The Kingdom

Book excerpt: A half-android, half-human girl is accused of murder in Jess Rothenberg's tautly-paced YA thriller, The Kingdom, perfect for fans of Westworld and The Lunar Chronicles. "Wildly addictive and beautifully terrifying... Readers will leave this glittering theme park forgetting what is real."—Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times bestselling author of The Belles Welcome to the Kingdom... where "Happily Ever After" isn’t just a promise, but a rule. Glimmering like a jewel behind its gateway, The KingdomTM is an immersive fantasy theme park where guests soar on virtual dragons, castles loom like giants, and bioengineered species—formerly extinct—roam free. Ana is one of seven Fantasists, beautiful “princesses” engineered to make dreams come true. When she meets park employee Owen, Ana begins to experience emotions beyond her programming including, for the first time... love. But the fairytale becomes a nightmare when Ana is accused of murdering Owen, igniting the trial of the century. Through courtroom testimony, interviews, and Ana’s memories of Owen, emerges a tale of love, lies, and cruelty—and what it truly means to be human.