Stand Alone Reviews

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!

This is a magical YA book with hints of romance/potential romance. When I first started this book I had a difficult time getting into it as it seemed it began in an odd location. But after literally the first (maybe second chapter) the pace seemed to pick up quicker and I had trouble putting it down. This book is a legit fairytale come to life. And I do not believe I have ever read a book like it. It felt as so much happened in such a short time period. I believe only a few days or so? And it was such an adventure! And I am utterly obsessed with the take on magic and what it became. I felt as if there were a few instances where I was lost, especially with the concept of mettle. It didn’t feel it was explained until quite later on, which might have been the intention just wasn’t my preference.

SPOILER: There were a couple of instances in the book that I felt were unnecessary. The first is Nan's death. Nan completely died for no reason considering Maude still ended up getting mettle poisoning. Another instance was how Odette and Maude decided to just stop being friends. I get that it may have been necessary for character growth, but I feel Wilkinson could have waited until Book Two where Maude "recaps" what has happened since the last book and say something like "It's been two months and I have not heard from Odette...safe to say we are not friends". It just seems like Maude went through so much for their friendship/for Odette in general for nothing besides character growth.

END SPOILER

This is definitely a unique, magic-filled book, and I can definitely say I enjoyed it. I can honestly say I was not sure I would expect it as much but I feel the concept of Sicklehurst and Maude's story-telling abilities is just a very interesting way to portray magic. I am under the impression there is a book two, (I could be wrong) but if there is a book two, I am very interested to see where Wilkinson will go with the story.

I do recommend this book if you like fantasy, fairytales, and magic.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

• A fairy tale come to life

• A determined FMC

• Slow beginning

• The reader learns most information via flashbacks throughout the story

SPOILERS BELOW

I was NOT expecting this book to be so good.

It started a hair too slow for my liking, but after completing the book it became clear that the beginning chapters were vital: with the acknowledgment of Mara's mom, the vineyard, etc. Then after the first few chapters, it was just a never-ending rollercoaster of events.

The Stolen Kingdom was unlike many stand-alone books that I have read, and I feel as though I have read quite a few stand-alones.

Looking back on this book, it reminds me of the dark magic in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas but instead of stretching the span of eight books, it was wrapped into one. Obviously, there are significant differences between both the Throne of Glass series and The Stolen Kingdom, but I cannot help but notice the similarities: two women determined to right the wrongs that have been done to their kingdom, both of whom have magical abilities; Kings driven by dark magic (unknowingly against their will); princes struggling to correct their fathers' wrongdoings; and the prince's dutiful guard/best friend.

As for the romance factor, there was hardly any. But truthfully, the book kept at such a steady pace you hardly noticed or missed the lack of romance. Any romance that was there was very PG.

Boehme did an exceptional job at creating a rollercoaster of events. First, you have the kidnapping, then you have the plot twist that a vintner's daughter is the last missing Dallowyn heir, then Boehme throws in sweetheart Prince Alac who deserves all good things in the world.

Overall I quite enjoyed it. It was the quickest read I had this month. My only complaint is that every chapter flips back and forth between Mara's perspective and Alac's perspective. Meaning chapter one is Mara's point of view and then chapter two is Alac's point of view. Although I do not prefer when authors take this route, it was not a deal-breaker for a few reasons. The first reason being when Mara and Alac are apart it gives the reader the opportunity to see what is going on at any given moment. Whether it's at the vineyard, in Silverton, or at the royal palace. Which I feel allows the book to continue progressing forward at a steady rate without too many slow spots. The second being you learn how little Alac knows what is unfolding around him and how much the coup is killing Mara, simultaneously. The third being the obvious point: you know how both characters feel about each other.

For the most part, I enjoyed the writing style, the characters, the plot, and the concept of how the magic was originally stolen and how they ultimately were able to get it back to the rightful heir. I do plan on buying the physical copy of the book once published.

RATING: 5/5 Stars

• A rollercoaster of events

• Strong characters

• In-depth back story

SPOILERS BELOW

It started out rather slow, a little too slow for my liking but not enough for me to stop reading.

