Initial Thoughts

I was so excited to read this book. Besides having a stunning cover, the premise sounded right up my alley.

Some Things I Liked

Dual POVs. I love that. I really enjoy back and forth between the main characters as well as their inner monologues.
Lite fantasy. I enjoyed the magic system but it wasn’t the main focus of the story. I felt like the story focused more on the political conflict as well as the implications of who actually possessed the magic.
Romance. I also really loved the romance. It was subtle but a cute story.
One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About

I’m never a fan of insta-love. While I loved the romance, I wasn’t crazy about how it started. It felt a bit rushed for me.
Series Value

I think this story feels complete. While I liked this world, I feel like the story between these characters ended in a way that I was satisfied with.

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed this book. I don’t love insta-love, but I was happy with the resolution of the romance plot.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith
Seven Ways to Kill a King by Melissa Wright

What I didn’t realize until after I finished The Stolen Kingdom, is that I’d actually read another book by Jillian Boehme, Stormrise. Looking back at my review of it, it appears I found the story enjoyable enough but…well, forgettable. Ultimately, I think this was the problem here as well.

In the kingdom of Perin Faye, magic belongs to the crown, and long ago the royal Thungrave Kings made a pact with dark powers that has now caused widespread suffering throughout the once prosperous land. The hard times have also led to unrest and murmurings of rebellion among the people. Maralyth Graylaern, the daughter of a humble vintner, has had to work longer and harder ever since the death of her mother, and even though their wines are famous for their quality, the family always seem to be struggling to make enough money to keep their business running. Of course, it also doesn’t help that most of their profits go towards paying the king’s exorbitant taxes.

However, Maralyth has a secret. As a child, she discovered she had a magical ability to control the growth of plants, which she has since used to ripen the vineyard’s grapes for years despite being warned by her mother never to reveal her powers. Eventually, she gets found out, precipitating her abduction by a nobleman who recognizes the significance of her magic. Apparently, it is a sign that Maralyth is descended from the Dallowyn bloodline, who are the legitimate rulers to the throne, making her the rightful heir. To install her as queen, they must help her infiltrate the court so that she can get close enough to assassinate the current royal family and seize power.

What Maralyth didn’t expect though, was Alac Thungrave, the king’s second son and reluctant prince. Unlike his father and older brother, he has no desire to rule, and does not much care for using magic. He is immediately drawn to Maralyth, who has disguised herself as the ward of a visiting noble. Not surprisingly, the feeling is mutual, though it does complicate Maralyth’s plans as the attraction between them deepens.

There are good ideas in this book. Readers who enjoy fantasy plots involving power struggles and court intrigue will feel right at home, and for extra drama, there’s also a hearty helping of forbidden romance. But for all that, the story feels rather bland, and I think one reason for this is the author’s reluctance to test the limits or push the envelope of YA fantasy. While the concepts present are solid, their execution left much to be desired. Nothing here really felt all that fresh or innovative, and I feel like I have read many books like it before.

The characterization was also mediocre, though I found both Maralyth and Alac likeable enough. However, they were also underdeveloped, and for me to feel invested in a romance, typically it would require a lot more personality and emotional depth. As such, while the conflicts driving each of them were intriguing and kept me reading, the chemistry between them just wasn’t there.

I felt similarly about the world-building. There were genuine flashes of awesomeness here and there, but it was very unbalanced. I liked the magic, the history, the political connections and the relationship ties, but it seemed Boehme would focus most of her attention on certain aspects and neglect to flesh out others, so the resulting experience was patchy and inconsistent.

Quite honestly, I don’t know what could have been done differently, though I often found myself wishing the author had gone further with her ideas. Perhaps that would have made the story more memorable, but as it is, The Stolen Kingdom will do in a pinch if you’re looking for a quick YA standalone fantasy. Still, even though the paint-by-numbers plot with its cursory romance was entertaining while it lasted, I have my doubts it will stay with me for very long.

