Thanks so much to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The Stolen Kingdom's premise sounded so good when I read the synopsis. A lost Heir? Check. Romance? Check. Rebellion against a tyrannical throne? Check. Magic? Also check. All of my best trigger words for picking up a story. Unfortunately, as great as the premise sounded, I can't help but feel as though it fell a little flat of what I had been expecting.

While there was nothing technically wrong with the writing, I feel as though there was so much more that could have been expanded on. The world just didn't feel very fleshed out to me, and neither did the magic system. We got a brief history of the main conflict, but other than that it just seemed to be your generic European-based fantasy land. And the magic was shown in two ways: good and bad. The bad magic only seemed to do one thing (destroy), while the good magic that the protagonist used was given no boundaries and seemed limitless.

The characters of Maralyth and Alac were....unlikable. Mara was slightly more enjoyable to read at first, but her character arc got slightly less realistic as time went on. By the end (which was like....a few weeks maybe after the start of the book?) she was downright regal. Apparently being a good queen is hereditary, because she took to it extremely quickly and always knew the exact right thing to do at the exact right time. And Alac...honestly he just came off as a little whiny throughout the entire story. He had some good moments but I kind of lost all hope in that relationship when, at one point, he thinks about slamming her face into the ground as a suitable response to something he believes her responsible for towards end of the book (which I have many thoughts about but that gets spoilery so I won't go into them here).

I do see how this book could be enjoyable to some, so I gave it a three stars. I don't think there was anything really inherently wrong with it, but it was just not for me.

See this review and more at my blog, The Scribe Owl!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Teen for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3/5 stars

The hardest reviews to write are the ones where the book is fine. It's not bad, it's not good, it's okay. But how do you write a multi-paragraph review saying that something was meh? It's hard. I'm going to try my hardest not to write variations of "it was whatever" in the next couple of lines, but I make no promises that I can't keep.

I was ready to DNF The Stolen Kingdom while reading the first half, but the second half tried its hardest to redeem it. The first half was slow, info dump-y, and boring. The second half was exciting and full of more drama. The first would be two stars and the second would be four, evening my review out to three. If you attempt to read this book, just drag yourself through that first half to get to the good stuff after it!

What really disgusted me about a third through the book was the development of instalove. Or at least I thought it was instalove. It started out a little weird, but thankfully it gained some conflict later. I wouldn't even say depth, but conflict is a good start. There was an opportunity for a love triangle (with Tucker) and I'm so grateful it didn't happen! At least some authors are listening to us.

I was not a huge fan of most of the characters. Alac was whatever, he didn't really interest me at all, but Maralyth was one of those holier than thou characters. She can heal the dark magic! Hurrah! We shall worship and rain gifts down on her! Just...no. Please no.

I've read so many YA fantasy books that at this point that I know a basic one when I find it. While there were a couple of new elements, for instance the whole vineyard thing that was pretty cool, it was just a basic fantasy. Kingdom with monarch. Poor girl finds out she has royal blood. Poor girl sets out to reclaim her throne. Poor girl falls in love with prince. I could literally be talking about any book, right?

All in all, it was fine. It was whatever. I don't really care. There were good elements and bad elements, but in the end, it was textbook YA fantasy.

A fantasy stand alone that leaves no loose ends and gives us a romance, a coup to overtake a throne, a little bit of action, and a decent little magic system.

Now I will say besides the interesting magic system this book followed the typical YA fantasy plot. Girl finds out she is long lost heir to a throne, a man convinces her to help kill the weird patriarchy, but eventually befriends the misunderstood prince and things go haywire but still ending with happy ending, I guess.

The magic system in here was interesting with how it was stolen; and when the kings take it they have to do some kind of blood sacrifice. I think they have to kill their spouses but thats pure speculation on my part. I thought what the magic does when released was very interesting and a bit unique.

I did enjoy the main characters but I just felt like their trope were a bit overdone. Alac seemed a bit whiny and with his whole I want to runaway and just be a vitner deal. It was ironic considering Mara lived on a winery. Coincidence, I THINK NOT! Mara was a natural born leader and I did like her character a lot, and really felt like I couldbe friends with her. I did want more of Tuckers, Alac's friend/bodyguard, witty banter though. I love a sassy character in a book.

