This book had a slow entry but once I got into it I really enjoyed Jenna. Her struggle with magic and who she is was intriguing as the plot unravelled. There was definitely some common troupes that I think will be popular.

Shielded by KayLynn Flanders, 424 pages. Delacorte Press (Random House), 2020. $18.
Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
In the space of two days, Princess Jennesara (17yo) learns that there is a traitor in the castle, the warring on the northern border is worse than they thought, and her father knows about her secret magic. Denied her insistence that she can help in the fighting, she can do nothing but marry a prince she’s never met for a needed alliance. Jennesara reluctantly heads toward her new life, not understanding the depth of evil working against her family.
Flanders ensnared me with this story as thoroughly as the luring Wild that captivates Jennesara on her journey. I loved the magic, the battles, the betrayals, the complicated plan of the antagonists, the emotions, the personalities – everything except a couple of plot points that were hard for me to believe. My fingers are crossed in hopes that the sequel will be at least as good. The violence rating is for persistent battle and murder.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Such an amazing book. Very page turning with lots of anticipation. The main character was someone I fell in love with pretty quick.

Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte press for the Arc.

Shielded caught my attention from it's beautiful cover. I was given the Arc a while a go (an understatement) and decided to finally finish something overdue. I was hopeful too as the plot sounded fine and the reviews were glowing. However I'm sad to say it didn't deliver for me.

I will say with an easy to read writing style, the book wasnt hard to get through. The story is character driven and the plot was slow to develop. I myself prefer character driven stories but I didnt connect with the characters and it made me slow down and avoid reading despite how much quicker I could have finished it.

Our main character, Jenesara, was praised to be a good Protagonist who was refreshing. So I was interested to see what she was like but I didnt find anything special about her. She felt like "not like other girls" cliche. I'm also kinda sick of all these warrior Princesses who are strong because she had a brother help train her. And her love interest Enzo was honestly meh as well. I also found the villains boring and uninteresting.

I felt quite bored after the first half of the story but If I had to think of anything I did like there were two scenes that had me at the edge of seat. *Slight spoliers* One where when traveling her party gets attacked and one towards the end with Enzo.

Overall, Shielded is an okay debut. It's not anything new but there will be others who sill enjoy it more. It just missed the mark with me.

Contains minor spoilers.

I really enjoyed this story- it kept my attention, and though I didn't get the magic system, that knowledge wasn't really wasn't necessary for the plot to move along. I would've loved it if we had others POVs, like Jenna's betrothed from the neighboring kingdom, and her brother- especially since he's elsewhere for most of the book. It would've been nice to see Jenna & Enzo post war, and maybe even their wedding :) I already downloaded the next book, so that tells you how much I recommend it :)

Leaving reviews on Goodreads and Amazon

Jennesara has grown up guarding a powerful secret. As the second born to her Father, the King of Halendi, Jenna shouldn't have magic, but she does. To avoid persecution and exile, Jenna has learned to hide her magic well. But when a mysterious threat comes from the land north of her kingdom, Jenna is hastily betrothed to a neighboring prince of Turia, and on her way to start her new life, her party is attacked, leaving her the only survivor. Can Jenna find out who attacked her, what happened to her family and if she can trust the people of Turia as she searches for answers that are quickly leading to a very dangerous and deadly source.
The Kingdoms of Halendi and Turia were super interesting to travel through. I would say that my only con for this book was that characters kept referring to the geography and layout of "The Plateau", it would have been nice to see a map. I don't do well with relative descriptions, I like visuals!
Jenna quickly became someone I wanted to root for. She is a smart, highly-trained warrior princess who spends a large amount of her time in a library trying to solve her problems. Could she smash and bash her way to a solutions, absolutely, but she saves that skill for protecting herself and those close to her, not out of spite or anger. I grew so attached to Jenna so quickly, her pain and struggles felt real, and I was eager to watch her overcome them. The romance was super cute, not insta-love or lusty, but natural and added to the story and Jenna's strength.
I can't believe how much I enjoyed this story! I could rant about how much I loved Jenna, but in all honesty I loved all of these characters! I am so excited to know that there is a sequel that I can dive into immediately!

"This is an excellent YA fantasy choice for young readers! It’s clean but characters still have realistic romantic feelings, the magic system is unique, and the adventure is high-stakes. Flanders does a great job of pulling you through the story with likable characters that are well-rounded with powerful family ties and kind hearts, and if you don’t get a little swoony over a certain prince, are you even human?

Thank you to Netgalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review."

A very entertaining debut fantasy novel. I love strong female characters. The characters in this book are relatable, the writing is easy to follow and I binge read this in one sitting. And can I just add the cover art for this book is amazing!

Very interesting concept and premise. If you love fantasy books then try this. I wanted some more character development but I enjoyed it all the same.

This was such an enjoyable read. It’s a perfect book to cozy up with and read all night! A perfect one-sitting read. It has everything you love in a fantasy book, and although it’s nothing new or extravagant it’s just comfortable and outstanding at the same time. I’d recommend it.

Jennesara has never fit in in her kingdom, always having to hide her forbidden magic as the second born heir to the throne. On the eve of her 17th birthday her father the king informs her that she is now betrothed to a prince she has never met in a faraway kingdom and will leave in a day to start her ne life. Without much ability to say no, Jennesara leave for her new life, but dark forces make it so she might never make it there.

