For fans of Sorcery of Thorns and Furyborn comes a thrilling new fantasy about a kingdom ravaged by war, and the princess who might be the key to saving not only those closest to her, but the kingdom itself, if she reveals the very secret that could destroy her.The kingdom of Hálendi is in trouble. It’s losing the war at its borders, and rumors of a new, deadlier threat on the horizon have … borders, and rumors of a new, deadlier threat on the horizon have surfaced. Princess Jennesara knows her skills on the battlefield would make her an asset and wants to help, but her father has other plans.
As the second-born heir to the throne, Jenna lacks the firstborn’s–her brother’s–magical abilities, so the king promises her hand in marriage to the prince of neighboring Turia in exchange for resources Hálendi needs. Jenna must leave behind everything she has ever known if she is to give her people a chance at peace.
Only, on the journey to reach her betrothed and new home, the royal caravan is ambushed, and Jenna realizes the rumors were wrong–the new threat is worse than anyone imagined. Now Jenna must decide if revealing a dangerous secret is worth the cost before it’s too late–for her and for her entire kingdom.
A Whitney Award Nominee
”A gorgeous fantasy that captivates from beginning to end, and a fierce heroine every reader will root for.”–KATHRYN PURDIE, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Burning Glass and Bone Crier’s Moon
“Beautiful writing, wondrous world building, and enchanting characters. This is YA fantasy at its most fun.”–DANA SWIFT, author of Cast in Firelight
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OMG, I freaking love this book. The magic system was elegant, it had adventure, magic, romance, found family, drama. The characters were all perfectly laid out. This was 100% worth the read.
I do enjoy this Goose Girl fairytale and this was a really fun take on it! Kaelynn Flanders did some excellent world building for the book, as well as creating characters that I could connect with as a reader. It was a little slow getting to the romance between Enzo and Jenna, but once their romance got “on-screen” it had me totally hooked. There was plenty of intrigue and secrets in this book, along with action and adventure plus a swoon worthy romance. Definitely a good read for lovers of fantasy & romance!
This being the author’s debut novel, I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did, but here we are with me again reading until the wee hours of the morning because I couldn’t put this down. It was so good! I actually liked the female protagonist and I don’t say that often. It was fun, with twists and turns, and our sword-wielding Princess was actually super cool. This is the first YA I’ve read in a long time where the protagonist and her love interest actually have chemistry. Just loved it all around, especially the relationship between Jennesara and her brother. It was really sweet.
I thoroughly enjoyed Shielded, and I’m so glad I got the chance to read it.
I was hooked right away with this one, and while there was a point early in the story when I thought it was all going to fall apart for me, it didn’t! I was so thankful for that because I’ve been struggling with books keeping my interest lately, and I wanted to love this book.
The characters, primaries and secondaries alike, were interesting and readily likable. The world building was on point. The magic and mystery was intriguing.
I do wish we got Enzo’s point of view, but that’s just because I’m a dual POV kind of girl.
Also, I SO appreciate that Shielded ended without a cliffhanger. While there is still plenty to be unveiled and resolved in the next installment(s), there is an HEA for now. Again, I appreciate the heck out of that.
***I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley.***
Everything you love about YA fantasy but could use a little boost to really be a standout. I loved Jenna’s character and the strength of character she demonstrated. I felt she remained true to herself while also balancing her own desires with duty and practicality. Her spirit captured me and her connection to the princesses was adorable. Other standouts for me were the fight scenes and action sequences. The detailed, tactile writing brought them to life and I appreciated how realistic they were. I loved that Jenna didn’t remain untouched but truly had to fight her way through, unlike a lot of fantasy heroes. The romance was filled with tension, magnetism and warmth, leaving me appreciating the beauty of their connection. Definitely a swoonworthy hero and I fell almost as hard as Jenna. I did struggle with several parts of the story at times. Jenna’s journey to Turania slowed the pacing a bit and I found myself having to push through several times. The switches in POV also left me feeling more confused and re-reading a bit rather than creating the mystery they were intended to. Overall, I enjoyed the story and think YA fantasy readers will enjoy it too!
I received an ARC of this title from #netgalley, all opinions are my own.
When Princess Jennesara is betrothed, without her knowledge, to the prince of a neighboring kingdom in order to gain soldiers to help her kingdom, she resigns herself to her fate. On her journey to her new home, however, her caravan is attacked, and Jennesara must flee into the treacherous and magical forest that surrounds her.
Through her magic, she knows that her brother and father are dead, which means that she is the ruler of her kingdom. However, her life is in danger. She is being hunted by a powerful mage who won’t stop until the entire royal family is dead. Plus, she is far from home, and she doesn’t know who betrayed her. Jennesara must figure out where to go, who to trust, where her future lies, and how to defeat the evil that threatens her.
This is an adventure-filled story with strong world-building and wonderful characters. Jennesara is a dynamic and fierce protagonist. Trained to fight, she is impressive in battle, and this, along with her intelligence and magic, saves her many times in the course of her odyssey.
As Jennesara goes on a physical journey, she also goes on an emotional journey. Jennesara loves her country and does what is right for it, but she still has a mind of her own. She is an independent and kind young woman who thinks of others before she thinks of herself. However, she struggles with trusting people. This is understandable considering she is used as a political pawn, her family is dead, and her life is in grave danger throughout the story. I would change my identity and be slow to trust too. Jennesara has an interesting character arc, as she has spent her entire life hiding what she is (magically), and, for much of the book she must also conceal who she is.
The budding romance between Jennesara and Enzo is one of the highlights of the novel. Though they fight their feelings, it is obvious that they have a strong connection. I enjoyed watching them fall for each other, and their mutual respect, admiration, and desire said a lot about their characters.
Jennesara is not just falling in love with the prince, however. She is falling for his whole dynamic, kind family from grandmother to siblings. Their ease with and love for each other shines and reminds her of her familial loss. She longs for that type of bond, and this family reaffirms her need for connection. They are also the only people she truly trusts. They help Jennesara realize that, even though her tethers are broken, she can still feel connected to others, if she lets them in.
The antagonists were not as richly developed as the other major characters in the story. However, as this is the first novel in the series, I suspect we will read more about them in subsequent books.
The setting and the magic, however, are fabulously developed. I loved the descriptions of the wild that Jennesara fought her way through. The imagery and sensory language create a vivid and immersive world. The descriptions of the magic, especially Jennesara’s tethers, were amazing. The different abilities from healing people to creating a protective shield to using a magical ring to wield power are all fascinating.
Themes of maturation, selflessly sacrificing to save and protect others, fear of the unknown, and the need to be loved are at the forefront of the story. When I was reading it, different parts reminded me of other stories like Lord of the Rings and Frozen (conceal don’t feel). However, that didn’t deter from my enjoyment of the story. If anything, it added to it. It is a gripping and immersive read that I recommend to lovers of young adult fantasy. Thanks so much to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
“Shielded” tells the tale of Princess Jennesara, who sent off to marry her betrothed to the prince of neighboring Turia in exchange for resources needed to save her Kingdom and when she is in route, a surprise ambushed alters the course of her life forever. Filled with betrayal, world-building, romance, fantasy, magic, and strong family ties (surprising to say the least), the reader is thrown in epic adventure that will have you turning pages faster than you had ever imagined.
And let’s just say that during the course of the read, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this despite some flaws that typically turn me away *ahem*instant love*ahem* and minor weak heroine moments that had my eye twitching but rest assured, there is some decent character development and I am sure future installments will further empathize on that.
Nevertheless, “Shielded” helped guide me out of my funky reading slump so kudos to the author because you must be doing something right seeing how I would definitely consider this ideal choice for any reader looking to start 2020 in the right foot.
This book was really fascinating. I loved the world that Flanders created, and the characters as well. I found them all to be really well rounded, interesting, and I felt they were believable. The romance was adorable and not too over the top like some YA. There were many surprises throughout the book, and it left me wanting more. I can’t wait for the second book and definitely want to read it whenever it comes out.
One of my favorite parts of this book is how it was in first-person, but there weren’t many uses of the word “I”. Flanders is a very good author to be able to make it feel like you understood what was in Jenna’s head, but not falling into the “I” pit that a lot of authors (including me) do. I was very impressed.
The only problem I had was that some chapters had a shift in perspective to the bad guy. I felt these pulled me out of the story and didn’t add anything. I wish that they weren’t included, although they weren’t too terrible as it didn’t affect my rating. It was more of a personal preference.
I received a DRC from Edelweiss. I can’t even begin to say how great this book is. A strong female character who doesn’t need to be saved because she does the saving! I really enjoyed reading this. It seems like there will be at least a second book since the story ends with a few things unfinished. I am not sure I can wait so long to find out what happens.