Royals
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4.0 • 3 Ratings
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
Six teenagers. An empty shopping centre. No Wi-Fi. And … a baby? Acclaimed author Tegan Bennett Daylight’s first novel for young adults reconceives Lord of the Flies for Gen Z.
Shortlisted, Ethel Turner Prize for Young People’s Literature, NSW Premier’s Literary Awards
Sydney Morning Herald Best Reads of the Year for 2023
The Guardian Best Australian Children’s Books of 2023
A group of teenagers alone in an empty shopping centre, with everything they could possibly want ... and a baby?
With no phones, no internet and no way out, Shannon and five other trapped teens are completely disconnected from the outside world ... and their online lives. It’s hard to say whether they’ll be driven to delinquency, or – even worse – forced to make friends irl. Will the limitless bubble tea, Maccas and new sneakers be enough to keep the six teens satisfied until they can find a way out, or is this the start of something much more sinister?
In Royals, her new novel for young people, acclaimed author Tegan Bennett Daylight upends Lord of the Flies to find out what really happens when there are no adults in the room.
Praise for Royals
‘A real page-turner of a book, full of vivid characters, intrigue and genuine warmth. The setting is so realistically unsettling, and the teenagers so likeable, that I was hooked from the beginning.’ Alice Pung, author of One Hundred Days and Laurinda
‘If Stephen King did The Breakfast Club it might turn out a bit like Royals ... A page-turning romp with a serious message at its core’ Kate Emery, author of The Not-So-Chosen One
‘This glorious fever dream of a novel explores the limits of consumerism alongside the possibilities of human connection, all the while keeping readers on the edge of their seats.’ Erin Gough, author of Amelia Westlake Was Never Here
Customer Reviews
A Disappointing Read
Although it isn't my usual type of read, I found myself drawn in by the blurb of Royals and how ridiculous it sounded. I also loved the idea of it being set in Australia and being able to recognise the shops and references.
Royals was pitched as Lord of The Flies for Gen Z and follows a group of 6 teenagers stuck indefinitely in a shopping centre with a baby, with no access to the internet or the outside world. Unlimited bubble tea, maccas, gaming consoles and designer clothes/shoes but they are forced to get to know each other in real life. It really was as ridiculous as it sounds and nothing at all like LOTF (aside from them being trapped).
I do think a younger YA audience might enjoy this one however I felt the plot was lacking any substance and parts of the book were a struggle to get through. Despite being in her 50's, the author wrote exactly like how a young teenager sounds, so much so that I had to check and make sure the author wasn't actually a 16 year old.
There was also a lot of diversity and representation in the characters which was nice to see, and I do feel like the characters developed a little bit throughout the novel. As a neurodivergent (ADHD) queer woman, I will only speak on the diversity/disability that I personally experience and represent. I do feel like the character with ADHD was over-stereotyped and there was some potential misinformation about their medication and behaviours that really bothered me. The character was also described as "taking up a lot of space" because of his ADHD which was quite frustrating to see written in a YA book as I have spent a lot of time in therapy as an adult trying to move away from that thought process. I would hate for a young person with ADHD to read that and think that others perceive them as "too much" or "taking up space" just because of their disability. There was also a comment about the MC 'looking like an atheist' which made absolutely no sense to me.
Overall, a quick read but probably not one that I would personally recommend, I'm hoping there are some changes made the the final version.
Thank you Simon Schuster Australia & NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.