It’s difficult taking care of a delusional father by yourself.

Touching on subjects often hard for a reader to digest, Frank effectively weaves a story that makes the themes a stark reality, whilst also easier to digest. Weaving a father-daughter relationship between linguistic talent and effective imagery, the author creates an enthralling tale of hardship and success against all odds.

I received this as an eARC to read for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to The Parliament House and NetGalley for giving me access.

More like 3.5 stars...

This one had a slow build for me. We begin with one story and then are diving into a completely different story. I was left with major questions and wondering if they would get answered. Spoiler alert, they didn't.

Although, I had some issues with Stolen, the 'second' story is where it picks up. I love this alternate world that they were in and the creatures.

I'm hoping the next book will answer the questions I have.

Overall, I did really enjoy this book.

*thank you to Netgalley, Marlena Frank and The Parliament House for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

3 stars.

What started out as an interesting read quickly became a little dull. I tried to keep pushing through it and while it was entertaining enough, it was pretty borderline. I had wanted to read his for the fairies element. Sadly it did not live up to my expectations and I found it a struggle to get through and while it wasn't bad, it could have been better. The cover I really like though so that's a positive.

*2.5 Stars*

Thank you to Parliament House and NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this eArc.

This book review is way overdue but I finally finished the book. It took me awhile to finish this book which is unfortunate because I thought it started off pretty good. But it just couldn’t seem to hold my interest.

Shaleigh and her friend Kaeja, have an interesting hobby. They go to decrepit locations around town to photograph them. It helps her escape issues she’s dealing with at home. Shaleigh’s father is having problems at work and his mental state is called into question. Then one day Shaleigh and Kaeja are on location when something totally unexpected occurs.

Shaleigh gets kidnapped and taken to the Land of the Fae where she must convince them she is the reincarnation of a long dead ruler. The story reminded me of Alice in Wonderland, with Madam Cloom resembling the Queen of Hearts.

The world-building in the land of Faerie is great but something about the book wasn’t holding my interest, it might have been the slow pacing of the story. I wasn’t attached to any characters in faerie but I did like that there was diversity in the love story being represented between two fae, Teagan and Talek. Other than the world-building I felt like there was a lull in the middle of the story and most of the action comes in the end, with a cliff-hanger ending.

This may have been a case of needing to be in the mood to read this book but Stolen just wasn’t for me. Despite it not working for me, I think a lot of young adult fantasy readers would enjoy the world-building and story of Shaleigh trying to find her way home.

Stolen is a higher-stakes more serious Alice in Wonderland. The world Marlena Frank has created is full of intrigue, adventure, and betrayal. The magical creatures Shaleigh encounters are reminiscent of those found in other stories, but her take on them is unique and interesting. After she is done with the series, I would love for Marlena Frank to write a prequel to show more of the events leading up to Shaleigh’s arrival.

Shaleigh is a strong heroine that I know young girls will relate to and want to follow as she tries to find her way back to her family and her own world. Her struggles and moral quandaries add to her believability as a character. Teagan is a complicated character who you are never sure what to think about – is he a good guy who has done some bad things or a bad guy who occasionally does some good things? That same question can be posed about Talek. I am definitely excited to learn more about both of them in the next book. I’m also hoping we get to see more of Colin, especially given his perilous position at the end of book one.
The only thing that would have made Stolen better was a glimpse of what was going on with Shaleigh’s father and friend back in our world. I have already put Broken on my to-be-read list. I have so many questions that I just have to get answered – is there any connection between the other world and what happened to Shaleigh’s mother or her father’s current condition? Is Shaleigh indeed the reincarnated ruler? If she’s not, where did the mark come from – and why do so many others have similar marks? Will Colin and Mawr get out of their predicament? Spring 2020 seems so far away!

This would be a great book for classroom and school libraries. Teachers can use it during writing lessons as a discussion on world building and creating magical creatures.

I was highly intrigued by the blurb and the cover, and the first half of the book was fascinating with great world-building and an interesting plot and cast of characters. But things started to flutter about a bit after that, and seemed to lose focus and I started struggling with it a little... By the final chapters I was more or less back in the story, until things stopped (as opposed to ended) . I've said it before and I'll say it again, the ending in a multi-series book is a very important and delicate thing - you can't just stop in the middle of the story. This one wasn't as abrupt as some, but still felt more like a break between chapters than a break between books... still, generally speaking I found the world in the characters engaging and entertaining and I would probably give the second book ago, with the hopes that now that everything has been introduced the plot will tighten a little and the pacing even out a bit.

From the book cover and the description I was excited to read this book, unfortunately it just wasn't for me. I couldn't connect to any of the characters and found the book difficult to pick back up again once I had put it down. The star rating purely reflects my personal taste but I can clearly see how this book would connect with other people and would recommend it to readers of the Oz books and the Chronicles of Narnia books.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, The Parliament House for this advanced electronic copy of this book in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Unfortunately, this book wasn't really my thing. At some points I had a hard time actually finishing the book.
The book felt a bit childish at points and I think it is written more for kids around the age of 14. So maybe I'm just a bit to old for this book.
Looking at the cover and description, I was expecting a spooky kind of story, but it wasn't that at all. The fantasy elements were nice, but the story didn't really have anything new or exciting for me.
I am sure a lot of people will love this story, and I hope it will get to the right readers who will love and appreciate it.

Great pacing, relatable characters, and amazing worldbuilding make this a book that will keep you engaged from beginning to end. Recommended for people who like fairy tale settings and coming of age stories.

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I did enjoy this book a lot! The world building was very good developed and I also liked the characters.
Also, that cover is gorgeous and I'm so glad the book overall did not disappoint.

Stolen follows the story of a girl who is kidnapped by a strange creature and taken from the modern world to a new world full of magical creatures where she is seen by some as the reincarnation of an old ruler.

Stolen was an interesting, whimsical book. It seemed like it was in between middle grade and young adult. It felt like a mg book, but then there were more mature ya moments. So, not quite sure what to think about it.

I was hoping there would be more with the relationship between Shaleigh and her father at the end, but I guess they’ll save that for the sequel?

People who enjoy Chronicles of Narnia and Disney’s Nutcracker and the Four Realms might like this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Parliament House (publisher) for a copy to review!