An enjoyable fantasy but definitely for maybe the age range of 14-18/19 because the writing is a bit more simplistic and I know if I was that age when I read this one versus my 25 year old self, I probably would have loved it.

Thank you to @Netgalley and Tor Teen for the advanced copy to read and review.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

3.5 stars

I forgot that I had this book until I was browsing through my kindle for a ya read. I'm pleased to have stumbled on to this!

The story is a familiar good triumphs over evil trope. Vintner's daughter, Maralyth (with *surprise* a magical secret) gets swept up in a plot to unseat the problematic King. The prince, Alac, is the other main protagonist and their stories gradually entwine.

Except, this book didn't quite do what I expected. While clearly the "good" character, Mara was more nuanced than I anticipated and she made some decisions that didn't fit neatly with the hero ideals. Which I liked, it made it much more interesting. Similarly, Alac expressed very vigorous emotions of anger and despair which were surprising for the trope. So, while the story did largely progress as expected, it kinda didn't.

My main complaint about this novel is that it had a few structural problems. The chapters were short, written in first person, generally alternating between Mara and Alac's POV. This allowed the story to race along and worked when the stories were separate. However, when Mara and Alac united, it often got confusing as to who was talking, and I would have to check the name at the beginning of the chapter. Also, occasionally a chapter would end mid-scene which got a bit jarring when I put the book down and resumed reading the next day.

Overall, this was an enjoyable, quick read. I also appreciate a stand-alone fantasy novel sometimes!

I received a free advance readers' copy and am leaving this review voluntarily...

The Stolen Kingdom was one of the few fantasy books that aren't part of a series. It's about Maralyth, the daughter of a vintner. Their vineyard is under the rule of the Thungrave kings, who became leaders using magic stolen from its true owners, the Dallowyns. Maralyth, however, is magically gifted and uses it secretly within the vineyards. One day, she's revealed to be a Dallowyn. What follows is a plan to get rid of the Thungraves so that Maralyth can become the queen. But, she's not sure that's what she wants to be...

I liked the pace of this story. I particularly liked how Alac (the second son of the king) changed when he realized he had a lot more responsibility than he planned for. The romance between him and Maralyth was also okay but I think it could have been a little more smoothly.

There was some humor within the book which was a nice addition. Tucker (Alac's personal security guard and best friend) was one of my favorite characters because of his wit. His and Alac's verbal sparring was a nice touch.

I did think that the ending was a bit unbelievable. I found it a bit hard to believe that after all that happened, they just amicably decided to become friends. However, I would not mind reading more books by the author after reading this.

This book should be read by older teens and adults due to some sexually charged scenes which may be a bit uncomfortable for younger readers.

What first intrigued me with story was the magic. While it wasn’t really connected to the wine making like I initialt thought, I was still very fascinated with the idea of stolen magic and how different users and views get different things out of it.

It’s not often I come across standalone fantasy these days and mostly it’s because I find the pacing to be off when you have to build an entire world kn just one book /and/ tell a full story. I found The Stolen Kingdom to be a very readable book, it’s well written and chapters flew by. But I did feel like something was missing and I found have loved to see the world more explored. What did get, however, was very fresh and interesting. The focus on vineyards and wine making was something I had never read before and I like how tied to the story it was.

Speaking of story, plot wise The Stolen Kingdom didn’t really bring much new to the table, but the tropes it did play one were done well enough to keep my interest.

The characters were what sold me, Maralyth is an interesting main character whose compassion and kindness is a great strength in addition to her resourcefulness. There was a lot of reliance on magic, but in this world it made sense.

I did enjoy this book while I was reading it, but it’s not one that’s going to stay with me in the long run.

This was just okay book for me. Nothing that truly wowed me. Sorry, just 3 ,stars for this book. I just didn't feel it.

The Stolen Kingdom is the latest novel to come from Jillian Boehme's mind, and it has a little bit of something for everyone. Magic, romance, action, politics, you name it!

Maralyth Graylaern has spent her entire life on her family's vineyard. She loves it there, even if it pains her to see other vineyards suffering from the crown's greed. For you see, while her family manages to survive, many others have been torn asunder by the blight that plagues this land.

