This was a very interesting concept that I really enjoyed exploring. The mixture of interviews, court testimony and narrative was very well judged. I never felt lost or confused by what was happening but still felt intrigued to understand more about what was going on for Ana and the other Fantasists and Owen. I completely understand the reason why the book ended the way it did - and it was very satisfying - but I am not sure of the morality. A great read.

This was such an intriguing book that I ended up really enjoying. It's pretty much a Disneyland/Westworld crossover so if you're into either of those things then you'll love this.

The story revolves around a group android fantasists which are basically robot princesses whos job it is to walk around the park and interact with guests and make their whole kingdom experience magical. Only what happens when one of the fantasists Ana starts to have emotions of her own and become self-aware of her surroundings, well there's a murder mystery and some romance to start.

This was definitely a different kind of YA Dystopian that I one hundred percent recommend.

Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Writing: 4/5

Trigger Warnings: suicide, sexual assault (off page, implied), animal abuse

This book wasn’t just a bit dark and disquieting- it took me to a whole new level of sinister that I had never experienced before.

The Kingdom was a futuristic theme park that used cutting-edge technology to create an enchanting experience for all of its visitors. With thrilling performances from previously extinct creatures, magical rides, flamboyant parades and vivid fantasy simulations it promised to inspire wonder and make everyone’s wildest dreams come true by giving them the ‘happily ever after’ they deserved. One of its most prominent creations was the Fantasists– seven android princesses engineered to delight, amuse and represent equality and tolerance in the world.

The novel was a series of flashbacks, interrogation records, court testimony, emails and more which pieced together the story of Ana, a Fantasist who was accused of murdering one of the theme park’s maintenance workers. This format allows us to see the events unfold from her perspective and simultaneously see how the same events have been twisted to appear in court. It’s funny how there never is any question as to whether or not she actually killed the person even though she claims to be not guilty. The case is built on whether or not Ana had the conscience to make the decision to murder someone or whether it was a programming malfunction. It was fascinating to see things from her perspective and understand her methodical manner of learning about the world. As Ana gradually unearths the hidden terrors of The Kingdom, the reader does too and it makes for a very suspenseful journey.

I found it sad that a society of the future would feel the need to have Fantasists. Beautiful, subservient princesses, admired by girls all over the world, engineered and programmed to entertain and please, to always say ‘yes’ and never say ‘no’. And the irony was that they were represented as strong and brave– princesses who didn’t need saving- when in reality their lives were not their own. Their vulnerability and naivety was exploited, they were treated deplorably, they were emotionally abused and manipulated, they were harassed and assaulted and intimidated. They were objectified and paraded and displayed for the enjoyment of others and despite all of that, they were always told to be grateful for what they had. Is that really the kind of role model young girls should have? I also found it interesting that there were no male Fantasists. It reminded me of two articles I have read recently. The first was about the increasing popularity of artificial intelligence being modelled on female personas (for example things like Siri or Alexa having default female voices). The second being about the increase in parents banning their children to watch Disney princess movies because they don’t want them to think it is alright for a woman to always be saved by a man. Although The Kingdom is a work of fiction, it has some very real themes in it.

The Kingdom was the epitome of hypocrisy. At first glance, it seemed like a wonderful theme park- but beneath it’s pretty façade there was relentless anguish and pain. For example, at the time of the novel, nearly all of the animals we have today had gone extinct. Therefore, The Kingdom started a program to revive extinct creatures through bioengineering. They claimed they were doing good to the planet and helping preserve our world. But why would you reintroduce an animal only to put it in chains? To make it live a life in a cage being ogled at by visitors. The animals at The Kingdom were abused and starved and most of the bioengineered animals died in days, weeks or months due to genetic defects they were created with. Is that really helping the world? It repulsed me how they thought it was alright to make the cost of entertainment for some, the suffering of others.

The reason I knocked off a star was because at times the story did become a bit too confusing as it kept switching between different formats which made it hard to keep up with the plot.

Overall, I found The Kingdom very creepy but I would recommend it to someone looking for an original, thought provoking read. After reading it, some may wish for the chance to visit The Kingdom but I wouldn’t go there even if someone paid me. Why? Because my entertainment is not worth someone or something else’s pain.

Thank you to Macmillan and Jess Rothenberg for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinion expressed are my own.

HE KINGDOM starts off rather slow, and not much happens. We just bob around with Ana, being introduced to the Kingdom. There is a burst of activity around Nia, but then it slumps back into meandering as Ana obsesses over Owen. The ending is then very fast, with a lot of revelations coming at once.

This is a multimedia story, told through chapters, trial transcripts, interviews and more. The transcripts at points are interesting, and give an alternative look at the world. I quite liked them at times, and they were great at setting up the initial mystery - did Ana kill someone? Why?

