How I love warrior princess, secret library, and magic forest vibes. Lucky for me, this book serves up all three.

Protagonist Jennesara is a princess forced into a political marriage by her father in trade for sorely needed troops in an ongoing war. She has hidden a magic ability all her life: a "tether" to the emotions of her father and brother. And that's just scratching the surface of what she can do. Unfortunately, an attack on the way to her new home leaves her alone and not knowing who to trust.

I enjoyed Jenna as a character: loyal, focused, and determined. I also loved her new would-be-sisters-in-law. Sweet Chiara and playful Mari presented nice foils for Jenna, and I loved watching the bonds form among them. My favorite part of the book was when the three of them were working as a team,the odds stacked against them.

This isn't a fantasy story that reinvents the wheel--it's definitely a tropey adventure. In general, I would prefer a bit more of the unexpected and stronger emotionality. However, it has excellent action, intrigue, and history. I recommend it to people who love the genre and are looking for their next warrior princess crush.

*I received an e-Arc from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion*

3.5/5
At first, I thought this would be just another YA fantasy. It seemed like it would have the typical tropes and had the makings of a love triangle. I was pleasantly surprised as the story went along though that this defied my expectations.
While there were some common YA fantasy tropes, they were done well and I loved the lack of love triangle. Our main character was a little “not like other girls” but not to the point where it bothered me.
The story was well told and kept me invested to the very end, I loved that there was a twist I didn’t see coming and while the ending wrapped up well,it still left me excited for a sequel.
All in all, this is a really solid YA fantasy debut novel that I really enjoyed.

"Shielded" is a vivid, engaging read that features easily likable characters as they overcome a series of challenges that take them beyond what they ever expected.

Jenna, the second born child of the Halendi royal line, supports her brother Ren and hopes for the possibility to share her insights and talents within her country. However, she is blindsided when she learns her father has betrothed her to the prince of a neighboring kingdom without her knowledge or approval. Dutifully, she goes, only to be inexplicably attacked by a nightmare from the land's past - mages with powers that threaten the tenuous peace between neighboring countries. Luckily, Jenna has a secret of her own - she has magic when no second child of the line is supposed to inherit magic, but it is in exploring this power that Jenna finds her own strength.

Now, was this the most original YA title in the world? Nope. Many of the ideas here are recycled from an older generation of stories that perhaps are not as well consumed these days, but were definitely formative for me as a younger reader. However, I think that strong points (good plot, good pacing, enjoyable characters) make this a worthy read.

I'll be curious how the world expands - the set up for the second book sounds to me like an even better concept than the first. Either way, a strong debut and quick read for those who enjoy fantasy mixed with their politics. I enjoyed it, and look forward to my next read from Ms. Flanders.

The Kingdom of Halendi is in trouble and Princess Jennesara knows her skills on the battlefield would make her an asset and wants to help, but her father, the king, has other plans for her. With magic, danger, and betrayal surrounding her, Princess Jennesara must leave everything and everyone she knows and loves for an alliance with the neighboring Kingdom through marriage in exchange for resources Haleni needs.

When her caravan is ambushed, Jenna realizes the rumors were wrong and the dangers and betrayal is far worse than anticipated. Now Jenna must fight to survive and decide if revealing a dangerous secret is worth the cost before it is too late.

I absolutely enjoyed this book and I could NOT put it down! Princess Jenna has really impressed me and I can not help but appreciate how hard she fights with every obstacle. She is someone to look up to! I can not wait to see where book 2 will take us!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Shielded is character-driven, YA fantasy that focuses more heavily on character development than plot. I was instantly hooked in the first chapter which set a strong foundation for an interesting plot, a harrowing journey, and intense battles. Unfortunately, by chapter two, the storyline became confusing and difficult to follow. I found the change in POVs and tenses to be a bit jarring, especially because the reader isn't introduced to the characters in the POV switch which only added to my confusion as to what was going on.

The author didn't disappoint with the harrowing journey, but it is far too long and I felt myself losing interest in the story while waiting for something to happen. This feeling continued through the end with a few exciting moments spattered in-between - but not enough to keep me eagerly turning the pages.

