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Sunday, March 07, 2021

The Stolen Kingdom by Jillian Boeheme

The Stolen Kingdom by Jillian Boehme is set in a fantasy world where magic is forbidden to the common people and the current king is addicted to a powerful dark magic.  Maralyth (Mara) has the magical ability to make grapes grow and ripen, which is fortunate in that her father is a famous vintner.  And unfortunate--because  affecting and protecting nature with her magic will result in her being kidnapped and suborned into a plot to overthrow the king.  A threat to her father makes certain she will comply.

It turns out that Mara is a descendant of the rightful royal family, and she is trained in court manners, dressed appropriately, and becomes a pawn in the attempt to overthrow the current king and his sons.

Then she meets the younger prince and likes him.  Mara's situation becomes more difficult as the coup will result in the death of the king, the older brother, and the young prince.  Whew!  That's a lot of responsibility on Mara's head.

A YA fantasy that I enjoyed while reading, but within a week couldn't remember much about it.

Read in January; blog review scheduled for March 7.

NetGalley/Macmillan Tor/Forge

YA Fantasy.  March 2, 2021.  Print length:  320 pages.



13 comments:

  1. This one sounds a bit like a stand-in for our own political and cultural situation. Haves and have-nots, conspiracies, coups, and the like. But your inability to remember much about it after just a week, tells me more than anything else. Maybe the YA audience fared better with it, though...who knows?

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    1. Pretty much standard for any fantasy: haves/have nots, conspiracies, coups. :)

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  2. I find a lot of YA books like that...fun in the moment, but not particularly memorable. Is this part of a trilogy or series? And if it is, are you going to read the next ones?

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    1. Not only YA books, for me there are so many books that are entertaining for the time reading, but not memorable. I think it was intended as a standalone.

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  3. The premise sounds interesting. Like Lark, I'm wondering if this is a standalone or is it part of a series.

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    1. Standalone. And I had to think hard to remember if it had a conclusion. :(

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  4. What a gorgeous cover! I tend to forget a lot of the story after a week or so, no matter the genre. It's rare these days for me to find one that stays with me for awhile. But when one does, it becomes a favorite.

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    1. It is a great cover, isn't it? I don't mind not remembering details of many of the books I read. I do appreciate the ones that make enough of an impression. :)

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  5. The Stolen Kingdom is one I would like to read. Such a pretty cover. Sometimes those fun in the moment books are just what we need. It helps make those books that stand out even more special though.

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  6. I agree with the comment above: sometimes a read can hit the spot, and that's all you eed. It cerrtinly sounds like this one had some wonderful elements in it.

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    1. We all read books that are good for that moment without being anything that we seek out again. :)

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  7. Isn't that a pretty book cover? This sounds like a fun YA book.

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