However, they sometimes didn't add anything. There was a lot of Dr Foster arguing that Ana was just following her glitching programming. His interviews were very repetitive. A few times, a major twist was given in the trial reports - one that came much earlier than Ana discovered it. This meant her reaction (which was probably supposed to be very emotional) came across as flat because I'd know about X for chapters.

I really enjoyed this creative look into the future which has strong strains of Westworld. The Kingdom is a fantastical theme park world where they promise to cater for every dream. Helping to make those dreams come true are 7 gorgeous female fantasists, which I interpreted to be part organic and part robotic, We meet Ana via the transcripts of a murder trial, so we are aware early on that something terrible will happen. We also learn that there is a pattern of non-regular behaviour within many of the parks different species. This unpredictability is even more concerning since there should be no deviation from their programming.
While the concept doesn't feel completely new due to the overlaps with Westworld, I love how the author created the world and all the many tiny details required to make this believable. The characters are full and satisfying and the story unfolds at the perfect pace. The transcripts and story meld seamlessly and I couldn't put the book down. Overall, highly recommended and enjoyable.

I’ve seen lots of rave reviews about this book and was thrilled to receive a review copy. Unfortunately I didn’t live it as much as other have. It wasn’t a bad book, it just didn’t quite hit the spot for me. I struggled to get into the story and almost DNF’d it at one point.

I found Ana a hard character to get to like, she didn’t really have much personality of her own. Which I understand as she’s AI but it’s hard to get behind someone when you can’t understand what motivates them.

I was expecting Ana to be more rounded than she was, stronger maybe. Instead for a large part of the story she seemed to turn into a simpering ‘fairytale princess’ pining after a pretty boy. I want my heroines to have more get up and go than that.

The plot itself felt both rather thin and rather confused at times, characters who had previously been acting one way did sudden 360 turns and things that could have been explored more fell untouched by the wayside.

If the author was aiming for a Westworld type story I don’t think this quite made it.

The end also felt quite sudden, again without motivations being fully explored.

Overall not a book I was terribly keen on, although from what I’ve seen so far I may be in the minority with that opinion.

I raced through this and couldn't wait to return to it. Another brilliant YA title from Macmillan Children's Books. The premise is an interesting take on and development of things that have gone before - I hope the film or TV rights are snapped up if they haven't been already. The world of The Kingdom and the twists within it worked really well, given the ambitious set up and point of view, and I would love to follow these characters and read another installment of this story.

The Kingdom is a fabulous novel which mixes up Westworld and Disney World. All the way through the novel I couldn’t help but think of Disney! The Kingdom follows protagonist Ana, a fantasist (aka Hybrid A.I Princess) who has been created to make park guests dreams a reality. Mostly this is meeting and greeting, walking in parades, attending tea parties etc but as expected, there is a sinister and dark institute working in the background so everything isn’t quite as rosy as it seems in the park and Ana quickly becomes entangled in the not so perfect reality of The Kingdom and its creators and investors.

I really enjoyed this book as an introduction – it has set a good scene that I want to know more about and introduced characters I can root for in novels to come (hopefully). The Kingdom is the setting and designed as a theme park created to satisfy guests desires for experiences including being able to see animals that are now extinct. The narrative itself is told through story interactions between characters from Ana’s point of view as well as transcripts of interviews with Ana (and others) when she is in custody and on trial. Through this the story enfolds through the interview process and Ana’s memories of what actually happened and delivers all of the detail with a fresh outlook. I like the use of transcripts in the novel and find that it makes the book easy and quick to read!

The draw back for me was the lack of detail in the other fantasists but I understand it wasn’t really needed for the storyline in this novel. I would have enjoyed more interaction between Ana and Owen and I would have liked some more time with Eve & Pania – other ‘princesses’ especially these as they are mentioned the most. But this doesn’t detract from the quality of the writing, which is superb. The language flows quickly – I barely realised how much I had read until I was halfway through and although there are instances where sexual harassment/assault is hinted at, there is nothing explicit and it is handled with a gentle respect, not as a main plot point.

Overall I feel really positive about this book and I will definitely be looking at more of Jess Rothenberg’s writing from now on. If you’re looking at something to dip your toes into for Sci-Fi fantasy novels this will do the trick nicely!

I was intrigued by this book with it being described as a Westworld-esque story. The story follows Ana, both from her first hand account and then further accounts in the form of court transcripts. It seems scattered at first but it’s easy to follow.


Ana is one of seven (Ana, Kaia, Yumi, Eve, Zara, Pania, and Zel) fantasy princesses called Fantasists. They are built ‘human hybrids’ who are there to entertain the park guests. They are realistic, clever and each princess has their own style/theme to keep the guests happy, they get rated and have to keep up their visitor scores.


