Ben Dean has become an insta-buy author for me. I loved this dark, twisty mystery and the slant of setting it inside the world of a reimagined royal family. The characterisation was brilliant, as I spent the whole book wondering who I could trust and being surprised as Dean peeled back their layers. I can't wait to see what he writes next!

This was an interesting read and i liked what it did. I really liked James as a character and found him compelling to follow. This book had the right element of mystery and sweetness from the scenes between James and his love interests. I liked the elements of intrigue in here and it was done really well and in a way that was fairly believable. Dean had really good writing and it kept me hooked all the way through.

A really easy read, I enjoyed this book very much! I will certainly looking out for more by this author! Thank you for letting me read an ARC netgalley

I listened to the audiobook for this and flew through it. In fact I finished it in one sitting.
I had no issue to just get lost in the story.
While I do think it could have done a little more I still enjoyed it.
Showing how the public/media treat black people, even those in the royal family.
The mystery reveal didn't shock me. I felt it was kind of obvious. Jealousy is a powerful motive.

The King is Dead is one of those books you must read in one sitting. It’s not one you can read a chapter of and put down. We should know as we were up until 2 AM reading it as we had to keep turning the pages to find out what happened next.

It’s an original and compelling twist on the usual royal stories. The King Is Dead has so much depth and the characters are complex and nuanced, it’s wonderful to peel back the layers of each of them as the suspense-filled story unfolds.

As a former celeb journalist Benjamin Dean is no stranger to writing about the scandalous exploits of people in the public eye, he uses all his knowledge in his debut YA because The King Is Dead has so many twists and turns which make it delicious and compelling reading. As fellow celeb journalists, even we couldn’t predict and were shocked by the ending, we did not see it coming, we thought the culprit was someone completely different.

Whilst I enjoyed this book, I feel that it could of definitely been built on. There were various characters which I wish there was their pov and it would of prevented it from feeling particular repetitive in some parts. The ending also wasn't satisfying enough for me and I had hoped for more.

** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley

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The King is Dead, by Benjamin Dean
★★★★★
357 Pages
1st person POV, past tense (except for the Epilogue, which is present)
Content Warning: racism, blackmail, threats, forced outing of an LGBT teen, mentions of off-page teen sex, hints of bullying, defamation by newspapers, poison pen letters, death of a parent, grief.


The King is Dead is a stunning YA novel that encompasses what it means to be King, royalty, and family. It's the story of a teenager thrust into an adult world, learning about family, lies, secrets, revenge and forgiveness. All while trying to come to terms with the heavy weight of being the first Black King (who is secretly gay).

I got this book in May, but due to circumstances out of my control, I didn't get the chance to read it until November. That made the entire book feel so much more timely, in relevance to the real world. The claims of a Black woman “infiltrating” the Royal family. The ghostly reminders of Diana being considered the Darling of the media, yet haunted by them, right up to her death. There are chilling, but relevant, conversations about skin colour, acceptance, and reminders of when Meghan Markle revealed the awful “talks” the Royals had about baby Archie's skin colour. And, of course, the Queen has recently died, so the whole funerary procession was quite poignant. The events of this book felt not only relevant but like a conversation that really needs to continue, until these things no longer happen.

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CHARACTERS

The story is told in a single character's POV, with only one scene told in that of a reporter's POV. My only problem with this was that it took 12 pages to learn James' name. This is the inherent problem with 1st person POV, in my opinion. It takes way too long to find out who “you” as the main character is, and if James wasn't a twin, it would have taken that long or longer to discovered what he looked like.

Saying that, James is an instantly relatable teenager. He can be moody at times, a little woe-is-me when life is a bit too chaotic, but considering all he has to deal with in this book, that is totally understandable. As another character says in the book, he's a calm sea and generally tries to think through a situation before instantly reacting to it, but he's also a realistically written teenager who can't always control his emotions.
Being secretly gay, and suddenly thrust into the role of King, James struggles with his identity and his place on the throne. Yet, sadly, he's publicly outed against his will, and has to deal with not only the fallout, but the implosion of his secret relationship, when it's theorized that his boyfriend had turned traitor.

There are multiple minor characters, who all have their part to play in the story, but I can't say much about them without giving away spoilers. So, here's a quick rundown.
Mum – she's the matriarch, but also a strong woman who has just suffered a terrible grief, so she's not always as well held together as usual.
Eddie – James' twin, but younger by mere minutes. He's a complex character, with a chip on his shoulder and bottles up his feelings, but he's also quite happy to be the life and soul of the party, bringing a sprinkle of joy back into their lives despite the grief.
Jonathan – James' secret boyfriend, and a worker in the palace. He's young but mature, and he's the one thing that keeps James together after his father's death.
Ophelia – as the daughter of a financially struggling family, Ophelia is convinced to become James' beard, pretending to be his girlfriend to battle rumours he might be gay. She's got a lot of internal struggles going on, but she's a good friend to James, being his support in times of trouble.
Grigor – Eddie's best friend, and once crush of James, he's a stoic, well kept together young man, who sees things more clearly than others. He's quite mature, but also a great sounding board to James, a good friend to Eddie, and a potential love interest for James.
Gayle – she basically runs the entire palace, and controls the flow of information and people within the palace. She's a little stern at times, prim and proper, and things of the Crown first and foremost. She's extremely dedicated to the Royal family and its legacy.
Peter – as James' personal bodyguard/personal security, he's almost like a second father to James. He's dedicated to protecting James, and does everything in his power to help him, even when everything around them is falling apart.
Quinn – a reporter for an unscrupulous newspaper, Quinn doesn't care who he hurts with his stories as long as it gets him attention. Writing multiple stories that slander the royal family, promoting his racist views, he gets away with truly terrorising the teenage King with some awful stories. Including outing him against his will.

