I’m afraid this was a bit of a disappointment for me. I had been really looking forward to reading it but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I had hoped.

The plot was engaging enough even if very basic. The good old good vs evil shenanigans. The “plot twists” and betrayals were predictable and that kind of made it a lot less exciting.

I did like Jenna, our MC. She’s likeable, very reliable, a skilled warrior and caring. Although an amazing warrior, she is not bloodthirsty or vengeful, which was super refreshing for me. She’s still badass in her own way.

The romance, however, did nothing for me. It was an insta-love where things didn’t advance fast but rather out of nowhere. After a week Jenna was already feeling jealous of other girls and Enzo was avoiding picking a suitor.

The pacing of the story was not consistent. The story dragged for a few chapters before a action-packed chapter came along and then back to the same slow pace where nothing happened. The chapters in which Jenna is lost in The Wild could have been more engaging. I enjoyed how realistic they felt but they suffered from the same problem the rest of the book did, inconsistent pacing.

On the other hand, I thought the world building was interesting and so was the magic system. They intrigued me enough to keep me reading. The action scenes were also super exciting to read and well-written.

Overall it was a mediocre ya fantasy that had lots of potential but fell flat. I’m not sure yet if I’ll continue with the series as sadly I don’t think I’m intrigued enough by the story to endure another book of the same.

I loved this book! The beginning started a bit slow and immature in writing and I almost wanted to stop. However, the story intrigued me so I pushed through. At around 15%, I became engulfed in the story and the writing improved greatly! I believe this book was well-paced and the characters well-planned. For a debut novel, this was an excellent read and I look forward to this author's future works!

4 STARS


Shielded is a testament to everything familiar we love in fantasy stories.


When Jennesara finds herself betrothed by surprise while her kingdom is at war, it's not the story she envisioned for herself. She always imagined fighting on the front lines, not navigating her way through political alliances. But when it's the only way to ensure Hálendi's survival against an unnerving new threat, she accepts her new path. It will protect her kingdom, and more importantly, it will protect her family.

Except everything goes wrong while en route to meet her fiancé, and Jenna finds herself dodging the physical embodiment of evil in order to save not only her kingdom, but all the kingdoms on the Plateau from a miserable fate. Carrying a sword from her father and a ring from her mother, she has to rely on her own instincts.

Jenna is about to get her wish to fight for Hálendi's survival, and while we might see a decent portion of her journey coming, it's worth the ride nonetheless.


"It is our legacy to survive and protect."


I'll be the first to admit that Shielded does follow a fair few familiar tropes. Disguised royals? Resistance to betrothals that turns into a classic YA romance? Dead parents? Ancient evils? Forgotten but powerful magic? Yeah, we've seen it all before.

But it's so comfortably, cozily familiar that I loved it all the same. I didn't have to stretch my brain to accommodate a deluge of new world-building, since the new material was relatively straightforward. And I wasn't racing to figure out how the characters could possibly survive, since I'd had a good idea long before reaching the solution proper.

For a book with major peril, it was pretty relaxing for my brain, even when it was tense, and I have to say I appreciate that.

More importantly, though, this is a book about a princess who feels the need to protect others deep, deep in her bones. And I, predictable sucker that I am, love her.

I've always had a soft spot for characters who defend others, especially when they're looking out for those who can't defend themselves, and Jenna fits that so well. Even when she's suspicious of other people, especially in her early days in Turia, she's immediately inclined to see the best in people. More than that, she wants to keep them safe, sometimes without consciously thinking about it. She simply acts in the face of danger, the whirlwind force standing in the way of certain death.

I am a simple blogger with simple needs, and this alone contributed SO HEAVILY to that four star rating. Can I get a hell yeah for Princess Jennesara?


I do have to ask, though: where are the shields?


Okay, so this is admittedly my one gripe (and to be fair, it's not the worst gripe so much as it's a picky one). There's a sort of shield that factors into the story relatively late, but I was lead to believe there would be a great deal more shield-related content in this book, especially with a title like Shielded. And while I wouldn't normally factor a misconception like this into my rating, I have to say, it really does feel incongruous with the title, even after reaching the end of the book. 

If you're going to pitch me a story about a shieldmaiden protecting her kingdom and more, then I want to see some more shield action. You can have characters be proactive and protective with a shield. You can even have them fight with a sword and a shield.

I suppose I just really like my protector characters to have shields or shield-adjacent equipment. Really sells it for me. Hits all the sweet spots.