A blight that the king has done nothing to aid. Maralyth would have been content to continue her life the way it was, had she not been involuntarily pulled into the politics of her kingdom. Now she won't turn her back on it, not after what she has seen.

"A famous vinter who provided drink for the tables of a king ought to have been well off. We were left each year with barely enough to live on."

The Stolen Kingdom was a fun and thrilling read, one that was rich in detail and intrigue, which is something that I can never complain about. Maralyth's story was a fascinating one, bringing in magic and politics in ways that I wouldn't have expected.

Overall, I enjoyed this story, though there were times when this story felt a little lighter to me. Despite everything that was at stake (the health and safety of an entire kingdom!), it never felt quite real.

On the bright side, I adored the magical system and the overall vineyard aesthetic. Many fantasy fans will surely enjoy those elements, as it puts a unique take on the world. The romantic subplot is sweet and helps to humanize the characters even further.

The Stolen Kingdom is a pretty quick read. It didn't feel like a 300 plus page book. It didn't read like it either. While it had its ups and downs, it did do a solid job of constantly moving the plot forward.

One of the things I loved about The Stolen Kingdom is that this could easily be a standalone novel, or Jillian Boehme could easily pick up where the plot left off and continue off on another adventure.

Thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
I enjoyed "The Stolen Kingdom", a fantasy novel by Jillian Boehme.
Although it has many things in common with other fantasy/romance novels, I think this one is a good start for anyone who likes to read this genre.
It reminded me when I started many years ago with "Graceling", "Throne of Glass" and "Tiger's Curse", all great authors, great characters and some amazing twists on the plot.

It is sad that "The Stolen Kingdom" is a standalone. Would be great a second part, or that it would have more chapters, as the world building is confusing (lands, religion, space-time), the relationship between the main characters could have more development and also how magic works for this world.
The only things which is new is the wine. Maralyth is the daughter of a vintner and she knows about the vines.

I give it 4 stars because this book deserves a chance. It's not great but is a fun and sweet reading.

The beginning of this book had so much promise—an intriguing magic system, a spare to the throne who spent his free time tutoring children, and a peasant girl whose life as a vintner’s daughter had the potential for a unique spin on the secret royal trope. Unfortunately, after a few chapters, it all collapsed in on itself and warped into a typical YA Fantasy that did not really bring anything new to the table.

Maralyth, or “Mara”, seemed more controlled by the circumstance of the plot than her own agency. She was easily manipulated and naïve to a fault, and by the end of the story her powers were more boring than interesting. Prince Alac, on the other hand, goes from the second prince more than happy to live his life without responsibility to… well, that would go into spoiler territory, but his character shift was too quick to make it believable, even with the circumstances surrounding it.

MCs aside, the most interesting characters were by far the scheming Lord Nelgareth, the broody heir-to-the-throne Prince Cannon, and starry-eyed noblewoman Lady Ellian. While the climax of the story took an unexpected turn involving these characters, that intensity quickly faded back into a comfortable mediocrity, and I found myself wishing these characters could have been explored further. Meanwhile, other side characters seemed like cardboard cutouts, especially Alac’s father, the dark King Selmar II, Alac’s best friend Tucker (their bro-ey conversations were so cringey), and Mara’s brother Nestar (I didn’t feel the sibling bond that Boehme was so clearly trying so establish).

The plot does not offer anything new, a lot of the dialogue comes off as stilted, and the romance was just meh. The writing style is juvenile, which may appeal to younger readers of YA, but even then I would not recommend it based on the book as a whole. Also, the scene where Mara gets attacked by a wild dog was so over-the-top and unnecessary that I couldn’t believe it was how the author chose to make one of the biggest reveals in the book.

I do not enjoy leaving negative reviews, and after the positive buzz surrounding this book I was hoping to love it, but it was sadly a dud for me. love standalone Fantasies, and I adore the cover for this one, but overall it was a dud. If you have any other standalones to recommend please send them my way!

I loved the cover of the novel when I saw it and the synopsis also appealed to me right away! So I gladly jumped into this novel.

