For a hundred years, the once-prosperous kingdom of Perin Faye, has suffered under the rule of the greedy and power-hungry Thungrave kings including King Selmar II. The Thungrave's hold corrupted magic and rule over the kingdom which has suffered every year they've held the crown and has been responsible for the Black Death. The Stolen Kingdom follows Marilyth, the daughter of a vintner with unexpected magic powers, and Alac, the king's second-born son, haunted by his family's curse. Circumstances bring them together, but in separate sides of the fence, with Maralyth involved in a plot to kill the royal family.

The Stolen Kingdom is your standard YA fantasy novel, with likable characters, a fast-pacing plot with high stakes, and a star-crossed lovers' relationship. Stolen Kingdom is a standalone fantasy. Started off a bit slow for me but loved the characters. Overall I enjoyed the book.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

The Stolen Kingdom is a story about a lost birthright, stolen magic, and wine. Maralyth wants nothing more than to help her father run his vineyard, to be out in the field tending to the grapes and creating the fine wine that her family is known for. But since her mother passed, Mara has been consigned to the kitchen and using her life-giving magic in secret to help her family when she can. But when her secret is discovered by the ambitious Lord Nelgareth, Mara is kidnapped and told that she is the long lost heir to the throne of Perrin Faye. The only hitch: the Thurngrave King and Princes must die in a plot to restore Mara to her throne. To keep her father and his vineyard out of Nelgareth's clutches, Mara goes undercover at court, where she captures the attention of Prince Alac, the younger prince who detests the dark magic is father holds. As Mara gets to know Alac, she begins to struggle with her part in a plan to take back a throne she didn't even know was hers. Coups go awry, forbidden attachments are formed, and blood is shed as Mara and Alac each race to claim the throne of Perrin Faye, and stop a dark magic from wreaking havoc across the land before all is lost.
I came to really enjoy The Stolen Kingdom. I know it's a cliched comparison, but this book really did have some Game of Thrones level intrigue and vibes. I loved all of the intrigue and secrets about Mara and who she really is. The lore of the stolen magic and lost throne between the Dallowyns and Thungraves was a really interesting story, and I liked watching Mara and Alac struggle with their places and duties that these legacies have left them with. The "two heirs on opposing sides who are meant to kill each other" trope used in this story was actually one of my favorite parts about it. I also found the magic system itself interesting and the resolution of the magical problems in it to be satisfying. The characters in here are complex in a way that makes you interested in them. I will say that I've seen concerns about how overweight people are spoken of in this novel, and while I missed that quote of concern, it is worth taking those criticisms seriously. But overall, I found The Stolen Kingdom to be a really interesting read about morality and duty and the struggles inherent to both of those things.

I was excited for the premise of The Stolen Kingdom but I just don't think it was the book for me. I ended up DNFing it about 150 pages in. I felt like I could unbiasedly give my opinion on the part of The Stolen Kingdom that I did read and that this is a book I could see myself recommending to others and them enjoying it so I decided to write a review. My review is based solely off of my interpretation of the first 150 pages of the book.

The world of The Stolen Kingdom (minus the magic) seemed very realistic for the time that the story is set during. I appreciated the way the power structure was handled and how corrupt it was, as it often is. From the little I saw of the two sides of magic present in the stor, I was able to gather that it seemed to be a distinctive magic system that I hadn't seen before in other books. Mara's magic of healing, in particular, was interesting and unique. I also enjoyed the dual prespectives of the two characters. I liked getting to see the story play out through two fronts.

Where I had the most trouble reading was due to the plot and the writing style. The plot felt very predictable to me. It didn't have anything that really made it standout from other YA fantasies that I've read. The writing while not bad just wasn't my favorite and I had the hardest time being immersed within the story because of it. Granted I only read so many pages so I'm sure the story could have changed by the end. I've seen many other people love this book so I'm giving it a 3 stars as I believe it is a book that others will enjoy, it just wasn't my cup of tea!


