Princess Jennesara knows that she's just as good of a warrior as anyone else in her country's army, but her father refuses to send her to the front to fight. Instead, she's sent off without fanfare or warning to wed the heir of another kingdom—while her brother goes to the front and her father prepares for trouble at home. When her caravan is ambushed and her family killed, Jennesara knows that it's up to her to save her kingdom and uncover the truth.

This was an enjoyable, if pretty standard, YA fantasy. It's a solid YA debut, but I doubt that I will continue with the sequel, even for the hopes that the many unresolved plot threads will be tied up.

The first couple chapters felt a bit like Tamora Pierce meets Adrienne Young, which northern warrior kingdoms and a girl who wields a sword and wants to join the battle. However, from there the similarities to Pierce unraveled, as the worldbuilding in this was haphazard and sloppy.

There're three countries, a Continent or something that the three countries moved to several years ago (?), a Big Bad in the form of centuries old mages, and a great wood that both wanted to kill/protect Jennesara? I'll be honest, I skimmed through a lot of the worldbuilding because it felt so samesies and bare.

When Jennesara travels to through the great woods and lands in the foreign country, I had inklings of Goose Girl, particularly the scenes with the caravan and the ambush and her hiding her identity yet her lovely nature still winning her the boy. I also had hints of Crown Duel, with the boy and his guardian escorting Jennesara while hiding their true identity.

All this is to say—I felt the influences of many other YA books, but I didn't feel that this one stood up on its own. Which is harsh, because this was an enjoyable story. I enjoyed some of the characters, particularly the prince's sisters, and I appreciated that Flanders was ruthless enough to murder several key characters early on (fairly graphically, too), but it was still missing something.

I think my biggest problem were the random cutaways to the Big Bad. It wasn't necessary, nor was it done well. It added more confusion than not, and felt like a poorer version of the cutaways in Green Rider (see, another comparison!).

Anywho, this is a solid debut and a good gateway to YA fantasy.

However, I recommend reading the influencing materials and skipping this book.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review

**Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

“It was a strange thing, to be so close to your dads yet miss it entirely.”

Princess? Check.
Arrange marriage? Check.
Forbidden magic? Check.

This book check every box that makes up your stereotypical YA fantasy novel. If you love those things, then this is the book for you, but if you like some complexity in your stories you will likely be dissatisfied.

I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either. There wasn’t much that set it apart from every other basic YA fantasy warrior princess story. The world and magic system could use more fleshing out. I mean, one family has had this particular magic for hundreds of years, and they know next to nothing about it? Yeah, okay.

My BIGGEST complaint with the whole books was the pacing. The first 42% was SO SLOW. It took me the better part of two weeks to make it through because I felt like I was trudged through word vomit. Once it got that 43% mark, things picked up and started going, making it a much more enjoyable read. I think using flashbacks throughout the story would have been a more efficient and effective way to provide the information from the beginning of the book without sacrificing the pacing, but to each their own and all.

In the end, I think I would pick up the sequel. It was a solid debut, but with plenty of room for growth.

I’ve been looking forward to this book for so long! Do you not see that fierce woman, with her warrior braid and magic sword, on the cover looking like she’s taking no BS whatsoever? Jenna’s character certainly delivered on that, too, I’m happy to say.

Shielded flips the princess paradox on its head, giving us a princess who can save herself, an elaborate threat against two kingdoms, and some precious sibling bonds.

This book has a lot of really common YA tropes, so if you’re looking for something familiar, something a bit tried and true, this would be a good choice for you. There aren’t a lot of twists in this book or big reveals, but there are some pretty heavy feels and some big emotions.

My Thoughts:

- Jennasara is a princess who’s easy to root for: one who is torn between her freedom and her duty and who is a little too handy with a sword and magic. I loved that she was a warrior princess, essentially, and proud of it. There are several scenes showing Jenna practicing and honing what she deems to be an important skill, and I loved that. She is a warrior in every sense of the word. Her loyalty to her people is also unwavering, even in the face of having to give up her future. Even if she is afraid of not being accepted by them, in the same breath, she would sacrifice her well-being for her kingdom. There are times, however, where it feels like Jenna is a little too good at things, especially considering she routinely talks about how she hasn’t been allowed to travel or interact much with other people since she was young. Yet, she falls into life outside the castle like it’s nothing and she’s been doing it forever. I wish that she struggled a little more with things in Turia, because she doesn’t strike me as a sheltered princess, like she claims in the beginning. I really would’ve loved to see even little nuances of daily life or small customs that she has no idea about and has to learn or relearn, but from what I could tell, Turia was pretty much the same as Hálendi with a few foreign words thrown in.