Cute family dynamics? A quest for powerful magic? The comforts of YA fantasy? Sign me up!


Really, Shielded's familiar concepts are a rare case of familiarity working in a book's favor. While I don't think it's a breakout, astoundingly unique tale, I do think it's familiar in a cozy way. The romance follows common tropes, the relationships are sweet enough to make you want the best for the characters, and a race against the forces of evil to protect the world forms the core of the story.

Basically, it's shaping up to be a fun comfort read, and since it's already on shelves, you can get it now! I definitely advise picking it up if you're in the mood for something that's not too heavy or overwhelming.

And if you're like me: a sucker for characters whose first instinct is to protect everyone else. 😍


CW: loss of a loved one, violence, animal death

[This review will go live on Hail & Well Read at 10am EST on 7/23/20.]

I was immediately intrigued with Jenna's character. This book had a wonderful sense of voice that really connected me to our heroine and had me rooting for her the whole time. I love how the Author Kaylynn Flanders gave us just enough information to go on and left us with the desire- no, NEED to keep going on. This book was seriously entertaining. I'm very glad that I got to read this while under Stay-At-Home orders during Covid. No job or responsibilities taking me away from this 4 1/2 out of 5 star read.

Synopsis in my words:
With new found magic being used on the front lines of the war, Magic which had been banned ling ago, the kingdom of Halendi is in more danger than they realize.
Jenna, the second born to the throne, has a secret. One that she has been hiding from everyone except her brother Ren- heir to the throne. Magic is only found in the royal blood line now in days, or so we thought. But a streak of hair labels Jenna as a magic welder as well.
Without her knowledge or permission, Jenna's father, the King, has sent her acceptance of betrothal to an ally kingdom to marry their heir to the throne.
On the journey to her betroths kingdom, her carriage is ambushed. Now Jenna must decide whether or not to reveal the secret she has kept all her life. But if she does, will it save her kingdom or doom it.

I really enjoyed the magic system in this book. I also enjoyed the love story and Princess Jennesara as a character. This book definitely reminded me of Sorcery of Thorns! I can't say I loved the royalty aspect but it did work with the storyline. This was a good start to the series and I'll be curious to see what happens next.

(3/5⭐️)“How was I going to find my place in a new land when I couldn’t find a place among my own people? How would I keep my magic a secret under the scrutiny of an entire new kingdom?”—KayLynn Flanders

Princess Jenna has been hiding a secret that could kill her. Her older brother wasn’t the only one born with magic, but he’s the only one who knows. When she is sent to a neighboring country, promised to a prince she’s never met, everything falls apart. Jenna’s entourage is attacked, and she barely escapes with her life. The Wild isn’t safe, but it helps strengthen her. And once she reaches Turia, it’s clear she’s being hunted. She must pose as a guard using a fake identity, and hope the king of Turia allows her to find much needed answers about the mages who are after her. These mages are intent on eliminating her family, as well as the royal family in Turia, and reclaiming power. Jenna must decide if revealing her true identity is worth protecting the royal family of Turia and saving them from the mages who intend on destroying the peace.

I selected this book because of the beautiful cover and the premise. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Coming away, I’ve got a lot of mixed feelings. There were things I liked and things I didn’t like. I’ll start with the things I liked. The second half was an enjoyable read. I enjoyed the interactions between Prince Enzo and Princess Jenna. I liked that they got to know each other before knowing their true identities. It allowed a love to blossom between them without any pretenses.

I also liked the magic system. It was interesting. Jenna begins believing she only has a small bit of magic in the form of emotional tethers with her family, and in time, gets much more due to the artifacts her father gives her, and also because of the Wild. I was intrigued but I didn’t feel the magic system was fleshed out as well as it could have been. There were still bits of confusion for me. But the same was for Jenna, so maybe since we were seeing it from her POV, there wasn’t more information that could be given.

The relationship between Enzo, his sisters, and Jenna was one of my favorite things about the book. Jenna‘s brother dies, or so she believes, and Enzo’s sisters begin to fill that hole. His youngest sister was one of my favorite characters. I liked their interactions and enjoyed the trust that developed between them. It really helped rescue this book from dropping below 3 stars.

The plot was riddled with tropes, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But overall, there wasn’t a lot of depth. For a YA, that’s okay, but it lends to mediocrity. I would have liked to see more suspense and political intrigue. But overall, I liked the idea of Princess Jenna taking up a false identity to protect Enzo’s royal family.