If you really enjoy slow-burn, character-driven novels, then this book is for you. But if you enjoy fast-paced, plot-driven novels, I wouldn't recommend it.

First, thank you to the publisher and the Netgalley for the e-ARC review copy!

And now...

WOW. WOOOOOWWWW! As in ‘holy wow, how am I to survive after that?!’ THIS. WAS. SO. GOOD. I truly enjoyed every moment of it! All the the glimpses and hints, as well as being in Jenna’s head! I don’t know how I’m going to be able to wait for more!!!! I adored the world building, and all the bits about magic... And Jenna was AMAZING. I loved this warrior princess! Ugh, it’s just so good! Highly recommend!

Jenna is a princess, second in line to the throne of Hálendi. She’s also, although she’s never told anybody, one of the few royals who’ve inherited magic. Keeping her secret is the most important thing she’s ever done. She knows that if others were to find out, it might put her brother, the prince, in danger. Keeping her secret suddenly becomes much easier when she’s told she’s to marry the heir from the neighboring kingdom, an action necessary to secure troops for the Hálendian border. Magic is threatening to invade their kingdom, and only Jenna’s marriage can prevent it. But when her caravan is ambushed on the way to the neighboring kingdom, Jenna realizes that it’s more than attacks at the borders. Magic is threatening their entire land, and only she can stop it.

I received an advanced reading copy of Shielded in exchange for an honest review.

Shielded is a young adult fantasy novel by KayLynn Flanders. I’m pretty sure it’s Flanders’s debut novel too, and what a novel to debut on! It has secrets, magic, political intrigue, and a princess who not only has a bad-ass sword but also knows how to use it!

I’d actually heard a lot about Shielded before getting the book, and once I got my hands on it I was so excited that I couldn’t wait, and actually started reading it with my sister doing yoga in the background. I was able to tune out my sister’s crazy poses and the voice of her guru on the computer, as I fell into the world of Hálendi and began to learn about a world where magic has been banished.

Shielded is one of those books where the author is presenting a world that isn’t just there for the characters to live in, but it’s a world that actually influences them and their actions. The Plateau (as they call it in the book) has a lot of history behind it, and all of it influences current events as they stand. The countries are all different and have various priorities, the people speak different versions of languages, and they have different rulers, but their history ties them all together in a way that really helps further the plot along much more than I’d anticipated.

Shielded is mostly a plot-led novel. There’s a lot happening here which the main character, Jenna, has no control over, and has no choice but to keep reacting to events, over and over. And while I didn’t always understand her reactions (I wasn’t sure if I’d make the same ones), when thinking about them, they did make sense for the character to be choosing the way she was.

The book is actually told through her first-person POV, so her insight is definitely prevalent the entire way through. There are occasionally snippets that we get of other things, and these moments certainly help create more tension throughout the narrative, although they don’t do as much to further the plot, but the rest is strictly Jenna.

Jenna is a great character to have. She’s very secretive, but tough as nails, and so determined. I also appreciated that we get to see different sides of her. She’s not a standard warrior princess, if that makes sense. She’s also able to spend time reading and researching, and while she does often run headlong into danger, it’s not her default. Instead, she would rather stay and protect those she can if she has to.

Also, this might be a very small thing, but seeing her actually defeat several male-identifying characters in this narrative was extremely satisfying. I feel like we often see women being portrayed as tough and able to take anyone down, and once a potential love interest comes in, she’s too distracted to fight. And while distractions are something that definitely happen in Shielded, Jenna still kicks ass. She’s pretty awesome.

Some of the other characters are fun to read about too! I really really want to talk about them, but it’s going to be hard without accidentally going into spoilers, so I’ll say that there’s a few major characters who come up, and whose intentions and personalities are really well-defined in the book. Unfortunately, for some others, I thought we were lacking some information. There’s definitely a few I’m thinking about, but again, I can’t tell you because that would spoil things.