- There are some fantastic sibling bonds in this book, and I am so in love with this dynamic! Jenna and Ren are just *chef’s kiss*. I fell in love with Ren almost immediately, and who could blame me? The way the two tease each other and are comfortable with each other is endearing, yet they’re not immune to the normal sibling struggles, either. My favorite siblings, by far, are Chiara and Marietta, though that may be because we spend more time with them. I really enjoyed the chance to see these relationships grow and change with the characters.

- Aspects of this world are so interesting, and the mystery surrounding its history is what immediately grabbed my attention! I don’t even know where to begin. The magic feels a little too soft, in that I still can’t exactly tell you all the rules except some people have it … because? And they can do … things. I wish I had a little more of a grasp on it than that, but I don’t. I did, however, really enjoy seeing Jenna growing into her magic and discovering different things it can do. I hope to see more of this in the second book!

- I want to talk about The Wild for a second, because that place is fabulous, and I officially want one. By that I mean it’s terrifying, which is totally my brand. The Wild itself has magic, and it kind of just … does what it wants. In an almost creepy, predatory sort of way. I love it. The way Flanders describes The Wild really brings it to life and highlights both the beauty and the danger of the place.

- But wait! There’s also some dark magic afoot, the kind that was supposedly sealed away forever ago (but we all know what that really goes, don’t we? Ancestors are as sloppy as ever). The Ice Desert absolutely fascinated me, and I want to know more about the mages. As the antagonists, I feel like by the time the book ended, I didn’t actually really know anything at all about them. But I want to! I’d really like to know more about their goal and where they came from and if there are more of them. I’m hoping the next book will delve more into this!

- The one place I think the world-building is a little weaker is in describing the kingdoms of Hálendi and Turia themselves. Other than the repeated distinction between the people (fair-skinned, blond-haired people in Hálendi and dark-haired, olive-skinned people in Turia), the kingdoms feel mostly the same? Oh, and Turians wear looser clothes, but their climate is also warmer. There aren’t really customs Jenna stumbles across or facets of the culture that she has to get used to, and I’d really been hoping for more of how the kingdoms are different or similar from her perspective. Turia is also obviously based off Italy, from the description of people’s clothes to the fact that a few random Italian words are thrown in (and by that I mean like, four Italian words used in the book and they may as well not even have been there). So that was fairly obvious, but less obvious is whether Hálendi is also based off a real country? And if so, where? Given on the emphasis on the fairness of the people, I was thinking one of the Nordic countries, but there’s no hint of that in the culture, or not that I noticed at least. Same with Riiga, which barely comes up. Not anything wrong with any of this, per se. I was just a bit curious.

- There’s a really sweet, soft insta-love romance in this book. If you know me at all, you probably know that the insta-love aspect was kind of a turnoff for me. It’s not my trope. But the good news is that if it’s yours? This romance will be your thing. It could be argued that this romance is maaaaybe insta-attraction instead (which, you know, totally happens) but with the immediate, electrifying connection between them without any explanation as to why they might feel so strongly, it seems more like insta-love to me. While I didn’t feel like the love interest had a particularly strong personality, I did like that he was kind and noble. They made a strong pair, and some of my favorite scenes were when they worked together as a team. So I can definitely see all your insta-love tropers out there falling for this romance! My favorite part was that it was sort of a doomed love, which isn’t quite enemies-to-lovers, but I still love. As you might imagine, this causes quite a bit of emotional turmoil and ramps up the will-they/won’t-they tension between the two, since it seems like everything is pulling them apart.

Sticking Points:

- It’s not an exaggeration to say that the first 50% of this book is a really long traveling montage. Don’t get me wrong, there are some awesome scenes in the first half (and The Wild is fantastic and trippy), but I thought the journeying would never end so that the rest of the plot could finally start. I kept thinking surely, any minute now, we’ll run face-first into the plot, right?! I will say, once it tips past that 50%-ish mark, things start moving at a better pace, and the mystery carries things along nicely. So I would caution readers that if it’s getting a bit slow for your tastes, try to hang in there a little longer!

- The story is mostly told from Jenna’s point of view, but every so often, it switches to an omniscient narrator for a page or two of the antagonists’ points of view, and I’m not sure it added anything to the story for me. Actually, if I’m honest, this confused the heck out of me, because random characters that we’re not introduced yet just appear out of nowhere, talking about things I didn’t know about yet, and I was immediately lost. I think the intent is to build suspense, but there was plenty of suspense for me in Jenna’s section. By the time Jenna starts learning things about the Big Bads, it’s basically an exposition dump of what she read from a book, which is where they’re officially introduced to the reader … you know, like, 60% of the way through the book. Which by then, I had kind of just accepted that I was going to be confused at the end of every chapter when the point of view shifts and that was that.

- The Turians are too nice, for no discernible reason. I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to spoil anything, but what I will say is that too many Turians go out of their way to help Jenna, despite there being so many reasons not to and no obvious reason why they would. Ultimately, in the context of the world, this just doesn’t make sense, and it’s a little frustrating that not one person is suspicious or even considers that Jenna might have ill intentions.

OMG I have no words for this book! I absolutely adored it! Let me see if I can all of this down and make sense.

I loved Jenna! She was strong and determined, but not to the point where she made really stupid decisions, as I have seen in other books. I loved that she had flaws – didn’t automatically know everything and when she did learn something new she wasn’t a master of it right away. We learned about the world outside of her kingdom along with her. We learned about the magic system along side her. I think this decision allowed for a better connection with Jenna and the Shielded world.

Every time we meet someone we are automatically suspicious of them and eventually we become suspicious of people we already know – or at least I was. The political aspects of this, trying to figure out threats and the mystery of this new threat, was intriguing and kept me guessing of who it could be in the end. I can’t go into details on all my suspicions because of spoilers, but I trusted almost no one throughout this story.

Kaylynn’s ability to write atmosphere into her environment left me feeling like I was in each location. I honestly wanted more of the Wild. It was so interesting and mysterious. The other locations fit well together and made sense geographically, which did help with my understanding of where Jenna was travelling. KayLynn’s writing style is easy to digest and interesting – making this to be a fast read (once I was able to sit down and focus on reading lol).

Overall, this was a great start to a new duology, once that I will definitely be continuing on with. If you enjoyed Sorcery of Thorns, A Curse so Dark and Lonely, or The Shadow Between Us then I think you’ll love this one. Shielded does not focus on the romance like some of these other books – in fact any romance is in the background for the most part – so if that held you back from these others then don’t let that stop you from picking up Shielded!

This was a comforting and familiar-feeling YA fantasy romp. It was predictable, but that's sort of what I wanted while reading it so I was pleased. The mix of cultural influences was a bit difficult to get used to; I felt like the words and names used could have used more of an explanation as they came up. I LOVE that our heroine is a badass warrior--more specifically, how she FEELS like a badass warrior rather than a sheep in wolf's clothing like some YA heroines are. She felt believable.

The romance was fun and enjoyable, the worldbuilding was well done (but could have been a bit more fleshed out), and I feel like this was a solid debut for a new author.

Shielded by KayLynn Flanders is the story of the warrior princess of a kingdom at war who, be it magic or determination, must find within herself what it takes to save it.

Jennesara, the princess of Hálendi, doesn’t want to be married off to a prince she’s never met. Shocker, I know. Underestimated and hiding what powers she has from the world, Jenna lives in the shadow of her brother, a powerful magic wielder who will take control of the kingdom once her father dies. After an unfortunate series of events, the duty to save her kingdom, and the neighboring kingdom of Turia, from war is Jenna herself.

The beginning of the book is a bit slow. Basically just expositing, exposition, expositing a little more, still more expositing, and parts you can skip because somehow this became a survival book. The action picks up about a third of the way in and the actual plot gets going about halfway through. While Jenessara’s journey to Turia could’ve gotten boring, the first person perspective saved the day. The ability to be in the character’s head makes a story way more engaging, even if what’s happening in the story at that moment isn’t.

While the first-person perspective does a lot for the reader, this story might not have been able to stand on its own in the third person, especially because the main character doesn’t have an incredibly distinct personality and the reader can easily self insert, which isn’t always a bad thing, especially in these troubled times. Along that same vein, I think the novel would have worked better in the present tense to make some of the more banal scenes engaging.

Jenessara, while born with her powers, practices fighting constantly, which helps to round out the claims of her ability to beat anyone but her mentor, Hafa, and staves off Mary Sue accusations. Her relentlessness, be it to protect her family or her kingdom, is admirable in a subtle way, which is in part why her character is so likable. Jenna’s determination is a key character trait, but it’s great that we aren’t beaten over the head with it, and it suits her as a warrior while being clearly demonstrated by her feats. After her trek through the Wilds, this is an even more entrenched character trait that’s hard not to love.

There isn’t much question about Jenna’s morality. She’s just clearly good, like many of the other characters in the book, which is fine, but this only exacerbates the simplicity of the plot and characterizations. Personally, I found this a bit frustrating because we stan a morally gray queen, but I still found myself liking Jenna, so props to Flanders on that.

The relationship between Jenna and Ren is really well done, though the shortcut of Jenessara’s power gets a bit of credit for that. Their dynamic is at once caring and competitive, which is common for siblings close in age and makes their interactions all the more endearing. The same can be said for Jennesara’s relationship with her father. Though they have disagreements, and even when she feels utterly betrayed by him, their love for one another is clear. As for Jenna and her love interest, was it cliche and insta-love-y? Sure. Was it mindless cuteness that could easily be enjoyed? Most definitely.

As a high fantasy, new terms are somewhat expected, so I liked the use of “glaciers” in place of other more controversial terms. Maybe I’m just missing Goddess In The Machine, but more unfamiliar phrasing would have been interesting, though the cold weather swears seem realistic. The landscape of Jenessara’s world is fairly straightforward, with Halendi to the North, Turia to the South, and the Wilds and Fjalls between. Sure, there are other kingdoms in other areas, but they’re only vaguely referred to and it’s hard to place them in a geographic location.

The “plot twists” in the book are blatantly obvious to anyone who’s read any YA book ever. Halfway through the book, I experienced the most egregious one. I quite literally screamed with anger at how obvious it had been from the second the character in question had entered the plot. Unfortunately, for those who love their plot twists, Shielded gifts the reader with very few surprising moments. The most shocking is when, inexplicably, Jenessara is stumbling through a forest and slams into “something hard” that isn’t a set of rock hard abs, a side of dimples and a charming smile. Well, she runs into those fifty pages later. Minus the dimples, at least. And possibly the abs.

Flanders’ prose is straightforward and readable—great for readers who don’t enjoy flowery descriptions, but not so great for those that do. The dialogue is vivid, which moves the story along nicely and serves to make this cast of characters even more likable.

Overall, I was let down by the hype this book got before its release. I wouldn’t say it’s not well-written, it’s just nothing we haven’t seen before. While the premise and story are predictable to the point of blandness, Shielded is a simple, entertaining, and comforting read reminiscent of more senior books in the genre for lovers of YA Fantasy and newcomers alike.

This book was good from the start to the end. I wasn’t sure about the story because I thought Jenna would turned out to be a Princess who would be selfish and not want to help save her kingdom until forced to do so. I was pleasantly surprised that Jenna was selfless Princess who wanted to help save the entire kingdom and was willing to do what her father’s has ask her (after being explained why).

I enjoy majority of the book, it was slow in the beginning but I thought the author was giving us glimpses of who Jenna was and how much she loved her family and the kingdom. It showed how much she was loyal and understood how important her brothel to Prince Enzo was to fight the evil that was trying to destroy the kingdom.

The way Flanders wrote the story kept you guessing who was the one trying to destroy the kingdom. I enjoyed how the romance between Jenna and Enzo was done and it didn’t take over the main storyline. The introduction of Turia’s family especially Enzo’s sisters was really nice especially the friendship they developed between them and Jenna.

I loved Jenna, she was a strong and skilled warrior who do anything to defeat the evil to prevent the kingdom she lives in.

Fast-paced and highly readable fantasy but nothing really standout about the story. I did like our main character,
Princess Jennesara, but I wanted more from her. She hardly put up a fight when her father planned an engagement without telling her! There are two things that I don't particularly care for... using women as pawns and insta-love and we get both of that in this novel.

While it wasn't my cup of tea I would still recommend this book to teens who are in reading slumps and are looking to get swept away in a book.

Thank you to Netgalley for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Okay.. woah.
This book was so full of action it was almost hard to keep up!! Betrayal, lies, familial ties, magic, fantasy, love interests..
I will say, this book was really fast paced, but it also held my attention SO well!
I loved the main protagonist. She was more “real” than most fantasy heroines. She was just a normal girl trying to do right by her kingdom. No terrible back story or tons of bloodlust.
The insta love worked well in this book when it doesn’t in so many others.
Overall, wonderful read and can’t wait to see what happens next.

Familiar yet fresh, and filled with some of my favorite character-related tropes (including badass warrior princesses, royalty in disguise, and a “mutual pining” sort of romance), Shielded was an enjoyable read and a solid start to what promises to be an interesting new fantasy series.

There is a lot to love about this book, most notably, the characters. Jennesara is a pretty cool princess, who is a crazy-competent fighter and also loves to spend time in the library–in other words, my kind of heroine. She isn’t a flawless Mary Sue type; she works hard for what she has, and we actually get multiple scenes of her stretching, practicing her sword skills, and doing exercises to stay in shape. Her magical abilities don’t come naturally, either, and she struggles a lot to be able to wield them with any degree of precision. Heck, there are at least two or three times in the book where she is badly injured and her injuries impair her abilities to do what she needs to do. This is so important: characters can’t be perfect all the time, and the fact that Jenna isn’t makes her relatable.

Jenna’s relationships are fun to watch as well–a friendship-turned-romantic-interest that she can’t act on, a strong female friendship with another princess, and–one of my favorite things–an adorable, overly eager child who treats everything like an adventure and majorly looks up to Jenna. What can I say? I’m a sucker for little kids, both in real life and in books.

The worldbuilding here was also handled well—three distinct kingdoms with their own cultures, linguistic quirks, fashions, and views on magic (though we really only got to see two of them in this book–here’s hoping we get more info on Riiga in book two!). There were a lot of questions that were left unanswered, from details on the magic system to explanations of national politics, but I have a feeling that those are going to be expanded on in the next book.

In terms of plotting, this was a book that felt incredibly familiar. The tropes in it are, for the most part, not anything new: betrayal by people once thought to be allies, arranged marriages, a princess hiding her identity for the sake of both her own safety and the safety of others, ancient mages out for revenge, and all that fun stuff. This isn’t a bad thing; those tropes are popular for a reason, and Flanders’ writing made it easy to keep turning the pages. But it is worth noting that, if you’re expecting twists galore, this probably isn’t going to deliver on that front. Even the few twists that were written in were, at least to me, very predictable. Again, this isn’t bad–it is par for the course for this type of book.

As a final note, can I just say, Flanders writes awesome fight scenes? Her descriptions of physical maneuvers, swordplay, strategy, pain, and every other element of one-on-one combat are vivid without being overwhelming. I do love a good fight scene.

Honestly, this was just a really solid debut. It wasn’t quite the level of “oh my god my mind has been blown” that would make it a 5-star, but it is definitely still worth a read.

"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."

As someone who has read a lot of fantasy novels throughout the years, this book held a lot of familiar tropes and character archetypes while bringing something new to the table. I loved the well-developed and well-explained magic system, and the rich worldbuilding that's seen through the two countries and the expanding lore behind the mages. I found the characters to be too predictable and I hated the instalove that happened between two characters. I also found the pacing to be a little slow as the entire plot was based on Jenna running and hiding from the mages, however, I loved the fight sequences, which were intense and fast-paced. Overall, Shielded is great fantasy staple with enough world-building and action to pull any reader in.

The cover miiiight be my favorite part.

★★★☆☆

This book really asked me to suspend my disbelief on lots of things, but I had a decent enough time reading it.

I spent the first... half? of the book very focused on how the main character was braiding her hair to hide some of its color so we're gonna look at that. It just seems like it would not work. There are at least four other ways I can think of, just off of the top of my head.

1) Shave your head. Not ideal and probably not suitable for the style of this fantasy world but... it would work.
2) Shave just the strand of hair you want hidden
3) Dye? Your? Hair???
4) Keep the strand just long enough to be braided in, and then cut it off -- you can at least have your hair half-down with that method.

I felt incredibly lukewarm about the whole thing up until the caravan was attacked, and then things started getting interesting! And by the end, I was much more attached to the characters.

Some worldbuilding issues:

- language: there's another language in Turia, that I assume is supposed to be the primary language... but they all only speak whatever the MC speaks
- cultural exploration: Shielded definitely falls into the "warm country" and "cold country" stereotypes and any cultural exploration of this is mostly relegated to fashion and exports.
- magic system: this might be explained in later books, but? in one country, magic isn't just for the ruling family and then in the other... it is? what is the magic dispersal here? how does this work???? if you're going to have that as a main conflict I need more info
There are some plot points that don't have follow-through, but I'm hoping that's a result of this being the first in a series.

The romance was probably the strongest parts. First of all, they are a couple that fights fluidly together against their enemies, complementing each other's styles, which is a Thing I am very into. They don't know each other long but it's not insta-love because they find things admirable about each other and that's cute. Still went a bit fast there at the end, but I'm already overlooking a lot of things, what's one more?

I found Shielded severely lacking in substance. This book is not offensively bad in any way, but it's afraid of taking any sort of risk to differentiate itself from a generic fantasy story.

Shielded is too safe. Over the course of the book, Jenna gets injured several times and then gets healed almost immediately. There's almost no consequence to her injuries besides showing "oh she's trying to protect X so hard." There's no sense of urgency or danger because we know Jenna will be alright every single time. Even though the countries in this book are at war or have tenuous relationships, it's like well, whatever.

This was such a fun fantasy story full of adventure and magic! WHile Shielded isn’t the most unique story, it definitely made up for that with the amount of fun I had reading this book.

Things I liked:

- I loved the nature aspect (surviving in the wilderness) because it gave me such dark cottagecore vibes which I have been super into lately! In fact, I based my moodboard around dark cottagecore, so definitely admire that 🙂
- I also loved the betrothed plotline. I’m such a sucker for arranged marriages for whatever reason, and this one definitely didn’t disappoint. I loved how both Enzo and Jenna kept their identity a secret for one another. Their romance was super fluffy and very much a b-plot but I didn’t mind too much. ( I did wish we got more scene where they were alone together cause I love their interaction so much!)
- I also just absolutely adored the main character Jenna a lot. She was super skilled with a sword, but I appreciated the fact that she had never killed a man before, and was still innocent in that aspect. I find that there are so many badass ladies in YA fantasy books, and they are never fazed when they have to commit some horrible and intense act (awesome but it gets old), so seeing that take such a mental toll on the main character made her feel that much more authentic.
- The sisterly bond between Jenna and Enzo’s sisters was also such a pleasure to read. They almost immediately bonded, and their friendship was so fun to read. They got up to a bunch of shenanigans that really lightened the mood to this story at times.

My only compliant is that I was a bit confused when the perspective changed to such an ambiguous and omniscient narrator once in a while. I understood what it was trying to do, but it left me with more questions than I think was necessary, and only served to confuse and distract me from the story. Overall though, this was a strong debut, and I’d highly recommend Shielded to all my fantasy readers out there.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Netgalley, Delacorte Press, and the author in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book! This is definitely one of those books that you can't put down because you need to know what happens next. The world building and magic scenes were amazing. I loved all the secrets and the betrothed triangle of Prince Enzo and Princess Jennesara. I also loved reading about the sibling relationship between Ren and Jenna because it is how most siblings would act today. This book is truly an amazing read and I can't wait to read the second one. If you enjoy action-packed fantasy books with magic, secrets, and romance then this is the book for you!