The Stolen Kingdom by Julian Boehme is a story of love and magic and hope and betrayal. Labeled a young adult book, it was still very appropriate for all ages I believe. The narrators both did an excellent job. The story was told from two viewpoints, Mara and Alac. Mara is a vintners daughter who possesses the ability to do magic. When she is kidnapped and coerced to take the throne from the current rulers, she meets Alac, the second in line for the throne. As she is forced into a world of lies and make believe, she finds that she cannot let Alac die, and he is inexorably drawn to her as well. Can the find a way to save the kingdom from the dark magic that roams upon it and still find their way to each other? A delightful story. One of my favorite audiobooks of the year so far. I only wish there was more coming. Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to listen to #TheStolenKingdom. All opinions are my own. #bookstagram #all_the_pages

This is a book that is quickly knew was a story I would love! The main characters were two people you could root for and I felt conflicted about the decisions they had to make. It was enticing and entertaining and I loved it! The only thing I would change is that I wish there was an epilogue.

You must have a glass of wine in hand when reading this! This book with its vineyards and wine descriptions had me craving a glass!

I loved the unique magic system and fresh take on court politics. This was a fun and engaging read, perfect for escapism and adventure!

Review on Instagram to follow.

The audiobook narrators did a great job! They really helped these characters and this world come to life and made the reading experience all the more rich and fun!

The overall story though was fun but it was pretty basic. There’s nothing wrong with that! I still enjoyed my time with this book, it was just easy to guess certain plot points and the characters weren’t the most unique.

I did like that this book didn’t really have that much romance! There was a tiny, tiny bit but this was more focused on Maralyth and Alac’s friendship which was refreshing! Usually with the tropes featured, there’s a romance immediately between the two but that wasn’t the case here.

The magic was interesting but I wish we had seen more of it and what it could do! We spent so much of this standalone staying away from the magic that when they were forced to confront it, the solution seemed almost too easy.

But this was still a fun, quick and easy book to devour and I highly recommend the audiobook!

3/5 ⭐️

TW: death, murder, death of a parent, blood, violence, poison, death of a sibling, kidnapping.

This YA fantasy was enjoyable but the story fell a little flat...I think it just didn't feel original or stand out enough to be memorable. It was easy to listen to, but also easy to put down and not pick back up. It was interesting, but not compelling.

I really loved this novel! My favourite part was the simmering slow-burn romance. I also enjoyed the world-building and the writing style. The main character was really enjoyable to read about as well.

Still working out my thoughts on this one. I was intrigued enough to fly through this book but there wasn't anything that jumped out to me as memorable. I felt like in many ways I had read this story many times before. There were a few moments that screamed internalized misogyny with the body shaming and just representation of women but I need to unpack that a little but more.

Overall I was entertained but not wowed. Other reviewers have loved it so there is an audience but maybe not me.

Regarding, the narration - I really enjoyed both narrators. The male narrator sounded familiar so I am going to have to do some digging as to where I have heard him before. Would recommend these two!

Full review will be live on www.readandwander.com 22 APRIL

I received The Stolen Kingdom in exchange for an honest review.

In this book you follow Prince Alec and Maralyth as they both go through an epic journey.

Prince Alec is the spare to a dark and dangerous reign. He dislikes the dark magic his family hoards and values above all else and when he is asked to watch over a locket containing this magic his adventure truly begins.

Maralyth is the daughter of a vintner and her simple spells to ripen grapes to eat quickly turns into an adventure far outside her wildest dreams.

This story become a fast paced game of cat and mouse and has a dose of forbidden romance sprinkled throughout. I really enjoyed the dark world building and both characters were extremely interesting.

The only downside to this book for me was the duel POV. Every other chapter switches and for me this was very distracting. It made it slightly harder for me to get super engrossed in their stories as every time I was really involved the entire story would change again. That was my only personal problem with this book and it’s totally just personal preference. I would absolutely recommend this book to other fans of fantasy!

I received an advance reader copy of this book to listen to in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

***AUDIO BOOK VERSION***
The Stolen Kingdom is a magically weaved, breathtaking new fantasy adventure.
In this book we meet Maralyth (Mara)and Alac who have very different lives but meet and connect on an adventure leading them to discover more about a secret bloodline that is deserving of the Throne and of claiming it.

Mara is a wine makers daughter who's magical ability there helps the winery to thrive, however her father doesn't agree to her running the winery and hands the position to her brother instead. Mara is hurt and angry about this decision.
Alac is second in line to the throne who hates being second in line to his brother and fosters resentment about this and his father's deceptive way of claiming the throne by using stolen magic to do so.
Mara and Alac are from two different walks of life but share the same hurt, fears and resentments. Both characters are very endearing and I loved the cat and mouse excitement of this book. The fact it was audio made it even more thrilling and the narrator did a fantastic job of telling the story.
If your looking for magic, forbidden romance, entertainment and surprise you really must give this book a listen.
I am hoping to get the physical copy of this book ASAP.

