The Stolen Kingdom tells the story of second prince Alac and the vineyard owner’s daughter Mara. Both have a secret, Alac doesn’t want to be a prince and Mara has a talent for encouraging her family’s grapes to magically grow. Mara learns her magic gives her a claim to the throne and a plot to overthrow the king is set into motion. However, the king is linked with a mysterious magic that must be kept contained. When the coup does not go as planned, Alac and Mara must fight to control the dangerous magic now sweeping the kingdom.

The Stolen Kingdom is an interesting standalone containing many classic fantasy tropes. It ultimately missed the mark with me, but I do think younger YA readers might enjoy this more. The romance happens quickly and I found it hard to connect with the two main characters. My favorite part of this book was the dangerous magic, it was very compelling and mysterious. I would have enjoyed seeing more character development and slowing the pacing so that we could see more of Mara’s training, Alac and Mara’s friendship, and Alac’s relationship with his family. I also wish there had been more diverse and LGBTQ+ representation included. It wasn’t my cup of tea, but this could be a great place to start for a young YA reader looking for a beginner fantasy book. The Stolen Kingdom releases March 2, 2021. Thank you to Jillian Boehme, Tor Teen, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.