As soon as I read the synopsis for this book, I knew it was the YA fantasy book I had been craving!I finished this book pretty late last night because I could not put it down! I was sucked in right at the start of the book and instantly felt like I could connect to the main character, Jenna! There were some parts of the book that dragged towards the beginning, which I feel is to be expected a bit in the first book of a series to allow for some world building. However, once I was through the slower part, the book flew by! 
I really enjoyed the characters and their relationships and it made me ache for my family that's spread out across the US. I kept startling my cats because I would get excited or nervous for the characters. I cannot wait to see what happens in the rest of the series! 
Rating: 4.5 stars!
**I was given an eARC in exchange for my honest review**

Shielded was a book I was excited for and it didn't disappoint at all! KayLynn's writing style really sucked me into this story and wouldn't let me go. I was in this world while reading and could feel what the characters were feeling. Those are two things that make me fall in love with books, so Shielded was off to a good start.

Our main character Jennesara was amazing! She's always hide to hide certain aspects of herself, so when her life takes a big turn unexpectedly it's a lot to handle. Jennesara is such a strong character and is focused on helping her family and finding out what's going on. She's brave, strong, creative and just wants justice and peace. I loved that there is definitely magical going on with her that she's slowly learning more about. I really hope we get to see more of that in the sequel!

Enzo is another character I really enjoyed. He's the perfect fit for the bookboyfriend list, but there's still plenty I want to know about him. Just like Jennesara, he has his people he needs to think about and is very protective of his family. Enzo is also one that wants peace and I loved that he trusted Jennesara. When he could've had his doubts, he decided to take her word for many things. I loved that.

On top of these two characters we read a lot about, there is also an amazing cast of side characters: Luc, Ren, Yesilia and definitely Enzo's sister Marietta. Main characters are important in a story, but I love when the side characters keep me equally entertained! They really helped this story be complete and I think they were all really important to the story's development.

I really loved the politics and magic side of Shielded. My only remark about this story is that the pacing was a little too fast at times. There were certain things that take place in the story that we barely see any of. It didn't take away my enjoyment, but I think the story would've felt just a bit more complete for me if I had seen some things take place. I still enjoyed all the twists and turns, even if some were a little predictable.

Last but not least, I have to talk about the romance. An arranged marriage is something we read a lot in fantasy stories, but I really enjoyed how this one played out. Also, yes, our main characters definitely felt a connection from the start, but it wasn't really instalove. I loved how they got to know each other and it slowly developed. This doesn't always happen and I enjoyed every minute of it!

All in all, Shielded will definitely be a book I remember. I can't wait to see what KayLynn Flanders writes for us next.

You guys, this book might just be the most wholesome fantasy book with families involved in it!

So, at first glance, Shielded is pretty much a basic YA fantasy- we have the typical hella talented female lead, who is blessed with powers she has to hide, and has to undertake a journey which ultimately ends up with her fighting the greatest evil of her time. BBBUT, Shielded turned out to be SO MUCH MORE than that!

Here are a few things I loved about this book:

Jenna’s love for her family: Right from the first chapter, we see Jenna go on and on about how much she loves her family. I realize we get to see this a lot more due to the nature of her powers, and it’s refreshing to have an MC who has and loves her family!
The Witcher meets Cinderella meets Throne of Glass vibes: Need I say more? This book is like the amalgamation of the best parts of all these books/series. I LOVED the Wild part, and Irena’s family helping out! I’m at the risk of repeating myself, but, wholesome!
ENZO’S FAMILY!: You guys, this was arguably my most favourite aspect of the book! Enzo is the prince of Halendi’s neighbouring kingdom, Turia, and he is Jenna’s betrothed. His family is ADORABLE! I love how his father and mother also feature quite prominently in the book, and his sisters, Chiara and Mari, are a total blast! Yesilia is THE BEST. All of them share quite a lovely dynamic with Jenna, and all the scenes featuring this family had me grinning. I can’t wait to see more of them!
Jenna’s not an all-powerful being: Though she is, like all our typical YA heroines, quite powerful, she does get knocked down a lot and I’m really glad to see that. (Do I sound like a sadist? 😋) She is helped by the others a fair amount of time, and that made this book stand out even more.
Now, coming to the reasons why I deducted a star from this book:

