What do you think?
Rate this book
The King is Dead
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda meets The Inheritance Games in this Black LGBTQ+ royal romp full of heart-swooning romance, scandalous secrets and one hell of a mystery.
James has been a prince all of his life, and since he was born, he's been thrust into the spotlight as the first Black heir to the throne. But when his father unexpectedly dies, James is crowned king at seventeen. Now, the secrets he could keep as a prince with no real responsibility - namely, his sexuality and hidden relationship - are rocked as his life irrevocably changes.
When his boyfriend suddenly goes missing, the royal secrets and scandals that only he knows start to leak online. And when it becomes clear that whoever is behind the messages isn't going to stop anytime soon, James begins to question everyone around him .
James has been a prince all of his life, and since he was born, he's been thrust into the spotlight as the first Black heir to the throne. But when his father unexpectedly dies, James is crowned king at seventeen. Now, the secrets he could keep as a prince with no real responsibility - namely, his sexuality and hidden relationship - are rocked as his life irrevocably changes.
When his boyfriend suddenly goes missing, the royal secrets and scandals that only he knows start to leak online. And when it becomes clear that whoever is behind the messages isn't going to stop anytime soon, James begins to question everyone around him .
368 pages, Paperback
First published July 7, 2022
85 people are currently reading
8013 people want to read
About the author
Benjamin Dean
6 books88 followersBenjamin Dean is a London-based celebrity reporter. His biggest achievement to date is breaking the news that Rihanna can’t wink (she blinks, in case you were wondering). Benjamin can be found on Twitter as @notagainben tweeting about Rihanna and LGBTQ+ culture to his 10,000+ followers. Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow is his debut book and he's currently working on his second, publishing in 2022.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 403 reviews
November 3, 2022
A book about a gay modern prince, pitched with all the dark, shady vibes of Gossip Girl? You don’t need much more to gain my interest. I am a royalty fanatic at this point.
The King is Dead follows James, a young seventeen year old prince, thrust into the role of king far too soon when his father passes. The book explores the relationship between the royal family and the public, racism, and homophobia in British society. James’ main issue is figuring out how to rule the country and keep his relationship a secret. That all changes when his boyfriend suddenly goes missing.
At times the mystery was a little too on the nose. If you enjoy books that wear their heart on their sleeve, this is one for you. The plot was not shocking, it was obvious where the book was going. The mystery was not as exciting as I was expecting from a book compared to Gossip Girl, nor do I think it really needed to be. The heart and strength of the prose came from the discussion around the relationship between celebrities and the media. We’ve all seen how the British press have treated Meghan Markle, and people of colour are held to a higher standard than their white counterparts. The way Dean explored how the tabloids clawed at James’ secrets, outed him to the public at seventeen, and attacked his character and queerness, felt accurate to how they would likely treat a real queer prince. The racism experienced by Alexandra as the first Black British queen, the way the press compared her to their perfect, white princess Catherine, echoes the fabricated rivalry of Meghan and Kate. The clean, untainted Catherine that the public loved did not exist. It was interesting to see that Catherine had her own secrets, and I liked how Dean demonstrated how Black women are held to such an impossible standard in the press.
I wish the book had focused more on those elements instead of the mystery. There were a few themes and passages that felt repetitive, and I wanted the author to explore the wider royal family and palace intrigue. This would have benefited from multiple POVs, following several members of the family, each receiving their own mysterious notes and desperately trying to conceal their secrets. The romance plot, with multiple love interests, was a little confusing, and the resolution at the end didn’t feel warranted. The bones are there, and if expanded slightly, this could be a brilliant, powerful novel. Nonetheless, if you look beyond those things, this is a light-hearted, fun mystery.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
You can follow me on: Instagram Twitter TikTok
The King is Dead follows James, a young seventeen year old prince, thrust into the role of king far too soon when his father passes. The book explores the relationship between the royal family and the public, racism, and homophobia in British society. James’ main issue is figuring out how to rule the country and keep his relationship a secret. That all changes when his boyfriend suddenly goes missing.
At times the mystery was a little too on the nose. If you enjoy books that wear their heart on their sleeve, this is one for you. The plot was not shocking, it was obvious where the book was going. The mystery was not as exciting as I was expecting from a book compared to Gossip Girl, nor do I think it really needed to be. The heart and strength of the prose came from the discussion around the relationship between celebrities and the media. We’ve all seen how the British press have treated Meghan Markle, and people of colour are held to a higher standard than their white counterparts. The way Dean explored how the tabloids clawed at James’ secrets, outed him to the public at seventeen, and attacked his character and queerness, felt accurate to how they would likely treat a real queer prince. The racism experienced by Alexandra as the first Black British queen, the way the press compared her to their perfect, white princess Catherine, echoes the fabricated rivalry of Meghan and Kate. The clean, untainted Catherine that the public loved did not exist. It was interesting to see that Catherine had her own secrets, and I liked how Dean demonstrated how Black women are held to such an impossible standard in the press.
I wish the book had focused more on those elements instead of the mystery. There were a few themes and passages that felt repetitive, and I wanted the author to explore the wider royal family and palace intrigue. This would have benefited from multiple POVs, following several members of the family, each receiving their own mysterious notes and desperately trying to conceal their secrets. The romance plot, with multiple love interests, was a little confusing, and the resolution at the end didn’t feel warranted. The bones are there, and if expanded slightly, this could be a brilliant, powerful novel. Nonetheless, if you look beyond those things, this is a light-hearted, fun mystery.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
You can follow me on: Instagram Twitter TikTok
July 11, 2022
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review!
When I found out that this was about a gay, Black teen prince ascending to the throne and the drama and mystery that followed, I could not have requested an ARC fast enough. I love reading books with queer celebrities navigating their personal lives while in the public eye and the stakes could not be higher than for the heir to the British throne. This one not only has to contend with animosity from the press and the threat of outing but with the negative public opinion of his family, whether due to bigoted ideas of what British royalty should look and behave like or a larger issue with the monarchy in general.
That exploration of the relentless targeting of James in the media was sadly all too true to life and was one of the highlights of this book. It examines how people of colour are consistently held to much higher standards than their white counterparts, how tears shed in public are weakness on him but endearing and warranted on someone else, how people will use any perceived misstep as an opportunity to publicly channel their racism or homophobia under the guise of concern for the country’s wellbeing. James shares that he feels he could rule for 100 years and solve every problem the UK has and it still wouldn’t be enough to change the minds of those who will never wholly accept - let alone respect - him and his family. The first person narration served here to highlight just how oppressive the constant comparison to others can be, and how the mounting pressure of secrets, uncertainty and public scrutiny took its toll.