Thanks to Netgallery for providing me with an e-arc!

I am sorry that it took me this long to review this book, the book was published on March 2nd.



This is a stand alone fantasy that I recommend to those who love fantasy.


Is so beautiful written, and is perfect for you if you love fantasy, is perfect for you, is an easy read but by easy I mean that you can read it quickly and the story doesn't feel rushed.

The story is everything you think it might be but without being too predictable, is the kind of story that is hard to root for the wrong people, the characters are likable and the story is enjoyable.


This story is for you if you like fantasy stories, I think that a good part of the reason why I liked the books is because is a stand alone novel.

4.5/5.

4.5

Beautiful writing and a great story. This is exactly what I look for in a fantasy! Strong characters, intrigue that will keep you reading, and secrets that have been long kept coming to light! I really hope more people pick this one up. They are in for a real treat!

I enjoyed this book. I liked that two views, and it switched between them quite easily.

I found the book slightly predictable, which isn’t a bad thing, just an observation.

I think I might have liked the book more, if I liked wine. It seemed a little odd that a teen book had a heavy wine theme. I’m 27 and I don’t like wine, and found it took me out of the book any time it was mentioned. I imagine younger readers who can’t even drink wine might also find it takes them out of the book.

I think this book is a fun read, but it doesn’t stand out against other YA fantasies. It a good read, but nothing that I would rave about. 

I liked the connection between the two main characters, I think there could have been more chemistry between them.

I found the ending odd, I think there could have been a bigger production of the ending. It underwhelmed me. I enjoyed the books, and would recommend it to someone looking for a book about royalty or maybe a friend who enjoyed wine and wanted to get into fantasy.

Perin Faye’s kingdom was once prosperous until the throne was taken by the greedy and power-hungry Thungrave kings. The Thungrave leaders have access to dark and powerful magic, making them a force to be reckoned with. Alac Thungrave, the second son, has always been grateful that he’s not in line for the throne. He doesn’t want anything to do with the dark, stolen magic. But things might change when Maralyth Graylaern, a vintner’s daughter, discovers that her magical power is proof that she’s part of the ancient bloodline and has a claim to the throne. She gets embroiled in a plot to murder the royal family and seize the throne, but can she go through with that when she actually meets Alac, and the Thungraves don’t seem so evil after all?

The story was quite fast-paced, with Maralyth quickly kidnapped and told that she’s the legitimate heir to the throne. At the same time, we see Alec, who’s struggling with the pull from the dark magic his father gifted him. He both fears and desires it, even after discovering the magic is destructive. What I did found somewhat annoying was that the history of Perin Faye was repeated a bit too much, even when it was already clear to the reader.

I must say, the author did a good job with twists as well, as there were definitely some moments I hadn’t expected. I think not a lot of authors would’ve dared. I also felt the ending was good and satisfying, as I also thought it might go in another direction. Instead, I think the actual ending is much better.

I liked both of the characters, though I thought Maralyth’s jump from unwanting hero to wanting heir was a bit sudden. Other than that, I enjoyed reading about their chemistry and the increased tension that resulted from that.

It is a great book to read if you love conspiracies, royal courts, and a complicated romance between enemies.

This one is a tough one for me to review. There are so many aspects of this book I enjoyed and several that I struggled with.

I love the cover of this book and that this is a standalone book. However, there were several scenes in this book that were glanced over and rushed. I think the beginning of this book could have been paired down since it felt like it drug on and on. Then the rest of the book could have been elaborated on. The transitions felt almost like a middle grade book since they were so quick to happen without any gradual progression/flow.

I love the magic in this book, but there wasn't a ton of it in the book. Yes there were the dark strands and Mara's healing magic, but more could have been done with this.

