This was a middle of the road book for me. Some things I loved: Stand alone fantasy- check! Detailed wine making sideline- check! Main MCs admitting they haven't known each other long enough to fall in love- check! Some things I didn't love: it wasn't as developed because the book was short and stand alone. The plot wasn't super detailed and somewhat generic- but it was a quick enjoyable read! Definitely recommend for YA readers.

Unfortunately I couldn't finish this one and I can't exactly pinpoint why. I liked the characters but everything else felt too bland for me.

I really enjoyed this book, it felt comfortable and familiar but it wasn't predictable. The dark magic was scary and well written, and I was definitely rooting for the characters the whole way through. The ending wrapped up well and didn't leave any questions.

For the most part, I really enjoyed this book! While it wasn't particularly unique, it was entertaining. I found the characters to be likable and relatable. At times, I wasn't super impressed by the writing and I found the odd names the author used to be distracting. For instance, one of the main characters is named Alac and I really wished she had just gone with Alec since saying "a lack" just feels super unnatural. Despite the book's shortcomings, I still enjoyed it.

Stolen Kingdom is definitely a disappointment in my part. As much as I wanted to finish this one and enjoy it, I just can't seemed to. At most, I didn't care about the characters and just wanted to finish it. I am so sorry

After many, many years of reading YA, I am pretty confident I can smell a cliche at least 45 pages away. In the case of The Stolen Kingdom, it was actually around 325 pages.
This story had just about everything that a YA fantasy/romance needs except for any unique character developments or plot twists/deviations/etc.

Let's run through the list real quick:
Average girl with magic finds out that she belongs to a long ago bloodline and is actually royalty- check
Benevolent prince of cruel father who only wants to do the right thing- check
Said average girl plays off as someone else to trick said prince and prince falls desperately in love with her upon meeting- check
Said prince feels so betrayed and sets off for revenge but is unable to follow through- check
And on and on

If this were written, say, 10-15 years ago, it would have been great. You know, before all the tropes became... tropes.
If this is your intro to YA fantasy, however, it is a great choice. It eases you into everything you will be reading in further books that are better written.

The stolen kingdom

The Stolen Kingdom is a lovely fantasy tale. Written in duel points of view between Maralyth, a vinter’s daughter that dabbles in a secret magic that mysteriously keep her father’s vines and grapes plump and hearty; and Alac, the second, mostly ignored, Thungrave prince, who dreams of wine and having the freedom to pursue a life outside of the castle and the cursed “stolen magic” that comes with his royal surname.

Maralyth is kidnapped and given information in regards to her lineage that sets her on a path she never would’ve imagined her life going towards. She accepts her fate and all is well until she meets the royal family, specifically, Prince Alac, and things begin to crumble…mostly the walls around her heart. Can she stand firm with her duties and she the plans through or will she fail, not only jeopardizing her life but the lives of her family members back at the vineyard?

This book is full of everything a fantasy tale should have: lies/deceit, kingdoms, magic, treasonous plots, love, hate, and wine - never enough wine!

The author’s ability to paint the characters so meticulously reminds me of authors like Sarah J Maas, Jennifer Armentrout, and Stephanie Garber, to name a few. This stand-alone tale leaves you longing for more of the story, the characters, and the overall feeling of being a part of this world.

I thought I was going to love this book, but it ended up being really convoluted and confusing. The pace was slow and I think characterisation could've been better. The writing quality was great, but the plot could've been better.

This story has potential but it just wasn’t delivered well. Characters lacked thorough character development, plot was predictable, and some parts of the story were unnecessary. It’s an easy read, but isn’t something id necessarily recommend to others.

The Stolen Kingdom, about a girl who discovers her true potential, and a prince who discovers his true love for his kingdom. Maralyth discovers that her magic has much more potential than she originally imagined, however, when she's manipulated into a coup, she discovers that she can do more with her magic, including saving Prince Alac and his kingdom, she encounters the true difficulty of choosing between the coup and Prince Alac.

I gave The Stolen Kingdom 4.5 stars, torn between having been an amazing young adult fantasy with hints of romance, but also that The Stolen Kingdom could have been much more in depth. Jillian Boehme does a job well done with The Stolen Kingdom when it comes down to the magic system and the relationships that are built within the story line. I really enjoyed reading The Stolen Kingdom and enjoying how Maralyth or Mara as she goes by during the story, really develops as a character. From a girl who rarely used her magic as it was forbidden, to someone who uses her power to save the people and the kingdom.

I wanted The Stolen Kingdom to go on much longer, especially toward the end when I felt that the ending was rather rushed and not given in great detail, making my rating a 4.5 star. I really enjoyed every second of The Stolen Kingdom, loving the relationship between Mara and Alac. It was well formed and you can see the betrayal yet love between them. It didn't feel rushed, but overtime, you can see their connection, including their chemistry when they first met.

The Stolen Kingdom was a terrific read and I would highly recommend this for anyone trying fantasy or trying fantasy romance.

A quick and immersive read. It was a standalone, and I found myself wishing for more stories in this world. Great characters, good plot, a slow burn romance ... political intrigue .. all the YA fantasy tropes were there! A fun and enjoyable read.

When reading young adult lately, I've found it hard to connect with the writing. So, I am basing my rating on the story and not the writing because I'm pretty sure it's an age/audience issue and not the writing itself but I did find it fairly juvenile.

This novel had some highs and some lows. When the intrigue of the novel picked up, I found myself sucked into the story. However, so much of this book focuses on wine/vineyards and there is not much of a point to it. Yes, it's where our MC grew up but why was there so much focus on that one element of the world when the magic and religion that are the other parts of this book fall to the wayside?

As far as character work goes, none of these characters stood on their own. All were fairly cookie-cutter, stereotypes of YA fantasy tropes.

What I did enjoy were the magic and the story itself. A good, flowing plot and a battle of good and evil that is par for the course in YA.

❝𝑴𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏’𝒕 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈.❞
~𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒏 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒅𝒐𝒎, 𝑱𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝑩𝒐𝒆𝒉𝒎𝒆~

When I first signed up for this book tour and got to see the cover, I was sitting on the edge in excitement for reading this. I mean, look at the cover!! It's so beautiful!

The story progresses using dual perspectives of Maralyth, a vintner’s daughter with magic in her blood and a secret royal lineage, and Alac, the second son of the present king who finds himself concernedly drawn in towards the magic he has despised for a large part of his life. Although this is interesting enough, the story was too fast-paced and wasn't really grand with the use of words. There were some good parts undeniably, but it gets too stretched out in middle.

𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐘𝐀 𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭. 𝐈𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐰𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: ⭐⭐⭐.5/5

This book was slow-moving, but the world-building and story were impressively intricate and memorable.

You can imagine how difficult it is to create a world and fit enough substance into one book. Boehme did it quite well and managed to thrill me page after page. I would have preferred a little more action but that's okay too.

We are in a kingdom ruled by tyrants, usurpers who have driven out more just rulers. Our protagonist is Maralith, daughter of a vintner but with magical powers. The latter, inherited from the maternal side, make her the legitimate and true heir to the throne but her life would be in danger if anyone other than the family knew of her abilities. Therefore her mother has always advised her to hide them. Maralith has tried to live a normal existence but the Fate has other plans for her and the meeting with the second prince, Alac, will lead her to reclaim a throne she didn't think she wanted.

Maralith is a fair girl, with great courage and ability. A perfect leader who thinks about the well-being of others before her own. She is a heroine that I really liked and that I cheered for all the time. Then we have Alac, a "reserve" heir, second son of the evil and usurper king but so different from his parent. He hates magic and is not interested in the throne but when he meets Maralith, his intentions change and he will try to give the kingdom the right ruler. The attraction between the two is immediate, perhaps too much for my taste and this made me turn up my nose a bit. But then this attraction develops into true love as the two work together for a common interest. The two of them are perfect for each other, two children misunderstood but with great potential who join forces to make justice triumph.

This book was a great marriage of magic and love. It speaks of the rebirth of a kingdom, of the struggle of a true queen who, together with her beloved, manages to win and see the light at the end of the tunnel. A happy and hopeful future.

A good stand alone but Three and a half
This for me is hard to rate. A very interesting idea with characters that shine . Sadly I just kept wanting the pages to turn quicker so clearly not a story that enthralled me and held my attention

This was an excellent YA fantasy novel. It was a simple storyline that captivated my attention right from the start. The characters were likable, and I found myself routing for them throughout the novel. Because the novel was short, it did lack some depth to the plot and character development, but it did not detract from my reading experience. I would highly recommend this if you're in the mood for a quick, standalone fantasy novel.

This book took some time for me to get into. I'm not always a fan of dual narrations, and while I totally dug Maralyth's, I just couldn't get into Alac's. The pace was slow-moving in the beginning as well, but picked up as the story progressed. Overall, I really liked Boehme's plot - it was clever, and didn't play out the way these types of novels tend to do. In the future, I'd absolutely consider picking up another one of her novels.

I definitely enjoyed this read (hard not to love court intrigue and politics). Initially it felt a bit slow and I had trouble connecting with the characters, but then it took off and I loved every second of it. It's a total shame that this is a standalone as a second book could have really helped to flesh out the story and keep the momentum going. In the end, I did enjoy it and recommend it.

Traditionally, I worry over a standalone. I want to get lost in stories and be consumed by what the pages have to tell me - and with series I am able to do that more completely. However, with The Stolen Kingdom I found myself lost and enraptured by the story. The elegant prose and captivating language had me enthralled by the court politics and developing characters.

The Stolen Kingdom is a slow burn with all of the traditional YA tropes I love. The pace is exactly what it needed to be in order to develop the characters and the plot well. It is slow in places but I'm glad that it was. Like getting to marinade in all of the good, pure parts, before your heart begins to race.;

Overall, I would recommend this book and look forward to reading more from this author!