Author: Jess Rothenberg
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Release Date: 11 July 2019
ISBN-13: 978-1509899388
Synopsis
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.
My Review
I saw this book and was instantly attracted by the cover, I thought it was striking and I wanted to know more. The synopsis sounded intriguing and I was looking forward to getting stuck in.
The book is set in a sort of futuristic Disney land and as a massive Disney fan, I was even more hooked. The princesses that you can meet and greet in the park are now called 'Fantasists' - 7 engineered robot style girls who are programmed to be welcoming, polite, and obedient. They are not made to think or feel, just to serve.
We meet Ana, one of the fantasists who has been there for a while. She is starting to question her life - but that can't be right, they aren't made to think. They can't have opinions or feelings. Then she starts to notice other issues in the park, Nia and Eve start to act funny and Ana can't put her finger on why. Then she meets Owen, a new maintenance worker in the park and Ana starts to feel differently, she becomes almost obsessed with him - could this be love?
The premise of the book itself is really good, I like the set up and ideas behind it, and in truth I can see it happening in some ways in the future. But there was something about the book that fell a little bit short for me. The start is very slow and I found myself skim reading a bit to get things going. Ana is an okay narrator, but I don't feel like I truly connected with her as a character, there were so many things I didn't know but wanted to. Then there are the other Fantasists - 6 more girls who blend into the crowd. I actually really liked Nia and felt like I wanted to know more about her - as she starts to malfunction she becomes more and more interesting and I really wanted to follow her storyline closer, but we only get glances and glimpses retold from Ana's perspective.
I liked Owen, he was mysterious, but their relationship felt a bit forced. It was unclear exactly what his purpose was but again he was a character I wanted to know more about.
I like that this book has a darker side, you know it's coming from the blurb but it was interesting to watch it play out. The book is divided - you will have a chapter that is set in the court case and interviews discussing Ana's murder of Owen, and then a chapter from the year before, the events that led up to the crime.
By about halfway through the pace of the book had sped up and I did find myself more engaged with it. My husband asked if I was enjoying it and I replied 'not sure but I'm certainly invested in finding out what happened.'
From the way Ana was presented and the relationship with Owen, I couldn't see how she would turn to murder, that hooked me in and made me read that bit faster, I had to know where it all went wrong. It was clear that these 'fantasists' were adapting and developing feelings and independent thoughts, but I wanted to know more, I also wanted to know what part the investors played in it all as they are mentioned quite a bit but not much is revealed.
Overall I feel quite torn with this book, parts of it I really enjoyed and I think the concept is brilliant, but there was just something that didn't quite click. The ending felt a bit flat and there were still a lot of unanswered questions. There is apparently another book rumoured but I'm not sure if I would take the time to read it.
If you want a fairly easy read and a bit of escapism then I would recommend you give this one a try, but I feel a bit 'meh' about it all.
- This book would be suitable for younger teens, there are some hints at sexual activity but it is not upfront and you have to be able to read between the lines.
My Rating
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