"I had a glimpse of what was to come--a new era and a chance for me to find my true place in this world."

This book was so different from what I expected it to be. For one I loved how fast paced the book was, it did not drag and the characters were interesting. Personally, I do have to say that it was a bit cliché for me, but that's probably because I expect different things from a book. The world was established quite well and the characters were mostly nice to follow. I would definitely recommend this book, if you are looking for a true YA fantasy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me an advanced copy of the ARC.

I tried to get in to this book, however I could not. I am not sure if I was not in the right mood for this book or what, but I definitely blame myself and not the writing style or the content. I have been reading less and less fantasy, so I think this is why.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for giving an eARC of this book on exchange for my honest review.


Sometimes it’s just fanatic to have a standalone fantasy book. I love not have to commit to anything.

This was an easy to read YA fantasy with delightful magical powers, court politics and slow burn romance.
For a standalone I thought the characters and world building was done really well. The magic system could have been explained a little more but overall I thoroughly enjoyed this story.

First of all, I really liked this standalone fantasy book. The story was unique and refreshing, and I really admired the world building in this book.
The story follows Maralyth, a poor girl with hidden magical powers, and Alec, second son of the king who uses the magic that was in fact stolen. Maralyth is happy and content with her father and brother, but then she is kidnapped and persuaded to be a part of the plot to murder the royal family. But when Maralyth is sent to the palace with a fake name and identity on the occasion of crown prince’s wedding, Alac, the second son, falls for her. How could Maralyth reciprocate that feeling of love when she is there to murder him? What will happen if Alec comes to know about her hidden powers?
I really liked Alec and Maralyth’s characters. They are both brave and ambitious. I also enjoyed their dialogues, but I would have liked to read more about their relationship. As a large part of the book was devoted to story-building, I actually could not connect with the characters, both the main and side characters. I think I would have liked it more if it was a series, as it might be a tough job to build an entire world in a standalone book. Though the explanations of how the magic works, and the uniqueness of the fantasy world in this book really amazed me a lot.
The thing that I liked the most was the writing style of the author. As it was my first book of the author, it is definitely not the last. Her writing is simple, and I really enjoyed how the writer managed to describe the world and issues of magic in the book. It is one of those books that will suck you into the story and you will not get bored. Recommended!

I actually enjoyed this book way more than i was expecting. Halfway through i knew for sure it would be either a 3.5/5 or a 4/5 stars but towards the ending i kept on getting more invested and intrigued in all the twists and turns. The story began like any other YA fantasy story with all the tropes i love; unrequited love, girl didnt know she was the chosen one, had to lead a fight without wanting to to finally get where she truly belongs, absent or dead parents, lies, games, and deceptions were all at the meeting. The characters were flawed and lovable and the romance, even if it felt like it had been inspired by every other unrequited romance ever written in ya fantasy, was perfect in my opinion. This was definitely a 4.5/5 star read for me! Jillian Boehme is an author i will be looking out for in the future!

Thank you netgalley for the ARC

I’d like to take a minute and thank the publishers and netgalley for an arc in exchange of an honest review.

I wanted to love this. I really did. I sped through it in about a day and I was sucked in, that’s true. But the story somehow fell kind of flat.

Our main characters spent a lot of time thinking and lot a lot of time doing things, and really there was no reason. Their personalities changed from one scene to the next and I couldn’t understand why they would even like one another. Also is there a rule where bad kings always have to have one not evil son?

There were definitely some twists but I felt like I never got to full enter the world and the fact it was a standalone was both good and bad. If it had been longer maybe I would have cared more but I just couldnt bring myself to. There was also a glaringly obvious solution to the conflict that no one suggested, considered or did anything about.

I really enjoyed this book! I liked the main character Maralyth and thought the magic was super interesting. The prince got on my nerves sometimes but still was pretty good. I liked the story and really liked the ending and the character development and would read more from this author!

This was not my cup of tea. I really did not care for the writing style. It sometimes felt stilted and awkward. It's not that the author was a bad writer, but just that this maybe isn't the correct style for her. I dont know how to explain? It felt forced??? I did not finish this. I found the main characters to be unlikeable, and they lacked chemistry. It wasn't that it was awful, it just was not something I could bring myself to be interested in enough to finish.

I saw this book compared to The Shadows Between Us and I knew I had to pick this one up! Plus, I am a sucker for fantasy and secret bloodlines, so this was right up my alley. Really enjoyed this one and I'm so glad I picked it up and the cover is absolutely gorgeous!

This is a story about Forbidden kingdom where magic is not allowed. Alac, the second son of Thungrave King is in constant fear of his position as spare heir to the throne around him.
Maralyth Graylaern, a vintner's Daughter has no idea her hidden magic power is a proof of secret bloodline and claim to the throne.

