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staring_at_words's review against another edition
3.0
This book was good.
It’s a standalone fantasy novel with interesting story line, nice motives, and good characters.
I liked the vineyards motive throughout the book. The relationship between characters is well developed. In parts the story lacks elaboration, some motives are not clearly set up or better said they are not explored in depth and that is due to the length of the book. If just a few more chapters were added in the beginning of the story to affirm main character motivations and in the end to wrap up the conflicts in more satisfying way it could easily been 4 stars, this way it has to be 3.
Overall, I would recommend this book to someone who Is new in fantasy or doesn’t want to commit to a longer book or series. As the author is ferly new I’m interesting in her development and future work.
It’s a standalone fantasy novel with interesting story line, nice motives, and good characters.
I liked the vineyards motive throughout the book. The relationship between characters is well developed. In parts the story lacks elaboration, some motives are not clearly set up or better said they are not explored in depth and that is due to the length of the book. If just a few more chapters were added in the beginning of the story to affirm main character motivations and in the end to wrap up the conflicts in more satisfying way it could easily been 4 stars, this way it has to be 3.
Overall, I would recommend this book to someone who Is new in fantasy or doesn’t want to commit to a longer book or series. As the author is ferly new I’m interesting in her development and future work.
itslorei's review against another edition
1.0
DNF at 12%
Stolen Kingdom is definitely a disappointment in my part. As much as I wanted to finish this one and enjoy it, I just can't seemed to. At most, I didn't care about the characters and just wanted to finish it. I am so sorry.
Stolen Kingdom is definitely a disappointment in my part. As much as I wanted to finish this one and enjoy it, I just can't seemed to. At most, I didn't care about the characters and just wanted to finish it. I am so sorry.
illusie's review against another edition
3.0
Maralyth has a secret from her family. When someone finds out about it her life is changed. The other MC is a prince Alac, who wants to have nothing to do with politics and magic. This book was enjoyable, but predictale. The characters lacked depth, but the book was fun enough to keep my interest.
erikajay's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fun, quick read. I really enjoyed the magic that was used in this book. I really liked how Maralyth used her magic, especially in the beginning. She also slowly realizes that she can expand on her abilities and tests the limits throughout the book.
The romance could have been more developed in my opinion. Maralyth and Alac fall in love very quickly and have an intense draw towards one another that causes them to act recklessly. But don’t get thrown off by how I phrased that - there are zero sex scenes or anything inappropriate in this book. It’s a very sweet love story.
While the plot might seem ‘overdone’ to some, I really enjoyed it! I wasn’t expecting any crazy twists or anything and this book delivered exactly what I wanted. It’s a quick, fun, and easy read!
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.
The romance could have been more developed in my opinion. Maralyth and Alac fall in love very quickly and have an intense draw towards one another that causes them to act recklessly. But don’t get thrown off by how I phrased that - there are zero sex scenes or anything inappropriate in this book. It’s a very sweet love story.
While the plot might seem ‘overdone’ to some, I really enjoyed it! I wasn’t expecting any crazy twists or anything and this book delivered exactly what I wanted. It’s a quick, fun, and easy read!
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.
racheln23's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
Cute story where I just enjoyed most of the whole adventure. It opens up with Mara and I was quite invested with her at the conclusion of ch 1, then it swapped POVs. I got so annoyed that I just skipped Alac… until like ch 12. I decided to go back and read his chapters and honestly, I could have skipped them and not missed much, BUT, at about ch 12ish they start becoming more essential.
Mara is being forced to take a crown. The alternative is that her family will be killed. In order to take the crown, she must be a usurper and support murder. Mara meets the family she is to murder by proxy, and you can imagine the delightful turmoil. I wish the author had included even more pre wedding festivities.
After listening to a Branden Sanderson class, I’m classifying the arch as a rags to riches trope, with some subplots of trying to solve the mystery of this magic, escaping from sticky situations, and a hint of romance.
There was one confusing thing to me. At one point, a character and Mara both were explaining her bloodline (2 completely separate occasions but within the same chapter)(it was Zeth at the end of the book, lol) , and either I totally forgot who some characters were or it was an editing overlook and not explained well with Mara’s mom and a sister and orphans and monastery’s and… it was confusing.
My complaint:
The handing over of the crown just seemed a little unlikely, I feel like something else should have happened.
