The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg is a dark, futuristic thriller set in a fantasy theme park where “princesses” are engineered to make dreams come true. When Ana, one of the park’s AI Fantasists, begins experiencing human emotions and becomes a suspect in a murder, secrets unravel. Perfect for fans of suspenseful, thought-provoking YA with a blend of sci-fi and mystery.

Unique and intriguing mystery in this YA fantasy!

Ana is a Fantasist living in the Kingdom with seven of her princess sisters. The Fantasists’ jobs are to blend into the Kingdom park, please the guests and do as they’re instructed. Their purpose is to make dreams come true. When Nia tries to drown a child, the sisters are scrutinized and evaluated and Ana becomes heartbroken but adamant to understand what happened to make sweet Nia commit such a horrible act. When Eve, the first sister, disappears, the park becomes strict and Ana becomes scared. Ana has found a friend in a maintenance worker, Owen, and he seems to be understanding of Ana’s confusion and wants to help, but Owen has a secret of his own.

Likes/dislikes: Snippets of wisdom can be found throughout the book, such as, “Neutral is best. Neutral is safe.” I thought the book would be a fluff story and I’m pleased with how much more interesting it turned out to be than I expected! I enjoyed the alternating timelines and how they revealed the mystery.
Mature Content: G for innocent kiss.
Language: PG for 9 swears and no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death.
Ethnicity: mixed.

I gave this a three out of five stars. I enjoyed this book but it could have been better. I was lost and confused for a big portion in the beginning of it. I enjoyed it more as I was reading it then after I read it. I don't have any strong about this book.

This was a middle-of-the-road read for me. While I liked a lot of aspects, there were some things I disliked, and overall, I just didn't feel strongly enough about the book to really warrant adding an in-depth review to the blog.

Everyone who keeps saying this is West World meets Disneyland (with a little Jurassic Park mixed in with regards to bringing dangerous and exotic extinct animals back from the dead for profit) could not have come up with better analogies! This had the magic and charm of Disneyland, with a theme park that lets guests have a perfect day with a princess of their choice and see amazing animals and eat treats and see shows. And the darkness of guests getting their "every fantasy" (and all the terrible connotations for that) fulfilled with the use of AI created girls and creatures and a mystery that would do justice to the surprises of West World. And when I say dark, this story took some dark twists that caught me off guard yet seem pretty realistic too (unfortunately). This story is 100% unique and different from anything else I read and I am pretty sure it is a standalone as well.

This was a really different book that I am glad I got the chance to read. I went in with only a vague notion what this was about and almost nothing about the plot and I think that was really the best way to read this story. I did like the delivery of the book, with flashbacks told in all kinds of order and then court transcripts in the present and then random adds and info used for advertising the park and park paraphernalia.

Really interesting idea, and I hope there's more content in this world, which I was more interested in than this specific story.

In an future amusement park clearly based on a mouse themed juggernaut, humans in princess costumes are replaced by fully robot "Fantasists". We follow Ana as she works, lives, and gets closer to a human employee of the park. We also jump to scenes of interrogation and a courtroom, where Ana is on trial for killing that human employee. Her killing him is not in question, the trial is to decide if she is human enough to actually murder someone.

I've written before about the difficulty in either two viewpoints or time jumps, how information must be carefully doled out to keep the pace of the plot, but the only real spoiler given is the one on the back copy of the book, that Ana kills Owen. Otherwise, everything pushes forward well, and the suspense of the courtroom scenes allow for a slower exploration of this world and the park, my favorite part of the book. The automation of emotion work is a really interesting concept and not a far stretch from costumed actors having to practice the character's signature so there is consistency, and memorizing scripts and phrases they are allowed to say in character while still trying to have a personalized experience with kids. I never quite know how to word this complaint, but the interest of the world made me a little less interested in the actual plot. I want to know more about this world, about the park, about the setting <spoiler> I didn't think we, the reader, knew enough about the world to know what was real and what was a lie told to the Fantasists. Is it meant to be our world now? Was part of the pollution and destruction true but overstated to them? Is this in our future or a different world? The reader not knowing the truth takes away a bit from any possible reveal. </spoiler>

The ending <spoiler> that Owen is alive was guessable but that's not a problem to me. I still didn't really believe the romance, it felt quick and I didn't get the connection other than Ana's fascination with someone taking her seriously (which was very believable) so this solution felt more emotionally real than any crime of passion. </spoiler>

If this is meant to be a standalone, I would have liked a little more development of the world so I could really be immersed and enjoy this really cool idea. I'm more happy with this level of world building if there are going to be more books in this world (I don't feel like this story needs a sequel, but an almost unrelated story in this same world). There are lots of possibilities here, I would love to read about a human who is working in the park after the fall of the Fantasist program, maybe the park keeps the characters but has humans playing the roles. Honestly, I think feeling like there are lots of hooks for fandom and fanfiction is one of the biggest compliments you can give an author with regards to world building.

