The Stolen Kingdom | ARC Review #19

The Stolen Kingdom is simply irresistible. It is an enjoyable standalone fantasy novel.

About The Book

Title: The Stolen Kingdom | By: Jillian Boehme

Expected Publication: March 2nd 2021 | By: Macmillan-Tor Teen

Pace: Fast | Pages: 320 | Age: 13+

Standalone | Genre: Fantasy Fiction

For a hundred years, the once-prosperous kingdom of Perin Faye has suffered under the rule of the greedy and power-hungry Thungrave kings. Maralyth Graylaern, a vintner’s daughter, has no idea her hidden magical power is proof of a secret bloodline and claim to the throne. 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.

When Maralyth becomes embroiled in a plot to murder the royal family and seize the throne, a cat-and-mouse chase ensues in an adventure of dark magic, court intrigue, and forbidden love.

  Goodreads  

I received a copy of this ebook from Tor Teen (Macmillan) courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.The quote above below is taken from an eARC and is subject to change upon publication.

Triggers: Self Harm Imagery, Murder, Blood, Slitting Throat Imagery, Betrayal, Deception.

I picked this book for the synopsis. It sounded like the stories I’ve read before yet might have something different to offer. So I decided to read it. I’m happy that I chose this book because it was so easy to get sucked into this world that was not too heavy or drawn out.

The story is told from Mara and Alac’s POV. I liked reading the story from their perspectives. However, I would have loved to read a chapter from Tucker’s POV too.

There are two kinds of magic here, which I won’t be going into details about, possessed by the Dallowyns and Thungraves.

Magic was not just a source for having supernatural abilities but also a matter of politics and power-play in the book. It was a double-edged sword that can be put to proper use in the right hands or can be destructive in the wrong hands. I liked how the book showed these two contradicting ideas of magic till the end.

Recently I’ve been pondering about the concept of raw-magic a lot. I’ve seen it being employed in many books, and I’ve been fascinated by characters who wield raw-magic in stories. In this book, there wasn’t raw-magic, but the Dallowyn blood-magic felt pure in contrast to the Thungraves. It wasn’t tainted by anything or influenced by other elements but felt natural and pure.
This magic was passed through bloodlines, and there were only a few who possessed this magic in the book.

Maralyth (Mara) has a feminist streak in her. She loved to work in her father’s vineyard, but a 17-year-old girl’s place in this world was in a kitchen. She hated cooking but had to succumb to her “duties” after her mother’s death. She actually had some plan to do something for herself and other women, but this was forgotten after she was sucked into the court life drama due to circumstances.

Though it was cliché for the prince to like a girl who wasn’t moony over him, I liked Alac and Mara’s friendship in the story. They bonded and developed feelings really fast even though they knew each other for 8 days. It was too fast, but it fit the story well.

Alac was like any other prince I’ve read so far. He was the second son, the invisible child, and was privileged, of course. But, unlike his brother and father, he wasn’t pining for Magic or the throne.

I actually liked Tucker, Alac’s personal guard. He spoke his mind to Alac, who was a reliable and funny guy. I liked his interactions with the MCs in the book.

There are some flaws in the story, but I’ve decided to be less picky with this book.

This book was along the lines of The Selection, The Cruel Prince, The Shadow Between Us, and From Blood and Ash (without the explicit scenes). So if you enjoyed reading those books, then you will definitely enjoy this one.

This story was dark at times and equally riveting. I found myself flipping through each page faster to see how the story would end. While many book-series take two or three books to cover the story( sometimes fail to achieve it), this book could encompass the whole story in 57 chapters. If you’re looking for a standalone fantasy to get lost into, then do not hesitate to pick this book. I could see myself re-reading this book someday.

The magic is your greatest asset. Don’t hide it.

My Rating: 3.5

Do you know any Fantasy Standalone? Please recommend me some. Have you read this book, or is it on your TBR? Let me know in the comments.