Maralyth has always wanted to take over her father’s winery. But as a girl, she knows that apart from staying in the kitchen, she has no future. Yet she loves it! However, her life will change overnight when she finds herself kidnapped by one of her father’s employees. Indeed, it seems that she comes from an important family and that she can claim the throne.

In parallel, we also follow Alac, the second son of the king, who has trouble with his position. He dreams of getting away from it all, away from his father and his brother who are unbearable with him. But when he meets Maralyth, his outlook changes.

This was a fun novel and I enjoyed following our two heroes. It was a fairly classic YA fantasy but it was also a really nice one.

~The Stolen Kingdom~
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3/5 stars
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I saw this gorgeous cover on netgalley and knew I had to request it! the fun magical kingdom and royal overthrowing aspect seemed like a nice bonus
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Pros:
+I love magical women
+Usually I don’t read as much fantasy because they’re a huge commitment (long series, dense world building) so I appreciate that this is a stand-alone! Petition for more standalone fantasy books!!
+Dual perspectives from opposing sides= chaotic masterpiece
+Unique magic system!!
+I enjoyed the end! Left enough open but wrapped enough up
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Cons:
-A little confusing world building
-Very plot driven, and I’m more of a character driven book lover
-insta love vibes?? a touch of “i’m not like other girls” too
-a bit fast paced at parts and too slow at others
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I fell into the biggest reading slump of my life while reading this but i was determined to finish it because i knew it wasn’t the books fault. I will say that I didn’t enjoy this one as much as i could have if I didn’t become so busy this school semester. Overall I didn’t love or hate this book. It was the perfect three star read for me.

I'm not sure how to fully explain my feelings about this. It was good, but not great. Fun, but not exciting. Light, but not that intriguing.

I guess, overall, it felt like any other YA fantasy in the writing and character development. If you're looking for an easy, quick read, this is a great fit.

Good fantasy book! I really liked the pacing and the characters, I was intrigued most of the time and always wanted to know what would happen next.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was wonderful! I did not see that ending coming AT ALL. I cannot wait to read more.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

First off, I love any book that has a "long lost princess" story line so obviously I was hooked on this book! It was such a fun and easy read. Mara was a very likeable character. She was willing to give up her life to protect her family and do what was right for the kingdom even though she was basically being forced into it. As the story progressed I could see her turning into a Queen that her kingdom really needed, someone who cared about the people and their wellbeing more than just lining the pocket of the elite.

I also loved Alec and his development. He started out as a pretty apathetic character. He had no interest in the throne, magic, or even his family really. He just wanted to get through his brother becoming king and own his own vineyard. In the end he was a man who wanted what was best for his kingdom even if it meant giving up his own dreams and giving into the magic that had been destroying his family. I really think him and Mara would be a good leadership for the Perin Faye and of course I loved the two of them together. They were just so sweet.

As I mentioned, this was a fun and easy read. I was hooked from the beginning and done in like 3 days. I'm still currently suffering from a book hangover almost a week later. I just keep thinking about Mara and Alec and wanting to know more! I would read and second and third book in a heart beat!

This book was sent to Anna West to review for Chapter 16. Her review can be found here: https://chapter16.org/magic-betrayal-and-destiny/

Maybe it's my age; maybe it's that I've been reading books for a long, long time; but I get jaded about books pretty quickly. I'm not one of those that will get rid of a book because its plot is not original, but if there's nothing to hold me in, I give up on it. Life's too short to waste on books one doesn't have to read.</p>

Happily, <em>The Stolen Kingdom</em> by Jillian Boehme is not one of those books. I thought it was going to be; I was ready to just quit, give a review that could be summed up as 'meh' and move on to the next book. But I hung in there. I tend to do my reading in half-hour chunks as I exercise on my mounted bike, and I must have gotten enough from the book to keep me coming back in the first few chapters. I'll be honest, though, there wasn't a strong, compelling reason in the early chapters, but this is one that could almost be called a 'slow burn' if we are looking at just the first quarter of the book. But hang in there, and the return is quite enjoyable.

