Book Review: The Stolen Kingdom

I was recently given the privilege to be an ARC reviewer (Advance Read Copy) for The Stolen Kingdom, written by my friend Bethany Atazadeh. Bethany is a young adult and children’s book author. I interviewed Bethany last year, and I was thrilled to be on her most recent ARC team!

The Stolen Kingdom is a re-telling of Aladdin. But more exciting, if you ask me.

Arie is the princess in this story and she has a Gift. Gifts on their own are not a bad thing, but only men are trusted to use them correctly. All women before Arie, have stood trial and died for possessing their gifts. So what would happen if the very woman who will be queen is discovered to have magic?

When a man she despises uses his own gift to try to force Arie into marriage — effectively taking control of her kingdom — Arie goes into hiding, hopeful that she can buy herself and her father time.

Enter our “Aladdin.”  Kadin leads a band of thieves who have more at stake than money. When they cross paths with Arie, both the thieves and the princess see a way out of their troubles. But where each of them once had a cut and dry plan, they soon find their goals tangled in a web of friendship, divided loyalty, and danger.

I loved the characters in this book; I thought they were all well-developed and I appreciated that they each had their own goals and motivations, even when working together. The descriptions of locations were excellent too — I felt like I was seeing those places right along with Arie and Kadin!

There are indeed some parallels to Aladdin, but I liked that there are definite differences as well. The twist on the magic was something I greatly enjoyed, rather than the overused “three wishes” bit. I also liked seeing Kadin as a leader, watching out for his friends, whereas in Aladdin, we don’t really have opportunities to see that develop.

I think what I appreciated most was Arie’s reactions to everything that happened: the injustice of knowing a gifted woman was going to die, just for being a woman. Her terrifying yet determined plan to protect her father. Her courage no matter what she came up against, even when she was scared or unsure.

Which leads me to my number one favorite line: “I’m not looking for a prince! I’m looking for a sword!”

For a fantasy spin-off story with lots of excitement and great characters, I definitely recommend checking out The Stolen Kingdom!