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His Royal Hopeless
Robbie is born to be evil, or so he thinks – but how do you become the head of an evil dynasty when you're ... nice?
Robbie is heir to the evilest dynasty in the world – the Sinistevils. He can't wait to pledge his heart to the menacing power of the family Sceptre and embark on his bloodthirsty future.
The thing is, Robbie is ... well ... nice. And when he discovers his heart has been swapped for clockwork, he's incapable of believing Mother had dark intentions.
Instead, he embarks on a quest to retrieve his heart, claim his wicked destiny and secure Mother's pride at last. But Mother has other ideas...
Robbie is heir to the evilest dynasty in the world – the Sinistevils. He can't wait to pledge his heart to the menacing power of the family Sceptre and embark on his bloodthirsty future.
The thing is, Robbie is ... well ... nice. And when he discovers his heart has been swapped for clockwork, he's incapable of believing Mother had dark intentions.
Instead, he embarks on a quest to retrieve his heart, claim his wicked destiny and secure Mother's pride at last. But Mother has other ideas...
- GenresMiddle Grade
301 pages, Paperback
Published September 2, 2021
2 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 27, 2021
Amazing debut
September 30, 2021
I absolutely loved this story, and through effortless expertise, Perrin has made the titular hopeless prince, Robbie, capture my heart and soul. One moment it would have me laughing out loud, the next my heart would melt and I wanted nothing more than to reach into the pages to give poor sweet Rob a hug. The story is both hilarious and engaging, and I loved stepping into the dark, funny fantasy world of the Sinistevils. 'His Royal Hopeless' is a wonderful, charming debut by Chloë Perrin, which I cannot recommend enough, even for readers who do not regularly read books meant for younger audiences. Perrin's unique humour is both dry and charming, reminiscent of the wonderful Terry Pratchett. 5/5!!!
June 26, 2022
Absolutely delightful, uplifting, and hilarious. Even if I’m a little old to be the intended demographic, a good kids story still has to ring true to adults and this does! As always, Perrin’s writing is full of wit and joy.
December 9, 2021
Perrin does an incredible job of bringing characters to life, but more-so in making you care about them. The humour was done perfectly too! I’d recommend this book to just about everyone
November 10, 2021
An easy listening book with a great story teller.
12 year old Robby is the future heir to the Sinisterevil throne but this is not without pledging his evil heart to the sceptre. His mother, continuously comparing him to his brother who died in "glorious battle" has other plans which doesn't go her way, when she finds out that Robby has run away with the sceptre, on a mission to find his real human heart, pledge his heart to evilness and make his mum proud of him. As he makes the journey with his best friend Layla, they are met with a few of his mum's "friends" and it is on this adventure where truths are told, revealed and exposed, bringing the story to a interesting crescendo.
The audio version brings the story to life and it did make me cringe in some places, so I would suggest that this book to ideally be for children from around the age of 10 upwards (unless young children are into a bit of gore, then hey ho!)
A funny, poignant story - which at times I wanted to shake Robby by the shoulders and holler at him for not seeing what was in front of him - filled with the value of friendships, forgiveness and to always be true to oneself.
12 year old Robby is the future heir to the Sinisterevil throne but this is not without pledging his evil heart to the sceptre. His mother, continuously comparing him to his brother who died in "glorious battle" has other plans which doesn't go her way, when she finds out that Robby has run away with the sceptre, on a mission to find his real human heart, pledge his heart to evilness and make his mum proud of him. As he makes the journey with his best friend Layla, they are met with a few of his mum's "friends" and it is on this adventure where truths are told, revealed and exposed, bringing the story to a interesting crescendo.
The audio version brings the story to life and it did make me cringe in some places, so I would suggest that this book to ideally be for children from around the age of 10 upwards (unless young children are into a bit of gore, then hey ho!)
A funny, poignant story - which at times I wanted to shake Robby by the shoulders and holler at him for not seeing what was in front of him - filled with the value of friendships, forgiveness and to always be true to oneself.
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October 15, 2023Summary: Robbie is a villain, at least he’s supposed to be but unfortunately he’s hopelessly kind. Robbie is a Sinistevil and Sinistevil’s are known for their evil nature. His older brother Brutus was one of the best at being the worst, but ever since his death Robbie has found he has a lot to live up to and quite literally some big shoes to fill. When he goes on a quest with his best friend to find his destiny once and for all he discovers a lot about himself and his true purpose in life.
His Royal Hopeless is a fun middle grade read for children who may be struggling to fit in with their family or those around them. I picked up His Royal Hopeless directly after reading Assistant to the Villain because I was apparently in a villainous mood and it was a fun read!
There were so many things that this story did well! It had interesting characters and an interesting setting! I was curious about many of the elements and I wish the story had gone into more world building to really set the stage for the characters to thrive! I was curious about the doctorcerer character and the town itself. The Mom’s and Devon’s roles were well established within the story but I found myself wanting more information about other characters with information that was randomly thrown in.
The story was fun but felt repetitive at times. Robbie’s mother treats him quite horribly throughout the book and Robbie has a really hard time seeing that despite the fact that his best friend points it out pretty often. I think this story would have benefitted from more editing and more world building to make the story truly come to life.
Although I have a lot of critiques of the book, I really did enjoy reading it and I think middle grade readers would enjoy it as well! It has a lot of fun elements and is great for middle grade readers looking for something to read during the Halloween season!
His Royal Hopeless is a fun middle grade read for children who may be struggling to fit in with their family or those around them. I picked up His Royal Hopeless directly after reading Assistant to the Villain because I was apparently in a villainous mood and it was a fun read!
