When I began reading The King Is Dead I got serious Meghan Markle/Prince Harry vibes. Whether the author intended that or not, it grabbed my attention.
People still have issues with interracial relationships without it being about royalty. In the US, it was illegal until 1967. In other countries it wasn't banned, but it was frowned upon.
James although biracial is only seen as Black. His country has never welcomed his Black mother, so why would they welcome him. Add into that he's secretly gay, well we know how well accepted that is...Not.
A young man who just lost his father and must rule a country that hates him while hiding who he is. Talk about heavy burdens on his shoulder.
James' love life in the beginning I thought would last, I didn't expect the mystery. It put an interesting twist on the book. Be careful who you trust.

A fun, fast paced YA novel from a perspective still all too infrequently written from. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys the genre.

This had so much potential. What started out as something that had so much potential and had so many plots that could be explored just kind of kept me a little bored. You would think with the gossip girl aspect, the racism, and the secrets and also the kidnapping that it would be more thrilling. Sadly it was just ok for me.

The King is Dead is a story that parallels the experiences that we’ve seen splayed out in the media as Meghan Markle joined Prince Harry as his wife. As a Black woman joining the ranks of the British Monarchy, she was and continues to be subject to heinous grief and blatant racism at the hands of the press and public. This story gets deep inside the palace as a teen Prince, the Black son to the late White monarch, and secretly gay to top it off, takes the throne in his father’s stead. James never expected to be king at such a young age. While he knew he would have a difficult time as the first Black and gay heir to the throne, he never expected to come under such intense harassment just minutes and hours into his reign. To top it all off, his secret love interest ends up missing, and James’ deepest secrets are suddenly splayed over the front page of the hottest papers in the nation.

Score one for this story for a creative, relevant, and timely premise. It’s parallels to what we’ve seen in our own world are clear and cutting. This story is also a commentary on the very tangible and ongoing struggle with racism that permeates society and the backlash that those that don’t quite fit “the mold” face when they dare to be great. They are held to impossible standards and are set up to fail. They face unbelievable and unfair scrutiny for everything and are shaped in a way that constantly places them as “other.” James sees this first hand as he is torn to shreds with unrelenting hatred and critique.

While this story was ok, it wasn’t great. It had the potential to be a really thoughtful and poignant addition to the literary landscape and while the themes themselves are incredibly engaging, the story itself was plain as day. While it’s shaped to be a mystery, there’s really no mystery. The antagonist, while not revealed until the end, is so incredibly obvious that you’re really just biding time until the narrator reveals the twist. It was a bit of a let down that the story was so transparent.

If I could’ve recommend any rewrites, I would have suggested spending more time on characterization to give a greater understanding and more context to the individual characters and their motives. There was so much hatred and darkness too in this story, which is understandable given the protagonists experience. From a story perspective, bringing some balance to the darkness, to give more hope to the young king, would have helped to build a more robust plot line. There is so much mistrust, even in the moments of tenderness and love. The shadow always lingers. Even in darkness, there is always some hope, but it really felt as though that was lacking for poor James.

I do think this story is most definitely worth a read. It’s a blunt and stark outline of the traumatic experience of bearing the brunt of the world’s cruelty. While there could have been improvements to the strength of the plot and story structure, James himself is a lovely and loveable character. And the story does leave the reader with somewhat of a sense of healing and new beginning so there is a sense of a brighter future to come.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

CWs are at the bottom of my review since they do contain spoilers!

This was a really hard book for me to rate, because I had really hoped I would love it, but the further I got the more frustrated I became. I will say I do think that part of it was the marketing for the book though, because it was pitched as if it was going to be a fun, "romantic thriller," and I don't think it lived up to most of those. The thriller part was absent for most of the book, not really intensifying until around the 75% mark. Also, the romance was so flat I was unsure of why anyone wanted to date James, or what he liked about any of his love interests other than that they gave him attention, and the book is very much about systemic racism and grief which aren't particularly fun topics (though I do think they were handled well in this).

The writing itself just felt disorganized and like it wasn't really planned out fully too, the character motives were dubious at best, and both the characters and the relationships with one another never fully came to life for me. Also, if the person I was in love with disappeared I would not be running into the arms of the first person I saw??? I'm very aware that I'm not the target audience for this book, but even ignoring the parts that didn't work for me personally, The King is Dead was just poorly executed. Which is such a shame because it's a great concept and I would have loved to have seen how the book would've turned out after another draft or two. It's not unreadable, and I'm sure there are some teens out there who will enjoy this, but there are better books to spend your time on unless you're super interested in it.