Speaking of spoilers, there’s also a few fun twists in the novel. I definitely called one pretty early on, but it was fairly obvious in terms of a trope it follows. The other ones, however, definitely took me by surprise. There were a number of times in this book where I was suddenly faced with a huge revelation or change, and almost every time I was startled, and I had to keep reading to figure out what would happen from there. Flanders did a good job of putting together an unexpected plot, and although I thought the ending was a bit chaotic, it definitely sets up the sequel.

Shielded was a fun fantasy read, with an excellent warrior princess character, and plenty of magic to bring some chaos into everyone’s lives. I’ll definitely have to check out the sequel and see what happens to all these characters.

Shielded will be released by Delacorte Press at Penguin Random House on July 21. You can preorder your copy from them at this link.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book!

GUYS!! The art on this book is stunning and I really wanted this book just because of that but it turned out I loved this book. The atmosphere was everything I wanted it to be. I loved the plot and storyline in the book. I loved the characters in this story and the world building.. It gave me all the feels I was looking for when I started reading this. I highly recommend this author. I loved the writing. I will be looking for other works in the future from this author.

Shielded is a fast paced and fairly straight forward fantasy book. Everything happens extremely fast, so if you want a quick read with straight forward characters set in an interesting world, this is good choice. The summary provided covers pretty much all you need to know going into the book. You have got a determined and capable in her own right who has a mission and some personal decisions to make.
There is very little guess work with the characters. If you think someone is a villain, they probably are. If you have got a guess on who the prince might be or how a relationship is going to form, you are probably right. I would have loved for there to have been more character and relationship development, but as this is the first book in the series, that may come more so later.
The love portion of the story comes on super-fast, so there is some high-speed romance going on, and it was pretty easy to guess from the first time the characters interacted that that would be the case.
The setting itself is interesting, and I could have gone for some additional world building and detail. Again, because this is the first book, more of that may come later, but it would have been nice to have a greater understanding of that world in general. I am a great lover of detail, so I always want more of that in the books I read.
Overall Shielded is a fast, enjoyable, and easy fantasy read. I enjoyed the read overall, and would be interested in following the characters.

If you love Young Adult Fantasy, you're going to love this book. By far one of my favorite books I've read in 2020. SHIELDED by Kaylynn Flanders follows the story of a young princess, Jenessara who has been betrothed to the prince of another kingdom in order for their kingdom to receive more aid in the face of an imminent battle. When her traveling party is attacked, Jenessara is left to her own devices to traverse through treacherous country and hope she can find help and discover who attacked her and who betrayed her, before they find her and kill her.

Filled with magic, intrigue, and romance(!!!!!!) this is a fantastic 2020 debut and definitely something you want to pick up when it releases. I for one am going to be raving about this book for a while. Where is the sequel? I need it now! ;)

This is a nice fantasy. It didn’t have the most complex characters or plot. It was very black and white. Good vs evil. Our main character, Jennesara, was likable. The romance was just ok for me. It wasn’t insta love but was a little too fast for me to really enjoy it. The pacing of the book was a bit inconsistent. One moment so much was happening then next pretty much nothing. I had a hard time keeping interest through the entire book but the ending was good. Overall, this was a good fantasy but I wasn’t always captivated from beginning to end.

The library needs this. I need this. YA Fantasy readers need this. The writing is full of beautiful descriptions and the characters are engaging. A fantastic addition to YA fantasy!

I was unaware of the fact this was the start to a duology or series. I thought it was a standalone.
The book itself was exciting and I enjoyed the plot. I do think it could have lost 1/3 and been fine. The upper middle grade/low ya was amazing.

2.5/5

Lord of the Rings meets Frozen in KayLynn Flanders' debut novel Shielded, in which a young princess from a kingdom in the North investigates political conspiracies, powerful mages that want her family dead, and the strange budding romantic feelings towards her would-be betrothed.

Shielded is told from the point of view of Jennesara, the 17-year-old princess from the kingdom of Hálendi, which takes on some of the common Nordic stylings with the blonde haired, blue eyed folk that navigate the cold Plateau. She has the ability to use magic, something that is only supposed to be inherited by the first born of the royal family in Hálendi, and had already been displayed by her older brother. In order to stave off rumors and concerns, Jennesara spends her life hiding the physical marking that displays her magical capabilities - a streak of white hair in her otherwise golden locks.

