This is going to be a must read for this summer ladies and gentlemen. It is rich, dense, character development, beautiful descriptions, accurate descriptions of combat, and a refreshing unique magic system. Jennesara is a uniquely fascinating character. She never played the damsel in distress card and she really develops a long the course of this first book.

Though she knows nothing about her magic, or why those she loved have been destroyed she still follows the path that been laid out before her. Get to Turina and figure out why this mage wants her dead. The prince Enzo is a joy to get to know and the adorable side characters his sisters really made the whole interaction of Jennesara playing her guard. I really thought the white streak in her hair would of become obvious a lot sooner then it did, i can’t imagine trying to braid my hair all the time to hid it. This is sure to be a favorite this summer.

This will be making my top 10 reads of 2020. Fantastic world building and character development with out having multiple POVs I still felt like I got to know so many characters. The magic system was well done and this story was definitely for fans of Falling Kingdoms series and Shadow & Bone. A must read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for sending me a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Shielded is a fast-paced, action-packed fantasy with strong world building and engaging characters. It also is set up well to kick of a series: Shielded ties up enough of the main questions in the first book to leave you feeling satisfied while still hinting at the potential to come. I am quite looking forward to the next book in this series.

As other reviewers have pointed out, reading Shielded is kind of a whirlwind. While I enjoyed the fast pacing, I will probably have to read this book a second time to fully grasp everything that happened and pick up the pieces I missed. In fact, even though this book is over 400 pages, I read it in a day and my mind is still reeling from how quickly this book flew by.

While reading, there were moments I was reminded of The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede and Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith. Whether they were intentional or not, I appreciated how these short moments reminded me of the joy I experienced reading these titles growing up. If you also enjoyed those books, you might also enjoy Shielded.

I do wish, however, that more time had been spent in each setting. Even though the world building is strong, each time I was starting to enjoy a setting the story would move onto the next one. There is literally a world of possibilities in Shielded and I’m excited to see what places it goes next.

Thank you again to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the privilege of reviewing an ARC.

Okay wow.... I really enjoyed this one!!

The character development was SO rich and I felt really connected to each of them! I'm not always a fan of the protagonist in YA literature but this one was really wonderful! She was so strong and graceful! She was the kind of leader I like to see in my books!

The descriptions in this book were really beautiful and I enjoyed them SO much! It really helped me feel immersed in the worldbuilding, which I also really enjoyed!

The plot of this book, much like the character development, was rich and vibrant! I felt so engrossed in everything that was happening throughout the book!

The romance was really wonderful and cute! I can't wait to see it develop further in the coming book(s?)!

My only true complaint was the slowburn plot, but I happen to enjoy that when it pays off in the end, which this one inevitably did.

I will DEFINITELY be reading the next one! This isn't a book that's been talked about much, but I definitely think that it should be. It's a gem and I cannot wait to buy myself a hardcover copy once its released!!

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review..
I really, really liked this book. It has a princess that isn't supposed to have magic, yet she does. No one in the kingdom knows except for her older brother.. Jess is sent off to marry the prince of Turia to help secure men to help win the war.. When she is ambushed everything changes.. She has to find her way to Turia while being chased by a mage in woods that are basically alive with wild mage.. She decides to hide her identity in order to make sure Turia didn't have anything to do with the ambush and the murder of her family...
However she doesn't expect what happens next. She becomes close to the prince she was supposed to marry who thinks shes dead. Befriends Enzo's sisters, and ends up saving his family on multiple occasions..
This story was a page turner from beginning to end, it had me hooked from the first chapter, and am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.. I definitely think this is a book I will have to get myself a physical copy of when its released..

This book was a really fun adventure! Our 17 year old heroine, Jenna, is a princess who would much rather be learning to sword fight rather than familiarize herself with court politics. However, she holds onto a secret: she has magic in a kingdom where only the heir to the throne should have access to such power. If anyone found out that it was she also holds magic like her older brother Ren, she fears she may spark a civil war among already rising tensions with border kingdoms. Desperate for solidifying allies, Jenna's father sends her off to be married to a neighboring kingdom's prince. However, before she can reach her new home, something terribly goes wrong, and it's up to Jenna to solve the mystery and save her kingdom.

