The Kingdom by Jess Rothenburg

 

Pages: 340 

Publisher: Pan Macmillan 

Released: 11th of June 2019 

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. 

What I Have to Say 

I adored this book. The allusions to Disney were just perfect. I loved the setting of the park and how much Ana's whole story was built into the fabric of the park and the story of all the girls in there. It gripped me from the first page. There were so many mysteries and other things to uncover and it was the kind of book that leaves you guessing to the last page. 

The existential questions that were built deep into this book enthralled me. It really made me think about AIs and how much free will and free thought it takes for them to be considered people in their own right. Because there was so much will in Ana and I rooted for her through the whole book.

Her struggle to cope with the kingdom's ownership of her and her sisters really touched me 

Definitely a must read book if you haven't already read it! 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for providing me with this copy for review.