As we’re hearing his thoughts from the outset, we learn early on that James is gay, though the identity of his boyfriend remains a secret for the first few chapters. Shortly after it’s revealed, however, his boyfriend goes missing without a trace. In light of this, plus the very recent death of his father, the media scandals, and everything else on his plate, I did struggle to believe there was time for another romance, so the arrival of a second love interest definitely surprised me. I wasn’t entirely sold on how James could tell someone he loved them for the first time, find out they’re missing, then fall for someone else almost immediately afterwards. I understand he viewed it as a welcome distraction from the mess in other facets of his life, and I certainly wanted him to be happy, but I struggled to get on board with that aspect of the narrative.
I know I have a real tendency to overthink when I’m reading and am forever trying to work out exactly where things are going. I turn that Nancy Drew dial in my brain up to a thousand when it’s a mystery. I fixate on dialogue and behaviours and spend more time theorising than actually enjoying the book, so for the last 20 or so percent of this I decided I would loosen up a bit and just let the reveals happen. I had much more fun just going along with the drama in this way, and there were at least 10 moments in the last 10 percent alone that would have warranted cuing the Eastenders theme song. Some of my Grand Ideas were right and I was a little off with others, but there’s definitely enough red herrings and twists here to keep you guessing until the end! There were some side characters with backstories so interesting that I wish we had been able to spend more time on hearing about them. As it was, I felt there were a few too many things still up in the air by the end for me.
Ultimately, though, this was a fun queer read exploring double standards and the treatment of people of colour in the public eye, with heaps of family secrets and drama. It’s out now in the UK so let me know what you think if you grab a copy!
You can find me on my bookstagram for more reviews and recs!
When I found out that this was about a gay, Black teen prince ascending to the throne and the drama and mystery that followed, I could not have requested an ARC fast enough. I love reading books with queer celebrities navigating their personal lives while in the public eye and the stakes could not be higher than for the heir to the British throne. This one not only has to contend with animosity from the press and the threat of outing but with the negative public opinion of his family, whether due to bigoted ideas of what British royalty should look and behave like or a larger issue with the monarchy in general.
That exploration of the relentless targeting of James in the media was sadly all too true to life and was one of the highlights of this book. It examines how people of colour are consistently held to much higher standards than their white counterparts, how tears shed in public are weakness on him but endearing and warranted on someone else, how people will use any perceived misstep as an opportunity to publicly channel their racism or homophobia under the guise of concern for the country’s wellbeing. James shares that he feels he could rule for 100 years and solve every problem the UK has and it still wouldn’t be enough to change the minds of those who will never wholly accept - let alone respect - him and his family. The first person narration served here to highlight just how oppressive the constant comparison to others can be, and how the mounting pressure of secrets, uncertainty and public scrutiny took its toll.
As we’re hearing his thoughts from the outset, we learn early on that James is gay, though the identity of his boyfriend remains a secret for the first few chapters. Shortly after it’s revealed, however, his boyfriend goes missing without a trace. In light of this, plus the very recent death of his father, the media scandals, and everything else on his plate, I did struggle to believe there was time for another romance, so the arrival of a second love interest definitely surprised me. I wasn’t entirely sold on how James could tell someone he loved them for the first time, find out they’re missing, then fall for someone else almost immediately afterwards. I understand he viewed it as a welcome distraction from the mess in other facets of his life, and I certainly wanted him to be happy, but I struggled to get on board with that aspect of the narrative.
I know I have a real tendency to overthink when I’m reading and am forever trying to work out exactly where things are going. I turn that Nancy Drew dial in my brain up to a thousand when it’s a mystery. I fixate on dialogue and behaviours and spend more time theorising than actually enjoying the book, so for the last 20 or so percent of this I decided I would loosen up a bit and just let the reveals happen. I had much more fun just going along with the drama in this way, and there were at least 10 moments in the last 10 percent alone that would have warranted cuing the Eastenders theme song. Some of my Grand Ideas were right and I was a little off with others, but there’s definitely enough red herrings and twists here to keep you guessing until the end! There were some side characters with backstories so interesting that I wish we had been able to spend more time on hearing about them. As it was, I felt there were a few too many things still up in the air by the end for me.
Ultimately, though, this was a fun queer read exploring double standards and the treatment of people of colour in the public eye, with heaps of family secrets and drama. It’s out now in the UK so let me know what you think if you grab a copy!
You can find me on my bookstagram for more reviews and recs!
August 3, 2022
3.5 stars. I liked the story overall and held my interest. Although not a new favorite but still a good book
November 17, 2022
Actual rating 3.5 stars.
Sometimes I find it really hard to rate a book, and The King is Dead is one of them. A lot of my friends had already read it and almost unanimously gave it three stars. Their conclusion: a nice story, but … a bit boring and a rushed ending, a fun read but off pacing, a solid book but lacking subtlety, you name it. And I can understand them all. And still …
Imagine being seventeen and losing your dad. Imagine being the Crown Prince of England. Imagine being the Black Crown Prince of England. Imagine being the closeted gay Black Crown Prince of England. Who also lost his dad and is still seventeen.
Imagine your boyfriend disappearing. Imagine another boy who you had a crush on for a long time, showing interest. Imagine being told that you can trust no one. Not even your twin, other family members, and dear friends. And you’re still seventeen.
Based on the above, I expected a powerful contemporary romance mystery story. This book definitely has impressive elements, and some are really well done, like how the British paparazzi treated a Black Crown Prince and King, and saw not a King but Black skin and a Black boy. The mystery had quite a few twists. But this story, even though it’s compared to Ace of Spades, doesn’t have the power and dynamic of that one. The impressive moments were too little and I guessed quite a few plot twists. And still …
I decided not to overthink what could have been but just go with the flow. And because of that, I really enjoyed reading this book. I liked the descriptive and poetic writing and rooted for James, the closeted Black seventeen-year-old King who could trust nobody. I even understood why James got involved with another boy. Therefore I decided to round my 3.5 star rating up instead of down.