Anyway, it’s really like a 3.25 star but I liked it enough where it deserves to be both 3.25 and 4.25 lol
Mara is being forced to take a crown. The alternative is that her family will be killed. In order to take the crown, she must be a usurper and support murder. Mara meets the family she is to murder by proxy, and you can imagine the delightful turmoil. I wish the author had included even more pre wedding festivities.
After listening to a Branden Sanderson class, I’m classifying the arch as a rags to riches trope, with some subplots of trying to solve the mystery of this magic, escaping from sticky situations, and a hint of romance.
There was one confusing thing to me. At one point, a character and Mara both were explaining her bloodline (2 completely separate occasions but within the same chapter)
My complaint:
Anyway, it’s really like a 3.25 star but I liked it enough where it deserves to be both 3.25 and 4.25 lol
crimsoncor's review against another edition
3.0
Not objectionable, but pretty bland. World building is super low effort. The entire "the army is hidden because that is what armies do" made me laugh, but not in a good way. Wished there had been way more actually talk about wine and wine-making. That would have been fun.
heyitsmeg777's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed reading this book with not your average queen getting to the throne tale.
We usually expect to find out that an ordinary girl will end up on a throne, but Maralyth "Mara" isn't your ordinary girl. She's the daughter of a wine seller who has the power to make the vineyards thrive. As she gets roped onto a plan to get rid of the Thungraves to assure her position as queen, she collides into Alac Thungrave.
Now, let me just say that Alac is a GREAT character. His desire to not sink into his family's power but still being curious is a perfect balance between good and evil. The fact that he fell in love with Mara since the first time made me instantly like him more and despite everything she does, he still chooses to forgive her and being a prince interested in wines was an interesting trait to add to a prince.
It was a pleasant read, even if the beginning was a bit slow but the characters were great and the magic of creation and destruction was portrayed in such a lovely way.
We usually expect to find out that an ordinary girl will end up on a throne, but Maralyth "Mara" isn't your ordinary girl. She's the daughter of a wine seller who has the power to make the vineyards thrive. As she gets roped onto a plan to get rid of the Thungraves to assure her position as queen, she collides into Alac Thungrave.
Now, let me just say that Alac is a GREAT character. His desire to not sink into his family's power but still being curious is a perfect balance between good and evil. The fact that he fell in love with Mara since the first time made me instantly like him more and despite everything she does, he still chooses to forgive her and being a prince interested in wines was an interesting trait to add to a prince.
It was a pleasant read, even if the beginning was a bit slow but the characters were great and the magic of creation and destruction was portrayed in such a lovely way.
amy_j18's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
anotherstoryreader's review against another edition
5.0
Comfort food for the YA romance loving soul.
Sometimes you just need a fun light read. This book was that for me. If you are in the market for something new with groundbreaking new plots and tropes this probably isn't what you're searching for. If you just want a book you know you're going to enjoy. This book was well written, had an enjoyable plot, stolen magic, and a sweet romance. I liked that it's a stand-alone book. I was wondering about halfway how Mrs. Boehme was going to get Maralyth and Prince Alac to reconcile such enormous obstacles in the way to them becoming close but it was very well done. I almost wish there was a sequel because I'd like to see more of Maralyth and Alac and the kingdom of Perin Faye.
On a personal note in the acknowledgments, Mrs. Boehme says she never dreamed she could write a book. She said her first attempt was terrible. This really touched me and I just want to say. Girl you didn't just do it, you did it GOODDDDD!!! I can't wait to see what you write next because you defiantly have a God-given talent!
Sometimes you just need a fun light read. This book was that for me. If you are in the market for something new with groundbreaking new plots and tropes this probably isn't what you're searching for. If you just want a book you know you're going to enjoy. This book was well written, had an enjoyable plot, stolen magic, and a sweet romance. I liked that it's a stand-alone book. I was wondering about halfway how Mrs. Boehme was going to get Maralyth and Prince Alac to reconcile such enormous obstacles in the way to them becoming close but it was very well done. I almost wish there was a sequel because I'd like to see more of Maralyth and Alac and the kingdom of Perin Faye.
On a personal note in the acknowledgments, Mrs. Boehme says she never dreamed she could write a book. She said her first attempt was terrible. This really touched me and I just want to say. Girl you didn't just do it, you did it GOODDDDD!!! I can't wait to see what you write next because you defiantly have a God-given talent!
stormwhisper's review against another edition
3.0
I received an ARC copy of this book via Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge in exchange for a honest review.
