O and I used to blog together all the time but, as he has grown-up, his reading has changed and so we rarely now read the same books. However, whilst on holiday in Crete a couple of weeks ago that all changed when we both read The King Is Dead! Here is our joint review:
The king has died which means that his son, James, is now king at the age of seventeen. Young to take on such a huge role, he knows that the eyes of the world will be on him even more than any other monarch as he is the first Black and queer king. However, the public don't know the truth about his sexuality, instead believing that he is in a relationship with Ophelia, a long-standing friend who has agreed to the ruse. However, journalist Quinn Buckley is determined to bring the new king down and is publishing rumours and scandals in his newspaper on an almost daily basis. James knows that he must be getting the information from somewhere, he just needs to figure out where before too much damage is done. But who can he trust?
O's Opinion:
The King Is Dead is a book like no other, with its take on the royal family and the public’s opinion of them at the forefront of the plot throughout. The vividness with which the details of the palace and the grounds are captured make this book come to life, and the characters are no exception to this. Using the antagonist Quinn Buckley and his news stories to drive a wedge of distrust between James and his family and staff, Dean manages to powerfully create a sense of tension whenever James speaks to someone he suspects. The plot of the novel is fantastic, with a setup Agatha Christie would be proud of so towards the end of the book anybody could be responsible, which certainly kept me on the edge of my seat. This is a very enjoyable read, that keeps suspense and drama throughout.
K's opinion
I have loved both of Benjamin Dean's MG books so was rather pleased when O picked up The King Is Dead to take on holiday with him. He was completely engrossed and read the entire book in under a day, only really looking up to tell me how good it was and that I had to read it - who was I to argue? I picked up the book the following morning and instantly knew why he had enjoyed the book so much. The reader is instantly transported into the heart of the palace and the inner sanctum of the royal family; you feel as though you are privy to things you shouldn't be and it makes for delicious reading. As O said, the sense of suspense was tantalising and I think he got as much enjoyment from watching my reactions to parts of the book as he did to reading it himself. The characters are perfectly created and I loved James for his realness: although he is king, he still has so many doubts and makes mistakes which made him feel much more human.
Like O, I gobbled the book up in under 24 hours as I just couldn't put it down. It's a perfectly woven mystery that will keep you guessing right until the very end. If you only read one YA this summer, it absolutely has to be The King Is Dead.
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