<em>The Stolen Kingdom</em> is about Maralyth Graylaern, the daughter of one of the few successful vintners in the kingdom of Perin Faye. Marlyth has magic powers that she keeps hidden from others, the ability to accelerate the growth of living or once-living things. She often ripens the grapes in her father's vineyard, to help create his celebrated wines. However, Perin Faye is not in the best economic straits; the Graylaern vineyard is the only one in the kingdom that is doing well, and that only because of help from the throne. Perin Faye is ruled by the Thungraves, a dynasty that was established more than a century prior when dark magic was used to oust the Dallowyns from the throne. Since then, while the kingdom is not dwelling in complete despair, it is not prospering.

Of course, when all is not well in the kingdom you are almost guaranteed to have someone who feels he can do better. Enter Lord Nelgareth who wants to dispose the latest Thungrave in order to free the kingdom from the oppression of the perverted magic that put the Thungraves on the throne. To do so, he searches for remaining heirs to the magical Dallowyn line and finds Maralyth, whom he threatens into agreeing to become queen once the king is disposed. Nelgareth's plan is to kill the royal family during the upcoming wedding celebrations of young Prince Cannon and put Maralyth on the throne.

Alongside all this is Prince Alac who struggles with his family's alliance with the dark magic. When Maralyth shows up to the wedding celebrations as Nelgareth's ward, he finds himself fascinated with her.

This takes us about a third of the way through the book. It was at this point in the book when I felt one of two things could happen: either we could have a tight, well-structured stand-alone novel, or we could have the beginning of a trilogy. The former excited me; the latter, not so much. Too many trilogies feel like stand-alone novels where the author stretches and pulls the storyline until it snaps, and this could have been one of those. But since this is a stand-alone, the pacing and action is finely crafted. Instead of giving us hundreds of pages of not much happening, every chapter moves the story forward. While there could have been more world-building, to do so would have sacrificed the economy of story that we see here. There's a lot packed into just over 300 pages, but the end result is a fun, satisfying read that doesn't succumb to expected outcomes, but gives a fresh and enjoyable resolution.

*I received a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.*

3.5 stars. I had planned on giving this book 4 stars, but then I went to start the next chapter . . . and it didn't exist. The ending was rather abrupt and incomplete--to be honest, it was somewhat of a disappointment.

In general, the characters were likable, though occasionally their behavior felt out of sync with their upbringing. Mara (17) went from vintner's daughter to regal would-be queen rather quickly, embracing a plot that only seemed to make her uneasy at times. She barely struggled with the change in her station and how she was expected to act. As the spare, Alex (19) played more of a background role in the palace, which gave him certain opportunities he otherwise wouldn't have had (studying winemaking, filling in for the tutor, etc.). His change in situation later on in the book wasn't quite as drastic as Mara's, and his reaction to it was more believable. The two of them could have solved a lot of problems if they'd just trusted each other and communicated. There were times that I expected them to do or say certain things (things that would have made sense), but instead they said or did other things that just made the situation more complicated. Even though I liked them both, sometimes they weren't the most intelligent people.

The history between the Dallowyns and the Thungraves was, at times, at little confusing. But at least the important part--that a Thungrave stole magic and the kingdom from a Dallowyn--was pretty straightforward. It was interesting how the magic behaved for those who had stolen it versus those to whom it rightfully belonged.

As I mentioned earlier, the ending of this book was one of its weakest parts. I found it a little hard to believe that the resolution was so easily accepted by everyone involved. I had anticipated a different solution, which seemed obvious and would have satisfied supporters of each person who had claim to the throne. Perhaps that ending is still possible, and I'll choose to believe it's how the story actually ends; however, it would have been nice to actually see it play out that way on the page rather than just having what was provided. It needed another chapter or an epilogue. Or just a change to the ending itself. But I am one who prefers to have an actual concrete ending to the books I read rather than being left with things so open, especially if there's no sequel planned.

Note: Some mild swearing.

I wanted to love this book, but unfortunately I didn't find any of the characters compelling enough to make the story work for me. I enjoy the tropes that were in the synopsis, so I was hoping they would be done in a refreshing way that I could enjoy and rave about, unfortunately it was all predictable and I found myself really struggling to focus on reading this book. For these reasons I won't be posting a review on Goodreads, but thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this book!