Maralyth has always known that she possessed a dangerous secret: she can perform magic, an act forbidden to all but the king of the land. What Maralyth doesn't know is that her ancestry, the source of her magic, will thrust her headfirst into the very centre of a deadly plot to claim the throne from an a cruel ruler. Maralyth soon finds herself plucked from her ordinary life on her father's vineyard and forced to make life-and-death decisions which will affect not only herself and her family, but reverberate throughout the entirety of the kingdom. Despite the palace intrigue, Maralyth's path seems clear-cut enough until she meets her sworn enemy, Prince Alac, and realizes that restoring fair rule to the kingdom might not be as black-and-white as it appears.
Right from the start, I appreciated that Maralyth was headstrong and determined character. Lord Nelgareth's plan hinged on using Maralyth as a pawn, and while she didn't initially have the full luxury of full autonomy while also keeping her family safe, she refused to be complacent and accept every cruel act as necessary. Maralyth's unwillingness to allow needless brutality and death gave her the tools to seize her power back, and carve out a new destiny for herself and her kingdom.
Alac felt less well-developed, although the character was still an interesting one. I would have appreciated a further exploration of his motives and inner turmoil - even though he was a point-of-view character, I didn't feel like I fully grasped his thought process, and sometimes meaningful changes in his actions and emotions felt rushed and unearned. Alac was a character faced with a plethora of difficult decisions and I think the book would have been improved by giving more of a voice to his difficulties.
The supporting cast didn't have much of a chance to shine, and seemed a bit one-note to me - for example, Tucker existed only to serve his prince and Nestar existed only to help his sister, with no further explanation provided. I would have appreciated it if the author had spent more time fleshing out the secondary characters and allowing them to shine.
I was also disappointed to find that some plot elements were mentioned almost in passing but failed to receive much scrutiny and had little effect on the overall plot. I think the world-building of The Stolen Kingdom would have benefitted if further attention had been given to the consequences of the Thungrave rule, the unpopularity of a potential war, or the other reasons that led to unrest in the populace and set the story in motion.
Ultimately The Stolen Kingdom was an enjoyable book, but I guess I just wanted more out of it - more exploration of Maralyth and Alac's characters, more three-dimensional secondary characters, more world-building. If the book had been longer and spent more time broadening its plot, I think it could have been a truly fantastic book.
Maralyth has always known that she possessed a dangerous secret: she can perform magic, an act forbidden to all but the king of the land. What Maralyth doesn't know is that her ancestry, the source of her magic, will thrust her headfirst into the very centre of a deadly plot to claim the throne from an a cruel ruler. Maralyth soon finds herself plucked from her ordinary life on her father's vineyard and forced to make life-and-death decisions which will affect not only herself and her family, but reverberate throughout the entirety of the kingdom. Despite the palace intrigue, Maralyth's path seems clear-cut enough until she meets her sworn enemy, Prince Alac, and realizes that restoring fair rule to the kingdom might not be as black-and-white as it appears.
Right from the start, I appreciated that Maralyth was headstrong and determined character. Lord Nelgareth's plan hinged on using Maralyth as a pawn, and while she didn't initially have the full luxury of full autonomy while also keeping her family safe, she refused to be complacent and accept every cruel act as necessary. Maralyth's unwillingness to allow needless brutality and death gave her the tools to seize her power back, and carve out a new destiny for herself and her kingdom.
Alac felt less well-developed, although the character was still an interesting one. I would have appreciated a further exploration of his motives and inner turmoil - even though he was a point-of-view character, I didn't feel like I fully grasped his thought process, and sometimes meaningful changes in his actions and emotions felt rushed and unearned. Alac was a character faced with a plethora of difficult decisions and I think the book would have been improved by giving more of a voice to his difficulties.
The supporting cast didn't have much of a chance to shine, and seemed a bit one-note to me - for example, Tucker existed only to serve his prince and Nestar existed only to help his sister, with no further explanation provided. I would have appreciated it if the author had spent more time fleshing out the secondary characters and allowing them to shine.
I was also disappointed to find that some plot elements were mentioned almost in passing but failed to receive much scrutiny and had little effect on the overall plot. I think the world-building of The Stolen Kingdom would have benefitted if further attention had been given to the consequences of the Thungrave rule, the unpopularity of a potential war, or the other reasons that led to unrest in the populace and set the story in motion.
Ultimately The Stolen Kingdom was an enjoyable book, but I guess I just wanted more out of it - more exploration of Maralyth and Alac's characters, more three-dimensional secondary characters, more world-building. If the book had been longer and spent more time broadening its plot, I think it could have been a truly fantastic book.