The kingdom, Perin Faye has suffered under a King who possesses stolen magic. Stolen magic that happens to belong to Maralyth's ancestors. The beginning of the book introduces Maralyth living on her father's vinyard and through her power wills the grapes to sweeten and ripen. Her power is discovered by a man who wishes to place the rightful heir on the throne. Lord Nelgareth was a jerk, that is all I wish to say about him. I liked Maralyth's character, she was kind, well spoken, intelligent and for someone so powerful was not consumed by it.
The introduction to Prince Alac was more interesting that Maralyth's. Alac's opening chapter details the dark magic that surrounds his family. - this is what drew me in.

There wasn't much action and when there was it was brief. A little underwhelming for a plot to take over the throne. However, the world had magic, the right amount of politics and a forbidden romance! I also liked that this book was a standalone like To Kill A Kingdom and Sorcery of Thorns.

The romance was quite slow and typical for a YA. But I believe that Alac's behaviour to Mara after (redacted - spoiler) wasn't written well.

At times the book was slow, but it was easy to read and well written. I enjoyed Boehme's writing style and I'm tempted to read other books by this author. Overall, I liked it.

Many years ago, Perin Faye was a prosperous kingdom under the magical Dallowyn family. Then the Thungraves stole their magic and ensnared the kingdom for themselves. While the kingdom has certainly been in decline, young Maralyth, a vintner's daughter, has kept her strange magic hidden. When her abilities are discovered, she's thrust into a treasonous plot to overthrow the Thungraves. Alac, the second prince, fears his father's dark magic. Surely, he doesn't deserve to die, too?

I've been on a real fantasy kick lately, and was intrigued with the idea of a magical coup and what would obviously become a star-crossed romance. All in all, I liked the novel--3 stars.

While the book is dual-narrated by Maralyth and Alac, the most interesting part of the novel is easily Mara's character arc. Her growth over the course of the story has the power to really sell this novel, especially given that this appears to be a standalone. Quickly paced, with a gently fleshed out world, The Stolen Kingdom is a fairy tale in the making.

However, I would be remiss to mention that the major con of this book was the instalove. While I have the propensity for star-crossed lovers, I don't think it really worked here. I would've rather preferred that the focus remain mostly on Maralyth's dynamic growth and the upcoming coup rather than her relationship with Alac. Because, frankly, it lacked chemistry and just didn't really feel that organic to me.

Lastly, I happened to be reading this at the same time I was reading Ashley Poston's Among the Beasts & Briars, and I think that if you liked that book, you will likely enjoy this one. While the major plot differs greatly between the two novels, aspects such as hidden magic and strong female leads will appeal to readers.

Give me all the standalone fantasy please! The Stolen Kingdom is built on a really interesting premise of stolen magic and its effects on those who wield it. I really liked the way it tackled dismantling power and legacy and coming into one's own. I liked that Mara was a protagonist who was willing to learn and grow throughout the book and who didn't rush into her power lightly. And I loved the description of Mara's magic, especially in comparison with Alac's. I wish the romance in the book was a little more swoon-worthy myself, but I am also okay with the outcome.
Despite liking that this book is a standalone, I wish there was a more developed backstory about the history of the world and how the magic was stolen. We heard the same story so many times and each time I kept hoping there was a reason for the repetition, that we'd learn something new, but there was never anything. I would've loved a big reveal or just a chapter set in the past so we could have seen the story for ourselves instead of being told it so many times.

**Review will be published Feb. 23rd**

NEEDED MORE.

This book caused me to learn something about my bookish self.

I am picky when it comes to standalone fantasies.

Why? Because I think it’s hard to give everything a fantasy book needs laid out to make it feel whole by the time it ends. A fantasy needs strong world-building, an explanation of magic systems and more. I thought this was missing a lot of that plus a lack of character depth (with main and side characters).

The Stolen Kingdom started off pretty strong. The premise wasn’t wholly unique, but it seemed to have a flair I could get behind. I liked Maralyth as a main character. She was strong-willed and may have had to go with things she didn’t approve of, yet made the right decisions when it came down to it. I saw her in her role by the end.