The sisters have a secret language to communicate, they know things aren’t quite what they seem but have always been told that they are safe in their ‘home’. While it’s not only princesses that live in the Kingdom, it’s animal hybrids too. Scientists have brought back to life previously extinct animals as well as creating new fantastical animals such as a horse that as butterfly wings.


We know there has been a murder but it’s not alluded as to who has been killed, we follow Ana’s story as we try to unravel the secrets of the Kingdom and solve a murder.


I did really enjoy this story, it makes you question the definition of humanity and morality. These Fantasists, while they aren’t human technically but hybrids are still objectified and treated as such. They are sexually harassed and often treated appallingly, there are no objections to it as they aren’t ‘human’. As you read though, you discover that each of the sisters are more than the sum of their parts so to speak.


Overall, The Kingdom is extremely well written in a refreshing way. The timeline is easy to follow and you really root for these characters. They are smart and I am so intrigued to see where this story goes. I did guess the ending as I was reading, more so for the fact that it was how I wanted the book to end and I was thrilled it went that way.

If you’re a fan of Westworld, The Illuminae Files or just want something super refreshing to read, get this book.

It’s a fast-pace, page-turning sci-fi fantasy that takes you along for a thrilling ride.

Westworld meets Disney World in The Kingdom , a YA Sci-fi book set in the future. The titular Kingdom is an attraction park like no other. After humans ruined the planet and certain species of animals became extinct, the park was built as a fantasy away from reality, with android animals redesigned and created for the park. But it wasn't just android animals The Kingdom has to offer, they also have Fantastists: robotic princesses that look just like young women, designed to help make visitors' wishes come true.

Meet Ana, our protagonist and one of the seven Fantastists. Everything seems to be going great for her up until she meets Owen, a new maintenance worker. Suddenly, everything she thought she knew about The Kingdom and herself is thrown into the air. Then things take a turn for the worse when she is accused of brutally murdering Owen. Told through multi-media such as interviews, first person narration, court documents and more, we explore Ana's story and just what happened to Owen..

So the concept of this book is not exactly original. As I've said, it's heavily inspired by Westworld and Disney world, and you could tell what parts of each the author wanted to include. That being said, I loved the premise. The world was interesting and I loved the mix of multi-media to tell the story. So I was fully into this book up until maybe 80-85% in. Then the reveal happened.. It felt a bit cheap and expected.. Urgh, boring, yawn.

Either way, I did somewhat enjoy it up until the part I mentioned. If there is a sequel, probably won't be reading it though

I can sum up this book in two words: Dystopian Disneyland.
Intrigued?
You should be because this is one hell of a ride.
Not quite sure?
Here are three more for you: tragic robot romance.
How about now?



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.

When I picked this on Netgalley, I was intrigued by the description – who wouldn’t be? An extreme virtual reality style theme park? Genetically modified princesses? A murder trial? I’ve never read anything quite like this before and I can guarantee you won’t have either.

The Kingdom is told via court transcripts, Ana’s narration, interview transcripts, news reports, and video footage, all intertwined and slowly unraveling what happened and why. Aside from being a dystopian, Disney style theme park, this book also poses a lot of questions about genetic modification and how real robots can be. It’s fast-paced and utterly engrossing. The romance element was really well done and there was so much I didn’t see coming.
The Kingdom is such a unique read and really well written, it was so refreshing to see this take on sci-fi/dystopia and how the world building was done made it so fantastical it was almost real!

On a side note, I do always try to include trigger warnings when I write reviews, so I will say that there are moments of animal cruelty, sexual assault (both implied and shown), attempted suicide and of course, murder.
All you need to know is that this is a brilliantly written, unique take on robots, if you’re a fan of Westworld, Black Mirror or just dystopia in general, make sure to pick up a copy of this the first chance you get.

This is definitely a mix of Westworld and Disney! I absolutely loved it, the concept was so interesting to me. If the fantasists and hybrids were created in a lab, not fully human then does that mean that they cannot feel?
The plot was fab and it was so fast-paced! I loved the little twist at the end. A really fab book that will stay with me for a long time.

I loved this Westworld meets Disney YA novel. The characters were well drawn and the growing intrigue was beautifully paced.

Sooo is this what happens when Disneyworld goes bad? Probably. The Kingdom provides entertainment with tea parties and animal shows and princesses to meet and greet. But the animals and princesses are all hybrids. Created in labs to appear realistic but powered by technology.

