Review of Valoria
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Review of Valoria
[Following is a volunteer review of "Valoria" by Tayma Tameem.]
It is the dream of every girl child to be a princess, to live as one, or be treated like one. But who can know the true burden of being a royal, except they are privileged? Such was the plight of Zeina, the beautiful and kind princess of Valoria. Zeina is not a typical demure princess; Rather, she's a dynamic girl who craves for life outside the castle on the field. However, that is never to be, as duty binds her to marry Adam, the crown prince of Intellectus, as part of a peace treaty. Not even her brother Zain, crown prince of Valoria, is free from such an arrangement. He’s set to marry Amber, princess of Intellectus, and Adam's sister. But then, who wants to have a marriage with a stranger? Subsequently, Zeina's relationship with Adam had a rocky beginning.
Valoria is one of the three kingdoms of Al Kunooz, with Intellectus and Tranquilium the other two. Before the alliance treaty, Valoria was at war with Intellectus for years. To ensure peace, the parties involved reached an important agreement. But this agreement requires members of the royal family to be bonded by marriage to solidify peace between their kingdoms. With the royal weddings on the horizon and the kingdom still traumatized by past wars, there is a rise in conspiracy theories spread all over the kingdom. Along with many suspicious occurrences that not only put Zeina on her guard but also left her with too many questions that need answers. Questions like why were the weddings brought forward? Who are the ones responsible for the betrayal that led to the great war? Also, who is the traitor among the royals that will stop at nothing to ruin the peace treaty and plunge their kingdoms into another terrible war?
Valoria by Tayma Tameem is an intriguing tale of the death and life of royals and people of the kingdoms in Al kunooz. It is about the repercussions of the great war on the survivors, especially royals. Zainah’s story was very touching. Her courage is awe-inspiring. Just like a Phoenix rising from its ashes, she rose above her grief and took the mantle of leadership, despite her grave losses. Picking up the pieces, she rebuilt her kingdom and saved her people. I love the earlier and the later parts of this story the most. The earlier parts sounded almost poetic with every sentence, while the latter part gave me what I yearned for the most in the middle aspect. Valoria is so exciting, I can't wait to read the next book in this series. Its character build-up is solid, and its description of events is very detailed.
I like Tayma Tameem's work in Valoria, however, the center part of this story seems without essential events. Instead of putting too much effort into the details of life within the castle, I think she should have added more actions to these parts. It made the middle lacking in substance and a little boring. There is also the mix-up of names of characters that were problematic. Like writing Zacharia, the young prince's name for king Ziad, during a conversation (Page 220). On another occasion, she referred to the kingdom across the sea as the Tranguilium, which is a part of the kingdoms in Al kunooz. There are other examples like these two. It got me confused, and I had a little trouble figuring it out.
Valoria is an outstanding novel. Other than the shortcomings mentioned above, the story itself is remarkable. Therefore, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars because it deserves it. I found very few errors in the novel, hence, it’s considered professionally edited. There are neither vulgar nor profane languages used in the story, but it has a hint of romance in it. I recommend this book to lovers of epic fantasy novels with a taste for romance.
******
Valoria
View: on Bookshelves
It is the dream of every girl child to be a princess, to live as one, or be treated like one. But who can know the true burden of being a royal, except they are privileged? Such was the plight of Zeina, the beautiful and kind princess of Valoria. Zeina is not a typical demure princess; Rather, she's a dynamic girl who craves for life outside the castle on the field. However, that is never to be, as duty binds her to marry Adam, the crown prince of Intellectus, as part of a peace treaty. Not even her brother Zain, crown prince of Valoria, is free from such an arrangement. He’s set to marry Amber, princess of Intellectus, and Adam's sister. But then, who wants to have a marriage with a stranger? Subsequently, Zeina's relationship with Adam had a rocky beginning.
Valoria is one of the three kingdoms of Al Kunooz, with Intellectus and Tranquilium the other two. Before the alliance treaty, Valoria was at war with Intellectus for years. To ensure peace, the parties involved reached an important agreement. But this agreement requires members of the royal family to be bonded by marriage to solidify peace between their kingdoms. With the royal weddings on the horizon and the kingdom still traumatized by past wars, there is a rise in conspiracy theories spread all over the kingdom. Along with many suspicious occurrences that not only put Zeina on her guard but also left her with too many questions that need answers. Questions like why were the weddings brought forward? Who are the ones responsible for the betrayal that led to the great war? Also, who is the traitor among the royals that will stop at nothing to ruin the peace treaty and plunge their kingdoms into another terrible war?
Valoria by Tayma Tameem is an intriguing tale of the death and life of royals and people of the kingdoms in Al kunooz. It is about the repercussions of the great war on the survivors, especially royals. Zainah’s story was very touching. Her courage is awe-inspiring. Just like a Phoenix rising from its ashes, she rose above her grief and took the mantle of leadership, despite her grave losses. Picking up the pieces, she rebuilt her kingdom and saved her people. I love the earlier and the later parts of this story the most. The earlier parts sounded almost poetic with every sentence, while the latter part gave me what I yearned for the most in the middle aspect. Valoria is so exciting, I can't wait to read the next book in this series. Its character build-up is solid, and its description of events is very detailed.
I like Tayma Tameem's work in Valoria, however, the center part of this story seems without essential events. Instead of putting too much effort into the details of life within the castle, I think she should have added more actions to these parts. It made the middle lacking in substance and a little boring. There is also the mix-up of names of characters that were problematic. Like writing Zacharia, the young prince's name for king Ziad, during a conversation (Page 220). On another occasion, she referred to the kingdom across the sea as the Tranguilium, which is a part of the kingdoms in Al kunooz. There are other examples like these two. It got me confused, and I had a little trouble figuring it out.
Valoria is an outstanding novel. Other than the shortcomings mentioned above, the story itself is remarkable. Therefore, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars because it deserves it. I found very few errors in the novel, hence, it’s considered professionally edited. There are neither vulgar nor profane languages used in the story, but it has a hint of romance in it. I recommend this book to lovers of epic fantasy novels with a taste for romance.
******
Valoria
View: on Bookshelves
Latest Review: Fragments by Bruce K. Berger