Now, on to the negatives, for which there were a fair few:

I found a number of flaws with this book. The beginning was too slow. The first half was a chore to get through. This was due to lack of suspense from the outset. Not much was foreshadowed. Things happening came up like an afterthought. I didn’t feel invested in any of the characters and had to force myself to keep reading. Moreover, I think the first 25% of the book could be deleted. The story could have started with the attack on Jenna on the road, with bits and pieces filled in afterward as she is traveling through the Wild. I would have been more invested in solving the story that way, filling in clues. Instead, nothing was left to me to discover, and I was told everything.

I felt nothing when Jenna’s family died. I wasn’t invested in them. While Jenna was sad, none of that rubbed off on me. That tells me those characters didn’t make enough of an impression. They should have been kept out of the story at the beginning. I probably would have appreciated them more through Jenna’s memories. Instead, I had to dredge through 25% of a story that felt entirely pointless.

There was no suspense until Jenna met the prince at the 50% mark. I was SO CLOSE to putting down the book at that point. SO CLOSE! I loved that she used a false identity. Only then did the suspense blossom. I read more eagerly after that, wondering when the prince would learn her identity, and wondering if she would be able to help their family safe. At that point, the story read very quickly (THANK GOODNESS!), and the suspense increased. I FINALLY found myself caring. FINALLY. Had I DNF’d beforehand, I would have missed out on the rest of the story.

But, the lesson to be learned is this: It shouldn’t take half a book to get invested. To me, that was a huge flaw. I was convinced this would be a 2.5 star read until I hit the 50% mark. My only reason for patience was because this was a book I’m reviewing for NetGalley.

The story ends on a cliff hanger making it obvious that there will be a sequel. Will I read it? Honestly, I’m not sure. If it picks up immediately at the same pace, maybe. Even still, with the second half being much better, I’m still not sure I’m that invested in the characters. They don’t have much depth. So I probably won’t be reading it. We’ll see.

Do I recommend this? Meh. There are far better books out there. BUT you might like it if you like royalty faking identities. If that’s something that appeals to you, I’d say give it a try. This might be the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Shielded is a fast-paced fantasy with an adorable and age-appropriate hidden identity love story. The magic is interesting, and an integral part of the story, but is definitely overshadowed by the budding romance. There is a mystery element that keeps you guessing until the end, which I really enjoyed, and I may have changed my guess more than once.
I found myself cheering for the MC, Princess Jennesara. She's a warrior, and her journey is full of self-discovery, girl-power and intriguing side characters. It's an entertaining adventure-fantasy, and the ending sets up nicely for a second book with a greater focus on the magic system.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC copy of Shielded by KayLynn Flanders. I am a huge fan of Norse Fantasy and I really enjoyed this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jennesara is a warrior princess through and through, she's grown familiar with the ways of combat but keeps a secret. The white streak in her hair that she keeps hidden within her braid means that she has magic, something that is unheard of for the second born royal.

The day before her birthday she finds out her father has arranged a marriage between her and the prince of a neighboring country and everything changes. On the road to meet with her betrothed she learns more about her kingdom and her powers than she had ever expected and now she might be the only one to save her family and the kingdom.

This was one of those middle of the road books for me. The world building was great, the characters were pretty likable and I did genuinely care about what was going on, but something fell flat. I'm not sure if it's because the plot kept me wanting more, like there was this one component that was missing. It had potential and I think if it had taken a few more risks it would've been better.

I felt like the book dragged at times, like we were stretching out the plot, but the action sequences were fast paced and enjoyable. Like I said, there was a lot of potential there, but I felt like it took advantage of a lot of common YA fantasy tropes without doing much to switch them up and make them unique. I did just after reading this stumble upon a manga with a similar premise that after 1 volume, has done it better.

I was given a free eARC in exchange for and honest review.

Wow I adore this book so much. I love everything about it. The book is very well written and the pacing excellent. It was slow in some parts but I think the slowness helped build up Jennesara’s character. The author also wrote the combat very well. I never had trouble keeping track of what was going on in the fighting scenes. I also felt that the romance was an exceptionally good slow burn. My only complaint is that Jennesara felt an itch between her shoulder blades/ widened her stance/ stuffed her hands in her pockets quiet often.

This book is fantastic and I recommend it if you are looking for an action packed YA fantasy book. I cannot wait to read the next novel in the series and find out what happens next!

