Review of Valoria
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Benson Mugweru
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Review of Valoria
[Following is a volunteer review of "Valoria" by Tayma Tameem.]
The Kingdoms of Valoria and Intellectus share a history of war and bloodshed. The hope of peace between the two kingdoms rests upon the double marriage between the princes and princesses of both kingdoms. Zeina, the Valerian princess is to be married to Adam, the Crown prince of Intellectus. Her brother is to follow the same path and tie the conjugal knot with Amber, the Intellectus princess. The weddings are set to be in three years time. Zeina undergoes her everyday life with the carefree spirit of a young maiden who has every ounce of confidence in her future. She thinks she has enough time to prepare for the rigors of queenship in a foreign kingdom. Until trouble strikes. The wedding is suddenly shifted backward from three years to three weeks. Zeina has to make the acquaintance of her betrothed and future husband, a feat that antagonizes her. What is the cause of the sudden shift in the date of marriage? How can the Valerian and Intellectus Kings go hunting at the exact time of the wedding? She is astounded to realize that tremendous events are happening within the seemingly serene borders of the Valerian Kingdom. There is a traitor in the palace. A revolution is brewing. Or is it a war?
The book Valoria is a fast-paced romance. It is the first in a series by Tayma Tameem. The conflict between Zeina’s sense of duty and love makes for an intriguing read. Zeina is the heroine of the story while Adam is the hero. Their bravery is impressive.
I liked Tameem’s choice of characters. Every character has an appealing aura around them, be it bravery, compassion, humility, or chivalry. Since the story is multidimensional and is told from the viewpoint of different characters, it made for an intriguing read. It was a treat peeking into the minds of the characters and knowing the reasoning behind their actions. Also, the mystery is tantalizing and keeps beckoning one just around the corner, leaving one begging for the sequel. The book was exceptionally well-edited.
Several things were a turnoff for me while reading this book. To begin with, the author overexplained some parts of the story. While knowing about a character’s background is good and sometimes essential to understanding the story, too much background information about the character’s relatives digresses the reader from the main story and eventually makes it boring. In some instances, the author spent entire pages telling us about the emotions of a character while I was impatient to regain the storyline. Also, the battle scenes were not up to point. They were too few and far between, and too scantily told. For example, I expected that the scenes where Princess Zeina, Prince Adam, and their guards are attacked by the angry mob to be bloodier and more thrilling as deserves a classic skirmish. As it was, they were too rushed. The author should also have explained to us more about the kingdom of Intellectus and the kingdom across the sea. What caused the rift between the three kingdoms? How are their respective people and traditions different? I believe this would have constituted for a far more entertaining read than the plain romance it is.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. It would be impossible for me to award it one more star since it is not quite up to my standards of a classic adventure-action novel.
I recommend it to fans of romance and mystery thrillers. It would also be a suitable read for young adults and readers who like stories about Kingdoms.
******
Valoria
View: on Bookshelves
The Kingdoms of Valoria and Intellectus share a history of war and bloodshed. The hope of peace between the two kingdoms rests upon the double marriage between the princes and princesses of both kingdoms. Zeina, the Valerian princess is to be married to Adam, the Crown prince of Intellectus. Her brother is to follow the same path and tie the conjugal knot with Amber, the Intellectus princess. The weddings are set to be in three years time. Zeina undergoes her everyday life with the carefree spirit of a young maiden who has every ounce of confidence in her future. She thinks she has enough time to prepare for the rigors of queenship in a foreign kingdom. Until trouble strikes. The wedding is suddenly shifted backward from three years to three weeks. Zeina has to make the acquaintance of her betrothed and future husband, a feat that antagonizes her. What is the cause of the sudden shift in the date of marriage? How can the Valerian and Intellectus Kings go hunting at the exact time of the wedding? She is astounded to realize that tremendous events are happening within the seemingly serene borders of the Valerian Kingdom. There is a traitor in the palace. A revolution is brewing. Or is it a war?
The book Valoria is a fast-paced romance. It is the first in a series by Tayma Tameem. The conflict between Zeina’s sense of duty and love makes for an intriguing read. Zeina is the heroine of the story while Adam is the hero. Their bravery is impressive.
I liked Tameem’s choice of characters. Every character has an appealing aura around them, be it bravery, compassion, humility, or chivalry. Since the story is multidimensional and is told from the viewpoint of different characters, it made for an intriguing read. It was a treat peeking into the minds of the characters and knowing the reasoning behind their actions. Also, the mystery is tantalizing and keeps beckoning one just around the corner, leaving one begging for the sequel. The book was exceptionally well-edited.
Several things were a turnoff for me while reading this book. To begin with, the author overexplained some parts of the story. While knowing about a character’s background is good and sometimes essential to understanding the story, too much background information about the character’s relatives digresses the reader from the main story and eventually makes it boring. In some instances, the author spent entire pages telling us about the emotions of a character while I was impatient to regain the storyline. Also, the battle scenes were not up to point. They were too few and far between, and too scantily told. For example, I expected that the scenes where Princess Zeina, Prince Adam, and their guards are attacked by the angry mob to be bloodier and more thrilling as deserves a classic skirmish. As it was, they were too rushed. The author should also have explained to us more about the kingdom of Intellectus and the kingdom across the sea. What caused the rift between the three kingdoms? How are their respective people and traditions different? I believe this would have constituted for a far more entertaining read than the plain romance it is.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. It would be impossible for me to award it one more star since it is not quite up to my standards of a classic adventure-action novel.
I recommend it to fans of romance and mystery thrillers. It would also be a suitable read for young adults and readers who like stories about Kingdoms.
******
Valoria
View: on Bookshelves
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