I really enjoyed this book, but it did start off super slow in the beginning. As soon as the made it to the castle things began to speed up. Normally I am a fan of books that come in more than one book. Though this book was not a bad stand alone book.

WOW.

I can’t even provide words for how much I enjoyed this novel.

I was a little wary of beginning a fantasy novel, not because I don’t like them, but because what if I am to be disappointed? Well, let’s suffice to say that I found myself delving deep into the world of Perin Faye following the stories of Alac, the second-born to the Thungrave king; and Maralyth, a vintner’s daughter with a secret even she does not know.

I was hooked and hooked fast, wanting to know more. I’d have read it in one sitting if time permitted.

I could definitely see this as a series or at least with a companion novel...as I’d like to see how the story of Maralyth and Alac continues. But from what I know currently, this is a sole novel.

The plot was very interesting to me, with many twists and turns, a good amount of suspense, a dusting of magic, and a touch of a potential love story. I found the characters to be relatable and I found myself easily attached to them. I didn’t expect the aspects about wine-making and vineyards to be so appealing to me, but it was so well-written I can’t imagine the story without it.

All in all, I adored this book! Possibly one of my favorites of the year thus far!

<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed are my own. Upon publishing of this novel, I will also be posting my review to Amazon Canada.</i>

I thought this book was really charming and delivered exactly what was promised. I was intrigued by the magic system and was rooting for Mara the entire time. The plot was slightly predictable if you consider yourself a seasoned fantasy reader but that aside it's an adorable stand-alone, perfect for wine lovers!

Plus that COVER though! Amazing.

3.5/5

This will definitely be a hit for many of my students at school. I found it to be engaging and I know that it will keep them hooked too!

Stand-alone fantasies seem to be rare gems in a sea of series with multiple books and multiple spins offs. I like that you get an epic tale and a satisfying ending all in one read. This book will appeal to wine lovers who are interested in more than just drinking it. It will also appeal to those who love a fascinating world all wrapped up in one story. I found both Mara and Alac to be very likable characters. In a world where magic is forbidden by anyone who is not a thurgrave, we discover that the thurgrave magic they wield was stolen over 100 years ago. Mara is a descendant of the original family gifted the magic, while Alac is from the family that stole it. Alac has no interest in what his father has planned for his future as he is fortunate enough to be the second prince; as soon as his brother assumes the throne, he wants to open a vineyard.

The story stands out uniquely with its world-building, secret identities, mixed bloodlines, witchery, forbidden love and magic, and tension building coups to take over a kingdom. The story is told between our two main characters in alternating chapters and sets the tone for this building romance/friendship that develops. The ending was satisfying, making this the perfect novel to curl up with as you wait for spring to arrive.

I enjoyed the set up of this novel and the plot and action drives the story at a good pace. Mara is a great protangonist. The story read a little young for my personal tastes, but I bet younger would love it.

This was just an okay book for me. The writing felt very stilted and I found myself losing interest in the middle of the book.

This book was okay. It re used alot of the same descriptions throughout the books which felt redundant and unnecessary. The story was good and the characters were good. Overall, It wasn't bad but it wasn't great either.

The Stolen Kingdom is a standalone young adult fantasy. It follows dual POVs between Mara, the daughter of a vintner who discovers she has magic, and Alac, the 'spare' son of the king. Mara wants nothing more than to run her father's vineyard, using the magic she's told to hide to help nurture the grapes - until the day she is kidnapped by the lord of her region who is trying to overthrow the king. Alac has been secretly studying winemaking in an effort to start his own vineyard and leave the castle where he is constantly overlooked - until he gets a taste of the stolen magic his father possesses.

I wasn't expecting to like this book as much as I did - but I couldn't put it down. I found both of the narrators intriguing and likable. When inevitably they were pitted against one another, I felt myself torn as to who I wanted to 'win.' The Stolen Kingdom gave me Ember Queen vibes but with less on page violence. (As the plot involves a coup, some violence is inevitable but I found it very tame.) Most of the violence happens off the page or is mentioned by a character. I loved the banter between Alac and his guard, Tucker. Even when things were serious, it brought a smile to my face.