The romance was interesting. It was hot and cold like a normal love story, but it was so quick it was kind of weird.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

The Stolen Kingdom follows Marilyth, the daughter of a vintner with unexpected magic powers, and Alac, the king's second-born son, haunted by his family's curse. Circumstances bring them together, but in separate sides of the fence, with Maralyth involved in a plot to kill the royal family.

While I was reading this story, it was enjoyable enough to keep me going. But now, the more I go back and think about it, the more bland and simple it feels. The story in itself isn't anything new. It's basically a poor girl who discovers she's The Special One and must go against the powerful ones to better everyone's lives. There's no subversion of tropes or any new approach to a YA fantasy story plot. It's generally well-written, very fast-paced, although the middle section drags a bit. But the story will grab you enough for you to stick with it and see how it's solved.

Like a true fantasy, magic is one of the central points of this story. There's a dichotomy of life and death magic, with no boundaries or limits. This means the user never gets tapped out for using too much magic. It's just infinite. And this approach takes out all of the fun for me. There should be rules and consequences, otherwise magic becomes mundane and too easy for the characters to use, even if they're the only ones that have it.

Speaking of characters, the two protagonists, Mara and Alac, are likable enough. Mara is a good girl with good intentions and who genuinely wants to help everyone around her. Her goals align with her motivations from the start, they just become broader as the story goes on. Alac, on the other hand, is harder to understand. At first, he wants nothing to do with royalty and the curse that follows his family. Alac then changes his mind and is deadly curious about the magic lock his father gave him. And there's no evolution for that. It's like his personality and motivations change to fit the plot and the dilemmas the author wants to bring up.

Something this story does well is that Alac and Mara don't fall head over heels in love the moment they see each other. There's an attraction, but they both have different priorities. Alac likes Mara because "she's not like other girls", which is blergh enough, and Mara enjoys Alac's kindness. However, most of their interactions when they're getting to know each other are about the magic. There's barely anything about them, their lives, so it's hard to see a connection growing. I missed that. But I'm a sucker for romance, so the moment they come together and kiss left me with butterflies in my belly.

All the remaining characters aren't very explored. There's Alac's funny sidekick, the conniving lord who kidnaps Maralyth, the king whose bad deeds are never fully revealed or discussed and are blamed on the evil magic, and others who don't add much to the story.

While reading this story, I didn't realize some of the problematic aspects of how women are portrayed. There are moments of objectification and discrimination against women's life choices. Also, there are some thoughts of explicit violence against a female main character, which can be justified, but still feels weird. If you're curious and don't mind spoilers, Mash's review explores these situations deeply.

The Stolen Kingdom is your standard YA fantasy novel, with likable characters, a fast-pacing plot with high stakes, and a star-crossed lovers' relationship. Still, the plot's straightforwardness and the lack of development of the characters make it feel lacking and disappointing.

I would say this book is great for any fantasy lover. I enjoyed it a lot. It held my attention and I was not able to put it down.

For a hundred years, the once-prosperous kingdom of Perin Faye, has suffered under the rule of the greedy and power-hungry Thungrave kings including King Selmar II. The Thungrave's hold corrupted magic and rule over the kingdom which has suffered every year they've held the crown and has been responsible for the Black Death. This is a story told by two main characters: Maralyth Graylaern and Alac Thungrave. 17-year old Maralyth is a young woman living in a small village with her father and brother, together the family and a couple other villages run a winery called Graylaern Vineyards.

But Maralyth has a secret. With her whispers, she can make crops grow and ripen which makes the family's vineyards the best tasting in all the land. She inherited her powers from her mother Tessa, but she gave her word not to share her ability with anyone and keep it as a secret from her father and her brother. After Maralyth is kidnapped and brought to the estate of Lord Nelgareth, Maralyth is told of her bloodline. With a bit of persuasion, Maralyth agrees to a scheme to bring down the reign of the King Selmar II and his family once and for all.

