Taken from a review found online:
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 …
I found The King Is Dead by Benjamin Dean to cover most of the above thoughts. Though I never have a “And still….” moment. I feel this book is a 2.5 or even a 2.75, but I cannot give it a 3 as I never really liked the main character of James, King of England (or any of the characters actually). Oh, I know that is taboo. After all he is a gay, black teen and you are automatically supposed to like him, but I would not have liked him if he was white, straight or a kangaroo. (Okay, maybe a kangaroo..) But seriously, I never found him likable. I know his life has been sheltered, but you would think he would have a little confidence in himself and not be so blindingly trusting as he says, “oh I shouldn’t trust people.”
Then there is the aspect of the mystery, which I figured out pretty early on. This can be chalked up to the fact I’ve read a lot of young adult and YA mystery so I picked up on the clues early. But at the same time I did let myself think, “Well it’s possible it is Character B or C as the villain instead.” I was thinking Person A (first choice) was too likely (and the book was going the way of obvious themes so the “too likely” was the last possible choice ironically enough) but when we learn about Person C, it fit perfectly as the obvious choice as why wouldn’t he want the downfall of the Royal Family? Person B was just because I figured they were racist, but they were fine with the black Queen and Princes as long as James and his younger brother Eddie were “just princes” and the Queen just “knew her place.”
However, the concept was good. We have the racism of not just a small group, but the fact that the entire country could be suspected of it. We have the idea that James and Eddie are just 17 and dealing with their father’s death. There is the sibling dynamic. Then you have secrets and that is typical of young adult drama/mystery. It had a lot of good pieces, but they never really came together for me. I think the backdrop of royalty was lost on me. Maybe if James, Eddie, their cousin (Cassandra) and all their friends were “just” upper class people, it might have worked better. The idea of “the big secret” (being gay), then the “little big secrets” (an affair) just felt “too much” with them all being royal. But then again, I have never been a big fan of “Royal Romance” stories (except The Princess Diaries because of the humor).
For at least ages 14 and up.