Jenna learns how to use her abilities much too fast: Since it is shown that she’s been learning swordfighting since she was a kid, I’m fine with her kicking anybody’s ass in a swordfight. But Jenna getting to use her abilities with next to no practice and for prolonged periods of time was something that didn’t sit right with me.
The penultimate fight scene: Umm, all I can say without giving out spoilers is that this seemed much too fast? I would’ve liked a bit more of a struggle.
Ultimately, this book was super fun. If I were to rate it technically, I would’ve given it 3.5 stars, but emotionally it is a 4 for me, hence 4 stars it is. The wholesome parts quite made up for the rest 🙈

Also, there’s a part in the book where something is described as ‘gold strands looped from her temples, down under her ears, and up into [..] the back of her head,’ and I was like 😮 KATARA’S HAIR LOOPIES?!? 😂

I'm not sure what I was expecting from Shielded, but this book exceeded all of my expectations. This is an epic introduction to an enthralling new fantasy series. Shielded by KayLynn Flanders left me wanting me more and highly anticipating the next book. There was a bit of a slow start for me, but once I got into the world, I was completely hooked. I found myself reading along at some points and just stopping and saying, "This is so good"!

Our heroine is Jennesara, princess of Hálendi. Her country is in trouble and instead of fighting on the battlefield like she has been training for her entire life, her father decides to give her hand in marriage to the prince of neighboring Turia without consulting her. She is upset by this, but understands that this is the way she can help her country by procuring Turia's resources to help Hálendi in the war. Jenna leaves the only home she has ever known and sets out to her betrothed's lands. But on the way her caravan is attacked and she soon realizes that the trouble her country faces is much more dire than anyone could have known. Jenna is faced with the decision to reveal a dangerous secret that could possibly save herself and her kingdom.

Jenna is a fantastic heroine. She is likeable, strong, and honest. I wanted her to be protected at all costs. The romance in this book could be categorized as insta-lovey, but it didn't feel that way. I loved these portions of the book and only felt warm all over and they are just so sweet. Also, I am very much into supporting characters and they were just amazing in this book. I loved them all so much! I wanted to be in the castle right there with them. There is so much packed into this book, but it was all handled so well! Overall, Shielded is the epic, magical fantasy book that my heart craves. I cannot wait until the next book comes out!

This was probably one of my hardest reviews to write. I blew through this book in two days and loved Jenna along with her brother Ren and the love interest Enzo. I was enraptured by Jenna’s journey from sullen, lonely princess to fierce warrior willing to do anything to save her kingdom. She really held this book together for me while the rest of it fell flat.

The world building was pretty good. We got to know a lot of the histories between kingdoms, but were missing information about the war of the mages. I felt like how the mages lost the war was important information. The pacing was spot on with never a truly drawn out or boring moment. We also never really got a firm grasp on the magic system, which was understandable since no one really understood how magic worked or where it came from. I feel like this will be explored more in the next book.

My favorite part of this book was obviously Jennesara. I loved how strong she was and that she was this bada** warrior princess who could actually kick butt. Girl had skills. The secondary characters didn’t fare very well though. While I loved them as well they just weren’t as fleshed out as Jenna and fell flat once I took a step back from the book and really started to think about them.

Enzo was such a cinnamon roll who couldn’t hide that softness from the beginning. The love was extremely insta-lovey though which is not my favorite. I also couldn’t get past the fact that I knew nothing about Enzo and neither did Jenna. He was handsome and kind but his list of attributes stopped there. I needed more from him. Insta-love can be turned around if we see just why they love each other or even know the love interest I feel like. A love that grows.

Shielded followed the typical fantasy warrior princess format and was utterly predictable at ever turn of the page. I knew who the villains were and just how it would play out within the first few chapters. I love classic tropes when done well and for me this just wasn’t done well. Maybe I’ve been reading too much fantasy lately though. I stuck around for the character development of Jenna though and was not disappointed there.