I received an ARC from Little Brown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Follow me on Instagram
Sometimes I find it really hard to rate a book, and The King is Dead is one of them. A lot of my friends had already read it and almost unanimously gave it three stars. Their conclusion: a nice story, but … a bit boring and a rushed ending, a fun read but off pacing, a solid book but lacking subtlety, you name it. And I can understand them all. And still …
Imagine being seventeen and losing your dad. Imagine being the Crown Prince of England. Imagine being the Black Crown Prince of England. Imagine being the closeted gay Black Crown Prince of England. Who also lost his dad and is still seventeen.
Imagine your boyfriend disappearing. Imagine another boy who you had a crush on for a long time, showing interest. Imagine being told that you can trust no one. Not even your twin, other family members, and dear friends. And you’re still seventeen.
Based on the above, I expected a powerful contemporary romance mystery story. This book definitely has impressive elements, and some are really well done, like how the British paparazzi treated a Black Crown Prince and King, and saw not a King but Black skin and a Black boy. The mystery had quite a few twists. But this story, even though it’s compared to Ace of Spades, doesn’t have the power and dynamic of that one. The impressive moments were too little and I guessed quite a few plot twists. And still …
I decided not to overthink what could have been but just go with the flow. And because of that, I really enjoyed reading this book. I liked the descriptive and poetic writing and rooted for James, the closeted Black seventeen-year-old King who could trust nobody. I even understood why James got involved with another boy. Therefore I decided to round my 3.5 star rating up instead of down.
I received an ARC from Little Brown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Follow me on Instagram
June 30, 2022
On my blog.
Rep: Black gay mc, Black gay li, gay li, Black side characters
CWs: homophobia, racism
Galley provided by publisher
The King is Dead is a book I have been anticipating since hearing about it. And it’s a book I liked on the whole, to be sure. But if I’m honest, it’s a book I didn’t love and I thought I would.
The book opens with the death of the King and the subsequent coronation of his son, James (the eldest of twins by eight minutes). Following the coronation, James finds himself the subject of a series of anonymous leaks to the press, not to mention the disappearance of his (secret) boyfriend.
This was not a bad book, let me start with that. It’s a solid read and one that I did, on the whole, like reading. There were sympathetic characters and a good mystery. I found myself often questioning just where it was going and I was actually surprised by the twist at the end. It was a decent book.
However.
I think my main issue was with the writing style, which is funny because you would have thought I’d know the author’s style based on his previous books. But in this case, I think what it was, was the difference between MG and YA. This is going to sound harsh, but the writing here felt forced. As though Dean knew that YA needed to have more complex writing, but it ended up being a little purple-prosey. As I said, it sounds harsh, and I don’t mean it to be! But if I’m looking to explain why I didn’t love this book, this is one reason.
The other is the lack of subtlety. Of course, this book is not required to be subtle in its approach, but I do think it was so unsubtle as to be a detriment to the plot at times. Perhaps it’s not so much the lack of subtlety as the apparent need to explain everything instead of letting the reader work some things out. And not just explain, but explain every time. There were times when I thought that events could have happened without that explanation, leaving the reader to infer what the author intends them to mean. Again, I think this is about the transition from MG to YA.
There was plenty good about this book though, and plenty that promises that Dean’s future efforts have a strong foundation to build on. Really, the only issue here was me as a reader, so please don’t let this review put you off this one!
Rep: Black gay mc, Black gay li, gay li, Black side characters
CWs: homophobia, racism
Galley provided by publisher
The King is Dead is a book I have been anticipating since hearing about it. And it’s a book I liked on the whole, to be sure. But if I’m honest, it’s a book I didn’t love and I thought I would.
The book opens with the death of the King and the subsequent coronation of his son, James (the eldest of twins by eight minutes). Following the coronation, James finds himself the subject of a series of anonymous leaks to the press, not to mention the disappearance of his (secret) boyfriend.
This was not a bad book, let me start with that. It’s a solid read and one that I did, on the whole, like reading. There were sympathetic characters and a good mystery. I found myself often questioning just where it was going and I was actually surprised by the twist at the end. It was a decent book.
However.
I think my main issue was with the writing style, which is funny because you would have thought I’d know the author’s style based on his previous books. But in this case, I think what it was, was the difference between MG and YA. This is going to sound harsh, but the writing here felt forced. As though Dean knew that YA needed to have more complex writing, but it ended up being a little purple-prosey. As I said, it sounds harsh, and I don’t mean it to be! But if I’m looking to explain why I didn’t love this book, this is one reason.
The other is the lack of subtlety. Of course, this book is not required to be subtle in its approach, but I do think it was so unsubtle as to be a detriment to the plot at times. Perhaps it’s not so much the lack of subtlety as the apparent need to explain everything instead of letting the reader work some things out. And not just explain, but explain every time. There were times when I thought that events could have happened without that explanation, leaving the reader to infer what the author intends them to mean. Again, I think this is about the transition from MG to YA.
There was plenty good about this book though, and plenty that promises that Dean’s future efforts have a strong foundation to build on. Really, the only issue here was me as a reader, so please don’t let this review put you off this one!
July 17, 2023
2023 reads: 223/350
i received a digital review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
content warnings: grief following death of a parent, racism, homophobia, stalking
as the first black heir to the british throne, there are enough people in his country who want james out of the picture. when his father dies and he’s forced to step up, more and more of james’s secrets are exposed, and with his lover missing, he can only assume he’s been betrayed.
for some reason, i love reading about royalty. though i don’t know much about real-life monarchs, i find fictional ones so fascinating. so, the fact that this book is about a black gay teen stepping up as king definitely appealed to me. it quickly became clear while reading this that royals have a lot of secrets to keep—and they can’t always trust people who seem like they have their backs.
overall, i really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend to anyone else who enjoys reading about royalty.
i received a digital review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
content warnings: grief following death of a parent, racism, homophobia, stalking
as the first black heir to the british throne, there are enough people in his country who want james out of the picture. when his father dies and he’s forced to step up, more and more of james’s secrets are exposed, and with his lover missing, he can only assume he’s been betrayed.
for some reason, i love reading about royalty. though i don’t know much about real-life monarchs, i find fictional ones so fascinating. so, the fact that this book is about a black gay teen stepping up as king definitely appealed to me. it quickly became clear while reading this that royals have a lot of secrets to keep—and they can’t always trust people who seem like they have their backs.
overall, i really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend to anyone else who enjoys reading about royalty.
July 18, 2022
I wanted to enjoy this more, but it took really long for the story to get going and I found myself a tad bored. The ending then felt very rushed.
