Review of Valoria

[Gabriela Veiga]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Valoria" by Tayma Tameem.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Zeina and her brothers are going to marry the enemy. Years ago, the kingdoms of Valoria and Intellectus were at war, but after gruesome events that led both sides to bury their dead, all they want is peace. With that in mind, the monarchs of both kingdoms decide that when their children come of age, they’ll unite in matrimony.

The princess and the prince of Valoria, Zeina and Zain, know their duty, and that means to guarantee peace, so they are ready to marry their betrothed in three years. Unfortunately, one morning, their mother announces that Intellectus' royal family is already going to Valoria for Zain and Amber's wedding in a precipitous hour. As the future king, Zain’s only concern is why his family changed the date so soon. When his betrothed family arrives, they also meet Zeina’s betrothed and future king of Intellectus, Prince Adam. Together, princesses and princes will wonder why the marriage was hastened and what their parents are hiding. Meanwhile, Zeina and Adam will have to accept their differences and survive their family's attempts to make them a lovely couple.

Valoria by Tayma Tameem is the first installment and is incredibly well written. The writer gives the readers strong and wise characters with a bit of drama and playfulness. There are seven principal princes and princesses in this book, with many various ages. Zain and Zeina are the oldest in Valoria, and Adam and Amber are the oldest in Intellectus. So, they differ greatly from each other, but all of them want one thing: peace, even if they have to give up the chance of having true love.

The first thing it comes to mind when a reader sees the parent made peace with the other kingdom through marriage is that their children are obligated. Tayma came up with a different story. One in which Zeina and Adam, or any other, can back off and don’t marry their betrothed at all. Also, at Valoria, women are much appreciated, the queen and the king rule side by side and there is almost no difference between them. For example, the prince and the princess train equally with swords. The relations between Zain and Amber, and Zeina and Adam are really different since the latter cannot bear each other. I have to say I was afraid how Tameem would approach the enemies to lovers story but, fortunately; it was amazing. The characters, even if they dislike each other, don’t do irrational things and do their best to at least tolerate each other. Finally, the world was very well described and made me visualize it perfectly, having a hint of medieval times.

Tayma Tameem’s book is well written and well edited to the point of finding no mistakes. I found the story was amazing, not too slow and not too rushed, and I read it quickly. The development and the actions and thoughts of the characters were so good that I hardly had any troubles getting annoyed with them. Also, the world is well-built, and the politics are fairly good. Because I found this book so amazing, I will definitely give a 4 out of 4 stars to it.

Finally, this book is well suited for anyone who likes a love story, politics, and a hidden enemy. It’s a light book, so if the reader is just looking for something that doesn’t have a lot of twists (even if in the end there’s a cliffhanger) and just wants some good laugh, I’d definitely recommend it.

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Valoria
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[NancyDrew12]

A marriage to a enemy sounds like it would be a disaster. I am also curious about why their parents moved up the weddings and what secrets they are keeping. Nicely done review!

[Gabriela Veiga]

Yes! It was very intriguing, and seeing the main characters interacting with each other was sometimes a disaster. Thank you for your comment!