From my book review instagram instagram.com/paperbackdiaries

Shielded follows Princess Jennesara, second born to the Halendi throne, as she traverses to a neighboring kingdom in the hopes of forming a marital alliance against the brewing war at the borders. But when ambush finds her on the road, Jenna is left to fend for herself through a cursed forest, unsure who to trust or if her family is even alive.

I really loved almost all of the characters in this novel, and really appreciated how simultaneously strong and level headed Jenna was. Even though she didn't want to marry off, she went with the hopes of saving her people and that was enough to selflessly put aside her own wants. And Enzo was such a fun love interest, and his entire family dynamic with his siblings was entertainingly heartwarming.

An aspect that I didn't enjoy as much were the scenes featuring the villains; it didn’t feel particularly necessary to see what they were doing so often, I feel like I would have enjoyed seeing their plots play out from Jennas perspective rather than from theirs. The pacing also took a while to pick up at the beginning, but once it did, I enjoyed the rest of Jenna's journey.

But if you like a bit of magic, political intrigue, and princesses with sword skills, Shielded is a great read!

I'm torn between 3.5 and 4 stars.

I really enjoyed this book. (Read it in one day!) The characters are likable; the plotting is fast; great action/fighting scenes; it's an interesting world that's fairly well fleshed out. I especially liked that Jenna is such an accomplished fighter and her male counterparts aren't threatened by her skills, but actually encourage her. What really sells this for me, though, is that it's a solid YA fantasy that I can confidently put into the hands of someone as young as 11 or 12 (so long as said 11/12-year-old isn't mortified by the notion of romantic feelings.)

My critiques are thus:

I did sometimes find myself confused by the magic system and how it worked. A little more clarity would have been nice. (However, the lack of clarity may be intentional - we might only be given as much knowledge as the characters themselves have.)

I also think I would have been able to situate myself a little better in the world/story if there hand been a concise prologue to set it up, or maybe a map. (Maybe there will be a map in the physical book? I had an e-galley.) It was given in bits and pieces here and there, but I had a hard time giving it enough attention to put it together when the plotting was so fast-paced. There are a couple of reveals that, of course, need to be kept until the right moment, but much of it could have been combined and given right away.

I really liked this! Jenna was such a likable MC and kickass heroine. The world was interesting. I liked the romance as well. Sped through this so quickly since it was quite fast-paced. Very excited for the sequel & to see where this story goes! Really great debut from this author.

This book was one of the most straightforward and uncomplicated fantasy books I’ve read in awhile.

I usually prefer a more immersive and built up fantasy book, but I think this one was a nice change up from the complicated worlds and politics I’ve been reading in fantasy lately.

Shielded is about a princess who is set to be married to a prince from a neighboring kingdom she has never met. Jennesara, or Jenna, as she likes to be called is more apt on the battlefield than she is as a princess. She’s more comfortable in pants than gowns and has insisted on doing her own hair in a simple braid since her mother passed away when she was a child.

Jenna is kind of your typical “I’m not like the other girls,” type character even though she tends to be more subtle than other characters that usually fall into the trope. I’m usually unbothered by the trope unless it's the character’s only defining quality. Jenna isn’t constantly trying to best the boys and her loyalty to her family and her kingdom definitely outweighs anything else.
The book was almost entirely focused on Jenna’s journey of survival as she does what she needs to do to help her kingdom in a war they have been losing for a very long time. There wasn’t a huge focus on any kind of romance until like the last 30 percent of the book which was really all we needed to understand the dynamic between the characters.

There were a few things I wasn't a huge fan of plot wise and structure wise.

One of them was the “dual perspectives.” I had kind of a hard time with the few chapters that tried to give us a look into what the enemy was doing. They were almost vague on details to the point where I think the book probably could have been fine without them. I spent the whole time trying to figure out who was who and what role they were playing and even in the end, more than a few characters from those chapters still didn’t have names or faces. That was a little frustrating, but not enough to really ruin the experience for me.

Another thing is that writing style is very clinical, which I think plays into the uncomplicatedness of it. It was very “this thing happens and then this thing happens.” There wasn’t much fluff or foreshadowing or anything like that. Which isn’t a bad thing. A lot of people prefer their books to be more straightforward in that way. I usually prefer my fantasies to be complicated and honestly over developed, but I still enjoyed Shielded nonetheless.

I ended up enjoying the first part of this story but the middle lost me. Its about a girl who is forced into a marriage to a man in another kingdom and has a secret magical power. 2 stars for me!!