CWs: Racism, homophobia, forced outing, kidnapping

I enjoyed this! I really think there were a lot of points of tension in this that were constantly being pulled at in a really effective way. James goes through so much in this and I just wanted him to take everyone down. He was a lot more agreeable than I would be in his situation lol. But he's an easy MC to root for, as his struggle is one that I can see almost definitely happening to a Black person in line for a major throne. I will say that it took awhile for this to get going for me. It seemed like there was a lot of build up in the beginning. I don't mind this usually, but I was getting a little impatient at times. However, once it got started, it kept going and was really good! I pretty much guessed the twist, but as someone who reads a lot of thrillers and mysteries, I'm used to this so I didn't mind it. This was a good read and I'd definitely read from this author again!

The prospect of the first black heir to the British throne excited me. James's struggle with sudden fame in this engaging thriller was compelling. It was a fast, satisfying read that left me wanting more from the story.

Full of drama in multiple realms of the plot, The King is Dead was a fascinating read all around. Following a Black gay heir to the throne, right out the gates this novel feels interesting and impactful. As the plot progressed, it was impossible to not become immersed in the suspense and journeys of the characters.

The king is dead is about, a young seventeen year old prince named James thrust into the role of king far too soon when his father passes. The book explores the relationship between the royal family and the public, racism, and homophobia in British society. James’ main issue is figuring out how to rule the country and keep his relationship a secret. That all changes when his boyfriend suddenly goes missing. Intriguing and scandalous.

The king is dead and James, the reluctant twin of the royal couple must now pick up the crown. But not everyone is happy about an African American king. Soon the family is under attack and may reveal lan even darker secret. The King Is Dead is a slow burn suspense novel that places race and sexuality against Colonizer tradition. The suspense seems to take a back seat at times and doesn't feel as high stacks as it should be. This might be the lack of depth and time for connection the reader has to develop. It's also hard to root for James when he quickly changes love interest when his one true love is currently kidnapped.

The King is Dead is pitched as a romantic thriller but I'd say it's more of a coming of age with a suspense element in the vibes of Ace of Spades with Gossip Girl energy and I was here for it.

James is a gay mixed race teenager just trying to have a secret boyfriend and stay under the radar but that all goes out the window when his dad, the King, dies and he's the heir. James is thrust into the spotlight more than ever before and is struggling with regular teenage things like family drama and relationships all under a spotlight. The tension and stress really ramps up though when his boyfriend (secret boyfriend mind you) goes missing.

Suddenly James can't trust anyone, even his closest confidants, then a reporter has made it his mission to tear James down and remove him, and his family, from the throne.

The King is Dead has a good element of mystery and suspense and while I saw some of the twists coming, I didn't see them all right away. Even when I was guessing what was gonna happen though, it was an exciting read and one that kept my attention throughout.

It also manages to weave in complex and serious themes about racism and homophobia in society while also discussing how the media treats celebrities, especially BIPOC celebrities. James knows he is the first Black royal and that pressure is overwhelming because no matter what he does, society is going to use him as an example for all POC and if he steps just a foot out of line, it could have a catastrophic effect.

Benjamin Dean's "The King Is Dead" is delightfully entertaining, with its scandals and betrayals. It's also heartbreakingly poignant, as it examines rampant racism, homophobia, and the burden of being born to wear the crown. It's easy to root for young King James as he forges his own definition of masculinity and what it means to be the king. Dean's plot is well-paced, his characters relatable, and the conflict keeps you guessing until the bitter end.

I don’t think I’ve ever used this word in a review to describe my thoughts, but this book was dope! I loved the themes this book covered, and it was well done. Unfortunately, it took me a little longer to get through than I would have liked, but that’s on me… not the author.

I quite enjoyed the characters and the plot. I enjoyed watching everything play out. I wished the author had not focused on the mystery so much. I enjoyed the mystery, don’t get me wrong, but I enjoyed the themes much more. I enjoyed trying to work out who to trust while also figuring out who is the leak.

James was such a fascinating character. Getting his perspective was just so intriguing to me. It was awesome to get to see how his mind works.

I cannot say enough about this book! I thoroughly enjoyed this.

I had really high hopes for this one, but it just fell so flat. The beginning is really slow, the characters are unbelievable, and the twist is predictable.

