The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg

It is fairly well-known that throughout many people's lives one company has had influence in many childhoods is Disney. Disney is a company which owns so many franchises throughout the world and the best of it is showcased at their resorts. This is one of the many childhood dreams to go to such a place like this for any child or adult for that matter, but what if things are not what they seem?

Rothenberg creates a fictional version of a resort, similar in kind to all the theme park resorts that we have all come to love throughout our lives, but it holds a massive difference, robots. Not just ordinary robots either. Robots that act in a way that makes them just as human as the actors that perform alongside them. In particular it focuses on seven particular robots, known as the princesses, which have been designed in a way that satisfies every dream that a visitor asks for as soon as they enter through their doors.

But trouble is brewing. Things are changing. Memories are coming to the surface for the princess known as Ana and begins to question moralities of not only herself, but those who she believes that look after her. After all, as long as she stays in the kingdom, all is safe right? The outside is broken and her best chance is doing as she is told. But one thing leads to another and she is fighting between what she knows is true within herself and what she is perceived to be, simply a program that can be shut down.

I'm glad Rothenberg took the direction of giving the reader the image of what we perceive ourselves as humans to be and what morality means to each individual person. Especially when the princesses come to terms with what they actually are. Real sentient beings. This could have been expanded even more than having a love story. As much as I found Owen to help Ana on her journey of self-discovery, I hate to say this but I didn't mind that he wasn't there for a period of time. I didn't miss him or want to see what happened to him.

Ana's relationship with another princess known as Nia, is also an interesting one. I feel like there are so many unanswered questions to how it alters within the storyline. Ana, how did you not see that coming? It was almost like she was somewhat sleepwalking throughout a part of her relationship with not only Nia, but also Eve. I wanted to know more about these specific relationships rather than Owen.

The people who I did want to know more about after finishing the book is the remaining princesses. Why the cliff-hanger? I'm not sure whether Rothenberg has decided to continue the story, but there was no hint of what will happen next. If there isn't a next instalment I really do feel like it was pointless to try and convey a message which clearly is left in the dark at the end. But hey, I'm not the writer. For this reason, I gave it a four star rating on Goodreads.

Comments

My Favourite Books... So Far

I have only really been reading seriously since I was thirteen years old, but I sure have found some books which I believe have really entertained and changed my perspective of life. Here are a few that I have rounded up that might be of interest to you. 1. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl Yes, this is pretty much a staple in any young reader's bookshelf, but not for me it wasn't. I didn't get to read this treasure until I was nineteen and I was so annoyed that I left it so long. Seriously, who doesn't love the idea of winning a golden ticket to a chocolate factory? It's the perfect little read for any age. Don't get me started on the writing! Oh, I could talk all day about it. It's simply perfection. 2. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell I know I'm basic. This is already such a popular book already, but I just couldn't resist. This book personally came at the right time for me. I read it just as I was going round and researching universities t...

From Worm to Bookworm

Since beginning of this blog back in 2014, I have taken you through many of the books that I have read and my thoughts on various other topics involving books. However, one thing that I have never really opened up about is how I became a bookworm . How I started and how my love affair still continues to this day. Back in primary school I struggled. I mean really struggled. Struggled to fit in, struggled to be present, struggled with reading and comprehension and make any real friends. It was only when i moved to another primary school i began to see my self-worth. I was finally able to have the chance to read anything. You would think this is where I got the bug right? WRONG! Yes, the change helped me but it wasn’t long, I mean just under two years until I thrust upon secondary school. As you can imagine, this was a challenge like what most 11 year olds would experience. Me? I felt like I had been swallowed up whole. It was only when I turned year 8 (12-13 years old) the wind began to ...

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life by Eric Idle

So what do I truly think about this book? Well, it says it all when it takes a whole two years to get through. If I am being honest, when I first came to read this book I was very excited. Possibly even elated to find out more about one of my favourite pythons. But I came out with a very different opinion to what I began with. First of all, if you want to keep your sanity, as well as your time and money, don't read this. I mean seriously don't read it - not even if you have a curiosity. Trust me it will help you in the long-run. The book itself starts with his beginnings, who he was and what made him become the very python that we all know today. (Albeit, this can be seen to be very brief). But after this character development is where this book begins its downfall into the pit of doom. Why? Is all I can really say. Fame has really gone to his head. He has really gone down the road of no return. Not only did he cheat on his first wife but his name droppings became inc...

Here We Are Now by Jasmine Warga

When I look at 'Here we are now' I think of a fair few things. First of all, there is not many father/daughter relationship type YA books on the market at the moment. Secondly, I thought that it would be interesting to see how such a relationship between father and daughter, with the added stress of the Dad being famous adds to the hype of this type of story. However, when delving into the book itself, it felt as though it was more about the relationship between her father and mother, rather than the main protagonist herself. In fact, it seemed as though the main character was pushed to the side so much, due to the flashbacks, that it felt as though she was a weak supporting character. To this day, it feels as though I haven't really understood what Taliah (the supposed main character) was all about and her mind processes, that we usually see with other beloved characters. Throughout the book I had found that for the plot itself, I felt as though it was far too shor...

Angels and Demons

As i am an A-level Religious Studies student, i feel like it would be wrong not to read this book. Not because it is mandatory or even relevant. I also understand that most of the information presented within this book was false and harshly critised. But no matter what, it is all a bit of fiction; a bit of entertainment. So this is the first book in the Robert Langdon series, which i must admit the character himself is very dear. I don't know why but after completing the whole of the book, i couldn't stop thinking about the plot. It may have been because how some of the twists in the book are pretty much outrageous. Or that most of the information about the Vatican i have never heard about before. The plot itself is about Robert Langdon has been called up in the middle of the night because of a significant murder. Branded by the Illuminati. Vittoria Vetra and himself discover that the antimatter once created by the victim of the murder is now missing. The only clue to k...