September 16, 2024
Three stars: a good, solid read. If I hadn't already read "Red, White, and Royal Blue," perhaps this book would rate higher. One of my favorite aspects of this book was the premise of a mixed-race heir to the throne and the racism he encounters both from outside the Royal Family AND within it. There is a lot of real-life House of Windsor stuff in this book, such as a member of the royal family asking what the child would look like when the King married a Black woman, a la Archie. (By the way, even with a lot of the turmoil and vitriol experienced by Meghan Markle added to the story, I have a very strong suspicion that the author might be more Team William than Team Harry - just sayin'.)
This book is meant as a YA book, and the protagonist is 17-going-on-18, but I personally felt that the character would have been better if he had been written as slightly older, a la RW&RB. And the book didn't always add up. Our young new king is presumably just out of secondary school - the events take place in the summer - but never is it mentioned if he has/had plans to go to college that fall, which you would think might be the case. And some of the twists were a bit too much to take. But all in all, a very enjoyable story, and one that in some ways is closer to real events - and racism - than other similar works.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.
This book is meant as a YA book, and the protagonist is 17-going-on-18, but I personally felt that the character would have been better if he had been written as slightly older, a la RW&RB. And the book didn't always add up. Our young new king is presumably just out of secondary school - the events take place in the summer - but never is it mentioned if he has/had plans to go to college that fall, which you would think might be the case. And some of the twists were a bit too much to take. But all in all, a very enjoyable story, and one that in some ways is closer to real events - and racism - than other similar works.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.
September 4, 2022
A solid debut that we’ll written and funny - it’s just the books if you like this you’ll love this references made me expectations a little too high. I mean come on, Simon v the homosapiens agenda AND inheritance games? That’s setting up any author for failure.
The narrator is one I actively seek out as he’s brilliant and brought this story more vividly to life than I would have been able to. So undoubtedly he’s responsible for making this book better in my eyes.
The narrator is one I actively seek out as he’s brilliant and brought this story more vividly to life than I would have been able to. So undoubtedly he’s responsible for making this book better in my eyes.
June 25, 2022
This book is a difficult one to rate. On the one hand, it was very fun and I'm a little more than obsessed with the way Benjamin Dean held nothing back when it came to his portrayal and exploration of the racist, homophobic and outright insidious attitudes actions of the British press/tabloids and British public when it comes to royalty (and, let's be honest, anyone...).
I also thought Benjamin echoed the experience's Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have had with the British public/press with that of James and his family was incredibly powerful, commendable and kinda badass? He brilliantly also portrayed the way in which Black people (in particular, Black women) are held to impossible standards next to their white counterparts, with Catherine and the Queen Mother's storyline and constant comparisons made between the two being a great example of this.
On the other hand, I had issues with the pacing and predictability of the plot, with the mystery, plot twists and ultimate conclusion sadly falling a bit flat, along with the romance. The structure and pacing of the story itself sadly didn't quite hit the mark for me, with secrets being revealed all at once and somewhat underdeveloped characters and relationships.
However, overall, I had a lot of fun with this book and adored the way Benjamin Dean was unafraid to call out the British press on all their racist, homophobic, classist and sexist BS. There was a lot of greatness in this book, which, despite some odd pacing and a few questionable/unnecessary plot twists, is what ultimately stood out to me and made this a book I'd happily recommend, especially to a younger audience who may not find the 'big reveal' quite so predictable.
TW: racism, sexism, homophobia, public outing
I also thought Benjamin echoed the experience's Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have had with the British public/press with that of James and his family was incredibly powerful, commendable and kinda badass? He brilliantly also portrayed the way in which Black people (in particular, Black women) are held to impossible standards next to their white counterparts, with Catherine and the Queen Mother's storyline and constant comparisons made between the two being a great example of this.
On the other hand, I had issues with the pacing and predictability of the plot, with the mystery, plot twists and ultimate conclusion sadly falling a bit flat, along with the romance. The structure and pacing of the story itself sadly didn't quite hit the mark for me, with secrets being revealed all at once and somewhat underdeveloped characters and relationships.
However, overall, I had a lot of fun with this book and adored the way Benjamin Dean was unafraid to call out the British press on all their racist, homophobic, classist and sexist BS. There was a lot of greatness in this book, which, despite some odd pacing and a few questionable/unnecessary plot twists, is what ultimately stood out to me and made this a book I'd happily recommend, especially to a younger audience who may not find the 'big reveal' quite so predictable.
TW: racism, sexism, homophobia, public outing
February 14, 2023
3.5 stars i think
it was entertaining but not entirely unpredictable
i liked the way this book didn't allow you to trust anybody, just like the tagline says, there were so many red herrings and twists and little clues that didn't go anywhere but yeah. the final twist was not really a surprise to me anymore
also while it engaged with systemic racism in the uk very well it somehow didn't ??? question the monarchy or royalty *at all* ?? which surprised me
the romance archs were weird. there were too many side characters that werent properly fleshed out. the ending was open and fell flat.
plus, it was just.... a lot, idk, it felt like it was very dramatic but in a way that made it hard to suspend your disbelief, like riverdale-esque. dont get me wrong, i enjoyed reading it, but it was definitely not what i had hoped it would be. still easy entertainment if you're in the market for that tho!
it was entertaining but not entirely unpredictable
i liked the way this book didn't allow you to trust anybody, just like the tagline says, there were so many red herrings and twists and little clues that didn't go anywhere but yeah. the final twist was not really a surprise to me anymore
also while it engaged with systemic racism in the uk very well it somehow didn't ??? question the monarchy or royalty *at all* ?? which surprised me
the romance archs were weird. there were too many side characters that werent properly fleshed out. the ending was open and fell flat.
plus, it was just.... a lot, idk, it felt like it was very dramatic but in a way that made it hard to suspend your disbelief, like riverdale-esque. dont get me wrong, i enjoyed reading it, but it was definitely not what i had hoped it would be. still easy entertainment if you're in the market for that tho!
October 10, 2023
I loved this book, it was so. much. fun. Severely underrated, in my humble queer opinion.
August 9, 2022
Yet another example of an author conveniently wrapping up a trauma victim's narrative with the classic 'I don't want to talk about it and I don't think I ever will and I just want to get on with the rest of my life' just so they can write a neat The End without making anyone feel uncomfortable. Would have got 2* for the engagement with the complexities of structural systemic racism as a Black king, had it not been for the ending.
