This was a good read. I enjoyed it, and would recommend to others interest in this genre. The storyline was paced well, and the characters were relatable.

The magic system in this book was excellent. It was truly unique and is what kept me going but unfortunately everything else was jusg meh. The main characters just annoyed me to no end and ai didn’t get why they were into each other at all. So I am hoing with 2/5 for hust the magic system

I found this so hard to get through. I have been trying for literally 2 1/2 years to do it. Its not inherently bad, just really clunky. Maybe its me? Maybe its not my sort of novel despite ticking all the boxes. My latest attempt got me to the 3/4 point without keeping me entertained so its a no from me :(

ARC received from the publisher Macmillan-Tor/Forge via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A charming light read perfect for anyone in search of a fun feel good tale.

The Stolen Kingdom is lovely YA fantasy with a great premise, unique magic system, wonderful MCs and a sweet romance.

In a world suffering under the rule of the greedy and power-hungry Thungrave kings, Maralyth Graylaern, a vintner's daughter, discovers her hidden magical power is proof of a secret bloodline and claim to the throne. Thrust smack down in the middle of a deadly plot to claim that throne, Maralyth is determined to do whatever it takes to free her kingdom.
Until she meets her sworn enemy, Alac Thungrave - the king’s second son, and heir to the throne.
Because Alac is not what Maralyth expected and she is now forced to acknowledge things may not be quite that black and white.

Plot-wise, this fantasy standalone has quite a lot going on for it's less than 350 pages and that makes it very fast paced, and nicely flowing. Especially because of the great writing style.
Unfortunately however, it felt rushed and a little underdeveloped. From worldbuilding to characters, magic and romance, everything could have done with a little more depth. Again, not something that can be done in such a short page count but still, I personally would have wished for more.

All in all, The Stolen Kingdom is a charming standalone that most fans of the YA genre will love.
It has strong characters, who are courageous, adorable and fun; plenty of action, great court intrigue, unique magic and a sweet romance.

I read it in one sitting and recommend it to everyone in search of a fast, light and highly entertaining read.

So this was one of those books that sounded really interesting at the start. And did not disappoint the more I got into it.

I really liked Maralyth. And thought she was a great character. And I enjoyed how she gets swept into the story and into the crazy plot. And Alac was a nice addition too.

It was such a fresh read, and I enjoyed the twists and turns this story took.

Fantasy books can sometimes be hard for me to read and not listen too. But I really fell into this one, and struggled to put it down to do all the things. being an adult sucks haha. But when I had the time. This book was right back in my hands (or my kindle was a least haha).
The story pulled me in. And it was such an enjoyable read from start to finish.

This was a fun YA fantasy novel! I wanted a bit more world building, but the twists and magical elements were really fun! I prefer more New Adult fantasy/Adult Fantasy/Romantasy, but I enjoyed the plot and story in The Stolen Kingdom!

"The Stolen Kingdom" is a captivating and thrilling fantasy novel that enchants readers with its rich world-building and compelling characters. Set in a vividly imagined kingdom, the story follows the journey of the resilient protagonist as she navigates political intrigue and dangerous adversaries to reclaim her rightful place. The author's storytelling prowess shines through, weaving a tale filled with twists and turns that keep readers on the edge of their seats. With its seamless blend of action, romance, and magic, "The Stolen Kingdom" is a must-read for fans of epic fantasy. It earns a solid four stars for its immersive storytelling, well-crafted plot, and a satisfying conclusion that leaves readers eagerly anticipating future adventures in this captivating series.

Maralyth and Alac are both wonderful complex characters. I have to admit the plot itself didn't have me as invested in the book as the character development. (I'm not complaining. I'm very character focused!)

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me an advanced copy of this book to read and review. I loved the unique magic system in this book! I am bummed that it’s a standalone because I could definitely spend more time in this world.

Thank you to Netgalley for a review copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. The only thing I can honestly complain about is that it’s a stand alone and I want.. MORE.

The world building was unique. I feel like instead of having all the information dumped on you in the beginning so you can understand the plot, it instead developes with the plot and characters. It made it so that a complex world isn’t too overwhelming and you can just sit back, panic intermittently, and enjoy the story and the loveable characters.

The characters were intriguing and easy to care about. You got a couple different perspectives and each one made me care, want to read more, etc. This isn’t always the case for dual POV, usually there’s always that one character where you get to their POV and you just want to skip it, but you can’t. That’s not the case with Mara and Alac.

The pacing was great and I didn’t feel like it had any major lulls or places I felt went too fast. Jillian Boehme’s writing and how well she flushed out the characters, the plot and the world building were really well done. Something a lot of fantasies lack is a cohesion of all of these aspects. Many can’t fit all these aspects together in a way that if one is really well done without it negatively impacting another part of the story creation. Jillian did not have that issue with this novel. Very well done.

Themes I enjoyed: Forbidden romance, second born, ordinary yet not, secret life of parent and many more.

This is a book I’m still thinking about and I finished it weeks ago. The ending was unique and just had me feeling like a ball of mush at the end. Highly recommend.

The Stolen Kingdom is a book that has an intriguing magic system, a spare to the throne who spent his free time tutoring children, and a peasant girl who has a secret that can get her killed. It was an easy read and kept me on the edge of my seat to see what would happen next!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me an advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I enjoyed this book, although it felt a bit slow at times. Overall its a good standalone fantasy (which is rare I feel like these days). Definitely recommend reading!

I requested this book because too often do I find myself wishing for a nice, somewhat short, standalone fantasy novel. However, I do feel like this is a tall order to fill, as I love my fantasy worlds to be well built and full of adventure and plot as well as character building, which is asking a lot when looking for a standalone under 400 pages. Unfortunately, The Stolen Kingdom did NOT hit my requirements, but that's hard for any book to do with my high standards.

The issue is, even with lowering my standards and knowing I will not be able to receive all I asked for, this book was not that great. Maralyth's inner monologue is just her either 1) wishing to use her magic or 2) pining after Alac even though she knows she shouldn't (in an ultra annoying way). Alac literally does the bare minimum (aka, be nice to her) and she immediately develops a crush on him (which, to be fair, I still sometimes do that; but that doesn't mean I fall in love and would want to be with that person for forever).

Tucker is the best character and I will die on that hill. This book also still gets 3 starts because the magic that they are fighting against is TERRIFYING and it's effects are literally one of my worst nightmares, so that was thrilling and kept me going to see how they could stop it.

Overall, not a bad read but I'm definitely not going to pick it up to keep on my physical shelf.

dnf

This has been sitting on my currently reading shelf for months. And with the new year coming I think it's finally time to be honest with myself and put the book down for good.

I was able to start this book but it was archived before I finished. I really enjoyed what I had read before that happened and look forward to finding a copy and finishing the story.

I LOVED the authors previous book, Stormrise, and I do not like dragon books. But sadly, after some Twitter posts the author made about anti-vax and the like, I have decided to pass on reading her future works.

This was a fantastic YA Fantasy, told from duel POVs. If you think it sounds good, I would definitely recommend reading it!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

This was a nice easy read. I felt it would benefit from more world development, I still have some questions!

I absolutely loved the premise of The Stolen Kingdom. Court intrigue, royals and magic all rolled into one - there's nothing more I could ask for. The plot was strong, but I felt as if I didn't truly know the characters or the world they lived in. This was a fun, easy read, but I didn't fall in love with the characters or the setting. More background into the characters - as well as more depth - would've taken this book from a three-star read to a four or five-star.