Big kudos to the cover designer, it is <i>beautiful</i> and definitely would have me pick it up in a crowded bookstore.

Trigger warnings: there is reference to various sexual assaults and coercion, lots of mentions/scenes of blood and one intense scene of child danger (at the moment I can't remember if the suspense is lessened from the future scenes)

I read this book as an ARC through NetGalley but my opinions and review are my own.

Ana is a pretty perfect princess who lives a seemingly beautiful and simple, if scripted, life in a kingdom where everyone’s dreams come true. Or at least the visitors’ dreams come true. Ana’s kingdom is actually a massive amusement park that has taken AI, scientific experimentation, and technology to the edge to create an immersive experience for guests. Ana and her sisters are Fantasists, which are basically bioengineered cyborg Disney princesses, designed to be gorgeous and charming and obedient. Ana isn’t meant to want to anything beyond her life in the park, but when something begins to go wrong with the park’s Jurassic Park-esque reborn extinct and hybrid creatures and also Ana’s sister, she begins think harder about her life and wonder about the outside. A park worker, Owen, only makes the situation more difficult for Ana as new feelings begin to emerge. The story is mostly told through flashbacks and transcripts. This book is definitely West World meets future!Disney World, if Disney decided to make its automatons partially biological and its cast members somewhat cybernetic. There’re enough moral questions posed to make readers stop and think, so it’s not a fluff piece. It’s a good, solid young adult sci-fi book with a touch of romance for readers who prefer to have a mix of the two.

I really enjoyed this one and the Disney vibes! Though it was a bit slow at times, I do think this story was great overall.

This is one of those books that makes you think about the myriad of ways that scientific advancements can go wrong—and the moral implications of the choices we make in the name of technological advancement. We find out right at the beginning that Ana, an engineered human who is designed to perfectly cater to the happiness of amusement park guests, is on trial for murder. The book has court documents and interviews interspersed throughout. So, right from the beginning, a sense of mystery is created that carries you through the entire book. I read eagerly, wondering if Ana actually killed Owen and, if so, why she would possibly do such a thing. The twisted realities of The Kingdom are revealed slowly throughout the book. I loved that Ana started out as relatively innocent, truly believing that her creators have only her best interests at heart, but she gradually realizes that might not truly be the case. I’ll admit that I sort of guessed what happened with the murder (to an extent), but I never had it completely figured out, and there were enough twists and turns that I was constantly doubting myself. To me, this is the best sort of mystery. I did feel like the romance could have been developed a bit more, and there’s part of me that feels like the opening left for another book was a little forced (I think I would have been happy with this as a standalone), but those things were minor next to my enjoyment of the mystery and the moral questions that were raised.

***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

This book is like Disneyworld mixed with Jurassic Park and Westworld. Even though I list various franchises, this still was a fresh and fast-paced read. There are android and human hybrids who are beautiful princesses that people travel from all over to see, and various kingdoms with different weathers and backgrounds, as well as extinct creatures.

The Kingdom appears to be a magical place that grants people their dreams, but deep down there is a darker side to it, including the fact that everything is filmed and the princesses have very little rights including sexual autonomy. They may be there to entertain children, but they have to deal with leering men as well. Throughout, they have to try to create their own methods of freedom but also risk punishment for it. Ana starts out the book naive in some ways (though still desiring some form of escape where she is not being watched) but slowly grows to understand the darkness of the world around her, mostly through her developing relationship with Owen. Watching her develop was enjoyable, and I loved all of the twists and turns throughout. My favorite part, however, was probably her interaction with her sisters.

The darker side of technology as well as the morals of it are addressed in an interesting way appropriate for a young adult audience. The book is split between showing that side and showing the future trial for murder that the main character is going through which is shown with the use of trial transcripts and video clips. The switch between the two time periods leads to a suspenseful setup that helps build the darker tone and makes us wonder what happened, though at times it did make the developing story seem confusing and underdeveloped.

All around, this was a very nice blend of sci-fi and mystery.

