The Stolen Kingdom by Jillian Boehme
Fantasy
Rating:
Synopsis
For a hundred years, the once-prosperous kingdom of Perin Faye has suffered under the rule of the greedy and power-hungry Thungrave kings. Maralyth Graylaern, a vintner’s daughter, has no idea her hidden magical power is proof of a secret bloodline and claim to the throne. Alac Thungrave, the king’s second son, has always been uncomfortable with his position as the spare heir—and the dark, stolen magic that comes with ruling.
When Maralyth becomes embroiled in a plot to murder the royal family and seize the throne, a cat-and-mouse chase ensues in an adventure of dark magic, court intrigue, and forbidden love.
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Thank you to Tor Teen for provding me a copy in exchange for an honest review. This post contains affiliate links. You can read more on my disclosures page.
Review
The Stolen Kingdom was a good YA fantasy. The story was somehow both original and overdone.
There is definitely a lost royalty trope here. I don’t mind a trope, and I think that the author does a good job of trying to make it original. However, a lot of this book was just YA fantasy trope after trope. I think the characters were probably the most original part of this book, especially Alac. I think my absolute favorite moments in this book took place between Alac and Tucker. It was great comic relief, and I just loved those two together. I also enjoyed Mara, though she was a little more stereotypical of a YA heroine. I also didn’t really get the whole Mara Alac thing. Where did the attraction even come from?
The story was overall interesting. Again, it felt familiar, like I had read something similar, but not quite the same. The pacing was good, and I certainly never felt bored while I was reading. Without giving any spoilers, I think the ending was one of my favorite things about this book. It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, and I liked that.
Overall this was a good read, but there wasn’t anything particularly special about this book.
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I am just dipping into YA Fantasy, so I enjoyed it, but perhaps it might have been less enjoyable if I was an avid fantasy reader. Nice review Carolyn.