As it's easy to see while you scroll through my blog, I am a fantasy lover through and through. Reading has long been an escape for me, so fantasy - magic and far off places - always seemed the easiest for me to fall into. With the amount of horror we see on a daily basis, reading a book that reminded me of those things wasn't always first on my list. The cover was initially what snagged me and drew me in, but the synopsis was the hook, line and sinker for me.
DISNEY LIKE PRINCESSES.
MURDER.
AI.
AND DID I MENTION DISNEY LIKE PRINCESSES?!
It's like Rothenberg thought up the most modern, sophisticated version of Disney World, then added in malicious behaviors, real life situations, and down right mind bending plots into one of the best novels I have read this year!
I. AM. HERE. FOR. THIS.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ (4.5/5)
Author: Jess Rothenberg
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Publishing Group
Format/Source: Netgalley ARC
From GoodReads: 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.
"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. If her next works are anything like her current, she'll be one to watch for many years to come!
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. It could be that I just wanted to continue life with Ana and Owen, of course. :P
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."
TL;DR
Holy WOW! This book was engaging, haunting, and completely original. I have never read a YA book similar to this one and it is already on order for my students. This novel brings together a contemporary/urban setting, sci -fi, technology and fantasy into a plot and setting that keeps you turning the page for the next clue or answer. Rothenberg delivers with her sci-fi/fantasy/murder mayhem mash-up "The Kingdom" gives you everything you were promised...and more.
This is a definitely a must read for anyone who loves thrillers, sci-fi and "Dollhouse"! This was a 4.5/5 star read for me!
About the Authors:
JESS ROTHENBERG is a writer and freelance editor who grew up in Charleston, South Carolina. A former editor of books for young readers, including the #1 International Bestselling Vampire Academy series, Jess lives in New York City with her husband, son, and cat-who-thinks-he’s-a-dog, Charlie. Her debut novel for teens, The Catastrophic History of You & Me, has been translated into more than a dozen languages.
To find out more, visit www.jessrothenberg.com or follow Jess on Instagram and Twitter at @jessrothenberg.
Comentários