An unexpectedly exciting urban fantasy- science fiction mash-up that kept my heart racing with its thrills and frills! The Kingdom is probably MY FAVORITE science fiction read this year, to be honest. I loved the Wild West meets Twisted Theme Park vibes it was giving off, which was refreshing. Normally, I just read SF or fantasy separately, but I loved how chilling this story was with the two genres combined.

It was all very Westworld, but I LOVED IT.

The Kingdom is a dream place that uses the best technology to make every visitor's dream come true, like Disney World on steroids. The park is home to scientifically enhanced princess, or fantastists. Ana is one of the fantastists, who loves animals and is truly concerned with making everyone happy. However, Ana notices that there is something going on with the animals in the park and she begins questioning the world around her. When one of the workers keeps showing up around her, Ana can't stop thinking about him and wants to get to know him. Throughout the story, there are flashes into the future, where Ana is on trial for murder. How did the events happen and what is causing all of the problems around the park?

I liked the premise of this book. I feel that the characters and world needed to be better developed and explained. It was hard for me to understand what the fantastists actually were. It was hard for me to connect with the romance layer, but there was potential for this story.

I had to DNF this book, it’s been almost a month and I just cannot get into it. The writing is too robotic for my taste the characters were so boring and unlikeable. But this is my opinion and I have been very picky lately with my books I have been picking up. This one just wasn’t for me. I wish I would have liked jazz I barely ever DNF but this book was putting me into a slump and I do not want to go down that whole. A lot of people seem to enjoy this book especially with a 4 star average. Definitely pick it up if you’re still interested in it.

What an intriguing look into the mind of an android developing feelings and working against her programming. I loved the touch of sci-fi futurism coupled with varying formats throughout the text, which worked to keep the story moving while simultaneously providing the reader with important information (that didn't feel like exposition dumps). You should definitely pick this one up if you have any interest in mysteries, crime dramas, theme parks like Disney, a desire to strangle know-it-all doctor types, or just want a fun new read from a debut author.

I really wanted to like this. I've been on a Westworld kick, and was excited to read something in the same vein. But unfortunately, The Kingdom just didn't meet my exceptions. It doesn't read young adult until it gets to the love-at-first-site with Cade, and then it reads really young adult. There's your typical boy who knows secrets and important things, and the typical naive innocent girl whom he swears to protect.

Perhaps if more time had been spent on the actual trial and sowing uncertainty about Ana's sentience, I would have enjoyed it more. But it seems Rothenberg didn't quite know how to write that part convincingly, and so skips past important moments and discards the ambiguity. We KNOW Ana and Cade are in love. and so are not worried about the results of the trial.

Too predictable and, honestly, poorly written for me.

I really wanted to love this book since I loved Rothenberg's other book when I read it yearsss ago. I was so excited for this book since, like I said, I loved her other book, and she hasn't written another one until this one. With that being said, I still liked this book but not as much as I thought I would.

I guess my main issue with the book was with the way it was told. Also, the chapters were so short. The Catastrophic History of You and Me had short chapters so this was no different. That's just her writing style but I felt like it didn't work very well here. I understand that some authors like writing short chapters so that readers will be on the edge of their seats because of the facts revealed. But in my case, I got annoyed because I felt like I was talking to someone and another person is butting in. I don't like being cut off so many times. It's fine for a little while but it could get so frustrating.

The characters were fine. I probably would've like them more if there were more developments in a chapter if that makes sense.

But ok, let's talk about the concept of the book. I loved the concept of the book. The Kingdom is a theme park and Ana and her sisters live there. They're hybrids. They're like machines since they're programmed. But I guess overtime, they develop human like characteristics and want more than living in The Kingdom. The overall plot is what got me hooked in this book. And I guess, I liked Ana and her curiosity.

I may have rated this book 3/5 but i'm still looking forward to whatever Jess Rothenberg writes next.

The Kingdom explores the question of whether artificial intelligence / human-created beings can make autonomous, moral decisions. This is relevant to our society today because, as technology gets smarter, we too need to ask ourselves the ethics of artificial intelligence.

Ana's narrative is interspersed with other documents such as trial transcripts, other interview, emails, video footage, and advertisements. These give us a more full understanding of what is a hybrid and what exactly took place leading up to the trial. I do wish that more information was withheld until closer to the climax since early reveals took away some of the mystery, which is what drives the story.