I started this story last year but struggled getting into it so I put it down to try again later. I just recently picked it up again to give it another go and I am so glad that I did! This was such a great read. The beginning was a little slow and angsty, also with a lot of info dumping about worlds and kingdoms and magic, I was a little overwhelmed and had a hard time getting invested. Well, this time I powered on and discovered a very unique, action packed and engaging story about a girl who will not stop to save her family.

I had a very strong suspicion who the bad guy was in the story and was correct in my thought but that in no way took away from the storyline. Jennesara was the heroine all YA books deserve, tough, reasonable and capable, not needing others to save her but instead saving the world (or at least a few kingdoms) on her own. There was a romance in the book, but the love interest was not introduced until about half way and it was a very slow burn relationship which I fully support. There is a second book in the series but it features another couple who we met individually in this book (and I hope there is more Mari in the next book!) and I am 100% here for that- I am also super happy this story felt wrapped up well and I don't feel like I was left hanging. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes magic, danger, court intrigue, great characters and a satisfying ending.

Whoever dubbed this for fans of Sorcery of Thorns, thank you! I really enjoyed Sorcery of Thorns, so 8 couldn’t wait to pick this one up and I don’t regret it!

We have Princess Jennsara (aka Jenn) second heir and princess of Haelendi, who is betrothed to the heir of Turia, but must navigate dangerous paths when an ambush strikes. Jenn is feisty, strong willed, and full of heart. She also is kick ass and a love ale character. She is also joined by other fantastic and fun characters on her journey including Prince Alaren, her protective and charming older brother, Prince Enzo, the quick witted and equally as charming heir of Turia, and Enzo’s two younger sisters, Chiara and Mari, who both are loveable in their own right. We have many other characters who help Jenn along the way. We also have a story full of heart, magic, action, and political intrigue. There is also some romance and betrayal. The author does a great job weaving these elements in as well as creating a world that readers fall right into. I cannot wait to read the sequel!

This was a pretty typical YA fantasy. I really enjoyed the story, even though it got off to a slower start. There was plenty of action later on.

This is pretty classic YA High Fantasy and I think i.t. has a lot to offer to those who enjoy the genre but I didn't get into this series the way I had hoped based on the description.

This was such a great surprise! It's not just another YA novel because the world-building and character development far exceeded my expectations.

Neighboring kingdoms are at war and whispers of a greater evil wander throughout the kingdoms. With Halendi under a great threat, the king offers the hand of his daughter to the closest kingdom, Turia, as tribute for protection.

Obviously, the independent, intelligent, and strong Jennesara (Jenna) is upset about the deal but wants nothing more than to help her kingdom flourish. She believes she can aid the kingdom in other ways, though her father disagress and she is sent to Turia right after her 17th birthday.

Along the way, the caravan must pass through treacherous territory and forests. Will they all survive? Will Jenna make it to Turia to Prince Enzo and align the kingdoms for more protection???

Overall, it's a fun fantasy read with magic and royalty and arranged marriages and alternate identity and takes a play from The Goose Girl.
It does suffer from some lack of originality. It's a fun read with some lovable tropes but it's not exactly the most original book to come out of YA, so it can feel like you've read the book somewhere else before.
It's got some cringe-worthy names; the mages' names are all color related: Greymere, Brownlok, Redalia, etc. It might not have been so bad if the names weren't so childish and so obviously color names. They could have been color-related and subtle.
There were a few pacing issues between leaving Halendi and getting to Turia; I personally found the bit with Jenna wandering around before she meets Luc and Enzo to drag a bit.
And I had some issues with Jenna's magic and how it was supposed to have played out in her childhood - it was incredibly unrealistic for the age she was meant to be.

If you know me, you know I am a big reader of Norse tales and viking stories. They are my favorite to read. When I got the opportunity to read this, I couldn’t be more thrilled. Not only was the cover calling my name for a strong female lead, but her storyline did not fault or hesitate. She was exactly how I wished she was throughout the novel.

I really enjoyed this one! The beginning grabbed my attention right away, but after that it got a bit slower. However, towards the end it picked up pace again, and I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the story!

This book really surprised me. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it over the weekend. It helped me forget that the world around me existed, just for a while.

KayLynn Flanders is a fantastic writer. Her detailed descriptions stood out to me from the beginning and I could easily envision each scene effortlessly in my mind. It felt like I was in her beautiful daydream full of action and adventure.

The pace of this book is quite slow and I do think that the book started lagging at the 40% mark but as soon as she met the prince, the pace picked up and I it was hard to put the book down.

I adored reading from Jenna's point of view. She is a strong and complex female character. She is headstrong and she knows what she wants, which I loved. Enzo was also a delight to read about. He saw Jenna's strength and gave her the space to be herself. He knew that he didn't always have to play hero because she can easily take care of herself.

Overall, this was a fun and engaging YA fantasy and I would definitely recommend this book to teens who are looking for an adventure with a strong female lead.

Subterfuge, intrigue, lost magic and a warrior princess forced to fight for her family alone. Jenna is a resourceful protagonist who manages to survive in terrible circumstances.
Some really great twists on magic and a nice balance of romance blended in.
Looking forward to book two.