All of the characters have their place, and their importance in the story, but it never feels overwhelming. Listing them all felt more complicated than reading about them, because they all appeared at appropriate moments, with their own pivotal scene or moment. Some linger in the periphery, while others are consistently on page and important throughout the entire novel.

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PLOT

The concept of the book was clever, as well as timely and historically important. Not only was it incredibly poignant to read about a young Black man becoming King, and his struggles against the constant negative media attention, but it's an own-voice story and hits harder for that reason. The slurs and insults that abound, against a defenseless teenager, are sadly things that we have all seen or heard on the news, in the papers, said about other young Black people, and against Meghan Markle, while in the Royal spotlight.

There are so many elements to the story that it's hard to list them all.
Blackmail, through poison pen letters, that threaten to expose family secrets.
A YA LGBT romance, which is challenged by the possibility of betrayal by a lover.
A bullying cousin, determined to make James' life a misery, even within his own home.
The loss, grief and devastation of James having lost his father, and becoming King at seventeen.

Those are just the most prominent aspect of the story – and the only non-spoiler ones I can share – and yet the plot never felt heavy-handed or over-layered with ideas. They all wove together seamlessly, without clashing or fighting each other for the spotlight.

The pacing was perfect. There would be heavily intense moments of stress, panic and paranoia as a new poison pen letter was discovered, a moment of romance, a time of grief and despair over the family's recent loss, and then the mystery of who was targeting the family and how they knew all these terrible secrets to pass onto the press. I never felt like there was no time to breathe between intense moments, or that the light-hearted relief ruined the tension. Everything was plotted so perfectly, to give you time to take a breath, consider the mystery, evaluate the suspects, and follow James' emotions all the way throughout the novel. Experiencing every high and low with him.

There were multiple times that I cried or welled up with the onset of tears, some as early as Chapter 1. When James read the letter from his father. When James was at his most vulnerable, grieving but never allowed to be alone to express his emotions or really, truly embrace them.

The mystery of the poison pen letters was incredibly well written. From never knowing who wrote them, how they got left in supposedly tightly-secure locations, to the motivation behind it all, there was so much to consider, and so many suspects. At one point, everyone but James' Mum, Eddie and Peter were suspects, and the final resolution was so well planned and plotted that it came completely out of left field. There had been hints to the culprit, but there had been just as many pros and cons for and against the other suspects that there was never just one clear betrayer. It had me guessing right until the big reveal.

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OVERALL

The King is Dead is a novel that currently sits on my bookshelf and will be re-read many times over. With it's blend of royal scandal, poison pen letters, a teen romance, and the intense betrayal of the final reveal, there wasn't anything I didn't love about it.

The writing style, the pacing, the plot points, and the intensity of the scandal woven into the lure of a new teen romance were so perfect that I can't find anything to complain about. The cast of characters – from central to secondary, royal to ordinary folk – was diverse and well used, with each person pushing the story forward in a natural way. The entire thing was engrossing, engaging, and an emotional journey that I'll happily hop onto again, in the future.

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Favourite Quotes

“I let my legs begin to steer me down the corridor, away from the security office and towards my quarters, wondering if what Peter had said were true, and if I now walked safely in the heart of the palace...or stood alone behind enemy lines.”

“Jonathan's name felt forbidden here. It crouched in the darkness like a thief, ready to steal the light I was still trying to find in myself.”

This is just brilliant. I loved every second of this - Benjamin just gets it. I’d love more from this group of characters. They’re sexy, sassy and sensational.

The King is Dead does so much for the YA genre and, growing up with majority heteronormative white novels, it was great to see.

Following the story of Prince James, the King dies, and so James has to step up. Young and unexperienced, as well as trying to hide his sexuality, balance his relationship with his twin, and protect his family from the press, James has a lot to live up to - and he's not sure he can. And then people start to go missing and information is leaked, and James can't help but wonder who is acting against him.

I liked what this story was doing around racism and classism, especially in a uniquely British way. It felt fresh to read compared to the American counterparts. However, I did find the writing a bit slow and cliché which meant the plot was really obvious to me. Nonetheless, I think for a young reader this story covers a lot of important topics in a way that would keep people hooked to discover who is out to get James.