Alac was a love interest I enjoyed. He wanted to change his kingdom for the better and was open to listening and working with his perceived enemies to do so. I wish there would have been more to Alac and Maralyth’s romance sub-plot. It was charming watching them together and I wanted to see the banter and tender pages.

It was an enjoyable story for a standalone. Even when I think it was missing deeper aspects, it delivered likable characters and a nifty, yet simple, magic system to follow. It would be an enjoyable read for younger YA audiences too.

Overall audience notes:
- Young adult fantasy
- Language: little to none
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: physical, poison, loss of loved ones, murder

“The Stolen Kingdom” was a really interesting read due to its play on the enemies-to-lovers trope and the entire magic system the author developed: I found it fascinating that the magic was “stolen” to seize the throne. However, I would only consider this a three star read due to the lack of world building, fast pace, and romance. I wanted to learn more about the magic system and kingdom, but we’re only restricted to about three settings in the novel since “The Stolen Kingdom” is a stand-alone after all. That also connects to the fast pace: I definitely thought it was too convenient that Maralyth and Alac kept meeting out of coincidence. That being said, this novel definitely does have instalove. I really disliked how each character kept “holding their breath” whenever the other came into the room, and how they fell in love in less than a week. I felt that there was really no connection between the two love interests because there was so much emphasis on physical appearance rather than them getting to know each other. Nonetheless, I definitely recommend ”The Stolen Kingdom” for the side characters and intriguing backstories!

Alright this is definitely a comfort book for those who love YA and love Fantasy. This standalone novel is a light read. There's a little bit of everything in this novel. Jillian Boehme focuses more on the plot and structural components than most high fantasy or romance novels do. The major events are evenly dispersed throughout, and the scenes are skillfully written. The various types of tensions and storytelling in this short standalone were well written and the world-building was decent. i wish more time was spent world building but, hey this is a 300-page standalone so it can't have all of my fantasy wishlist in it.

The Stolen Kingdom is written dual perspective through Alac and Mara. Alac has a great character arc. He goes from knowing himself as the aloof spare to the throne, to losing himself when Mara and his paths cross, to finding himself once more by the end of the novel. Mara’s persona is not super unique in a fantasy novel. She is strong and sure of herself, but also insecure at times and defensive. I have found a lot of fantasy novels have this type of female character in it. She is selfless and wants to do whats right for everyone else, but rarely thinks of herself.. There is a few side characters, Tucker and Hestar, that I wish we got to see more of. Tucker was funny, sarcastic, and charismatic, but only evolve enough to have his only role as the guard to Alac and similarly Hester, Mara's half brother also seemed to have only existed to help her.

The diversity was severely lacking in this story. The side characters felt a little 2-D and I wish more time was spent going through the characters various decision making, instead of seemingly out of nowhere changes in character direction. Maybe another 100 pages would have better fulfilled this wish But overall, if you are looking for a light and fun read, but don't want to commit to a series, I would recommend The Stolen Kingdom! I'll definitely be reading it again, probably on a rainy day with a glass of wine.

A story with a lot of potential to it! I was conflicted on if the fact that it was a stand alone was a pro or con. On the one hand, I don’t have to wait for the whole series! On the other hand, I felt the character development and plot execution might have needed another book to really get into it. But regardless, I enjoyed it!

The book blurb seemed really interesting to me and I liked that it was a stand-alone fantasy, which is rare these days, but I felt the world building suffered because of it.

While Mara is smart and I thought the stolen magic aspect was interesting, I just felt like there wasn’t enough of the story.. I do think there were enjoyable parts to the book and I this is a good book for younger YA readers though.

So my thoughts on the book is that it was definitely enjoyable at times, but I would have liked to know more of this world.

I enjoyed this delightful cat-and-mouse tale and would recommend it for those who can't get enough teen fantasy to satisfy them! This was a wonderful debut, and I loved the world she created and enjoyed the dialogue between the characters. This book left me wanting more!

I would probably give this book 3 out of 5 stars. I really struggled to get through and finish it and that may be because it isn’t my typical style of book but also because I struggled to bond with the main characters. It isn’t a bad book and I read it in about two days - it was a nice change from a rom com.

The book jumped straight into the use of magic and the drama without fully explaining the world we were now immersed in or the context behind the magic / kingdom. The start of the book is also very much like Danielle Steel’s ‘fairytale’ - including the vineyard, the daughter of a widow and the fact she took over her mother’s ‘duties’ ! A little too similar...

Thank you Netgalley, and Macmillan-Tor/Forg for providing me with a copy to read and review.

Jillian Boehme's The Stolen Kingdom is a wonderful world of magic, forbidden love, and wine! The story follows Mara, a vintners daughter who is kidnapped and thrown into a coup to take over the throne.

The premise of this book captured my attention immediately. Especially since I own a winery. It was really fun to read a fantasy novel that was entwined with the workings of vineyards and the process of wine making.

Although I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, it took me a bit longer to get into the book, however as soon as Mara was at the castle... I could not put the book down. I needed to know what happened! The dual perspective between Mara and Alac was great as well! I loved knowing what was going on through Prince Alac's mind the whole time. Both characters were very likeable and I'm truly sad that this is a standalone novel rather than a series.

This book is available for preorder now and will be released March 2nd, 2021!!

I received this ARC from NetGalley. This tory follows Mara as she discovers who she really is, and finds a path to her future. The story is told with duel narrators, and I loved both of the main characters. The characters where fun and entertaining to read about. This book is filled with magic, adventure, and romance. A great, entertaining read!

Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Netgalley for providing me with ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly , if anyone can resist and not pour himself a glass of wine while reading this book i declare him/her inhuman😂😂😂
The way that wine making was intertwined in the story was really picturesque and interesting, it's like you almost can taste the wine yourself.
But let me start with the story that meet us with a vintner's daughter named Maralyth Graylaern...after her mother's passing she takes her plase in the kitchen so she can help and take care of all the workers in the vineyard....but deep down she is not happy doing only that and feels she is destined for more than a place in the kitchen.
Suddenly her world turns upside-down and not only she becomes embroiled in a plot to murder the king and his sons ,but she discovers a secret her mother kept from her for who she truly is.
To top all that and add to the already complicated situation she found herself falling in love with the king's youngest son...the very same family she is trying to kill for the throne...leading her for impossible decisions.
On the other side we meet Alac Thungrave - the youngest son of the king that is desperately trying to find a way of using the magic Thungrave kings stole a long time ago for good deeds and without letting it consume them.
To be honest the relationship and the coversations between the two of them (Alac and Maralyth) was awkward at times and the way he found out about her magic rubbed me the wrong way....but the note their feelings were resolved in the end give us a room to dream of their future.
Personally my favorite character was Tucker and he gave such a color and fun in all situations he was involved that every time i started to chuckle😆.

Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing an eARC of “The Stolen Kingdom” by Jillian Boehme through Netgalley for me to read and review honestly!

Real rating: 4.5/5 stars.

It has been such a long time since I have read such a well-developed fantasy novel with two main characters who are so extremely likable! This book was so hard to put down because I kept wanting to know what was going to happen to Alac and Maralyth as they both found themselves at odds—the latter, a daughter of a vintner, caught up in a coup against the current reigning king whose family had stolen magic from its rightful owner, and the former, the second-born prince, finding himself unsure about his family’s past and future dealings with this stolen magic. The world-building in this book is so incredible and it blows my mind how Jillian Boehme was able to fit such a thoroughly thought out and developed story into a stand-alone fantasy novel of this size. The romance in this novel was really great without outpacing the story’s main plot which still held priority. I love a book that shines a light on a powerful female character and this one provided me with that and included an ending that really proved worthy and without a forced outcome when it came to the romance involved. I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy when this incredible book comes out on March 2nd!