This YA fantasy was light, funny, cute, and fast paced. I didn't take it too seriously, and I believe that will be how the book is best enjoyed. I enjoyed myself and the time with the characters and while the plot twists may have been a little predictable at times, I still laughed and enjoyed my way through the story. With the theme of family connection and growing in self confidence, this is a perfect YA fantasy for anyone who enjoys this genre. As the first book in the series, I would say that it concluded very nicely-- with enough tensions resolved and just enough suspense to get readers back for more.

A full blog review of this book will be posted on July 7th, 2020 on my Ariel's Arc segment on https://www.armedwithabook.com/

i enjoyed reading this, it was a fun young adult novel. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this author's work and liked the characters that they created.

This book was a real stunner. From the cover to the contents it didn’t fail to impress. The plot was original, the characters were engaging and even with its length I only found myself wishing there could be more.

I adored Jennesara as a heroine. Reason #1: her toughness wasn’t shoved in my face. You know those female MCs where it’s stated over and over how strong they are? Not here. We see Jenna be weak, vulnerable, suffer and have to lean on others. But through that her strength of character is what shines. Sure, she can wield a sword and fight with the guys, great but what really stood out to me was her commitment to those she cared for. Her determination to do what was right and protect the people she loved even if it might cost her. That’s a heroine I can root for.

Enzo was just as wonderful for her counterpart and love interest. He was the epitome of everything a prince should be: kind, self-sacrificing, dedicated to his people and the safety of those around him. His treatment of Jenna was so admirable. Respecting her from the beginning, honoring her opinions, her strengths, trusting her and being there for her when she needed him. Their relationship was perfect. I hardly ever say that about a book couple because usually there are at least a few things I would change, but with these two there’s nothing. The way they were able to share each other’s burdens while still having moments of softness and laughter made their romance come across in a realistic way and not so rushed.

Every side character was just as good as these main two. I adored Enzo’s two sisters Chiara and Mari. They allowed Jenna to feel a closeness with people other than her family, with which she didn’t necessarily have anything in common, other than a sheltered royal life. Her brother Ren was a surprise in the book, for reasons I can’t quite say as it would spoil too much but his jokey, forthcoming nature was a good offset to her reserved one. Plus it was cute how protective he was of her when it came to Enzo. Enzo’s guard Luc is one of those characters I feel like there’s way more to be explored that hasn’t been yet so I’m excited to see the potential of where that might go. And Yesilia was sweet as a sort of motherly figure for Jenna, furthering her knowledge of magic and caring for her when she was hurt. Even the villains, the mages, had a complexity and interesting quality to them that took them away from being one-dimensional. Honestly I would love to have a prequel just on the mages, the Ice Deserts and Kais.

The pacing of this book was excellent. It gave the feeling of being on an epic journey with Jennesara, going through everything with her as she experienced it. The cut-aways to the mages only added to the sense of drama and expectation as the story mounted to the conclusion. Nothing felt rushed or out of place. I felt like I learned everything I needed to about the world, how the magic worked and what the stakes were going forward. But the good part is, there’s still so much more to be explored. Even with all the lovely detail given in this book, I can tell there’s a lot left unsaid and more to come, which is so exciting. I can’t wait to find out more about Jen’s tethers, what will happen between Turia and Halendi, the mage’s ultimate plan, the Wild and on and on and on.

This book had everything I could’ve asked for. An epic story that grows the characters into stronger people while not changing the core of who they are, magic that’s alluring to learn about while still making sense and an expansive world that comes alive on every page. I can’t recommend this story enough. In a genre that likes to repeat itself it’s nice to have something fresh and new, a concept this book delivers on in spades. I look forward to the next book in this series, and hopefully many more to come from this author. After all, for this to be a debut, I am amazed.

Yay! I was so pleasantly surprised by this book. Shielded is a charmingly familiar, fast-paced, well-developed little fantasy. 

I won't say that Shielded is ground-breaking. It's filled to the brim with YA fantasy tropes, but in the best possible way. Flanders took these stereotypes and used only the best parts of them. I loved the characters, the world, and the magic system, although they are all things I've seen before. The characters were lovable (especially the love interest, oh my) and multidimensional, and there's definitely no lack of strong females. Some of the characters could be a bit dense and/or frustrating, but this only made me want to read more.

Flander's writing is engaging and fast-paced; there is a good balance between description, dialogue, and action (also magic!). Her prose is definitely on the more well-written side of YA authors, but nothing more mature than that. 