There were so many things that this story did well! It had interesting characters and an interesting setting! I was curious about many of the elements and I wish the story had gone into more world building to really set the stage for the characters to thrive! I was curious about the doctorcerer character and the town itself. The Mom’s and Devon’s roles were well established within the story but I found myself wanting more information about other characters with information that was randomly thrown in.
The story was fun but felt repetitive at times. Robbie’s mother treats him quite horribly throughout the book and Robbie has a really hard time seeing that despite the fact that his best friend points it out pretty often. I think this story would have benefitted from more editing and more world building to make the story truly come to life.
Although I have a lot of critiques of the book, I really did enjoy reading it and I think middle grade readers would enjoy it as well! It has a lot of fun elements and is great for middle grade readers looking for something to read during the Halloween season!
November 6, 2022
A collection of some of my favourite tropes right here.
I do thoroughly enjoy when the concept of good and evil is turned topsy turvy.
I just love a character that is bad at what they are "supposed" to be good at; being bad at being bad is the creme del a creme of that trope.
I enjoyed reading this book; it was well-written and interesting. I found myself thinking that it would make a great animated movie. More to the point, I couldn't stop hearing Rhys Darby's voice as Robbie.
This book reminded me why I still pick up middle-grade novels even as an adult.
I do thoroughly enjoy when the concept of good and evil is turned topsy turvy.
I just love a character that is bad at what they are "supposed" to be good at; being bad at being bad is the creme del a creme of that trope.
I enjoyed reading this book; it was well-written and interesting. I found myself thinking that it would make a great animated movie. More to the point, I couldn't stop hearing Rhys Darby's voice as Robbie.
This book reminded me why I still pick up middle-grade novels even as an adult.
September 24, 2021
An absolutely brilliant book, full of fast-paced action, brilliant characters, and with a heart-warming message at its core!
December 28, 2021
As I started this book I wasn’t entirely sure. However the further in I got, the more I enjoyed it! I’m really glad I stuck with it!
November 9, 2023
so cute + fun. 💕
December 15, 2021
My friend Lily described this to me as being like a Pixar film in a book, and I don’t think there could possibly be a more apt description for it, as it just so totally fits the vibe of their quirky yet classic filmography, although I also I think it would make a great stage play. It’s the story of Robbie Sinistevil, their to the Sinisevil throne, as he sets out on a quest to prove he is evil enough for the job, given that he is considerably kinder and much less cruel than literally every other member of his family
Robbie is such a lovely character, if a little (or a lot) oblivious to his situation, and the way his mum treated him made me so angry. The Queen was such a phenomenal baddie though, with so many evil schemes and sinister plots (see what I did there? ), and while I don’t want to spoil what happens at the end I found some of her final scenes very, very funny (even though I would have made different choices if I were Robbie, I think). Some other standout characters were fierce, fair and supportive Layla, and loyal, clever and kind Devon, and I don’t know if it technically counts as a character but I really loved (to hate, obviously), the Tree. The friendships in the story were so lovely too, especially Robbie and Layla’s, and I also appreciated how good the character development was, particularly in relation to Robbie.
Something else I really enjoyed about this story was the humour, which made me laugh really quite a lot, especially some of the narrator’s comments, such as the one about Robbie’s name being really quite unusual for a Sinistevil, and I don’t know but the word doctorcerer also made me chuckle when it was first mentioned! The plot was brilliantly original while also paying homage to traditional fairytales, and the setting of the forest was both kind of creepy and kind of somewhere I’d like to visit, so I found it interesting that Chloë has said it was based on Wales. Overall, this is a fabulously funny fantasy with a plot that kept me gripped till the very end (I was so worried for the characters!), and I’m very excited to see what Chloë writes as their career continues.
Robbie is such a lovely character, if a little (or a lot) oblivious to his situation, and the way his mum treated him made me so angry. The Queen was such a phenomenal baddie though, with so many evil schemes and sinister plots (see what I did there? ), and while I don’t want to spoil what happens at the end I found some of her final scenes very, very funny (even though I would have made different choices if I were Robbie, I think). Some other standout characters were fierce, fair and supportive Layla, and loyal, clever and kind Devon, and I don’t know if it technically counts as a character but I really loved (to hate, obviously), the Tree. The friendships in the story were so lovely too, especially Robbie and Layla’s, and I also appreciated how good the character development was, particularly in relation to Robbie.
Something else I really enjoyed about this story was the humour, which made me laugh really quite a lot, especially some of the narrator’s comments, such as the one about Robbie’s name being really quite unusual for a Sinistevil, and I don’t know but the word doctorcerer also made me chuckle when it was first mentioned! The plot was brilliantly original while also paying homage to traditional fairytales, and the setting of the forest was both kind of creepy and kind of somewhere I’d like to visit, so I found it interesting that Chloë has said it was based on Wales. Overall, this is a fabulously funny fantasy with a plot that kept me gripped till the very end (I was so worried for the characters!), and I’m very excited to see what Chloë writes as their career continues.
January 12, 2022
5 Stars
I was given a copy of this book by my writing group(Which Chloe is a part of) and I'm so glad I did. This book was truly a wonderful read. I loved being introduced to Robbie. And joining him on his journey to find his heart.
I loved the plot of this story it was so interesting and I couldn't put it down.
The characters were so wonderful, and I fell in love with them as soon as I was introduced to them.
I was given a copy of this book by my writing group(Which Chloe is a part of) and I'm so glad I did. This book was truly a wonderful read. I loved being introduced to Robbie. And joining him on his journey to find his heart.
I loved the plot of this story it was so interesting and I couldn't put it down.
The characters were so wonderful, and I fell in love with them as soon as I was introduced to them.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews