The kingdom of Hálendi is in trouble. It's losing the war at its borders, and rumors of a new, deadlier threat on the horizon have surfaced. Princess Jennesara knows her skills on the battlefield would make her an asset and wants to help, but her father has other plans.

As the second-born heir to the throne, Jenna lacks the firstborn's--her brother's--magical abilities, so the king promises her hand in marriage to the prince of neighboring Turia in exchange for resources Hálendi needs. Jenna must leave behind everything she has ever known if she is to give her people a chance at peace.

Only, on the journey to reach her betrothed and new home, the royal caravan is ambushed, and Jenna realizes the rumors were wrong--the new threat is worse than anyone imagined. Now Jenna must decide if revealing a dangerous secret is worth the cost before it's too late--for her and for her entire kingdom.- Goodreads

This book is directed for fans of Sorcery of Thorns. As I didn't like that book, I may have/should have stayed away from this one. It was okay. Just like Sorcery of Thorns. I was sucked into the world and the appeal of some really deep and thoughtful characters as well as magic but none of that delivered for me.

Jenna was boring and a bit entitled. Half of the book is spent with her trying to get out of The Wilds (magical forests) and nothing exactly happens other than her getting lost and occasionally meeting something that makes her fight for her life and remember who she is.

Jenna was a princess who has a bit of magic but never took the time to develop it or find information. She was a skilled solider that wasn't allowed to fight in a real battle and she reminded the reader of that every chance she could get be it her actions or words.I completely understand that not everyone wants to build their skills or have the drive to do more but like you're a princess who has magical powers, who also has a brother with powers why aren't y'all sneaking away to train? Baffles me.

But the book was slow and boring and I expected a lot more action, excitement and development. I can see why it appeals to some people but there is nothing there for me to gasp over. 

Overall, 

2 Pickles

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read and review Shielded by KayLynn Flanders. What a great debut with a wonderful plot and characters! Defiantly will be recommending this read to my young adult customers!

*This copy was given to me by Net Galley and the publisher to review. All opinions are my own.*

Shielded is an amazing debut novel by Flanders! The main character Jenna is torn between helping her family and discovering a dark magical secret that could help the entire country. It could also help her learn more about her secret magical powers as well.

When she is forced to disguise herself as someone else in potential enemy territory and begins to make friends she soon realizes ties that bind are more than family relationships.

With the help of her new friends she soon has the enemy on the run, but will it be too late?

This was such a joy to read and the characters from antagonist to protagonist were well rounded and a delight to read. I have only a few complaints. The break in the chapters with "what's going on elsewhere" while needed, could have been done better. It was a tad distracting and a bit confusing at times. Otherwise I loved the plot, atmosphere, characters (especially Mari) and I can't wait for the next book. We have to find out what's next!

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

The kingdom of Halendi is in trouble. Its borders are under attack, there are rumors about an ancient library and about a new and dangerous threat. Even though she's very skilled and she wants to help her kingdom to fight, Jennesara is the second heir of the throne and she's a princess, a woman.
There are certain things people expect from her, her father included. Unlike her brother, she doesn't have magical ability (or she shouldn't have), so the king decided to arrange her hand in marriage to the kingdom of Turia, to get the help they need in their war.
When, on the journey to reach her new home and kingdom and future husband, her caravan is ambushed Jennesara finds herlsef involved in a plot bigger she would have thought.

Even though the first part of the book is a bit slow paced, I liked Shielded. Jennesara is brilliant and brave and hide a dangerous secret, able to change everything. She's very close to her family, her brother above all, and so curious about everything. I liked reading about her thoughts and adventure. The story is full of plot twists and discoveries.
I loved how the author writes about Jenna's relationship with her brother, Ren. They are very close and I liked a lot their bond, their affection. The writing style is very captivating.
A beautiful and intense book! Jenna is a fantastic main character!

I really liked this! I feel like I have been on fantasy overload lately but this refreshing tale drew me right in from the start. I was excited when I was approved for this ARC after seeing it on every DISO list out there. I was invested in every main and secondary character that made their appearance. The world building was well done and laid out in the first few chapters in such a way that it stuck with me until the end. I am excited to see what happens next! *I possibly may add more to this once I go back and review my highlights and notes from reading*

This book can best be described as a coming of age story. I really enjoyed Princess Jennesara, she to me is the typical “I’m more than a princess” it is an empowering book. Jennesara is more interested in fighting than what a being a princess entails—especially when that something has to do with an arranged marriage. Jenna has a dangerous secret which is an exciting aspect of the story. This story is perfect for girls middle grade to even high school. The storyline is interesting and keeps you invested. Four stars!

While I am an adult, and this book is clearly geared towards a younger generation, I must say that this is exactly the sort of story I would have enjoyed as a young girl. It has all the elements I love in a coming-of-age fantasy story and it’s simplicity concerning plot and dynamic is typical of a story for middle grade children. But, it still lacked true depth and so much was given away within the first few pages. I’m sure many won’t find any issue with it and love the story for what it is, but sometimes the “telling” and not “showing” ruins a book for me. This was one. Most of the pertinent information comes from the author telling us and not from the storytelling and showing itself. Overall, not terrible, a fun and easy read but not one that will leave an impression.

If you loved Sorcery of Thorns then you’re bound to enjoy this. We’ve all been put into a situation that we didn’t want to be in right, meet Jen, forced into a marriage she doesn’t want only to find her kingdom under attack and her “tethers” broken. I really enjoyed how strong she becomes by the end of the book. ALSO, the prince? Hello, sounds like such a good guy. I’m really excited to see what the second book has in store for us. Kaylynn really brought the world to life in this book, very descriptive and easy to follow all the while addictive to the point I stayed up half the night reading. 😅 I hope all the best for this author and hope to see her become more mainstream so that her work can be appreciated!

Shielded can best be described as a true YA fantasy novel. It’s predictable, with romance featuring heavily in the plot: handsome prince, fierce princess, etc. however, the dialogue and plot are unsophisticated to a more experienced and older reader, and it’s difficult to remain engaged throughout the story.

My my my!!! What a ride! Jenna is everything I need in a princess. Social awkward and kicks ass! Woo! I loved how this book has like the perfect balance in action and tender moments. I could not put this book down because I was get to a scene like how is she gonna get out of this!?! I would hands down suggest this to any and everyone.

As an adult reviewer for YA, or really as a reader in general, I have gotten to a point where it is extremely, extremely hard to surprise me. But this one kept me on my toes. I had suspicions, but I was never sure. I kept thinking, ah so this is what’s gonna happen, only to be taken another direction. I appreciated that.

For me Jennesara was such a star. She had a sense of hustle that was incredible to me. The sheer instinct to survive was fabulously done. Some of her decisions might have led to more trouble, but I could always understand why she chose to make them.

The side characters were also full of energy and personality. The sibling relationship in this story is as heartbreaking as it is sweet. There is a surly-out-of-loyalty friend and guard. A touching royal family bond. A lot of these details were just absolutely lovely and enhanced the world.

The comps are solid to me. This has just the adventure and soft boy that A Sorcery of Thorns had, (And Mages. Love me some mages.) but I would also compare it to some fantasy classics, the atmosphere and prose bring Kristin Cashore’s and Robin McKinley’s works to mind as well

A really solid debut. The romance was compelling, without overshadowing the plot, which was fun and fast-paced. I liked the protagonist, and was pleasantly surprised with how she made decisions that were sensible and understandable given the knowledge she had.

To be honest the only thing that drove me to pick up this book was the beautiful cover and the comparison to Sorcery of Thorns. However, I’m so glad I did because I ended up really enjoying this books!
I felt that the strongest part of the book was the characters. They were so organic and not one dimensional at all. They felt real and I felt like I was going through these things with them.
While the story felt a bit rushed, I’m hoping it will be explored more and flushed out better in the continuations of this series.
I can’t wait to see where the series goes!

Swords, secret princesses, magic, and sweet romance make this a perfect read! The magical world is well-developed and unique leaving the reader clamoring for the next book.

Princess Jennesara is reluctant to leave her home—her hidden magic allows her to feel invisible tethers with her family: her father the king and her brother, Ren. But with war raging, a political marriage is needed from the neighboring country Turia to supply troops. She’d much rather use her own sword to fight, but does what her father asks and leaves for Turia. Her escort never makes it, they’re attacked in the wild by a mage. By a miracle, she escapes and is determined to learn who and why is attacking her family and her kingdom.

Highly recommended for fans of Mary Pearson’s The Remnant Chronicles and Robin McKinley’s classic, The Blue Sword.

“Shielded” tells the tale of Princess Jennesara, who sent off to marry her betrothed to the prince of neighboring Turia in exchange for resources needed to save her Kingdom and when she is in route, a surprise ambushed alters the course of her life forever. Filled with betrayal, world-building, romance, fantasy, magic, and strong family ties (surprising to say the least), the reader is thrown in epic adventure that will have you turning pages faster than you had ever imagined.

And let’s just say that during the course of the read, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this despite some flaws that typically turn me away *ahem*instant love*ahem* and minor weak heroine moments that had my eye twitching but rest assured, there is some decent character development and I am sure future installments will further empathize on that.

Nevertheless, “Shielded” helped guide me out of my funky reading slump so kudos to the author because you must be doing something right seeing how I would definitely consider this ideal choice for any reader looking to start 2020 in the right foot.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC.
It was slow to start off I think, but once it started, it STARTED. I literally stayed up all night reading this.
Very solid world-building, and an interesting system of magic. The premise and conflict with the outcast mages, meddling with political ties, was well done and still has promise for the next books. As is a quest for a magic library.
There were a lot of “surprises” that were terribly easy to figure out and guess from the beginning, and some weird similarities to Lord of the Rings frankly (ironic because I put on The Two Towers as background noise), and there was the obligatory “you could be great” “yeah how about no evil man” which kinda made me roll my eyes but I won’t let that take away from it. There were some twists at the end that caught me off guard but also kinda lessened the dark and gritty aspect into more of a feel-good, MOSTLY happy ending for everyone which I’m not explicitly against (hey, even I like happy endings) but felt kind of off because it didn’t match with the tone throughout the rest of the novel, if that makes sense.
All in all an enjoyable and entertaining read.

I was drawn into this book by the strong main character in the adventure and intrigue, but I found myself losing interest as I went for along. I wish I could say that I really enjoyed this book, but it was missing something. I'm not sure what.

Flanders created a fun story of secret identities, betrothals to foreign princes, traitors betraying the kingdom, and a kingdom in the midst of war.

To save her kingdom, Jennesara (an awkward kinda name, but she was a fierce princess) becomes betrothed to a prince, but on the way there, her travel party is attacked and she barely escapes. She’s forced to hide her identity to stay alive.

I enjoyed this story. It had an easy writing style. And though the story may at times seem a little generic, it was still fun and exciting. I loved the family relationships between Jenna and her father and brother. We don’t get those often in fantasy books, so this was a nice change. Although they weren’t in the story for very long.

I felt like this could have been better as a standalone, but I’m still intrigued with how the sequel will play out. And one part of the ending made me so happy! I was hoping through most the novel that a certain thing would happen. I didn’t guess it would happen, but I’m glad it did.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children’s for an e-arc to review!


(I will post this review on Instagram and goodreads closer to the release date.)

Shielded is a great YA novel for someone just dipping their toes into the realms of SFF - the characters are likeable, mostly without flaws (or flawed in a way that turns into a benefit a few chapters later), and the plot moves like you'd expect. While there was nothing groundbreaking or challenging about the story, it was well written, with the action and romance laid out in sensible manners. Overall, Shielded, while an easy read, wasn't a novel that I couldn't put down, nor one for which I am awaiting a sequel with bated breath.

The premise of this book sounded intriguing and I couldn't wait to dive into the world. Overall, I enjoyed this book. In the beginning it was a little confusing so it took me a bit to get into the story, but once I did it held my interest.

Jennesara was a strong willed character who could fight and protect herself. Jennesara had drive and determination to find those that have betrayed her family. I enjoyed seeing Jennesars's travels and her interactions with those she encountered on her travels, particularly the royal family of Turia. I enjoyed the interactions between Jennesara and Enzo even though it was a bit insta-love.

A quick, fun read that was filled with action and betrayal. Some of the end felt a bit rushed, but overall this was a good start to the series.