The plot was pretty suspenseful, for the most part. There were a few scenes that lagged, but these were negligible and didn't stop me from tearing through this book. There are some good twists throughout that I definitely didn't see coming (and some that I certainly did). 

I know it sounds like most of my review is pretty neutral, but something about this book just worked for me. I think I just really needed a well-written fantasy that wasn't too heavy, and Shielded was exactly that. This book is great for fans of Elise Kova and books like The Kiss of Deception. 

Shielded is suitable for the younger side of the YA audience, although there are a few mature themes.

*Review will be published on July 6th, closer to publication date*

I will admit that I was a bit cautious going into this, mostly because YA fantasy that has romance typically puts me off. This is mostly due to the romance aspect, but Shielded surprised me. Yes, there is romance, which we will get to, but it was not the main focus. Jenna and the actual plot were the focus (yay!), something that seems to be lacking in YA fantasy romance. Much of the book was of Jenna and her struggle to survive, seek knowledge about magic and her enemy, and get back to her home in order to avenge those who have fallen.

I really enjoyed Jenna, she stayed focus even when they introduced her love interest. I actually enjoyed the romance, because it was secondary. Plus, he was actually likable, not some mysterious rude fantasy character that is problematic. Most of the characters in this were actually really likable, I don't think I disliked anyone (except for the obvious baddies). There are a couple of drawbacks to this book, however, the first being that Jenna actually seemed a little overpowered. The beginning of the book was not like this and I actually enjoyed that but then suddenly she just seemed too badass? Surprisingly, this didn't actually take away from the story though because Flanders is just that good despite this being a debut novel.

Another drawback was that I predicted a lot of what was going to happen. Normally, this would be problematic and I would typically get annoyed but I still very much enjoyed the story. I can't wait to read the next book!

Let me start by saying I loved this novel. It is so much more than a pretty cover and catchy description.

I felt the pace of the story was perfect. I liked that it was mostly fast paced and I want to devour it. The action was amazingly shown to me..not told and that made it more believable. I was there in that moment with Jenna.

The characters were likeable and to me that is a big deal. I was rooting them on, cursing the bad ones, cheering on the good ones, and yes chuckling at the cute and funny ones. I love that each characters are given moments to grow and moments to shine in each of their unique ways.

The plot itself was so intriguing. I wanted to know more and was questioning and was pretty much screaming noooo and yes and what in the world!! The story wraps up nicely for being a starter novel..and leaves you dying to have the next novel in your hands...like right now!!

I look forward to seeing this journey from here on out.

In conclusion the plot was perfectly told through amazing characters and perfect pacing. It was a great read from start to finish and definitely is so far from a disappointment. I love it. I

*I had recieved an Arc for my fair opinion and review of the novel shielded*

A lonely princess finds out she's betrothed to a foreign prince, and must leave at once in order to thwart her country's enemies. On the way over, her convoy is attacked, and princess Jenna is forced on the run, using only her wits, blade skills, instincts, and a bit of magic to survive in the wild, and against a mage whom history had almost forgotten.

In a way, the story is somewhat simplistic. There are evil mages against good heroic royals. The love interests are instantly attracted to each other. Everyone is nice and helpful, and whatever secrets the characters are hiding are painfully obvious to the reader.

Still, the story was well told and this was an enjoyable read. Yes, it was very predictable, but that didn't stop it from being enjoyable. It's nice to read a story with nice people and uncomplicated plots every so often.

