I received an advance reader’s copy (ARC) of The King Is Dead by Benjamin Dean. Since this version is just a proof and not the final version, I won’t quote directly and will keep my comments general.

In The King Is Dead, James has been preparing to ascend the throne for his entire life, despite being fairly sure that his younger twin brother would be better suited to it. But when the day comes, James is dreading it. He is grappling with the loss of his father and with the heightened public scrutiny of the royal family. And considering no one knows he is gay—and dating someone—this latter point is especially stressful. Then, his secrets start to find their way into the tabloids, and it becomes increasingly clear that someone inside the palace is talking. As his safety gets less and less assured, James has to wonder if his reign will end before it even really begins.

The description reminded me vaguely of Red, White & Royal Blue, but with a thriller twist, and so I had to read it! That said, I still like Royal Blue more.

I liked James, and I really liked his main bodyguard Peter. Their bond is so nice, with some parental protectiveness and so much trust. I think this was my favorite part of the book. I also liked the Queen Mother, and I kind of wish we’d seen more of her.

As for the other characters, no one else really impressed me. Ophelia was fine, as were Gayle and Eddie, but I wasn’t attached to any of them. I felt like I didn’t get to know James’s boyfriend before he vanished, so I didn’t feel as invested as I should have in their relationship. Moreover, the other love interest Grigor was even less intriguing to me, mostly because I was well aware of what genre this book was and therefore didn’t trust anyone, including him. I also thought it didn’t make sense for James to be attracted to someone new, so soon after his boyfriend literally disappeared in somewhat mysterious circumstances.

I also wanted this to be creepier, which kind of sounds weird. It’s not that I wanted James to be in peril, but… okay, I kind of did. I was expecting this to be ominous and tense, and it was slightly, but not enough. That’s just my impression, though; you might not agree if you read this.

However, all that said, I did enjoy the themes this book presented. We see so clearly how intense being in the spotlight is. Obviously, a lot of things are easier for famous people, but there’s also a vulnerability and lack of privacy that is really awful, and this is clear in how James has to deal with the tabloids. And the commentary about how people of color and queer people are treated by the media is fierce, accurate, and pretty frustrating. People just need to be kind, because people like James are just trying to exist and be safe. Letting them do so shouldn’t be too much to ask.

In the end, The King Is Dead was decent. I liked a couple of the characters, and the mystery wasn’t bad. There were some great plot twists in the third act, too! The themes are excellent. However, for a thriller, I think I just wanted more thrills. And the romance was not that interesting. But if you want a royal mystery, try this!

The King Is Dead will be published on July 18th, 2023!