e-ARC, 352 pages
Release Date: May 28, 2019Published by: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Read from: May 22-29, 2019Stand-alone (?)Source: Edelweiss (I received a copy of this book from Edelweiss and the Publisher in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)TW: DeathFor fans of: Sparkly Covers, Science Fiction, Bombshell Endings, Contemporary, YAWelcome to the Kingdom… where ‘Happily Ever After’ isn’t just a promise, but a rule.
Glimmering like a jewel behind its gateway, The Kingdom(TM) 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 THOUGHTS*
When I first started this I was feeling kind of iffy about it. I think I was put off by the princess theme. But as it turns out…. That ended up being one of the things I liked best about it. In other words, this book will show you not to trust anything.
“COME ON GUYS. EVERYBODY KNOWS PRINCESSES DON’T NEED SAVING“5%
The Kingdom is a theme park where guests can get anything and everything they want. There’s animals, other princesses, and so much more. All of which were made in a lab. When Ana (one of those man made princesses) and human Owen have a connection, they teach each other certain human traits…. Like love. Until Ana is accused of murdering the very man she just learned to love….
“Dr. Foster: It seems like you’ve changed, Ana.” “Ana: Being accused of murder will do that to you, Dr. Foster.“5%
The number one thing I liked about this was the fact that there was always something happening. The plot never slowed down. It got weirder and weirder the more I turned the page. (Well scrolled over lol) And with the way the story was told (in chapters, interview and court room transcripts) it moved fast and made it really enjoyable.
“…we program our girls with three main objectives: Provide safety. Seek connection. Deliver satisfaction. Any and all aberrant behavior that technically qualifies as mechanical error.”32%
Another thing I really liked about this was the cyborg/android aspect. I love that books on this subject are coming out now. I really enjoyed this one and Girls With Sharp Sticks. HOWEVER, The only reason I didn’t give this one 5 stars was because it was a bit too much like the other. I was able to guess the ending because I read both. I had a feeling where this was going, but it still was a !!!!!! moment when I got to it lol Had there been more of a difference, I think I would have given it the full 5. But now it feels like they both just followed a long list of troupes.
“Humans are lucky. Somehow they do not always require empirical data to tell whether or not a thing is true. They just know.“78%
Speaking of the end, I did like the ending. But there are so many loopholes there in the ending that I really hope means a sequel. But the good thing is, even if there isn’t one, it is still most definitely a solid enough ending for it to stand on its own. But still, I can only hope there is more. Because I still have questions. And I really need to see what happens next.
“Human beings are not infallible and neither is our technology.“84%
This book was really a surprise. The cover is amazing and the inside is just as amazing! Androids and cyborgs aren’t something I was expecting to see in YA trends, but after some of my favorites (like Iko and Mena) I am super happy to see more of them added to the YA world. I hope the future ones are alot like this one!
Overall, I give this