Ana is one of the princesses and she likes learning languages and reading. She follows her routine and welcomes guests to the kingdom. The perfect image of a princess. She also is on trial for murder. Has Ana learnt to have feelings and become autonomous? Or is she malfunctioning and headed for shutdown?

This is a really interesting concept and the questions of AI or hybrid development are intriguing. But there is a lot that's left unexplained or undeveloped, you are left to fill in the blanks and you tend to fill them in with Disneyworld and theme parks. It's such a strong brand idea that it covers up some gaps in the writing. It's still a really enjoyable novel and the use of trial transcripts and security documents adds to the tension of the whole is Ana guilty question.

I loved this so much, it reminded me of Disneyland, only with futuristic hybrid robot princesses that develop glitches in their programming!!
Brilliant, immersive read, darker than I was expecting, as it covers some deeper topics such as animal cruelty, sexual harassment and suicide.
This was one fun, engaging, action packed sci-fi fantasy thrill ride!!!

#TheKingdom is a theme park in the future, and Ana the main character is a hybrid Fantasist, an android/human Princess (think Disney Princess) who’s sole function is to make the guests happy and their dreams come true.

Ana is now being held in prison accused of murder, and the story is told via the courtroom and from Ana’s POV at the time of the events.

After a traumatic event involving one of her sister princesses, Ana begins to question the world she knows and becomes interested in one the maintenance staff romantically. Can a hybrid fall in love? Can a hybrid kill?

I really enjoyed this book, thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for my free advance copy in return for an unbiased review.

This review will be posted on my blog, Foxes and Fairy Tales, on June 20,

The Kingdom is a fascinating blend of science-fiction, fantasy and terrifyingly believable AI.

The book is fast-paced and very easily readable and it's scattered through with trial excerpts and interview fragments which, together with Ana's POV of her time in the park, come together to tell the story.

There's a great mystery element to The Kingdom. We start the story with Ana on trial for murder, but to find out the victim, the motive and whether or not she is guilty you have to wait and watch the details as they're gradually revealed.

Ana is one of the android princesses that belong to The Kingdom theme park (along with her sisters Kaia, Yumi, Eve, Zara, Pania, and Zel). She's a really interesting narrator because at time's she's very innocent and naive, while at others she's more snarky and worldly. She develops from the well-behaved, dutiful daughter to a strong-willed rebel as her curiosity gets the better of her.

I thought the ending was a tad rushed and a couple of things could have been explained in a little more depth, but otherwise it was an exciting read.

There's a lot going on in The Kingdom: interesting looks at climate change and it's effects, genetic engineering and a controlling Big-Brother-like authority. The ending was a total surprise to me, the romance sweet and the premise is unlike any other YA novel I've read.

I really enjoyed this book. .

I think the idea of a theme part in a dystopian setting was a lot of fun, different than what I read before. I cared about the characters. I think the plot was good paced with things to be curious about. There were elements of a thriller as well, which made me turn the pages.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Picture this: a futuristic Disney World swarmed with robotic hybrid animals and instead of Disney Princesses, there are flawless, androids named ´Fantasists´ whose sole goal is to make the park guests' fantasies come alive.

I´ve read numerous books lately based around the post-human arguments surrounding genetic modification or the creation of flawless androids. As a result, I feel as if that altered my reading experience slightly.

The theme park was so intriguing. The book was such a quick read so I would have loved more details about this futuristic Disney-like world. I also underestimated how dark this tale would be. The men overseeing the female androids possess perverse desires. They objectify the androids and, considering they were created to simply look pretty and serve, they expect them to obey even the most twisted commands. They don´t have feelings, they don´t have desires. Or do they?

Our protagonist, Ana, is one of the seven beautiful android Fantasist sisters. She´s a machine, devoid of human emotion. That is until her relationship with a park ranger, Owen, starts to blossom. Unfortunately, from here, the whole romance plot and the what-it-means-to-be-human storyline didn't interest me much. Dreams, tears, and a fluttering heartbeat whenever she feels his gaze; these emotions and experiences are new to her. As her emotions intensify, she begins to figure out the meaning of love, life and humanity and starts to question The Kingdom´s ethics. While the story jumps back and forth between two years prior to Ana´s murder trial and to the post-trial interview, it all draws to a somewhat predictable ending.

This book may have not been my favourite, but it was a lot of fun nonetheless. It proposes some poignant questions about not only the lengths to which those in power will go to provide entertainment to the masses but also the frightening possibilities of our future technology.

I think this is definitely a case of “it’s me, not you” because I couldn’t get into The Kingdom at all. I loved the sound of it, and it started off great, but I just couldn’t connect with it. The writing is good, the premise is everything I would look for, but for some reason I just didn’t get in with it at all. Rating it high because it’s me that’s the problem, not the book!