There will be some spoilers beyond this point!

Aside from the white in her hair, which is something I will get back to, there were a few things about this book that gave me pause as I read. The most notable thing to me was the writing - there was an incredibly large amount of exposition, and as a reader I felt that I was explained every detail, rather than being left to infer anything. This, combined with the fact that we had to participate in every single one of Jennesara's thoughts and actions, began taking a toll during her time in the Wilds. A surprisingly large portion of the novel is dedicated to her wandering through these Wilds in an attempt to make her way to Turia after her royal caravan is attacked, and her party killed. The sheer amount of story we get in the Wilds, where nothing is happening outside of Jennesara wandering and thinking to herself, was slightly offputting. After making it to Turia, Jennesara continually interacts with others which breaks up a bit of the monologue, but the theme of over explanation continues, and almost no details (no insignificant details, anyway) are skipped over. Conversations in which we learn new information are often repeated, so other characters can be informed, and then repeated again, especially in the later portion of the novel.

The magic system is also something that I didn't fully understand. In the novel, there were four mages that had been banished to the Ice Deserts before the events of the story took place. We learn that they are planning on taking over the Continent, and have a personal grudge against the royal family of Hálendi, because they are the descendants of the person who originally sealed the mages away to protect humankind. We are aware that the mages have magical ability, and that Jennesara's father and brother do, due to their familial connection to their ancestor (as well as a family connection to the Grey and Black mages, because as it turns out, the Black mage was the brother of the first king, so... the grey mage is technically Jennesara's cousin). All other magic in Hálendi is never discussed, which is why Jennesara takes such precautions to hide her visible reminder of magical aptitude. Magic takes form differently in every person, which I found to be an interesting element, although Jennesara ends up using her magic for healing most of the time anyway, which is the same power as her brother. We also learn that Turians have magic, though the how's, what's and why's are not brought up - only that, unlike Hálendi, magic is open and accepted in their kingdom.

This brings me to Jennesara's white streak of hair, her telltale sign of magic. We don't get much explanation as to why this is the signal for magic (although it definitely continued to give me Frozen vibes throughout the story) in the Hálendi royal line. One of the more confusing things that happens during the story is when Enzo finds out Jennesara's true identity (as she had been pretending to be a regular Hálendian warrior, using her maid's name), by her hair. Her hair that she had taken extreme precautions in braiding, which is regularly mentioned, so the white streak hasn't been visible to any member of her family. No one knows about her streak except her brother, so why is it the reason that Enzo is able to recognize her? Does everyone who uses magic have some kind of physical marking? Is it different depending on family, or region of birth? The white streak seemed to have absolutely no importance, despite it being made out to be one of the more important secrets Jennesara keeps. A secret that, in the end, nobody cared about.

Shielded is a novel that really brought out the "young" in "young adult" for me; as I was reading, I realized this story is exactly something I would have wanted to read when I was 15/16. A princess, who is also a warrior, who has innate magical abilities, on a journey to protect her kingdom and avenge her family, getting in a little romance along the way - it's a great setup for a story I would have loved as a teen. The execution, however, left me wanting, due to the long passages without plot-driven events and the consistent telling, rather than showing. Events that were of little consequence were given full explanations and details, while important scenes were often brushed over (since Jennesara wasn't conscious during the siege to take back the castle in Turiana, I guess we don't get to experience it either...). What I thought would be set ups for plot twists ended up being nothing more than one line musings and the actual plot twists that occurred were solved within a page or less (eg. General Leland). Overall, this story had some interesting ideas behind it, a main character that I really wanted to like, a lot of world building potential, but was overshadowed by writing that did little to draw readers into the story.

Finally got a chance to read this book and I must say: WOW!!!!! I tried an excerpt online and was interested but not sold. I am so glad I requested it. It has fully lived up to what I wanted in a fantasy about a kicka$$ heroine. The writing is strong and the pacing of the novel flows like a quiet river with no dams. The character development is completely actualized and it’s been a fun experience getting to know the major players, as well as the minor ones too!

