Review of Valoria
Posted: 23 Aug 2021, 09:15
[Following is a volunteer review of "Valoria" by Tayma Tameem.]
Zeina, the Princess of Valoria has always struggled to be the perfect princess, much to her mother’s chagrin. However, she has always been certain of the impending political marriage that would change her live forever, a marriage that would unite two kingdoms-Intellectus and Valoria, both of which have suffered a horrible aftermath of the Great War. She had been promised to Prince Adam, the heir to Intellectus, both their fates sealed since the day they were born. But what happens when she finds herself in the midst of a huge conspiracy? What if she doesn’t know who she can trust anymore?
Valoria by Tayma Tameem weaves a fantasy story centered around three kingdoms, two of which have hastily decided to make their marriage treaty come into fruition causing the lives of the heroine and the hero to change forever. The best part of the entire book is how intricate the narrative is. The book is a part of a series, and as the first one, the initial layer of mystery and the political intrigue left me wanting more since the very start of the book. The author did a great job with all the characters, all of them felt real and multi-dimensional. Zeina, our heroine, is hard-working and determined. The one trait that drew me to her is how alive she feels from the very first. She is always very clear-headed about the responsibilities she has as the princess, and does not act spoiled or whines about it. Our hero, Prince Adam is probably one of my favorite male characters by far. His thoughts and actions seemed very authentic and not at all manufactured in any way. The relationship between Adam and Zeina is developed so well, and I appreciate how the author made sure that there are no moments of instant hatred or instant affection between the two of them. I loved their banter and their realistic conversations; I loved how both of them started respecting each other and slowly, but steadily start feeling more through the course of the book.
Coming to the plot and writing of the book, I appreciate very much how the author have put in intrinsic details and so much character to both the kingdoms. The author described how even after the Great War is finished, the endless devastation stays with the veterans, some of them who never escape that mental trauma and loss of their closed ones, making a strong commentary on the aftermath of a war. She goes on to highlight that even though political marriages do signify a sort of peace, and an agreement between two countries/kingdoms, it does lead to a lot of tension and discontent in the minds of the public.
I absolutely do not like how a lot of information about the royal families are dumped on the reader at certain parts of the book. The climax at the end and all the other expositions could have been handled better by giving us cues and being evenly and relevantly placed in the later half of the book.
I found no grammatical errors, the editing impressed me so I rate it 3 out of 4 stars. I recommend this to fantasy lovers who want to read a good young adult series on court politics.
******
Valoria
View: on Bookshelves
Zeina, the Princess of Valoria has always struggled to be the perfect princess, much to her mother’s chagrin. However, she has always been certain of the impending political marriage that would change her live forever, a marriage that would unite two kingdoms-Intellectus and Valoria, both of which have suffered a horrible aftermath of the Great War. She had been promised to Prince Adam, the heir to Intellectus, both their fates sealed since the day they were born. But what happens when she finds herself in the midst of a huge conspiracy? What if she doesn’t know who she can trust anymore?
Valoria by Tayma Tameem weaves a fantasy story centered around three kingdoms, two of which have hastily decided to make their marriage treaty come into fruition causing the lives of the heroine and the hero to change forever. The best part of the entire book is how intricate the narrative is. The book is a part of a series, and as the first one, the initial layer of mystery and the political intrigue left me wanting more since the very start of the book. The author did a great job with all the characters, all of them felt real and multi-dimensional. Zeina, our heroine, is hard-working and determined. The one trait that drew me to her is how alive she feels from the very first. She is always very clear-headed about the responsibilities she has as the princess, and does not act spoiled or whines about it. Our hero, Prince Adam is probably one of my favorite male characters by far. His thoughts and actions seemed very authentic and not at all manufactured in any way. The relationship between Adam and Zeina is developed so well, and I appreciate how the author made sure that there are no moments of instant hatred or instant affection between the two of them. I loved their banter and their realistic conversations; I loved how both of them started respecting each other and slowly, but steadily start feeling more through the course of the book.
Coming to the plot and writing of the book, I appreciate very much how the author have put in intrinsic details and so much character to both the kingdoms. The author described how even after the Great War is finished, the endless devastation stays with the veterans, some of them who never escape that mental trauma and loss of their closed ones, making a strong commentary on the aftermath of a war. She goes on to highlight that even though political marriages do signify a sort of peace, and an agreement between two countries/kingdoms, it does lead to a lot of tension and discontent in the minds of the public.
I absolutely do not like how a lot of information about the royal families are dumped on the reader at certain parts of the book. The climax at the end and all the other expositions could have been handled better by giving us cues and being evenly and relevantly placed in the later half of the book.
I found no grammatical errors, the editing impressed me so I rate it 3 out of 4 stars. I recommend this to fantasy lovers who want to read a good young adult series on court politics.
******
Valoria
View: on Bookshelves