This book was alright, had great potential but just did not pan out the way I had hoped. I was looking for an incredibly gripping story but it fell flat for me at parts. The narrator was alright but some just lacked the depth I was looking for.

Unfortunately I really did not like this book. The narrators were ok, not the best I have heard but nothing bad. I wish they had "acted" a bit more and put more emotion in for me.

The story itself just kind of fell flat. I was hoping for something unique and different and I was mostly just confused and bored. The beginning of the book in the vineyard was the best for me, the imagery was great but as soon as the main character left that setting it felt like another carbon copy of any other YA royalty fantasy I have read before.

I really did care for the characters, especially the male MC, and the romance felt a bit like insta-love.

**3.5 Stars**

Maralyth wants nothing more than to be part of her father's winery, instead of just given the task of cooking and cleaning up after her father's employees. When she ends up getting kidnapped by a wealthy lord who knows about her forbidden magic and says she is destined for more, Maralyth has no idea what to think. Alac is the leftover, basically useless second son of the king, but he wants nothing to do with the dark magic that is passed through his family. Instead, Alac longs to be able to open his own winery and let his passions out, instead of being confined to the life of a royal. When Maralyth and Alac meet, empires will fall, magic will rule and nothing will ever be the same.

I will say that I did not know that I was picking up a book that was basically a love letter to wine- be it drinking, making, growing, or discussing it. Seriously, both the main characters' whole lives revolved around wine and the kingdom in general focused on having the best wine. It was discussed A LOT, and as someone who occasionally enjoys a cheap out of the box pink wine (and I have no complaints about it), I am no expert and I can confirm that I have zero interest in learning more about the process/quality.

Overall I liked that this was a standalone fantasy that was not crazy long, everything resolved in an acceptable manner and was entertaining in general. There was a romance that ran through the plot as well so all you romance lovers will appreciate that, but overall this was about standing up for your birthright, using magic to benefit society and squashing the currently monarchy. I recommend this for anyone who likes light fantasy with some magic, court intrigue, romance and not having to wait for another book in a series to get answers (which I fully support!).

I did enjoy the audiobook experience overall, mainly due to the fact there was two narrators, one for both the main characters. It was easy to slip inside the character's mind since each had their own voice and both narrators did a great job of making distinct voices for the secondary characters so I never had any confusion as to who was talking or what was going on. I enjoyed the audio, my rating was more geared to the overall plot.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Really loved this book! i didnt care for the romance tbh but it wasn't annoying so still 5 stars :)

It's taken me a bit to figure out how I wanted to review this. Initially, I was intrigued. I felt as if Maralyth's ability had huge promise and the romance between her and Alac was promising--but then some crazy stuff happened and I wasn't sure how I felt about all that went down.

This was not a bad book, but I also felt as if it lacked the potential to be 'even more epic' if I can say that? At times I felt as if it was going in one direction only to take another, less exciting direction. I think overall it was a great idea, and yet it lacked depth.

I did love the magic system though and really enjoyed how Maralyth grew into hers and how that counterbalanced the darker magic the King stole. I also liked that it was a standalone - yay for that!

All in all, I would say it's a book for those who enjoy a light fantasy with a somewhat tension-filled romance and a nice resolution at the end.

My rating: 3.5*

Thanks to the publisher for gifting me an audiobook copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Strictly reviewing the audiobook version here of this book, as I did physically read this book separately for a more in depth review.

I love this story and found it really intriguing and easy to get into when reading physically, but when it came to the audiobook version I was not impressed. I'm not sure if it was the narrator or what, but I was just not a fan of the audio, but did love the actual story.

Found the audio file on my app after previously marking as will not give feedback but unfortunately, I wish I had lost it because I did not like this. I really did not vibe with the male narrator to the point it made me want to tune out, though regardless I personally didn't connect with the story. Just not for me

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.

I also listened to the audiobook of it and I really liked the two readers. They complimented each other well. Sometimes when you have more than one reader it can be odd when they do each other voices, but it was done really well in this book.

I was really impressed by the audiobook production of this book and I would recommend someone listen to it before they read it.

Both narrators did a really good job. 4 stars each for them

I didn't really get into this story. There was just something missing for me but can't quite put my finger on what it was.