Princess Jenna was a strong heroine, an amazing warrior, and a loyal friend. I enjoyed reading this book.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I could tell it was going to happen. About 70% through this book I felt myself slow down because I knew the end was coming and I wasn't going to be ready for it. One of the bad things about reading new books is the very long wait between the end and the release of the next book in the series.
I very much enjoyed this book. I liked it enough that I'll probably be buying a paper copy when available. I can give it no greater praise because my bookshelf space is limited.
I can't say it was completely new and groundbreaking. But that doesn't mean there is nothing to love. The writing was good, the world-building was good. The characters were loveable except for the bad guys who gave you the willies in all the right ways. I know some people hate the insta-love but felt like there was a believable connection.
Jenna: Her people are warriors with magical abilities. She is trained with a sword from a young age. In fact she can kick butt in the training field. Even though she is well able to defend herself she leads a very sheltered life. She is not allowed to leave the castle and seems to avoid a social life. Partially because her mother died unexpectedly when she was young and her father (The King) tries to protect her. She also separates herself because of her magical ability. Which the second-born heir shouldn't be born with. Her magical ability is marked with a white streak in her hair and she is always worried about being found out. To protect her from from a threat her father secretly betroths her to the neighboring kingdom. Even though she faces some tough challenges in her life she is not a whiney little baby. She is tough but not bloodthirsty. She is kind and loyal. Overall I just really liked her.
Enzo: Oh Enzo you dreamboat! *Drool* Handsome, brave, a good fighter. He has dark curling hair and a slightly imperfect smile. And smile he does! He's Kind and quick to laugh. I kind of have a crush. Please don't tell my husband. *wink*
The ending was very satisfying. I'm forever grateful to the author for not prolonging the painful wait with a cliffhanger.
To conclude I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review. I sincerely hope you all me to review book 2. I'll be eagerly be watching for it to come available.

A Great War to defeat the power hungry Mages in the Continent gave birth to a new kingdom - Hálendi. Magic, magical texts and artifacts is banished in the Kingdom. Jennesara is a Hálendian princess who fights like a soldier, stays up cooped in a castle, has a secret interest in magic and is betrothed to the Prince of Turia. Her brother Atháren has been ordered by the King, her father to join the men in the North Watch to protect the Kingdom, after her 17th bday. Jennesara wants to accompany her brother in the border, but the agreement is - Kingdom of Turia will provide troops to defend Hálendi after the betrothal! So Jenna, Ren and the General travel to Turia for the marriage, where they are ambushed... Jenne has to choose between guarding her secret and saving lives...
Tether between the brother and sister throughout the story is like stars that brighten the dark sky, so heartfelt. Its everything we’ve read in a YA fantasy novel! Fun, quick read.
Thank you NetGalley, Random house and KayLynn Flanders for the ARC.

I received a ebook copy of Shielded from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was an amazing fantasy. The magic system is very different from other magic systems that I have read about before. It is so interesting how it is limited to such a small number of people. And I am so intrigued by Jenna's magic. Every time we learn more about her magic I get even more invested in her character. She is honestly one of the strongest female characters that I have read about in a while. She continues on even after she experiences tragedies. I was honestly amazed by her. The plot was so entertaining and I had such a great time reading this book. There were some great twists and turns in Shielded and I can't wait for the next book to see what's going to happen next. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Wow wow wow. Absolutely loved this book!

This is a book about a princess who has to hide her magic from others to protect herself because as a second-born child to the king, she shouldn’t have magic. Princess Jenna has to go through trials on her journey to uncover a plot against her kingdom, but she doesn’t know who to trust. She travels under the guise of another’s name to a new kingdom, going through dangerous and un-survivable places like the Wild to get there. That’s the basic premise. I don’t want to give away too much more as to be free of spoilers.

Wow this book was amazing. I loved every second. It reminded me a lot of Sarah J. Maas’s writing style and I found myself comparing it both Throne of Glass and ACOTAR. The writing was spectacular and I found the use of language to create mood in this book to be at an excelled level. There are places where the writing feels so warm, but then the wording shifts to dark. There are also nightmares, which are depicted so wonderfully that I could feel the toll the journey was having on the main character.

The characters in this book were among the most realistic characters I have read. While, yes, they are written as fantasy characters, they felt so real that I almost felt like I spent time with them in real life. Ren and her father felt like my siblings and the people she encountered that cared for her were wary, but also compassionate. I also found the villains in the story to be well-written with mystery surrounding them. The villains’ motives weren’t seen clearly, but the haze began to clear as the story expanded. There were even sections that were from these villains’ points of view, which really added to the overall mood and mystique of these characters.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy with a bit of politics mixed in. I would also definitely recommend this book to anyone that enjoys Sarah J. Maas books. I will definitely be picking this book up when it comes out in July and I will definitely be picking up the sequel. The ending makes it near impossible to wait for a sequel, but good things take time.

This is such a bada** book filled with a bada** main character. Jenna, our main character, is a Princess who lives her life training, studying, and hiding the fact that she has magic she’s not supposed to posses. Her father sends her off to the neighboring kingdom to be wedded to the Crown Heir, Prince Enzo, but tragedy strikes when their caravan is attacked on the way there. The princess, in all her glory, takes us on a wild journey through magical forest, epic battles, and love rollercoasters.