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me an arc of The Stolen Kingdom by Jillian Boehme in exchange for an honest review!

Real rating: 4.5 stars

Let me start off by saying that if you’re in a reading slump, read this book! This was SUCH a well written/well developed standalone fantasy novel. The Stolen Kingdom is set in a world where a tyrannical ruler reigns supreme as his bloodline wrongfully stole magic from it’s rightful people. Where there is power, where there is magic, there is a ruler who is corrupted by it. Prince Alac, who has seen first hand how power hungry the possession of magic has made his father, is forced into a position he’s has no control over. Meanwhile, Maralyth, who knew from a young age that she possessed magic, finds herself caught up in a scheme to restore the kingdom’s magic to its rightful bloodline. Both Maralyth and Alac find themselves in roles they’ve never imagined for themselves, but, as they find out, sometimes things are much bigger than their own wants.

If you love POV shifts this is definitely the fantasy read for you! Luckily both characters are equally as likeable which makes every single chapter exciting to read. I absolutely fell in love with both Maralyth and Alac, the pacing of the novel, and the worldbuilding. Each character had so much depth and learning about the magical elements were truly enjoyable. I love the character dynamics and how everyone seemed to have their own story to tell. I will say that I wish we got a little more from the ending but I thoroughly enjoyed this standalone and will definitely be buying and recommending this book to friends as soon as it hits the shelves!!

Forbidden magic. Forbidden love. Mysterious histories. I was first attracted to this book because of the fantasy & wine combination, and I was grateful that those themes were present throughout the entire book. The story started slow, and I found myself wishing there were more details about the setting and character backstories, but the backstory was meant to be part of the mystery and I ended up enjoying that aspect.

Once Mara got to the castle, I was truly hooked and the writing itself got more interesting and creatively descriptive as the book progressed. Alac & Mara are both interesting leads, and I loved the POV changes so we could see inside their heads. Mara is a strong character, and her development from a motherless nobody into a queen-to-be was natural and believable. The underlying mystery of Mara's bloodline kept me intrigued and I was curious how Alac and Mara would stay connected in the end.

Mara's magic is a beautiful complement to the stolen magic, and this stolen magic's infiltration over the kingdom is creative and unique in its destructive properties!

My only disappointment in this romance is that it lacked a full embodiment of passion that felt like it was building. Mara even describes her relationship with Alac as intimate, but it never really got intimate. Since the wine content of the book already leans toward adult (I couldn't have my 6th graders read this), I wish the romance content was a little more adult.

I will definitely recommend this book to others and leave public reviews on social platforms.

Political power grab in a magical kingdom far far away? I love the fantasy genre and the missing heir trope in general but parts of this were too fanciful even for me. Mara's quick acceptance of Lord Nelgareth's offer is not believable. The Stolen Kingdom starts slow but her change in status is whiplash quick. Her personality changes on a dime and suddenly she's screaming about what she'll do when she's the queen. Alac's family has just been brutally killed in front of him but he's taking himself to task about how he feels about her, as if this was some kind of romantic spurn instead of murder. I found myself mumbling "yeah right" a lot. The one highlight was Nelgareth's death. Even there, I wish it would've been described in greater detail. He was such a great villain. I would've liked to see him more developed.

Overall, I loved the storyline for a young teen audience; otherwise it needs more depth, development and possibly expand it into multiple books.
I'll be keeping my Bookstagram post up today through the pub date. Beyond that the book cover image will remain in my ARC highlights @AprilsBookishLife in Instagram all year. The review will is up now on Goodreads and Twitter (links included). I will also gladly post a review on Amazon after publication. Thank you so much for letting me review it early.

Maralyth, a winemaker’s daughter, has a secret. Born with a magical power that most people believed was lost or stolen long ago, she uses it to help the vineyard. However, when others learn of this secret, Mara’s entire life turns upside down. A young woman who never wanted more than to be a successful winemaker has the throne thrust upon her when she is kidnapped and told that she is the rightful heir.