A narrative about a Black, gay king is a fantastic idea, but I could not believe that James was actually raised to be the king. Yes he is a teenager, but he makes the DUMBEST decisions that I have a hard time anyone raised to be a monarch would make.

I did enjoy the exploration about how Black monarchs would be treated - and I 100% believe the depiction in this book, but that was really the most interesting part.

Not a bad book by any means, but it does fall short of what it could have been.

James, first Black heir to the throne, is crowned King at at seventeen following his father’s unexpected death. With the new title means his sexuality and hidden relationship are no longer secret, and everything turns upside down when James’ boyfriend goes missing…

While this is a mystery book, it’s difficult to remember that in the beginning since the beginning focuses more on James’ relationship, his family, and his new found responsibilities all while dealing with the his grief. I definitely enjoyed this aspect, but it does make for quite the slow burn.

The author does a great job to really highlight how even a Black person with the highest standing in a country will still be viewed as a Black first and thus inferior.

When it comes to the mystery aspect, I was definitely more engaged towards the last 25% of the book when things are in full swing. So many secrets come to light as well as betrayal after betrayal.

4.5 Stars!!!!

I absolutely LOVED the concept of this book and the storyline was GIVING!!!

This was The Crown, Americanized and sprinkled with some Oliva Pope Scandal level drama! I was here for ALL of it. And as a fan of Meghan and Harry, it had some STRONG ass comparisons/insight in regard to the country's response to a black royal.

There were no dull moments in this book. Our boy James is woken up in the middle of night and informed that his father the King is dead. We watch him struggle with the realization that he is now the new King of a country that has NEVER accepted him and sure as hell won't be open to accepting his sexuality in addition to his black skin.

Ya'll I could write a 10 page essay on this story. There is sooo much depth and so many real world influence.

The tabloids who have never been kind are coming after the new king like a feral dog with a bone. Someone in the inner circle is spilling all the royal tea, people are protesting in the streets, and the royal guards act like they have never seen a black man in a hoodie.

If this was adapted into a series I would eat this up. I would watch this with my entire family. I could totally see this book being read and discussed in a high school English class.

Comparing The King is Dead to real-life Royal drama between Prince Harry and Dutchess Megan Markle vs. their family and Princess Diana’s demise and her impact on the culture hit the button on the nose. It will immediately remind you of the dramatics of real-life royalty.

The feature felt as if it was a one-act play. Yea, there were a few different sceneries in the story, and yes, I know most notable people stay in their castles; I was hoping for a more colorful depiction of James’s surroundings. The story felt stationary.

The book’s pacing was gradual until, I say, about 80% in. I feel as if James’s character slowly grew into the King he could be and started making more intelligent decisions. The story wasn’t necessarily mysterious or thriller until we reached that mark. Guessing the whodunnit was pretty easy for me, but I say stick around to figure out the why. Talk about skeletons in the closet!

content warnings: grief following death of a parent, racism, homophobia, stalking

as the first black heir to the british throne, there are enough people in his country who want james out of the picture. when his father dies and he’s forced to step up, more and more of james’s secrets are exposed, and with his lover missing, he can only assume he’s been betrayed.

for some reason, i love reading about royalty. though i don’t know much about real-life monarchs, i find fictional ones so fascinating. so, the fact that this book is about a black gay teen stepping up as king definitely appealed to me. it quickly became clear while reading this that royals have a lot of secrets to keep—and they can’t always trust people who seem like they have their backs.

overall, i really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend to anyone else who enjoys reading about royalty.

A fast-paced social thriller, with accessible writing that makes it a quick read.

I think the world-building could have been a bit stronger, as it did have some elements of social commentary about James being the first Black king of England, but I was surprised that that wasn't brought into conversation more with the British monarchy's history of colonialism. It seems like James and Eddie's mother, before she became the first Black person to marry into the royal lineage, would have—or should have—at least considered what it would mean for her future children to become royal heirs to a monarchy built on the bones of colonialism, but that didn't come up, which felt like a missed opportunity for more complexity.

The reveals of the mystery did happen quickly and made for an enjoyable pace, but they happened in a rather straightforward manner. I also wasn't a huge fan of the ending, as it didn't quite feel like enough seeds had been planted to build toward that particular culprit. Overall, a quick and punchy read, and I'm glad that more queer royals stories are being published in YA—this one just wasn't quite for me.