping that there will be more books to accompany this one.


Ana is a hybrid human like A.I. called a fantasist. She is one of seven fantasist princesses at The Kingdom ™ Immersive Fantasy Theme Park. Where she and her six sisters are meant to make all of your dreams come true.

She and her sisters have been engineered so that they can interact with all of the guests who enter the Theme Park. They all have life like skin and they have to take supplements to keep their skin healthy. If they cut themselves they bleed just like humans except the colour of the blood is black.

Ana and her sisters aren’t the only hybrid’s at the Theme Park. They have also managed to bring numerous animal back from extinction. The Theme Park is so technically advanced that they have different zones for their hybrid animals. From a desert to a rain forest to a climate controlled ice world.

Not everything at the Theme Park is what it seems. The human visitors, have no idea that some of the hybrids are acting in ways that they shouldn’t and some of them are dying.

Ana has also noticed some changes in a couple of her sisters and herself, she seems to be evolving which is something she shouldn’t be able to do due to her programming. That is until Ana commits a crime and is arrested and taken to trial.

The story is told through Ana’s flashbacks, and post-court transcripts from other witnesses as well as Ana’s interviews. This really made an interesting change, as not many books are written this way. I really couldn’t put this book down and I hope there will be more.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy. Have to say, I really enjoyed The Kingdom. I'm a sucker for theme parks, and the nod to Jurassic Park and Westworld here and there fills me with nostalgia. And as with Jurassic Park, the premise here is what happens when the main attractions, in this case princess androids, go rogue... Overall, I thought the novel was well thought off and delivered. However, only reason why I'm not giving it a 5 is that the format interposing trial transcripts, news articles, interviews, etc., to me took away more of the story than added to it. The premise was strong enough without having to use other sources that come a cross a bit gimmicky.

Nonetheless, a very good read, and worth the time. 4.5 out of 5.

Set in an imaginative and creative world, Kingdom, which has the vibes of a Disney/Westworld combination, where there are android princesses in this theme park called Kingdom, that interact with visitors and make their experience more special. The story is about Ana, who starts to develop her own emotions. Highly recommended for YA Sci/Fi fans.

What a brilliant book that will appeal to young adults and adults alike. In a time where most of the animals in the world have become extinct The Kingdom is a Disney like entertainment park that is populated with Android Hybrids. Not only animals but a selected few Androids who greet and interact with visitors like Disney Princesses. But the Kingdom has another side that few visitors see. The Androids are becoming sentient and are thinking for themselves. A good story with a twist in the tale.

This book was excellent, what I would class as an entrance read to dystopian/utopian.
Set in the near future and following the lives of 'robots' who work in the magical Kingdom. Their only job is to please and agree, they cannot lie, they cannot say no, and they cannot kill.... or can they.

Told from a number of point of views and timelines - I loved the variation this gave to the book, it kept it interesting and kept the storyline moving along. The storyline was compelling, the characters lovable and as realistic as a robot can be, and I really appreciated how the story wrapped up.

A brilliant brilliant read.

I won’t lie – I first noticed The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg because of the cover!

The beautiful, beautiful cover.

YA isn’t a genre I tend to read much of, or at least I don’t tend to these days – I went through a phase a few years ago when I didn’t read anything but YA. However, my reading habits are forever changing. Doesn’t yours?

Anyway. That cover, right!?! Magical.

But, a cover alone isn’t enough for me it was the blurb that sold it.


BOOK BLURB:

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.

Great blurb, right?


I loved the recent re-making of Westworld. I loved both seasons and I’m looking forward to the third. It was dark, it was menacing, it was intense, it kept me guessing and I couldn’t look away. Have you watched it?

So, when I read the blurb or The Kingdom I instantly thought – Westworld meets Disneyland.

And I wasn’t disappointed, I adored the setting. The Kingdom was somewhere I instantly wanted to visit. But – I’m not so sure about taking my young daughter there! It’s a much darker version of Disneyland.

The Kingdom was tame in comparison to Westworld, very tame. I imagine the book is primarily aimed at the younger end of the YA market. But I should emphasise that tame isn’t bad. I flew through the whole book.

I thought the story did lack some complexity, but as an adult reading YA I most likely want something more elaborate. However, having said that I really enjoyed the story and following the adventures of the characters. Even if I felt the book lacked a little bit of substance – and by that, I mean details, world-building and in-depth characterisation. It entertained me and if my daughter was a few years older I would be handing her over my copy to read.

The writing was good, the setting was great, and the characters were interesting. Overall, it was an easy book to read and just what I wanted after reading a lot of more complex tomes.

I very much hope that this is the first book in a series.

Have you read it? What did you think?

The Kingdom is the theme park of the future. Its biggest attraction is the Fantasists - hybrid human/android princess characters who are programmed simply to interact with the guests of the Kingdom, and make them feel special and happy. They are perfect and beautiful, polite and grateful, because that's what they've been programmed to be.

One of the Fantasists is Ana. She is put on trial after seemingly breaking her programming and having thoughts and feelings which she shouldn't be able to have. The story is told as a series of flashbacks during the trial, and also through a post-trial interview with Ana. There is a mixture of a third-person viewpoint and the story being told through Ana's eyes during the flashbacks.

The book is super futuristic in terms of the Fantasists, and the technology the Kingdom has. The Kingdom also has hybrid animals - some a mixture of two species, and some are extinct species that have been brought back as hybrid animal androids.

The feel of the book is very much Young Adult, but it is also a really good mix of sci-fi and fantasy. Although the Kingdom is very futuristic and technologically advanced, it's also basically like a suped-up version of Disneyland, with the castle and princesses and everything. The idea of the "happily ever after" being skewed by the human need for more tech and more realistic experiences and entertainment is scarily realistic.

There's also an element of a crime or thriller novel in this book because Ana is on trial. I think this adds an extra element of mystery and excitement because you don't find out what truly happened until the end of the book.

The world the author has built here is really impressive - there is a good amount of detail and everything makes perfect sense. I could see something similar being created in real life some time in the not so distant future. The characters of the Fantasists are spot on as well - what they say, how they think, how they look - it's all so well done.

All in all I really enjoyed this book and I don't have anything negative to say about it at all - it has a good pace and continuous progression of the storyline; the writing and characters are spot on; the idea and the world of the Kingdom, it's really all just perfectly done. If you're a fan of YA fantasy books I really think you will love this.