As a direct descendant of the Dallowyn's, Mara is told that her magic is her greatest asset. She's easily manipulated and naïve to a fault and is catapulted into a deadly plot to take the throne. Mara will eventually make interesting choices which puts her at odds with the people who put her in place to do what needed to be done. She will have to gather her own people who she can trust, including her brother Nestor to stand by her side against Alac who has his own story to tell.

Alac Thungrave, the king’s second son, has always been uncomfortable with his position as the spare heir—and the dark, stolen magic that comes with ruling. Alac doesn’t approve of his father’s policies or the dark magic. His dream is to one day own his own vineyard which seems to be a central theme of this book. Alac was never interested in court or the people of it, until Maralyth arrives on the arm of Lord Nelgareth.

While Alac and Maralyth are playing their own game of cat and mouse, there are deadly twists and betrayals while the climax of the story takes an unexpected turn involving Prince Cannon, Lady Ellian, Prince Alac, as well as Maralyth. The romance between Alac and Maralyth is challenging to the point where I was waiting for the next shoe to drop. I was believing that this would be another feminist story where the woman kicks the man to the curve and goes on her own journey instead. While I won't tell you what does happen, I will say it kind of affected my review in that it was unexpected and unnecessary.

Generally speaking, this will probably be a hit or a miss for most people. Personally, after 11 years of waiting for the next book, and then the next to complete the series, it's refreshing to be able to read a standalone without cliffhanger endings, or what will happen next to the characters because the series was dropped, or it's been years since the previous installment was released.

I really liked the premise of this book, and I enjoyed the initial chapters, but it struggled to keep my interest. I don't think I knew this book was YA when I requested it, and while I like YA, it is not my preferred genre for reviews. I had trouble connecting with them, and didn't feel like I was inspired to keep reading. I think the writing itself was fine, and again, I liked the concept, this just wasn't the book for me.

I will not be posting a review as I was unable to get into the book. I plan to try again at a later date.

Beautiful and wonderfully written. Easy to read, but still full of substance and beautiful storyline. I loved the character development. I’ll be purchasing this and sharing it on my blog soon.

Great standalone fantasy. Started off a bit slow but loved the characters. The romance wasn’t well developed which was disappointing but overall i enjoyed the book

I enjoyed this emersive, standalone fantasy, and I especially enjoyed the characters. I'm a sucker for the Romeo x Juliet/ enemies to lovers trope, and the relationship in this novel was just so captivating! Admittedly, the beginning was a little slow and at times, I found the pacing to be a little disruptive, but it wasn't such a huge issue. I did have a bigger issue with the development of the characters, which while I enjoyed it, did feel a little unrealistic and sometimes jarring, especially given the time frame. But overall, it was a fun, easy read, and I would recommend to anyone looking for a fantasy palette cleanser. Thank you to Netgalley, Jillian Boehme and Macmillian for the opportunity to review this ARC!

Opposing bloodlines, a Romeo and Juliet-like novel that doesn’t have sex scenes, so I can share with middle schoolers! I especially loved the differing POV chapters!

In a land where magic is forbidden to anyone but the king, Maralyth Graylaern hides a terrible secret; she was born with a power she doesn’t understand, and all she wants to do is help her father’s vineyard get out from underneath the thumb of the crown. When she is kidnapped by the local lord, she learns the truth – the king’s magic was stolen, and she is the rightful heir to the throne. So begins The Stolen Kingdom by Jillian Boehme.

Normally, I’d be out here celebrating an actual, standalone novel. As someone who reads more than their fair share of young adult books, finding a standalone fantasy is rare; those of you familiar with my reviews will know that I’m more likely to pick up a book, get almost the entire way through it, and then realize it’s actually the first in a series. With the amount of books I try to read (and to be honest, my recent apathy in doing anything), it’s often hard to keep up with a series. So I will admit that it’s a very nice change of pace that The Stolen Kingdom is self-contained.

