2.5

This YA book leaves very little impact. I was hopeful, as I am always interested in a standalone fantasy, but this story doesn’t set itself apart from any of the numerous YA fantasy stories out there. There is little action, with the romantic relationship at the center of the story carrying little weight with it, as well. Perhaps it’s partially because I am not drawn to YA anymore, but this book was the definition of middle of the road, for me. Not good, not bad.

Thank you Netgalley for an early audio of this book. The Stolen Kingdom is released March 2, 2021.

Hooray for a fun, magic filled read! I'm so glad I was able to get a copy of this audiobook, it was easy to dive into and I didn't want to stop listening. The narrators do a great job and I recognized the voice of Alac from other YA fantasy stories.

This is a chosen one type of story and I am here for it. Maralyn is the daughter of a wine maker and loves helping her dad. She'd love to take over the business someday, but unfortunately women aren't allowed in roles like that. Mara also has a secret, she can use magic, something only the king can do. When rebels tell Mara they want her on the throne, she goes to the palace to take the king down.

The king's youngest son is Alac. He's a sweet guy who has no interest in ruling and just wants to do his own thing. He and Mara bond right away over wine and I knew they would be a great couple.

There's plenty of action in the plot to keep things moving. I wish we had seen more of the magic and things it can do besides age people. I'm sure there are a lot of other possibilities for uses. I also thought the ending was a bit rushed and anti climactic, but I was happy with the results. This appears to be a stand alone and wraps up the story nicely.

While this isn't a unique plot, it's a fun story and I enjoyed the characters. I look forward to reading other books from this author!

I received a copy of this audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

What a fun listen! It was a very easy story to fall into. The narrators were great and really brought the story to life. I loved the magic and court intrigue. I also really loved how the romance was written and how it played out in the end, it felt very real and genuine. It was very satisfying to finish, but I wouldn't mind more books with these characters!

I definitely think this book will be well-loved. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this early!

I read this as well, and I enjoyed reading it than listening to it more, I must say.

I don't like all that half-star business, but this was, like, 2.5. It was flat but okay-ish.

This story about stolen magic begins and ends with a vineyard.
Mara is a girl with a rare gift of magic and she has no idea where it comes from as only two families have it - the family on the throne who stole the gift of magic, and the family from whom the magic was stolen about a century ago.
Then, a certain lord discovers of Mara's gift and its origins and decides that the throne is hers to take, so he kidnaps her and, under the threat of killing his family, organizes a coup.
On the other side, we have the younger son of the dark king - Alac, who wants nothing more but to have his own vineyard.

However nice it was to have characters have some interests besides the main story line, this wine-making and vineyards had no importance for the story, and I found them a little overdone.

The characters were okay, I guess, but I didn't feel anything for them.
Alac kinda reminded me of Nathaniel from Sorcery of Thorns, but further than that, I felt nothing towards them.

Of course, there had to be a love story somewhere there, but I didn't feel it either. It might be because I didn't fall for the characters, but it seemed unnatural and pushed. Some liking was there between the two, but not romance.

Then, there is the kind who was mostly gone, but there was a lot of word about him, how horrible he is, how dark his stolen magic is and all that. But when he finally shows up, he just...dies. Not very amusing.

The plot didn't have a steady pace and this often threw me off the balance. At one moment, the things will be happening supper fast, and in the other, they will be walking through a garden for pages and paaages.
I don't like this in books, and I didn't appreciate that the book just zoomed through the most important "battle". If anything should be slower, it's definitely it, and not fig-ripening or whatever.

This is a standalone, and I appreciate that. It is really good not having to be tied to a series, especially if it isn't all that good. And the horrors I've been through for not bailing on ACOTAR after the first book!!!

Overall, it had a lot of potential, but it came out flat with both characters and their relations, and with the plot. It is a book of about 350 pages, so the world building isn't ideal, but it can be a fine quick read.

This IS a book with a lot of potential, really.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Stolen Kingdom was such a fun and magical book to dive into. In it, you will meet Mara and Alac. The adventure that these two go on might make you dizzy. Mostly because this entire book is filled with so much. Magic, betrayal, and so much freaking tension that it might kill you. Just know that I ate it all up and I still wanted more.

From the very first moment, there was something special about Mara and Alac. She was in love with the winery that her family owned. So in other words, she basically had my dream job because I love wine. All things wine. If my family owned a winery? Well, goodbye world - I'm in wine heaven now.

While she's living my best life, he is a prince and wants to do anything else but become King. Luckily for him, he's second in line so he doesn't have to worry about that. The only thing he does worry about, though, is the magic. He hates it. Or maybe he just hates his dad's stolen magic. Either way, magic is a no go for him.

After they first met, sparks were there and started to fly (a bit). It was definitely cute and I couldn't help shipping them after this. They had a special connection and I was worried that the other shoe was going to drop and kill my ship. The shoe dropped hard but my ship was still thriving in my mind.

So much betrayal and magic kept me completely and utterly engaged with this book. I couldn't put it down (unless I had to eat or sleep). Now that it's over, I'm kind of sad. I don't know what to do with my thumbs right now.. unless twiddling seems proper? The moment that this book is published, I am going to buy it and dive back into these beautiful pages. Definitely enjoyed this book and I can't wait for Jillian to write another magical adventure!