The author did a great job of portraying Alac's indecision between his duty and his wants. And, equally, the reader could feel Mara's tension between what she was pulled into and what she wanted for herself. The plot wrapped up nicely and there weren't any glaring open endings. Both characters showed growth and some surprise characters were revealed. The biggest 'problem' I had was how smoothly things actually ended. (I don't want to give away any spoilers - some I'm going to leave this vague.) And that isn't necessarily a bad thing - especially right now!

If you're a fan of other young adult fantasies revolving around royalty and who's right it is to rule (I know I am), I encourage you to pick this book up. It's a very enjoyable, fun read!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of the book.

This book is very much jugded by its cover. It screams YA fantasy! Gorgeous.
Thanks to Netgalley and Tor Teen I got the chance to read an e-ARC of The Stolen Kingdom in exchange for my honest review.

This adventure takes place in Perin Faye, with our main characters Maralyth and Alac.
Maralyth, a hardworking girl on her fathers vineyard, with a secret bloodline. She is taken on an adventure to discover her history and reclaim what is rightfully hers.
Alac, a second born prince and spare heir. He has a distaste against the dark magic that is not rightfully the crowns to use.

A fast-paced standalone with a lovely forbidden romance and good world building for the amount of pages the book has.
I enjoyed reading both main characters, seeing their stories slowly intertwine more with each chapter.

This is the book to read if you're up for a quick good fantasy adventure!

With so many series on the market, trying to keep up with when the next books release while simultaneously lamenting the length of time between the heart-stopping cliffhanger and the next novel, the thought of reading a standalone really appealed to me and was one of the reasons I requested this book.

I’m a reader that enjoys a fairly consistent pace. Description is necessary in a story to give a sense of place and imagery, but several pages of details will bog down my reading experience, and I tend to skip over them. That wasn’t the case with this novel. This author manages to give vivid descriptions and provide character depth with a minimal amount of words – it’s a real talent and a high priority if you’re writing a standalone fantasy novel.

Mara is a young woman ahead of her time who speaks her mind, possesses a strong moral compass, and doesn’t shy away from hard truths. She’s able to set aside her own wants and needs to see the big picture. If you’re trying to seize the throne, these qualities check off some important boxes. Alac is the second son of a king – the spare heir. He doesn’t feel loved or seen by his father, and his relationship with his brother, the heir to the throne, isn’t oozing brotherly love. Having other dreams for himself, Alac has no interest in taking the throne or getting caught up in the dark magic that comes along with it. When Mara and Alac meet up, it’s a bit of insta-love at first, but they’re not immediately caught up in the throes of passion – which is a relief. They enjoy a tentative friendship while harboring deeper feelings for each other, but then run into some serious roadblocks in their relationship. There’s some major conflict here.

As a wine lover, I enjoyed the mention of the vineyards and Mara’s and Alac’s interest in growing grapes and possibly forming a cooperative for smaller vineyards in the area. It also provided them common ground and something to bond over. It’s not a topic I’ve come across in other YA books.

Plenty of YA books featuring the lost-king/queen-seeking-to- reclaim-the-throne trope are out there, and I was hoping this novel wouldn’t follow a familiar path – it didn’t. Instead, I met two level-headed, mature MCs who are thrown into life and death circumstances, but put the needs of others ahead of their own. I honestly didn’t know how they’d manage to get out of some of their situations, so expect some twists and surprises. Forgiveness in many forms is a prominent theme, as well as doing what truly makes you happy in life (and it’s not always sitting on a throne). The Stolen Kingdom is a novel I enjoyed and would recommend to fantasy fans looking for a standalone, well-paced story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I loved this book! i'm not into romance stuff for the most part but this was really good!! The banter between Mara and Alac is amazing and between the fantasy aspects and well, the romance included this is a great light read ! 4 stars!!

The Stolen Kingdom follows our two main characters Mara and Alac. Mara always thought that there was more to her life then working in the kitchen and lecturing her father's workers while staying in the shadows as her mother had instructed and not think about the magic that sings in her veins.

Alac who was second in line for the throne, thought of himself as a spare heir who no one really bothered to care for.

All of that changes when Mara is kidnapped by one of her father's worker's and presented in front of a lord who threatens her family. He reveals that she is a Dallowyn by blood with a claim to the throne and power to make their kingdom prosper again.