However, I actually think that this story would have been better served as a duology than a standalone. There is a lot going on in The Stolen Kingdom, and I feel the sheer depth of the plot needed more than one book to develop. In this single book, you have not only the planning of a coup, but also the coup attempt, the failed coup, and the resolution to a happy ending. With so much plot happening, the characters don’t get the chance to breathe and grow the way they should, which makes the stakes – which would ordinarily be quite high – not feel as significant.

That isn’t to say I didn’t like the book. It’s very entertaining, and you all know I’m a sucker for a good enemies-to-lovers story. The Romeo & Juliet aspect isn’t new, but Maralyth and Alac’s relationship is just a little bit different from the traditional star-crossed lovers trope, which is what made it so interesting. I would have loved to have seen them get some proper development. As it is, the romance felt very lackluster. Alac in particular cycles through so many complex emotions in such a short span of time that it came across as inauthentic.

On the plus side, at least both characters acknowledge that they haven’t really known each other that long, and there are no grand declarations of eternal love – just them admitting that there may potentially be something there.

But still, I very much would have liked to spend more time with these characters, to have some idea of who they were and what they were about. It gives the revelations a bigger impact, and it helps add tension. Maralyth and Alac are both POV characters, so we spend a good amount of time inside their heads, and as the main protagonists they are the most developed, but the side characters are almost interchangeable.

It’s the premise that did me in. Here is a story about a young girl who is secretly heir to the throne, and she has magic that is forbidden, and she has to hide, and she’s manipulated into helping attempt a coup and murder the royal family, and she meets the youngest prince and is like, “Hey, this guy isn’t so bad,” and then things go sideways and now she’s on the run. On the other side, you have the “spare” prince, who is scared of his father and resents magic, who wants to do something mundane like wine-making, then starts liking a girl only to learn she’s here to kill him and his entire family. It’s hard not to be intrigued by a book that gives you all of those things.

While this book probably won’t leave much of a lasting impression, it is an enjoyable read that allows you to get lost in a fantasy world with a compelling story, and it won’t take up too much of your time or leave you with a frustrating cliffhanger and a who knows how long wait for the next installment.

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

Firstly thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me this book in exchange for a review.

This is the first book I have come across as a standalone in fantasy and I loved it. This kept me up until late, definitely a page turner.

"𝕴𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖘𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖑𝖊 𝖍𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖙𝖇𝖊𝖆𝖙 𝖎𝖓 𝖜𝖍𝖎𝖈𝖍 𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖊𝖞𝖊𝖘 𝖒𝖊𝖙, 𝖘𝖔𝖒𝖊𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖓𝖆𝖒𝖊𝖑𝖊𝖘𝖘 𝖘𝖍𝖎𝖋𝖙𝖊𝖉 𝖎𝖓𝖘𝖎𝖉𝖊 𝖒𝖊, 𝖆𝖘 𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖚𝖌𝖍 𝖎𝖙 𝖜𝖊𝖗𝖊 𝖒𝖆𝖐𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖗𝖔𝖔𝖒 𝖋𝖔𝖗 𝖍𝖎𝖒."

The story is told from Maralyth and Alac's perspective. Maralyth is a strong female character with an amazing development. Alac being in line to throne did not want anything to do with it and couldn't leave it either. He had absolutely no interest in the crown. A crown and magic which was stolen making the kingdom suffer in the process. It was fascinating to see both their view points and how well they complement each other.

Though the start was slow I am glad to have given this some time as I came to love it. The author has written the scenes skillfully with a storytelling that will take you Maralyth and Alac's world. The world building is enchanting, simple and straightforward with mystical twists and turns. It could have done with more insights and details vwith respect to the king and how the Kingdom was suffering.

The author's imagination is great example of an artful book. All the characters with amazing development played their own part. It was good to have Tucker to lighten the mood with his humour.

I am definitely up for more of her work because she has long way to go. What an absolute delight this book was❣️ definitely recommending it to anyone who wants to read a Fantasy story that is a standalone. You guys will love it.