Major structure and pacing issues with this book meant The King is Dead fell far short of its potential. What should have been a key point in the plot early on (James realises Jonathan has been kidnapped, he hasn't walked out) only came at the 80% mark, which meant a) the finale and climax felt incredibly rushed and under-developed, and b) meant the vast majority of the book read as filler or pre-writing. There's a lot of characters, few of whom are fleshed out. I was most interested in Princess Alexandra, the Queen Mother, and her relationship with the racist tabloids. Incredibly predictable villain, I couldn't believe it ended up being such a cliché in the end. I really thought that was going to be a red herring, but no, just your classic boredom. I picked this up with excitement because it was marketed as 'one hell of a mystery' and... no.
What the book did well was its engagement with racism and the racist British press. It felt obviously inspired by Prince Harry and Megan Markle, and I could well believe a paper like the Daily Eye and a journalist like Quinn could exist. This is how they would treat someone like James. Alexandra's lines in particular were hard-hitting. James I felt just sort of drifted around from place to place. As a king he didn't seem to do anything, or be required to do anything. I assumed he would have visited Parliament or had a visit with the Prime Minister? It makes me feel as though the book was poorly researched in that respect, the reality of life as the King of England. I guess I struggle to empathise as well because I agree that the monarchy should be abolished, and offers little or nothing, and these characters epitomised 'I live on British taxes and generational wealth stolen from other countries but because I'm royalty I'm special and deserve it, not like all those other lazy scroungers in their council houses'. I was kind of surprised there was no engagement with the colonial legacy of the British royal family, too. I would have loved to have learnt more about James' opinion as the first Black king, how does he feel about his family's legacy? (). Does he have any plans to give Commonwealth countries full legal separation from Britain? Does he intend to make reparations on behalf of Britain? I would have loved to have read about a true rebel king, a Black Lives Matter king, an anarchist/leftist/politically engaged king. Instead he's a missed opportunity.
cw: racism; homophobia; forced outing by a newspaper; kidnapped boyfriend
Major structure and pacing issues with this book meant The King is Dead fell far short of its potential. What should have been a key point in the plot early on (James realises Jonathan has been kidnapped, he hasn't walked out) only came at the 80% mark, which meant a) the finale and climax felt incredibly rushed and under-developed, and b) meant the vast majority of the book read as filler or pre-writing. There's a lot of characters, few of whom are fleshed out. I was most interested in Princess Alexandra, the Queen Mother, and her relationship with the racist tabloids. Incredibly predictable villain, I couldn't believe it ended up being such a cliché in the end. I really thought that was going to be a red herring, but no, just your classic boredom. I picked this up with excitement because it was marketed as 'one hell of a mystery' and... no.
What the book did well was its engagement with racism and the racist British press. It felt obviously inspired by Prince Harry and Megan Markle, and I could well believe a paper like the Daily Eye and a journalist like Quinn could exist. This is how they would treat someone like James. Alexandra's lines in particular were hard-hitting. James I felt just sort of drifted around from place to place. As a king he didn't seem to do anything, or be required to do anything. I assumed he would have visited Parliament or had a visit with the Prime Minister? It makes me feel as though the book was poorly researched in that respect, the reality of life as the King of England. I guess I struggle to empathise as well because I agree that the monarchy should be abolished, and offers little or nothing, and these characters epitomised 'I live on British taxes and generational wealth stolen from other countries but because I'm royalty I'm special and deserve it, not like all those other lazy scroungers in their council houses'. I was kind of surprised there was no engagement with the colonial legacy of the British royal family, too. I would have loved to have learnt more about James' opinion as the first Black king, how does he feel about his family's legacy? (). Does he have any plans to give Commonwealth countries full legal separation from Britain? Does he intend to make reparations on behalf of Britain? I would have loved to have read about a true rebel king, a Black Lives Matter king, an anarchist/leftist/politically engaged king. Instead he's a missed opportunity.
cw: racism; homophobia; forced outing by a newspaper; kidnapped boyfriend
dnf
September 18, 2022Losing a family member with the same name as the main character less than two months ago is distracting me from concentrating on the story fully, so I'm going to DNF this just for the time being as I'm not in right head space for this presently, but I'll definitely come back to it.
January 16, 2023
it's fine
physical-books
July 4, 2022"James has been a prince all of his life... he's been thrust into the spotlight as the first Black heir to the throne... when his father unexpectedly dies, James is crowned king at seventeen. When his boyfriend suddenly goes missing, the royal secrets and scandals that only he knows start to leak online."
June 26, 2023
2.5 stars. This was fine. I picked it up on impulse earlier today, and while it was a quick enough read that I don't exactly regret that impulse, I didn't quite get anything out of this. This is a young adult thriller about the new king of England, a 17 year old biracial gay boy. He and his mother and twin brother have come under fire over the years just for their existence, and now that his beloved father is dead and he has to take the throne, a lot of secrets and scandals start coming to light, starting with the fact that he is gay.
I really liked the premise for this, or at least I liked the thought of what this premise could do and the places that it might go. Like, having a queer black man on the throne in a very racist and homophobic society is a subject that has a lot of meat on it, obviously. But the execution of this was kinda poor, I'm afraid to say. Nothing about the way that James' days were structured and the things that he did on a day-to-day basis as king had any amount of reality or verisimilitude in them. I would have thought that we would see him struggling with his nominal duties alongside all of his troubles with the scandals, but the entire book is pretty much just about the scandals. And of course, him dealing with his father's death and his boyfriend's disappearance and the drama with his new love interest. I don't know, all of the writing seemed very thin and flimsy and all of the drama was just so manufactured and not actually exciting or thrilling. A lot of plot points were really obvious. I didn't figure out everything, but I came close enough. The villainous characters were sooooo caricaturish and I really could not take them seriously, even though the bigotry behind their action was very real. There were a few plot points that just made me go ...okay? The book ends in a place that means there probably will be a sequel at some point in time, and maybe that sequel will tackle the issues that I wish had been tackled here (like the validity of the monarchy in and of itself, among other things) but I really don't think I'll be motivated to actually read it.
Listened to the audiobook as read by Ivanno Jeremiah, and it was okay. His voice for the prose was really good, but when it came to some of the character voices, I thought he got a little over the top. Again, this was a really good premise and I'm not mad that I read it. The little romances were really cute, and I'm actually not sure who I would root for. But in general, I do think I'm just going to forget about this as soon as I click publish on this review.