I really enjoyed the first half the book. The characters, storyline and the court intrigue held my complete attention but by the time I reached the middle it lost some of it's charm. The character that I thought to be the antagonist was taken care of way before the rest of the storyline wrapped up.

I was really hoping to learn more about the kingdom and how it came to be, but somehow it was only vaguely explained and was never explored. I'd hoped that it would be a four star read because of the strong start but the story felt flat after the big showdown in the middle.

Overall it was a decent read and I really enjoyed it.

*Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan/ Tor-Forge for providing an arc in exchange of an honest review*

A pretty good YA romance! I have a feeling we're coming to the end of the fantasy romance trend (it happened with rom-coms, it happened with boarding schools, it happened with paranormal romances - it has to happen to YAFR sometime), but I'm glad we got this one before the trend ended!

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was perfectly fine. It had a straightforward plot and a typical YA romance. It didn't do anything marvelous or outstanding, but it did its job as a standalone fantasy novel.

The main thing that irked me was the romance between our two main characters Mara and Alac. I typically lean towards slow-burns instead of the insta-love route. I didn't find their romantic relationship enjoyable to read about at all. One moment Alac will be vowing to never feel for Mara again and then on the same page, he'll be doing exactly what he said he wouldn't do. I mean, Mara and her posse literally just slaughtered your family and court so I don't know how you could have feelings for her but okay. Another thing that bothered me was the lack of training we get to see for Mara. She was a peasant girl training to become a lady and we get to see none of that?? I wish Boehme didn't gloss over it because I wanted to see her struggle. The final thing that irked me was the lack of worldbuilding-- I mean what are the limitations of Mara's magic? Is there none simply because she is a Dallowyn? What can she use her magic on? How could she use it on a stale piece of bread?

Overall this book is very easy to digest and best for younger YA readers. 2.5/5 stars

This book genuinely took me by surprise. The summary had me somewhat worried that a forbidden romance plot would be frustrating, as I find they often are, but this was not the case. On their own, Alac and Mara stand as very strong characters. However, all the other supporting characters didn’t feel memorable, which led to my forgetting who was involved in what parts of this royal coup. There were moments when the pacing of this book felt a bit off. There are other moments where the general timeline seemed a bit drawn out unnecessarily. I appreciated that the rules around magic and such weren’t too complex and part of the process of the plot was discovering how it all worked. I think this worked well for this story and allowed for it to be understood easily. Overall, I found this story really fascinating, and the plot was genuinely much more interesting in action than the summary leads you to believe!

Disclaimer: I recieved this ARC from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Mara's levelheaded, intelligent, and loyal. Alac is perfect for Mara and I loved the romance. I wasn't interested in the parts about wine (mainly because I don't drink) but I love the fact that Alac kind of reminds me of Nasir from We Hunt the Flame. This is a fun, fast-paced book and if you're looking for something to read while waiting for Hafsah's next book I recommend picking up The Stolen Kingdom by Jillian Boehme.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Stolen Kingdom was such a fun and magical book to dive into. In it, you will meet Mara and Alac. The adventure that these two go on might make you dizzy. Mostly because this entire book is filled with so much. Magic, betrayal, and so much freaking tension that it might kill you. Just know that I ate it all up and I still wanted more.

From the very first moment, there was something special about Mara and Alac. She was in love with the winery that her family owned. So in other words, she basically had my dream job because I love wine. All things wine. If my family owned a winery? Well, goodbye world - I'm in wine heaven now.

While she's living my best life, he is a prince and wants to do anything else but become King. Luckily for him, he's second in line so he doesn't have to worry about that. The only thing he does worry about, though, is the magic. He hates it. Or maybe he just hates his dad's stolen magic. Either way, magic is a no go for him.

After they first met, sparks were there and started to fly (a bit). It was definitely cute and I couldn't help shipping them after this. They had a special connection and I was worried that the other shoe was going to drop and kill my ship. The shoe dropped hard but my ship was still thriving in my mind.