This was a quick read for me and im still not so sure how I feel about it.
Overall it was an okay story, and I hope the author continues to expand more of this world and story.

3.5- What a gorgeous cover! Shielded is a fast-paced, enjoyable fantasy adventure. The story follows Jennesara, a princess who is unknowingly betrothed to a prince in the neighboring kingdom. To save her kingdom, she agrees to fulfill her father’s betrothal agreement. On her journey, her group is brutally attacked and Jen is forced to flee into a magical forest, the Wild. Betrayal and conspiracy infect the kingdom and it becomes clear that Jen’s life is in danger. Jen decides to hide as a servant in the neighboring kingdom. While there, she meets her intended betrothed, his family, and a mysterious group of villains.

Jen is a very brave and daring character, she was one of the main reasons that I felt invested in the story. I would have loved to see more development and explanation of the magic system, including the Wild and Jen’s powers. In terms of the plot, there were areas where things seemed a little too convenient or didn’t make logical sense. My personal pet peeve was that Jen has a white streak in her hair that immediately would identify her as having magic, and the only solution she has is to hide it in a braid. Can she cut it off, can she dye it, etc? The braid almost failed Jen so many times!

Overall, this was a fast-paced and enjoyable adventure. If you like classic YA tropes, fierce princesses, and adventure, then check out Shielded! While marketed for YA, I would say this is on the younger side of YA or upper middle grade. I will definitely be looking forward to the sequel and seeing how Jen’s adventures continue! Shielded releases on July 21, 2020. Thank you to KayLynn Flanders, Delacorte Press, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my gosh I love this book! This would be a perfect book for a Tamara Pierce fan who liked her Tortall universe books. Or the Patricia Wrede Enchanted Forest Chronicles. It’s a great girl’s adventure fantasy with light. romance.
The heroine is a just turned 17 princess and second born who is told that she has a betrothal with the prince of the neighbor kingdom. After her initial wait what? reaction she doesn’t whine about doing her duty (and is told if she gets there and there’s a problem she can break the betrothal). She heads off in her procession with her maid and guards and then all sorts of spoiler filled adventure happens!
For any parent reading this review there is genre typical but not explicit violence. Someone does have their throat cut in front of her and she is quite distressed and when she has to fight and kill it is in self defense or defense of others and it is shown as being emotionally very hard as it would be even when justified. No sexuality beyond kissing.

I adored this Viking fantasy! It kept me on the edge of my seat from page one and I could not put it down. Cannot wait for what comes next.

Star Rating: 3.75/5 Stars

Shielded is a story very familiar to the adolescent fantasy market: a sheltered princess, hidden magic, an unwanted betrothal, and a centuries old war returning to the surface. While this book does not break any new ground, it is still an enjoyable read for those who still enjoy the classic fairytale wrapped with the plot of Saturday morning cartoon series. This book is marketed as a YA, but I would definitely say on the lower end of the YA age-range, arguably middle grade in its suitabilities.

Jennesara is a princess who, while in the beginning does come off a bit "not like other girls", is different for her hobbies and eccentricities in the eyes of her court, and she very much lifts up the women she meets throughout the story. While she is a notable fighter, she is not the dark and edgy heroine of many YA Fantasy novels and definitely more suited for those looking for the sweet, determined princess archetype with their fighting prowess. Her characterizing trait is easily the love she has for her family. This driving force is what pushes her through her travels, goals, and plot. Her later, budding relationship with Enzo is sweet in the way that a first teen romance can be.

My largest complaint for the book was its ease. The physical hardships of her solitary travels were grueling, and the book is mostly more realistic than not in its portrayal of how these hardships and injuries can affect the body, even with the aid of magic. The pace of the story just seemed to float along, which made it easy reading, but also made all plot revelations and changes very easy to breeze through, hence my recommendation for younger audiences. For older readers, teen or otherwise, the turns the story takes will be seen miles away.

Shielded was an easy read and while adding nothing new to the genre, it's still a good fit for younger audiences still seeking some of the comforts of a euro-centric fairytales of their youth while still keeping it age appropriate. It is best seen as a Throne of Glass (pre-Fae arcs) for the pre-teen and early teen reader.