I really liked the premise for this, or at least I liked the thought of what this premise could do and the places that it might go. Like, having a queer black man on the throne in a very racist and homophobic society is a subject that has a lot of meat on it, obviously. But the execution of this was kinda poor, I'm afraid to say. Nothing about the way that James' days were structured and the things that he did on a day-to-day basis as king had any amount of reality or verisimilitude in them. I would have thought that we would see him struggling with his nominal duties alongside all of his troubles with the scandals, but the entire book is pretty much just about the scandals. And of course, him dealing with his father's death and his boyfriend's disappearance and the drama with his new love interest. I don't know, all of the writing seemed very thin and flimsy and all of the drama was just so manufactured and not actually exciting or thrilling. A lot of plot points were really obvious. I didn't figure out everything, but I came close enough. The villainous characters were sooooo caricaturish and I really could not take them seriously, even though the bigotry behind their action was very real. There were a few plot points that just made me go ...okay? The book ends in a place that means there probably will be a sequel at some point in time, and maybe that sequel will tackle the issues that I wish had been tackled here (like the validity of the monarchy in and of itself, among other things) but I really don't think I'll be motivated to actually read it.
Listened to the audiobook as read by Ivanno Jeremiah, and it was okay. His voice for the prose was really good, but when it came to some of the character voices, I thought he got a little over the top. Again, this was a really good premise and I'm not mad that I read it. The little romances were really cute, and I'm actually not sure who I would root for. But in general, I do think I'm just going to forget about this as soon as I click publish on this review.
September 26, 2023
I have a wide range of opinions regarding this novel. Often times I have to put myself in the mind of a teen or young adult reader, and think about whether this is something I would have enjoyed reading in my teens and early adulthood. In this case, it is. The King Is Dead follows James in the weeks following the death of his father. As he ascends to the throne, the first Black monarch in British history, he faces backlash– and the secrets he's been hiding are threatened to be revealed. James is queer. James has a secret boyfriend. And someone knows.
I found the mystery element of this novel to be interesting. We have a series of suspects that we go through and finding out "who-done-it" in the ends was shocking. My only critique regarding the ending is that it did feel like things wrapped up a bit too neatly.
I have complicated feelings regarding the racism aspect of the novel. It felt very heavy handed in the beginning. You could obviously see the Harry/Meghan parallels in the story, but I don't know if this drew me closer to the main characterize. I think that we are all aware of the Royal Familly and British public's racism— just look at history. But the novel doesn't feel like it dives deep enough. There's no real mention of their imperialist history, or any serious reflection or commentary on the Crown's necessity (or lack thereof) in the present day. It often seems like YA novels want to tackle serious topics, but only do them halfway. Which also makes me wonder who this book is written for. It feels very surface level, along with the general discussion of James' sexuality in the press. Something about the social commentary aspect of The King is Dead felt...incomplete.
The romance element was cute. I think the decisions James made as a result were foolish. But that YA, I guess?
I think that it's worth the read if you're looking for something different. It kept my attention. But I do want Black queer characters to be able to just exist in literature without facing so much hatred and trauma. Are they able to just...be?
I found the mystery element of this novel to be interesting. We have a series of suspects that we go through and finding out "who-done-it" in the ends was shocking. My only critique regarding the ending is that it did feel like things wrapped up a bit too neatly.
I have complicated feelings regarding the racism aspect of the novel. It felt very heavy handed in the beginning. You could obviously see the Harry/Meghan parallels in the story, but I don't know if this drew me closer to the main characterize. I think that we are all aware of the Royal Familly and British public's racism— just look at history. But the novel doesn't feel like it dives deep enough. There's no real mention of their imperialist history, or any serious reflection or commentary on the Crown's necessity (or lack thereof) in the present day. It often seems like YA novels want to tackle serious topics, but only do them halfway. Which also makes me wonder who this book is written for. It feels very surface level, along with the general discussion of James' sexuality in the press. Something about the social commentary aspect of The King is Dead felt...incomplete.
The romance element was cute. I think the decisions James made as a result were foolish. But that YA, I guess?
I think that it's worth the read if you're looking for something different. It kept my attention. But I do want Black queer characters to be able to just exist in literature without facing so much hatred and trauma. Are they able to just...be?
Read
September 2, 2024I'm not angry I'm just disappointed. Not to be dramatic or anything.
Okay. I just have one tiiiiiny thing... James didn't really do anything? It felt like very plot point was just stuff that was happening around him. His father dies and makes him king. Oh well, he doesn't really want that but it's how it's gotta be. His boyfriend goes missing. Uh oh! Let's just wait and see if he shows up.
Some of it made sense. But after a certain point, I was just begging him to actually have an opinion about something. It felt like the only original thought he actually had were about who he wanted to kiss. Which is why 17 year olds shouldn't be kings.
So anyways. I probably have a bunch more, less spoiler-y examples, but I'm just kinda done. I was mostly just really disappointed, because I loved How to Die Famous and this sounded like it had great potential to be drama-y. But it's really hard for the drama to be interesting when the whole book is "Can someone deal with everything for me? I gotta go kiss a boy I met two days ago in a closet after I tell him my deepest darkest secrets. What do you mean I shouldn't trust him, he's hot." I can only hear about this boy's eyes so many times before it's like, shouldn't you be doing, like, king stuff?
Okay. I just have one tiiiiiny thing... James didn't really do anything? It felt like very plot point was just stuff that was happening around him. His father dies and makes him king. Oh well, he doesn't really want that but it's how it's gotta be. His boyfriend goes missing. Uh oh! Let's just wait and see if he shows up.
Some of it made sense. But after a certain point, I was just begging him to actually have an opinion about something. It felt like the only original thought he actually had were about who he wanted to kiss. Which is why 17 year olds shouldn't be kings.
So anyways. I probably have a bunch more, less spoiler-y examples, but I'm just kinda done. I was mostly just really disappointed, because I loved How to Die Famous and this sounded like it had great potential to be drama-y. But it's really hard for the drama to be interesting when the whole book is "Can someone deal with everything for me? I gotta go kiss a boy I met two days ago in a closet after I tell him my deepest darkest secrets. What do you mean I shouldn't trust him, he's hot." I can only hear about this boy's eyes so many times before it's like, shouldn't you be doing, like, king stuff?
February 8, 2023
It always hurts to rate a book with a black main character low but gosh I did not like this book. First of all, fuck the monarchy. Let me be very clear on that.