So much betrayal and magic kept me completely and utterly engaged with this book. I couldn't put it down (unless I had to eat or sleep). Now that it's over, I'm kind of sad. I don't know what to do with my thumbs right now.. unless twiddling seems proper? The moment that this book is published, I am going to buy it and dive back into these beautiful pages. Definitely enjoyed this book and I can't wait for Jillian to write another magical adventure!

What a lovely, fantasy read. The Stolen Kingdom is told through two points of view. Maralyth and Alac. Alac is an ignored second-in-line prince with an interest in wine and because he isn't primed to be King has lenient and open views. Maralyth is the daughter of a vinter who has one of the vineyards that supplies the kings wine. She becomes entangled in a plot to take down the king and become queen. THe plan become complicated when she meets the king's family. Will she be able to follow through with the plan, save her father, and become queen?

The descriptions of the wine were rich and flavorful. This book has some familiar aspect of fantasy but I really enjoy that paired with the originality of the setting and Vineyard. I enjoyed the different viewpoints and the play between Mara and Alac. I also loved the relationship between Alac and Tucker... in fact we needed more of Tucker. He was such a hearty character.

It was a little too neat in its ending but still a great read with its hidden identities, palace life, criminal plots, forbidden love, wine.

*received this arc through netgalley

CONTAINS SPOILERS

Maralyth is a vintner's daughter who harbours a secret - she can speak to the grapes and make them grow. Alac is the spare - second son of a king possessed by dark stolen magic. When Mara is cast against her will into a plot to take the throne, will she be able to play her part... or will a charming prince turn her head... and her heart?

Firstly I will say that I did rather enjoy reading this book. It was a real "just one more chapter" kind of read that had me staying up way too late wanting to read more. The writing was easy to read and the plot was engaging and moved at a good pace.

The repeated problem I had was that often things didn't make much sense in terms of characters reactions to things, and where it seemed our sympathies were meant to lie as readers.

Maralyth seems to acquiesce rather quickly to becoming Nelgareth's pawn - I know she was threatened, but nonetheless, she doesn't put up much of a fight.  She seems to switch rapidly between being a moral person who wants what's best for the kingdom, to suddenly having ambition for the throne and being okay with murdering three people to get there. The whole time she was at the castle, I just kept thinking - why don't you just come clean to Alac and the both of you can figure out a solution together?? He's clearly kind and reasonable, he doesn't want the throne, you don't want to murder his family, he wants to get rid of the dark magic as much as you do - just work together!! It made NO sense for her to continue to go along with the murder plot.

Nelgareth was hugely promising as a villain, but then his death seems really sudden and complete and kind of unsatisfying. He was this huge threat over Maralyth and the whole "he's a creep who wants to marry her" thing was built up and then... he was just removed from the story and all that tension and threat just... went nowhere. Why even bring the "creep who wants marriage" aspect into it at all?? It was kind of pointless.

THEN the whole tenor of the story seems to become "omg Alac is so unreasonable for being mad at Maralyth when she saved his life". Ummm - she participated in cold blood publicly MURDERING Alac's only living family - his father and brother - IN FRONT of him, and she's all like "yeah but I saved you so omg you should be grateful and stop being mad" EXCUSE ME?? If someone had your entire family murdered in front of you and then at the last minute was like "oh no, not you cos you're cute" - would you be super grateful to have been spared, or like maybe PISSED AS HELL that someone you were starting to trust just KILLED YOUR LOVED ONES?? At one point she literally says "I just apologised!" as if he should get over it. If someone killed my family, I don't think an "oopsies, sorry" would cut it for me.

Their whole relationship was unfortunately rather underdeveloped - it had great potential but it just needed more to get us invested. 

Also at the end he happy abdicates the throne and everyone's celebrating her queenhood - IN THE SAME ROOM WITH THE PRESERVED DEAD BODIES OF THE PEOPLE SHE HAD MURDERED - like, this seems incredibly poor taste?? And Alac is there with the dead bodies of his father and brother, and he seems to have no emotions about it other than being sorry he interrupted Mara saying sorry to his DEAD FATHER, like wtf??

I don't mind morally grey characters - but they still need to behave consistently with their own character... and like actual human beings.

As I reflect on it, I feel like this was an intermediate draft of a story with really great potential - in my opinion it just really needed more development and editing to get to the great story it could be.