What didn't work for me the most were the characters themselves. While there is complexity to some of the characters (Ana, Eve, and Nia in particular), they didn't show much growth if any, and I didn't feel the personal stakes involved even if I knew their motivations.

The ending is more on the cheesy side. It fits in with the idea of dreams, a big theme with the Fantasists and the Kingdom in which they supposedly live. I would have preferred something more unexpected given how the story explores the concept of artificial intelligence. Nevertheless, I am okay with the ending, as the story itself gets us thinking.

"Anomalies are dangerous.
Magic is routine."
HERE'S WHAT I THINK...
The first thing that jumped out to me was the format of the book. The narrative switches between the post-event trial transcripts and the actual narration of the events, from Ana's point of view. It gave the story a bit more of an edge. You KNOW something happened, you KNOW it was horrible - but you can't quite guess it, so you just keep reading. The different sides of each character really stood out in the alternating formats.

The characters were incredibly complex. The story revolved around the AI Fantasists, particularly Ana, one of the seven (Ana, Kaia, Yumi, Eve, Zara, Pania, and Zel) fantasy princesses called Fantasists, the world’s most beautiful women, and that is made clear through the narrative descriptions as Ana moves through the story. What makes them intriguing is the human like growth that they experience throughout the arc of the novel.

I'm not typically a fan of romance novels, but this one was so much more than that. The romance played a key part in the plot, but it also created an added dimension that left you wondering how these robots are adapting. Ana was so pure, full of trust and innocence. She is open to everyone and everything, longing only to make others happy. Her realization that things aren't quite as they seem impacts the reader as much as it does Ana. It's a loss of safety, of security. The slow deterioration of that purity is something that resonated with me, LOUDLY.

As far as the writing goes, this book wowed me. The Kingdom is well written. The plot is staright forward, yet mysterious enough to keep the pages turning. Each character felt fleshed out and important. There were no "fluff" characters and I enjoyed that very much. This is a debut novel for Rothenberg, however - if her sophomore novel is anywhere as brilliant as this one, she has a long and promising career ahead of her.

The one critique that I will give the novel (and why I rated it a 4.5 instead of a 5) is that the ending felt a bit rushed. I understand the need for the fast pace, but it ended almost abruptly for me and that left me feeling slightly lacking as I closed the book.

Otherwise, this novel gave me so many feels. It brought back the memory of the show "DOLLHOUSE", it made me feel like I was walking around Disney World, and most importantly, it kept me hooked from the first page to the last. Rothenberg delivers with her sci-fi/fantasy/murder mayhem mash-up "The Kingdom" gives you everything you were promised...and more.

"Then I replay it,
again and again,
like the melody of a favorite song,
or the scene from a favorite film,
or the line from my favorite play."

I think this book makes great commentary on the use of women's bodies. There were wonderful moments of insight that stuck so hard because they are things that real life women have to experience and endure every day. 

My issues with this come firstly, with the romance. It felt unreal. Like there is no real reason for this relationship between Ana and Owen. In fact, Owen didn't feel like a full character to me. Why was he doing this? What was his motivation? His background?

All the other Fantasists were also pretty boring if I'm honest. Nia was a bit interesting at first but we didn't get much of her story. Also, Eve had potential but her story isn't really elaborated on. We don't get to see the other Fantasists really develop.

I also couldn't really connect with Ana. I felt her struggle, her pain, I acknowledged it, I just couldn't seem to care the way I was supposed to. Does that make sense?

Also, the end felt a bit rushed? A bit unfinished? I have more questions than answers.

In the end, I couldn't love this as I wanted. As I said, this book is as if the plot of Westworld was happening in a Disney park. That said, Westworld does it better. I couldn't help but have Westworld in the back of my head while reading, especially after they mentioned the Romeo & Juliet quote: "Violent delights have violent ends", a recurring motif in Westworld.

My rating though mostly comes from the fact that in a few weeks I probably would have forgotten most of its character and in a year I probably would have forgotten most things but the premise. It justs didn't stick with me.

I'm not sure this review even makes sense. But that's how I felt so there you have it.

This book was so imaginative and creative: it's been a while since a book has managed to enrapture me this much. From it's Westworld vibe to to discussion on humanity, the characters who were not what they seemed and the murder mystery in general, I was fully immersed in this book. The only thing that was a bit off for me was the romance and the ending, but I am BEGGING for a sequel, so it wasn't too much of an issue. Overall, Rothenberg manages to weave so many themes and explications into a story while keeping me intrigued and on the edge of my seat. I'd HIGHLY recommend.