Okey the overall story was… alright. The plottwists were predictable, boring and sometimes really farfetched and the “mystery” only really started after nearly 80% of the book. The romance was as dry as a white man’s chicken however. I literally felt nothing for any of these characters because they were all so boring and spoiled.
What also bothered me is that this books main plot device was racism. Especially in the beginning you as a reader were constantly reminded how incredibly racist the UK is but at some point even I thought “okey point is clear dude tone it down”. I read YA novels as an escape of reality and not to be constantly reminded of how white people will always second guess black people in power. This was mainly a personal frustration so you can let this one slide.
Since I want to post this review on Instagram I wont spoil the ending but my god that was rushed and silly. I was on a walk while listening to it and really had to pause for a second to digest that idiotic ending. As the main character said a million times: why?
Okey the overall story was… alright. The plottwists were predictable, boring and sometimes really farfetched and the “mystery” only really started after nearly 80% of the book. The romance was as dry as a white man’s chicken however. I literally felt nothing for any of these characters because they were all so boring and spoiled.
What also bothered me is that this books main plot device was racism. Especially in the beginning you as a reader were constantly reminded how incredibly racist the UK is but at some point even I thought “okey point is clear dude tone it down”. I read YA novels as an escape of reality and not to be constantly reminded of how white people will always second guess black people in power. This was mainly a personal frustration so you can let this one slide.
Since I want to post this review on Instagram I wont spoil the ending but my god that was rushed and silly. I was on a walk while listening to it and really had to pause for a second to digest that idiotic ending. As the main character said a million times: why?
July 26, 2023
James, first Black heir to the throne, is crowned King at at seventeen following his father’s unexpected death. With the new title means his sexuality and hidden relationship are no longer secret, and everything turns upside down when James’ boyfriend goes missing…
While this is a mystery book, it’s difficult to remember that in the beginning since the beginning focuses more on James’ relationship, his family, and his new found responsibilities all while dealing with the his grief. I definitely enjoyed this aspect, but it does make for quite the slow burn.
The author does a great job to really highlight how even a Black person with the highest standing in a country will still be viewed as a Black first and thus inferior.
When it comes to the mystery aspect, I was definitely more engaged towards the last 25% of the book when things are in full swing. So many secrets come to light as well as betrayal after betrayal.
Thank you The NOVL for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.
While this is a mystery book, it’s difficult to remember that in the beginning since the beginning focuses more on James’ relationship, his family, and his new found responsibilities all while dealing with the his grief. I definitely enjoyed this aspect, but it does make for quite the slow burn.
The author does a great job to really highlight how even a Black person with the highest standing in a country will still be viewed as a Black first and thus inferior.
When it comes to the mystery aspect, I was definitely more engaged towards the last 25% of the book when things are in full swing. So many secrets come to light as well as betrayal after betrayal.
Thank you The NOVL for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.
September 28, 2022
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.
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.
dnf
July 7, 2022Just not getting into this at all, very slow start and not really warming to the characters.
July 25, 2022
I did like this even though I don’t read much YA anymore but I think the pacing was slow and I wasn’t the biggest fan of the big twist. However I enjoyed reading from the pov of a black queer character
August 27, 2022
2/5
Clumsy, predictable, and shallow
This was messy, and not in a fun way. The premise immediately caught my eye, but the execution here was incredibly predictable and unengaging. With this premise, I was hoping for some meaningful discussion about the monarchy and how people of color are viewed with much more scrutiny and different expectations than white people. This has some of that, and as a white person it's not my place to discuss this too much, but it felt so surface level. Many of my critiques of this book may very well stem from the fact that I'm an anti-royalist, so I had trouble caring about these people. Like, I'm sorry you have some problems right now, but you're literally one of the most privileged people on earth.
I never really clicked with James. He comes across as so selfish and uncaring. It's not a good sign when I find myself agreeing with many of the points the villain made. (The points don't really work considering who is delivering them, but on their own, his words really described James' behavior very well). Like, James' boyfriend disappears, and James immediately starts assuming that Jonathan is the one spreading rumors to bring down the monarchy. He just immediately starts suspecting him because they'd had a conflict right before. The conflict is rooted in the fact that James has no issues flirting with another man despite the fact that he's in a relationship. And he keeps doing that after Jonathan disappears, and sleeps with another man because James, without any evidence, now assumes Jonathan is an enemy, so cheating on him is fine? This gets addressed towards the end, but has no real consequences. Jonathan, please get out of there! You deserve so much better.
I could complain about the other characters too with their messy motives and how incredibly clichéd they all were, but I don't feel like it. Just know that none of them were compelling, and some of the red herrings were painfully obvious.
Speaking of painfully obvious, this plot was incredibly predictable. You could see almost everything coming from a mile away, and any misdirections just fell completely flat. I felt this for all the reveals except for the final one, because I couldn't believe that the author would choose to do that.
I've been very negative so far, because this wasn't a great experience, but I still appreciate what this book was trying to say about racism in England. This was obviously inspired by Meghan Markle's treatment by the British press, and I think there are many meaningful and difficult discussions that has, and should be held around her treatment. There is also effective critiques around paparazzi and the press and how dangerous and evil they are, but again, the discussion never really goes anywhere. It just says: press bad, and then nothing. This was also afraid to take a side in the pro or anti-royal discussion. This never acknowledges the real harm the British royalty have, and are still causing around the world. James talks a lot about standing on the shoulders of giants, of feeling the pressure to live up to those who came before him, especially since he knows he is under a magnifying glass because of the color of his skin. He never dwells on the fact that his position is the direct result of centuries of cruelty, colonization, and leeching off of working people. There's an offhand line here and there, but you can't criticize some parts of the royals without the other. These things go together. I get that this is a YA book that's supposed to be a fun mystery book, but I couldn't shut my brain off enough to ignore that, especially since this book criticizes other valid issues surrounding the crown.
I listened to parts of this with audio, and while the narrator's voice is great, he made some strange choices with some of his characterizations. One of them almost felt like a spoiler, because the second you hear them speak, you're immediately suspicious, and it didn't read like that on the written page.
Ok, I think I'm done now. I'm not going to rate this lower because this makes some valid points about real issues surrounding the monarchy, but it picks and chooses which issues it deems important. I never felt anything for the characters, and the plot was predictable. This was a letdown for me.