It was really strange reading this at the time the Queen actually did die - it strangely put things in this story into perspective. I really enjoyed the mystery and intrigue and it wasn't until the last second that I clicked on to who was behind everything.

The King is Dead is a YA mystery, which is set in an alternate Britain. Following the sudden death of his father, James is crowned king at age 17. As the first black king, he is under close scrutiny from the press, and he has a secret that he is determined to keep from the public. When his lover goes missing, threatening messages start appearing in envelopes in the palace and secrets are leaked to the press, James quickly realises that there are few that he can trust.
The mystery was well constructed, and it was interesting to see how the tabloid press could influence and turn public opinion. Dean addresses the issues of systemic racism and homophobia, making this a very relevant read. Definitely worth exploring if you haven’t picked it up yet!

This was a solid ya mystery and I loved the royal aspect, especially with the protagonist being a queer black teenage king of great Britain. The mystery itself wasn't the most original and it was a bit predictable but it was a fun beach read!

Just read The King is Dead by @NotAgainBen. Loved the behind the scenes skulduggery & media furore following the ascension of a Black LGBTQ+ heir to the throne. We definitely need a copy & amazing poster in
@DHFSLrc!
@NetGalley
@DHFSUpdate
📚🌈📚👑🌈📚🌈

my review was posted as a quote tweet on 19th July 2022 following on from:

Giveaway! 🚨👑
To celebrate the release of THE KING IS DEAD, I’m giving away 3 TKID bundles which include a signed copy, poster, holographic sticker and bookmark!
Retweet, follow and leave a 👑 in the comments to enter, UK only, closes Friday (22/7) @ 12pm. Good luck! 💖

Royal secrets and racist issues will entertain teenage readers, alongside a nice queer love story. The story is sometimes disturbingly close to the real British royal family.
For fans of Dean Atta, "The Royals" and "Red, White & Royal Blue".

📚 r e v i e w 📚
The king is dead - benjamin dean
Look, I know This is probably not the best time to read a book that involves the death of a monarch but this has been on my tbr for far too long and at this point netgalley is going to blacklist me. So here we go.

Anyway - this is a strong debut about an alternate britain where the king marries a black woman and raises mixed race twin boys, meaning when he dies, the next king is black. He’s also gay. In a move clearly inspired by the press’ treatment of meghan markle, he is hated by the tabloids. This along with the intrigue of palace life and a little mystery to solve makes it a fun and fast read. My only gripe is that it doesnt quite go far enough with some of the issues it raises. I’d have loved to have seen James, as a black man, tackle the concept of being the head of an establishment that has a history of colonialism and more discussion of the press, alongside the intrigue.
Thank you @netgalley for the early copy. Sorry i chose now to read it.
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#bookworm #bookblogging #bookblogger #fiction #readerlife #readersofinstagram #bibliophile #bibliophilelife #bookstagram #reading #bookstagrammer #booklover #booksbooksbooks #bookreview

Headlines:
Queer black protagonist
Mystery suspense
Lots of drama

The King is Dead is an unusual choice of read because I am the opposite of a monarchist but in the same breath, a queer, black young King was a bit too interesting a characterisation to ignore. I did like the LGBTQ+ focus, the parentage twists, the recognition of the inherent racism in the UK and the complicated family and friendships.

There's a lot of drama in this read and I had to remind myself that James was only 17 and his flitting between attraction, allegiances and risky outings was due to his immaturity. I had to fully suspend realism to get behind this story. I could really see some mirroring in some of the current royal family and racism they've experienced and how Jame's position was viewed by the public and press.

The mystery was a bit far fetched but this was a quick thrilling read which kept a good momentum. I definitely see the Gossip Girl analogy in relation to this book and I think it will appeal to many.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for the eARC.

I really like books that explore the concept of a 'royal family ', and themes of duty to a people Vs the (very natural) needs and wants of the individual. And I think this book did that well - while balancing a mystery, multiple love interests and having the king deal with discrimination and harassment from the press.

This fast paced, tense YA is filled with twists and drama. Once I'd started, I couldn't put it down! It was a really interesting and topical take on the British Royal family, filled with luxury, duty and secrets - so many secrets!

Queer, teen, black and the New King. What a story! I totally devoured this, loved the mystery and intrigue in the tale as well as the social commentary. Interesting, thought provoking and gripping.

Shady vibes, hidden secrets, the royal family and a gay teen prince? I'm all the way in!

17 year old James is unexpectedly thrust into the role of King when his father dies, and then his secret boyfriend goes missing, mystery ensues. The King is Dead really puts it's finger on the toxic relationship between the public, the press and the royal family, as well as addressing both racism and homophobia, both within the elite and the public. This is really topical right now.

This is a young adult book and the plot is fairly simple. The mystery wasn't a total surprise to me, but certainly enough to keep me in suspense. With the addition of the important issues being discussed, I think this is a pretty solid read and I'd recommend it to teens AND adults - as we all need to explore a different idea of the world, and have a little bit of fun & mystery thrown in.