This story was a bit like Throne of Glass series but I was expecting more!! The plot is very interesting but the characters are not! Every character are very flat and have a little bit of a personality! I was really hoping for a strong characters and more layers

Thank you Netgally/publisher for this ARC!

This was a nice standalone fantasy. It was an enjoyable read with likeable characters, but I felt like it suffered a bit for being a standalone. Less time is available for character development than I would have liked. I didn't feel all that connected to the MCs, but I was interested in their story. The romance is sweet, the plot is interesting, and so is the magic. There was a ton of information about wine, so if that appeals to you, this story will be right up your alley.

Overall, this read like your typical YA fantasy. It was an easy read, and a short one. While I would have liked more world-building and character development, I found it to be a nice and fun read. If you're looking for a fantasy that will keep you interested but don't want the commitment of a series, this is a solid choice!

Full review to be posted soonish.

I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Conceptually I was totally onboard for The Stolen Kingdom, but in execution not so much.

I've started and restarted this book 4x, and end up stopping. I am going to revisit down the road but for now I found the alternating perspectives

Just can not get thru this one, alternating perspectives distracting and only cared about Maralyth's chapters. Again I think I need to give it another shot so I am going to try again but it was not a win straight out of the gate.

World building and writing are solid, I would be interested in reading other work from this author for sure!

I got bored by this book around the time I realized that it just did not bring anything new for me to the fantasy genre, besides maybe wine? Wasn't horrible, just got bored.

Maralyth and Alac’s story started out interesting enough, though I found it convenient that she was the daughter of a wine maker and he was a prince interested in wine making. It seemed too convenient and made me a bit skeptical.

However, the book picked up very quickly and the characters proved to be better written than I expected. Maralyth is a strong character willing to do anything for her family; a trait which soon evolves to doing anything for her people. Alac is a bit of a spoiled prince but he has good intentions and he wants the best for his country.

I found the story to be enjoyable and easy to read. There were enough twists and turns to keep my interest and the ending was very satisfactory.

The biggest issue, though still just a minor bug, was the magic system. Maralyth’s interactions and use of the magic seemed too simple with no cost. But I suppose that fit with the idea that her magic was natural and god given and not stolen and evil. I did enjoy seeing the dual sides of a time based magic and how it could be used for evil or good. The concept was unique.

All in all this was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it.

The Stolen Kingdom is a totally serviceable standalone YA Fantasy. I don't have anything bad to say about it, but I don't that it will stick with me in the future.

I was very intrigued by the premise of this YA fantasy, as I always enjoy court fantasy and I liked the sound of a winemaker's daughter needing to navigate courtly intrigue. However, I ended up disappointed, as this barely focuses on any of that, and instead is mostly a fairly shallow story that didn't really bring anything new to the table. Mara, the main character, has very little agency, and ends up dragged around by the narrative and pushed into an extremely predictable romance with the prince she's supposed to be replacing on the throne. I found it hard to stay engaged in such a lacklustre plot or to connect with any of the characters, and to be honest I thought more than once while reading that it felt more like a middle grade book that had been aged up in order to add kissing - I should say that I love middle grade, but I expect very different characterisation and depth from middle grade and YA, and this definitely felt closer to the former, so came off a little too simple for YA. I should also mention that it's overtly Christian in places, which is not my cup of tea, and I think this probably added to my feeling like the worldbuilding was a bit shallow. Sadly, this just didn't have enough originality or depth for me!

Welcome my dear readers to a kingdom where magic is forbidden to all but the ruler and where a terrible girl hides a terrible secret.
Maralyth has always known that she has magic in her, but that she cannot exactly shout it out to the world as only the king can use it.
Saying it out loud could put her family in danger.
Therefore she has learned to hide it, but someone threatens the throne and she is pulled into the plot.

The Stolen Kingdom is a very shallow and predictable fantasy.
I appreciated the heroine of the story, I'm always happy to find strong and independent girls fighting, but let's just say it ends there.
The worldbuilding is absent and the characters poorly developed, as well as the romance part.
Let's say the author wanted to aim high, but with poor results.

It's a book that reads quickly, the author's writing is very smooth.
A point in favor of the cover that is beautiful.

I love a fantasy standalone, they’re rare but sometimes you just aren’t in the mood to dive in to a full series so this is an ideal quick read at just 336 pages. The only downside to this was that the world building was slightly lacking because of the length but it didn’t put me off.

It’s an easy fast paced read which I would say is perfect for YA readers that are looking to get in to the fantasy genre.

The characters were likeable and I enjoyed the writing style. Overall, I would recommend.

2.5-3 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Had a really hard time getting through this one, so can’t recommend it in good faith. Maybe give it a shot if you’re into wine and fantasy, as wine and vineyards abound in this novel. 2/5 ⭐️