I love the story depth that Bracken was able to create in this single book. To me, there was so much depth that I believe that Bracken could have made this into a duology or trilogy with the amount of world detail that this book has. I gained a great deal of admiration for this book when Bracken told/summed up the story of Medusa, including what happened between Medusa and Poseidon and then how she proceeded to have Lore relate to Medusa. That fact alone makes the book cover perfection because it is clear the woman is Lore with the hair of Medusa which shows the correlation between the two women. If you as a reader only knew Medusa as a villain you cannot help but love her after reading this book. Because at the end of the day Medusa was a victim just as Lore was.

Not only did Bracken acknowledge sexual assault victims, stating how what happened to them was not their fault, but she introduced a same-sex couple (the best same-sex couple). Although their spotlight seemed so minuscule that it hurts, at least it is still there.

Although the world that Bracken created had so much depth, I feel like she rushed it. Certain spots of the book were lacking. I felt we spent so much time going from building to building searching for people and nothing was happening. Each building they went had the same thing: dead people and no god. I just feel more could have been done during the book: more fighting, more romance, more struggling instead of the same repetitive steps.

I also hate the plot twist with (spoiler) Athena only because I love Athena in mythology so much but hate how she became a villain, even though she righted her wrongs in the end. I also wish that we could have spent more time with Lore as a new god, or some action from Zeus. Just something more that would have made Lore's loss and struggles worth it. Instead of just a kiss.

Overall, the book lacked the amount of romance I wanted but it still created the couple(s) I needed. I would have loved to see more in the ending since it seemed rushed but the world-building was very in-depth albeit a little confusing with all the names and bloodlines (thankful for the key provided). I appreciate Bracken's diversity of characters (both a heterosexual couple and homosexual couple) and different ethnicities among characters. I am also glad she created the comparison between Lore and Medusa.

RATING: 4/5 Stars

• Great world-building

• In-depth plot and backstory

• A little rushed

• A disappointed ending

The only reason I read this book was because it was all over Booktok. Well. I honestly do not believe I enjoyed it. Which is very difficult for me to say, but it is so true.

I cannot stand the writing style. One chapter is anywhere from 2 pages to 15 pages. Everything is so broken apart or scattered I found it difficult to keep up with it.

I read it all because I wanted to know what the ending was and why everyone was ranting and raving about it online. Honestly the ending did not disappointment in the surprise aspect. But it disappointed me because I absolutely hated it. This book literally destroyed me and I did not even enjoy it.

SPOILERS BELOW

While I read I predicted that Cady had been raped or one of the cousins or aunts tried to kill her because she was the eldest grandchild and was destined to receive the most when the grandpa passed. I was utterly wrong. I predicted that Gat actually was a terribly guy who only wanted to hook up with her. I predicted that all the Liars just never talked to each other outside of their summer vacations because that was what most people did with the friends they had only during specific time periods (like during summer camp). I was utterly wrong.

Honestly every single thing you thought was the reason that something happened, you are entirely wrong.

But I will state that the Liars had absolutely no ounce of common sense. NONE. And their deaths were beyond unnecessary and easily avoidable.

Could I have done without reading it? Yes. Would I reread it? Absolutely not. Will I buy the book? Possibly so I can have others feel my pain.

RATING: 3.5/5 Stars

• Very good plot twist.

• Horrible writing style and can be difficult to follow.

POTENTIAL SPOILERS BELOW

This is my favorite book of the year so far.

Yadriel and Julian are such a great, unexpected couple. And I say unexpected considering how it came to be that they met. It was 100% fated that they met.

I am not the biggest fan of the Spanish that is inserted throughout the book. Although it is expected, it made reading it difficult because in several spots I had to translate which was more of a burden than anything. BUT I am not really complaining because the Spanish that is used, adds more depth to the story and the characters.

The spoiler with Yadriel's Tio, Catriz, was so insane. It definitely caught me off guard. But as I think back on it, it was completely foreshadowed that Bahlam would be summoned. But I did not expect that it would be Catriz summoning Bahlam, even despite Catriz's persistence to change how he and Yadriel were treated.

Yadriel and Julian have such a unique bond. Their relationship is so addictive, I truly wish that the book had not ended just yet. Nonetheless, I am very happy with how it ended.

RATING: 5/5 Stars

• I loved the relationships formed.

• Great unexpected plot twist.

• I enjoyed the writing style.