The Stolen Kingdom | Book Review

Greetings! I recently read The Stolen Kingdom by Bethany Atazadeh. I had such a good time reading this book and thought I would write a review for you. First, the synopsis:

How can she protect her kingdom, if she can’t protect herself? 

Arie eagerly anticipates becoming Queen of her humble kingdom. Even when a Jinni’s Gift manifests before her 18th birthday, she fights to hide the forbidden ability.

But when a neighboring king attempts to marry her and steal her kingdom, discovery feels imminent. Just one slip could cost her throne. And her life.

A Jinni hunter and his crew of thieves are her only hope for removing this Gift. And she must remove it before it’s exposed. Or die trying. 

THE STOLEN KINGDOM is a loose Aladdin retelling. Set in a world that humans share with Mermaids, Dragons, and the elusive Jinni, this isn’t the fairytale you remember…

Firstly, the plot was super engaging and exciting! Even though it took me a bit longer to read this than usual, that had nothing to do with the book. I’ve just been in a pretty bad reading slump. The plot kept me on the edge of my seat, and I was holding breath at some parts. There was enough suspense to keep me guessing. Since this is the first book in the series, I wasn’t sure if there was going to be a huge cliffhanger or if it was going to be a satisfying conclusion to Arie’s story. I would say it was somewhere in between, a little closer to the satisfying conclusion side of the scale. Still, I hope we get to see more of Arie and the rest of the crew in book two!

Speaking of Arie, I think she was my favorite character. I loved her inner journey throughout the story. I also liked her perspective on Jinni Gifts! She was a strong lead, but she was also sweet, sensitive, and good with animals. I’m so glad she wasn’t heartless like many other female YA characters these days. She was a realistic character who I could relate to. Another character I loved was Gideon. He’s definitely my second favorite. At first glance he was mysterious and intimidating, but once we got to know him more we could see how kind and wise he was. I am so excited to see more of him in book two!

The world and the different beings/creatures Bethany Atazadeh created were very intriguing. Once again, I can’t wait to learn more about them. I loved meeting the Meremaids and Jinni! I hope there will be some dragons in the next book. I can tell that Bethany worked hard to create all the different kingdoms as well.

The prose in this book was perfect. There were enough details and description to paint a clear image in my mind, but it wasn’t overloaded with unnecessary adverbs and adjectives. Bethany also did a wonderful job conveying the emotions of her characters, which I always appreciate in a book.

I would definitely recommend reading this book! Book two, The Jinni Key, comes out December 3rd, so you still have enough time to read this before book two’s release. I know that I’ll be adding it to my Christmas list. 😉

Have a beautiful day!

~M Y A