I loved this, I am not in the intended age range,far from it but I don't think age is a barrier to enjoying this well written and thought provoking book.There was more to it than I expected.The central character was very likable the setting was interesting and imaginative and this was an original and enjoyable book to read.Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley, Pan MacMillan and Jess Rothenberg for my Arc of The Kingdom in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: The Kingdom is the place where happily ever after really does come true. Thanks to Ana and her sisters, the princesses who meet and greet and make your every dream come true. Ana like all the princesses and even the animals in the park, is a hybrid. Part human, part robot, her life revolves around pleasing the Kingdom's guests, but when some of the other girls start changing their behaviour and breaking the rules, Ana starts to investigate with the help of maintenance worker Owen Chen. Over time Ana begins to fall in love, but everything falls apart when Ana is accused of murdering Owen.

This was a great read. Written in the form of trial transcripts, interviews and Ana's own memory this is definitely one for fans of books like Only Human and shows like Westworld. In fact other than Westworld I haven't seen anything else that explores the idea of theme parks with hybrids.

The story is fast paced as it reads like a murder mystery but with a fantastic sci-fi / fantasy blended twist. I loved how it explored not just Ana's consciousness but her ability to feel and think and to explore what it really means to be human and to love.

The Kingdom is brilliant. Highly imaginative, a true genre hybrid that takes in layers of pretty much all my favourite types of stories and mashes them up into an intense, page turner of a read that is entirely gripping.

In a twisted version of Disneyland, the fantasists, hybrid girls, make dreams come true every day. In a kingdom of the exotic and the extinct, people come to escape the drudgery of the destroyed outside world. But there’s a dark heart lurking beneath the magic and Ana finds herself accused of murder…

Jess Rothenberg takes her central premise and then proceeds to twist it around an entirely human story.. One of learned emotions and the hidden depths of our very nature. Told in flashback, trial transcripts, interviews and footage we slowly see Ana’s awakening and the events that lead her to that courtroom..

It is an extraordinarily fascinating plot with crime fiction, fantasy and sci-fi elements blended to perfection and told with immersively beautiful prose. Immediately you will get hooked into this darkly delicious tale, with it’s thought provoking underneath and it’s scarily authentic possibilities.

I loved every moment of it, the ending only wetting the appetite for more from this world, it is both beautiful and gritty, a Grimm fairytale indeed…

Intelligent, with emotional plotting and characterisation, The Kingdom is a must read and Jess Rothenberg is an intuitively talented writer.

Highly Recommended.

Welcome to the Kingdom, a dazzling fantasy theme park where 'happily ever after' is not just a promise, but a rule . . . This new book out on July 11th is a tautly paced YA thriller for fans of One Of Us Is Lying and Westworld..

We had one of our young readers review it...

The Kingdom follows the life of Ana (a half-human, half-android), a beautiful fantasist in a dreamland park. You see Ana as she comes into conflict with Dr Foster, the world and even her own programming and the only person she can turn to is a human boy she shouldn’t even be talking to.

I really enjoyed the book as it was told through court testimony, interrogation records and flashbacks; something I haven’t seen done before although I really enjoyed it. The book was tense and thrilling. It also had an incredible plot twist. Throughout the entire book it kept me guessing and I couldn’t stop reading; it was addictive!

I think the book is brilliant and I definitely think Rogan’s books should stock it.