Clumsy, predictable, and shallow
This was messy, and not in a fun way. The premise immediately caught my eye, but the execution here was incredibly predictable and unengaging. With this premise, I was hoping for some meaningful discussion about the monarchy and how people of color are viewed with much more scrutiny and different expectations than white people. This has some of that, and as a white person it's not my place to discuss this too much, but it felt so surface level. Many of my critiques of this book may very well stem from the fact that I'm an anti-royalist, so I had trouble caring about these people. Like, I'm sorry you have some problems right now, but you're literally one of the most privileged people on earth.
I never really clicked with James. He comes across as so selfish and uncaring. It's not a good sign when I find myself agreeing with many of the points the villain made. (The points don't really work considering who is delivering them, but on their own, his words really described James' behavior very well). Like, James' boyfriend disappears, and James immediately starts assuming that Jonathan is the one spreading rumors to bring down the monarchy. He just immediately starts suspecting him because they'd had a conflict right before. The conflict is rooted in the fact that James has no issues flirting with another man despite the fact that he's in a relationship. And he keeps doing that after Jonathan disappears, and sleeps with another man because James, without any evidence, now assumes Jonathan is an enemy, so cheating on him is fine? This gets addressed towards the end, but has no real consequences. Jonathan, please get out of there! You deserve so much better.
I could complain about the other characters too with their messy motives and how incredibly clichéd they all were, but I don't feel like it. Just know that none of them were compelling, and some of the red herrings were painfully obvious.
Speaking of painfully obvious, this plot was incredibly predictable. You could see almost everything coming from a mile away, and any misdirections just fell completely flat. I felt this for all the reveals except for the final one, because I couldn't believe that the author would choose to do that.
I've been very negative so far, because this wasn't a great experience, but I still appreciate what this book was trying to say about racism in England. This was obviously inspired by Meghan Markle's treatment by the British press, and I think there are many meaningful and difficult discussions that has, and should be held around her treatment. There is also effective critiques around paparazzi and the press and how dangerous and evil they are, but again, the discussion never really goes anywhere. It just says: press bad, and then nothing. This was also afraid to take a side in the pro or anti-royal discussion. This never acknowledges the real harm the British royalty have, and are still causing around the world. James talks a lot about standing on the shoulders of giants, of feeling the pressure to live up to those who came before him, especially since he knows he is under a magnifying glass because of the color of his skin. He never dwells on the fact that his position is the direct result of centuries of cruelty, colonization, and leeching off of working people. There's an offhand line here and there, but you can't criticize some parts of the royals without the other. These things go together. I get that this is a YA book that's supposed to be a fun mystery book, but I couldn't shut my brain off enough to ignore that, especially since this book criticizes other valid issues surrounding the crown.
I listened to parts of this with audio, and while the narrator's voice is great, he made some strange choices with some of his characterizations. One of them almost felt like a spoiler, because the second you hear them speak, you're immediately suspicious, and it didn't read like that on the written page.
Ok, I think I'm done now. I'm not going to rate this lower because this makes some valid points about real issues surrounding the monarchy, but it picks and chooses which issues it deems important. I never felt anything for the characters, and the plot was predictable. This was a letdown for me.
August 12, 2023
The king is dead is about, a young seventeen year old prince named James thrust into the role of king far too soon when his father passes. The book explores the relationship between the royal family and the public, racism, and homophobia in British society. James’ main issue is figuring out how to rule the country and keep his relationship a secret. That all changes when his boyfriend suddenly goes missing.
August 14, 2023
I received an ARC from Edelweiss
TW: racism & homophobia, mentioned gun violence
2.8
I was interested in this from the concept- political/royal intrigue with a Black, queer king, with a bit of a mystery. The kidnapping plot line an the gossip would most likely be enough for plenty of readers. And there are enough motives and twists to keep those people invested.
But, unfortunately, I really disliked every person in this book. Their motivations and reactions are all weak, including the very unrealistic and very uninteresting romances. James also makes terrible decisions that might have been entertaining had he been someone I could care about, or if they were truly chaotic, but instead just made me want to hit him.
There are a lot of very slow realizations and very repetitive moments at play that make the whole thing feel incredibly drawn out for something pretty short. And the ending winds up being overly melodramatic- which does track with the rest of it, but gives zero satisfaction.
TW: racism & homophobia, mentioned gun violence
2.8
I was interested in this from the concept- political/royal intrigue with a Black, queer king, with a bit of a mystery. The kidnapping plot line an the gossip would most likely be enough for plenty of readers. And there are enough motives and twists to keep those people invested.
But, unfortunately, I really disliked every person in this book. Their motivations and reactions are all weak, including the very unrealistic and very uninteresting romances. James also makes terrible decisions that might have been entertaining had he been someone I could care about, or if they were truly chaotic, but instead just made me want to hit him.
There are a lot of very slow realizations and very repetitive moments at play that make the whole thing feel incredibly drawn out for something pretty short. And the ending winds up being overly melodramatic- which does track with the rest of it, but gives zero satisfaction.
January 3, 2023
I’m quite surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I found it quite slow to start, and I found the reveal of who is leaving the envelopes a tad predictable, but it was gripping and shocking nonetheless. I actually liked most of the side characters, Ophelia, Grigor, Johnathan, Peter, etc, (Gayle annoyed me throughout) but I wasn’t a fan of James or Eddie, maybe because I just found the amount they moaned annoyed, though in all fairness I’d probably moan double that amount if I was in their situation. It was interesting to read about the first Black king and what the country would look like if that happened, especially with what has happened in recent years with Harry and Meghan. I found James’ mum to be incredibly brave, albeit a tad frustrating at times. I loved the lgbtq+ romance side plots of the book, my lil gay heart melted at times. Overall I thought it was really good!!
September 11, 2022
was not a fan of that ending. when it was revealed Jonathan was the guy he was seeing, I was like really because there was nothing there between them so when Grigor got introduced, I was down for thier romance which actually felt like one and then at the end, he's like no actually I am in love with Jonathan, what? That relationship was dead.
Then don't even find out if he takes the mantle of king, despite not even being eligible, which why make it so that he's not even the biological son of the king when the book was all about him not being seen as the future king because he was gay and black, it undermines it all and for what?
It was quite a good book up until the ending that makes no sense whatsoever.
Then don't even find out if he takes the mantle of king, despite not even being eligible, which why make it so that he's not even the biological son of the king when the book was all about him not being seen as the future king because he was gay and black, it undermines it all and for what?
It was quite a good book up until the ending that makes no sense whatsoever.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 20, 2025
Cute little read! I would have (and my dumb behind should have) never guessed the ending!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 403 reviews