Shielded is relatively predictable. However, it is fun. It takes some popular tropes and executes them well. I would feel comfortable recommending it to both younger teens and older people who like fantasy books with a prominent romance storyline.

This was pitched as Furyborn (which I can't attest to, as I DNF'ed that :P) meets Sorcery of Thorns, but it was really more of a case of The Kiss of Deception meets Sorcery of Thorns (also both this and Sorcery of Thorns have GORGEOUS cover art!!!).

I can't even tell you why I enjoyed this so much. I really shouldn't have. It was rather predictable and the romance was rooted in instalove...but despite all that...I still had a grand time reading this. I completed this entire thing in one sitting - in a matter of hours - and it was so compulsively readable. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. I ended up loving the romance, the political intrigue, the familial relationships, the rumour of a magical library, etc. In fact, there's very little that I didn't like!

All in all, this was a VERY STRONG début novel. I can't wait to see how this duology ends, as well as the author's future ventures. I certainly enjoyed it. :)

I LOVE THIS BOOK.

The story follows a princess named Jennesara who isn't the heir to the throne--meaning she shouldn't have even a little bit of the magic inside her. She's content with being the princess everyone thinks is a little strange, as long as it keeps her alive and her brother as the heir. But, everything changes when her father arranges her marriage to a neighboring kindgom's prince. With her brother on his way to stop a war waging on their northern border, Jenna sets out to marry a prince she's never known. Before they make it to her new home, their caravan is attacked and Jenna must flee into the Wild to save herself, and the future of her kingdom.

I've been reading a lot lately (thank you, Covid-19), and this is seriously one of the best books I've read this year. I couldn't read it fast enough, and yet read it far too quickly because now I'm sad it's over.

I am here for it all: princesses in disguise, magic, a rich fantasy world, and of course a little love to go along with it all. I am so excited that this is only the first book because wow do I need more. The world was rich, the battles given just enough detail, and the magic and history really interesting.

Jenna isn't just another princess--she has magic, she can fight, she's smart, and she'll do anything to save those she loves. As far as protagonists go, she's easily one of my new favorites. I loved reading as she progressed from the strange princess to a warrior to be reckoned with.

I also really enjoyed the magic system, and how the history and lore of the fantasy land helped shape and guide the story. It made it more real and grounded, and much more interesting to read.

Also, I'm a sucker for even a little bit of love in books and this one did it for me. I felt it, man. I liked that it wasn't the focus, but I liked that we got to see it blossoming.

Overall, READ IT!

This one’s been on the top of my TBR for a while because that cover’s just plain cool. 10/10 would put a poster of it on the wall.

The day after her seventeenth birthday, Princess Jenna sets out on her first journey away from her home in Halendi to meet her betrothed in the neighboring kingdom of Turia. The little she knows about Prince Enzo was learned from old genealogies, but Jenna straps on her sword, hops on her horse, and accepts the necessity of uniting their kingdoms to gain the support of Turia’s army against rising violence on the borders. And the journey won’t be all bad - she’ll have the company of her brother before he goes to war, time to examine the magical artifacts gifted to her by father, and the royal library with its books on magic waiting for her at the end of the road. However, the journey doesn’t go as planned, and Jenna finds herself stranded in the Wilds with little more than her fractured magic, a blank book, and anger toward the unknown traitor who would see her kingdom ruined.

This book is a solid example of how predictable tropes can still be fun when paired with endearing characters. Oh no, the king arranged a secret betrothal! The audacity. It’s hard to say more without spoilers, but all of Jenna’s allies deserve to be protected at all costs. Jenna knows this, and she spends a fair amount of her time jumping over bushes and crashing into scoundrels in order to keep people safe.

I thought there was most room for improvement with the development of the antagonists. They fulfilled their cookie cutter roles without adding any extra flair, letting half of the climax fall flat. Now that the broader conflict has been explained, maybe the sequel will have room to explore more nuanced motivations for the villains.

If you like hidden identities, cute romance, the Remnant Chronicles or the Fire and Thorns trilogy, chances are you’ll like this one too.

**Thanks to Netgalley and Delacorte for the ARC**

I wanted to like shielded but for me it felt like any other young adult fantasy out there. A strong heroine who is believable at how well she can handle a sword since she has wielding one since she was little but her ability to grasp and use her so called magic that was hidden within her so easily is very convenient. The actions scenes were excellent described though and the romance was super cute. Overall Shielded is a good fantasy book but doesn’t add anything special to the genre.