I loved this book! It was a fun ride with action, mystery, and love - all the things you could ask for in a great YA fantasy novel. The beginning was a little slow, which makes sense since we are being introduced to this kingdom and their history, but the plot quickly picks up and takes the reader on a wild ride. This book is great for anyone who loves action, adventure, and tough girls. Jenna is not only a tough cookie, but such a sweetheart. I love her interactions with everyone she meets. She’s the kind of MC you want to be friends with.

If you’re looking for a great debut novel, check this one out! You won’t regret it.

Rating ~3.5

An entertaining, somewhat familiar, fantasy adventure.

The Main Characters: Let's start off by making it clear that while our heroine and hero are truly their character archetypes. If you're looking for more morally gray characters, you will not find that here. Like, at all.

Jenna is a likable heroine. She is strong, determined, loyal. And while she can certainty fight like a warrior, she is not prone to violence. All she wants is to be with her family, to serve her country. So, although she initially tries to fight it, she agrees to be sent off to wed a prince she has never met, for it means her kingdom will receive the help it so desperately needs.

Enzo/Teren is the nice guy of nice guys. He's kind and flirty with Jenna from the start, despite thinking she is no more than a servant tasked with and failing to protect his betrothed. He thinks critically and does not judge Jenna based on where she comes from, despite the looming threat of their nations going to war.

The Romance: Not going to lie, it comes on fast. Though, to be fair, it kind of feels everything in this book does. That being said, I'm not mad at it. Do I wish they'd had a bit more time and development? Sure. But that does not mean I did not thoroughly enjoy the bits we did get. It is in no way, some great, all-encompassing love that lights the pages on fire, but it was steady. They're sweet.

The Plot/Pacing: It felt like we were inching toward turbo speed at quite a few points. I enjoy fast-pacing, I really do. This, however, felt like a story that could have used a little more fleshing out. More time to establish relationships between everyone and their magical world. And maybe more time spent understanding why the villain, whose reveal was not all that surprising, felt the need to align himself with dangerous mages. I mean, did he truly think they would make him king? It seems naive, and from the bits, we got of him he did not seem the naive sort.

Anyways, so while this story is in no way the most original thing out there. I found myself liking it all the same. It kind of like rom-com movie plots. In general, you know the formula, you have a pretty good idea of what to expect. The deciding factor at that point is whether or not the cast and chemistry shared among them work for you. And in this case, this worked for me.

So if you're looking for a pleasant, straightforward, light fantasy read, this might be the book for you!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of “Shielded” by KayLynn Flanders. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was pleasantly surprised by this story and will definitely be picking up the sequel. Admittedly, I’ve been having some Fantasy fatigue so I was a little nervous at the beginning but this story was worth the read.

Jenna is a princess in a northern sort of Scandinavian kingdom that fears magic. Only rulers have magic and this is shown through a hereditary white streak in their hair. Jenna’s father, the king, has one as does her older brother, Ren. But Jenna has a secret: she has the white streak and magic too. She hasn’t been able to learn about magic like her brother and she hides her white streak in an elaborate braid.

On the eve of her seventeenth birthday, Jenna finds out she is truly the spare to her brother’s heir. She’s told of her arranged marriage to a prince she’s never met in a faraway kingdom. Heartbroken by her father and brother hiding the knowledge of her engagement, Jenna and her escorts head off through a dangerous forest to face her future.

At the beginning, Jenna was the reason I wanted to keep reading. There was so much against her and I wanted to know what would happen next. Once she arrives in the magical forest some major things go down leaving Jenna alone having to survive on her wits. This is where the story really hooked me as the forest wouldn’t let her leave.

I liked the aspects of juggling hidden identities for multiple characters as well as the strong bonds of family, friendship, and love. There were some third person interludes between chapters that tended to pull me out of the story, but I can see why they were included as there was really no other way to get that information in the main storyline. I’d be interested to see how these insights play out in the sequel.

4/5 stars

OMG!!!!! this book was so freaking fantastic!!!!! Very rarely do I find a book that I can enjoy this way and that I would add to my personal library but with this book I would willingly add it and now I just can't wait for the sequel!!!