With her life and the lives of those she loves threatened, Mara has no choice but to take the throne and become a better ruler than the current greedy king. Her feelings change when faced with the harsh realities of the coup and she meets the handsome and kind prince. Will Mara reveal her secrets? Will she ignore her feelings and take the throne?

Written from dual perspectives, Alec and Mara, The Stolen Kingdom focuses on the thoughts and feelings of both characters. I like that you really get to understand both characters – their motivations, desires, concerns, and more. Mara is selfless, strong, and cares deeply about others. Alec is kind and sincere. He cares about the people and doesn’t want to rule if it means taking on dark power. I think the dual perspectives allows for an in-depth and honest view of both Mara and Alec. It also shows how similar and well-suited they are.

The blossoming relationship between Alec and Mara is sweet and complicated. This enemies-to-lovers romance is easy to root for. Both Mara and Alec are smart, brave, and kind. They both have a love of and interest in winemaking. Mara, in particular, has a long and strong connection to the vineyards and winemaking. It’s in her blood, and her power responds to living things.

Both characters also seem trapped in their current situations. Alec is surrounded by darkness and people who thirst for power (and magic). Forced to be part of a coup attempt, Mara’s actions are controlled by those who want to usurp the throne. The fear, uncertainty, and feelings of entrapment draw the couple together, as do their similar good qualities. Mara and Alec feel like they can be themselves with each other, which is all but impossible in their world of political intrigue and manipulation.

The magical aspects of the story are really interesting and highlight the age-old battle between good and evil. Good magic and bad magic, as well as good people and bad people, contribute to the story’s action, excitement, and character development. Lies, political maneuverings, betrayals, and secrets from the past, all of which relate to magic, also enhance the plot. Alec and Mara reject the dark magic and all it entails, and they both want to find a way to rid their world of it. However, this proves almost impossible.

I also loved the vivid imagery throughout the book. I particularly liked the bird imagery, especially in relation to Mara, who frequently feels caged and longs for freedom. There is one scene where Mara is served dinner, a tray of delectable food with a beautiful bird in the center. This bird, served up on a shiny platter, is similar to Mara, who is being trained and presented (not on a shiny platter but in shiny and new clothing and baubles) as the perfect figurehead. Later in the same scene, Mara describes the bed in her kidnapper’s home as “a nest of comfort in the midst of a nightmare.” This evokes such strong bird imagery and feelings of entrapment, and it highlights Mara’s fear, helplessness, and desire for freedom.

I enjoyed this standalone fantasy and think it will appeal to readers who like young adult fantasies with a great enemies-to-lovers romance. I also think people who like books with cool magic systems and political drama will enjoy the book. Thanks so much to NetGalley, Tor Teen, and Jillian Boehme for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! I don't often read standalones, so it was very nice to read a book for once that wasn't a deep/long investment in world building and characters. To enjoy a story as just that, a story. A brief ride with some new fun people, to see where they went.

It was exactly the refreshment I needed after reading long series for ages!

Mara is sweet and likeable, and the romance between her and Alac is slowly built up.

She makes a nice MC, and is not annoyingly incapable or whiney like some can be. I liked seeing her discover her magical capabilities and unravel her family tree.

Alac is also interesting, and watching his personal growth was rewarding. I think both characters were given a good ending.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of The Stolen Kingdom in exchange for an honect review.

While I'm normally a huge advocate for more self-contained fantasy stories that don't require sequels/trilogies, this book needed to be two books. The Stolen Kingdom sets itself up to be a well written take on the "fantasy character ripped away from normal quiet life when they find out they have magical powers has to kill a leader but accidentally falls in love while acting as a spy" trope, but so many things are rushed. Normally I'm okay with a bit of instaromance in these kinds of books, but because Boehme has clearly come up with a more complex, dynamic relationship that the plot needs to function, we flip from hatred to love to hatred to love way too quickly way too many times because of the short page count. This should have been 2 books so we could actually get to know the character and world. It would have fixed every issue I had with it.