Review of Heirdom
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Sakshi Patodia
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Review of Heirdom
[Following is a volunteer review of "Heirdom" by Tayma Tameem.]
The 3 kingdoms of Al Kunooz - Valoria, Intellectus and Tranquillium - have been moving hand in hand for centuries but the war between Valoria and Intellectus have left their people in pain and loss of loved ones. In order to bring peace and harmony to both lands, the royals agreed on a peace treaty forming a marriage alliance among them. The holy matrimony would bring their kingdoms close and prevent the scope of war in future.
The future king of Valoria, Prince Zain is all set to marry the crown Princess of Intellectus, Amber. Amber's brother (the future king of Intellectus) is also not spared from the same fate and would marry the crown Princess of Valoria, Zeina - sister to Zain. Where Amber and Zain knew each other ahead of time resulting in an affectionate relationship, Zain's sister was not that fortunate. Zeina and Adam take an instant dislike to each other as they got off the wrong foot and do not get along at all. Especially after the arrival of royal family of Intellectus to Valoria for the wedding nuptials of Zain and Amber, 3 years prior to the decided date. The sudden change confuses the young princes and princesses as they are left with no answers. Fearing war and not able to let go of her suspicion, skeptical Zeina seek answers. Deep down knowing something was amiss.
Why were the weddings moved forward?
Would Zeina find all the answers?
Would she change her mind about her betrothed?
Valoria: Heirdom by Tayma Tameem is the first installment in the Valoria series. It is a well-written fantasy fiction novel which tells the tales of royalty, war, death, peace, love, betrayal, loyalty and importance of family. The story is lengthy and a little slow-paced but nevertheless interesting and engaging. Tayma Tameem divided the book in 25 chapters written in third-person, alternating between the points of view by various characters, mainly Zeina and Adam. The overall story is written in great depth along with tales from the past. Even though it is set in an era before us, I had no trouble visualizing as the descriptions were flawless. The mention of insecurities of characters made them more relatable and the story more real. The strong female characters were refreshing, Zeina was taught same skills as her brother, Queen Zainah had equal position in court as the king and Queen Nazma's influence in her kingdom and on the future generations.
I fell in love with the characters like Zeina – For her compassion towards town people, Adam - For his protectiveness towards his little sister. Tayma Tameem also gave us two sides to the same arrangement, one was Zain and Amber's who were in love and other was Zeina and Adam's who were having a hard time getting along where both the pairs were arranged in the same way. The arrangement was built on a peace treaty and both side had their differences, especially Zeina and Adam, who were not happy about it but knew their responsibilities and would do it all to ensure peace.The humor made the story fun and interesting; I had a few chuckles and bits of laughter here and there, like when Adam tried to hug Ameera without bathing after his trip, or when Prince Zacharia was running from his guards. The map gave an idea about the magnitude and locations of the 3 kingdoms with respect to one another which was a nice touch. The introduction and development of characters was great. The ending was something I did not see coming and I cannot wait to read the next one in line.
I can say Valoria: Heirdom is a professional edited book and had minimum to no mistakes or grammatical errors. But the similarity of names, starting with letter “Z” for characters of Valoria and “A” for Intellectus- caused me a great deal of confusion initially but I caught on as the story progressed. No vulgar or profane words were used. The families were huge so a family tree would have been useful.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars, all the slight naming issue would not do justice for deducting a star. I could not find anything worth hating the book for. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The characters are well developed and story is really engaging with a thrill. I would recommend this book to young adults who love fantasy and a thrilling political story with a hint a romance along the way.
******
Heirdom
View: on Bookshelves
The 3 kingdoms of Al Kunooz - Valoria, Intellectus and Tranquillium - have been moving hand in hand for centuries but the war between Valoria and Intellectus have left their people in pain and loss of loved ones. In order to bring peace and harmony to both lands, the royals agreed on a peace treaty forming a marriage alliance among them. The holy matrimony would bring their kingdoms close and prevent the scope of war in future.
The future king of Valoria, Prince Zain is all set to marry the crown Princess of Intellectus, Amber. Amber's brother (the future king of Intellectus) is also not spared from the same fate and would marry the crown Princess of Valoria, Zeina - sister to Zain. Where Amber and Zain knew each other ahead of time resulting in an affectionate relationship, Zain's sister was not that fortunate. Zeina and Adam take an instant dislike to each other as they got off the wrong foot and do not get along at all. Especially after the arrival of royal family of Intellectus to Valoria for the wedding nuptials of Zain and Amber, 3 years prior to the decided date. The sudden change confuses the young princes and princesses as they are left with no answers. Fearing war and not able to let go of her suspicion, skeptical Zeina seek answers. Deep down knowing something was amiss.
Why were the weddings moved forward?
Would Zeina find all the answers?
Would she change her mind about her betrothed?
Valoria: Heirdom by Tayma Tameem is the first installment in the Valoria series. It is a well-written fantasy fiction novel which tells the tales of royalty, war, death, peace, love, betrayal, loyalty and importance of family. The story is lengthy and a little slow-paced but nevertheless interesting and engaging. Tayma Tameem divided the book in 25 chapters written in third-person, alternating between the points of view by various characters, mainly Zeina and Adam. The overall story is written in great depth along with tales from the past. Even though it is set in an era before us, I had no trouble visualizing as the descriptions were flawless. The mention of insecurities of characters made them more relatable and the story more real. The strong female characters were refreshing, Zeina was taught same skills as her brother, Queen Zainah had equal position in court as the king and Queen Nazma's influence in her kingdom and on the future generations.
I fell in love with the characters like Zeina – For her compassion towards town people, Adam - For his protectiveness towards his little sister. Tayma Tameem also gave us two sides to the same arrangement, one was Zain and Amber's who were in love and other was Zeina and Adam's who were having a hard time getting along where both the pairs were arranged in the same way. The arrangement was built on a peace treaty and both side had their differences, especially Zeina and Adam, who were not happy about it but knew their responsibilities and would do it all to ensure peace.The humor made the story fun and interesting; I had a few chuckles and bits of laughter here and there, like when Adam tried to hug Ameera without bathing after his trip, or when Prince Zacharia was running from his guards. The map gave an idea about the magnitude and locations of the 3 kingdoms with respect to one another which was a nice touch. The introduction and development of characters was great. The ending was something I did not see coming and I cannot wait to read the next one in line.
I can say Valoria: Heirdom is a professional edited book and had minimum to no mistakes or grammatical errors. But the similarity of names, starting with letter “Z” for characters of Valoria and “A” for Intellectus- caused me a great deal of confusion initially but I caught on as the story progressed. No vulgar or profane words were used. The families were huge so a family tree would have been useful.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars, all the slight naming issue would not do justice for deducting a star. I could not find anything worth hating the book for. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The characters are well developed and story is really engaging with a thrill. I would recommend this book to young adults who love fantasy and a thrilling political story with a hint a romance along the way.
******
Heirdom
View: on Bookshelves
Latest Review: The Inmate by Alan P. Woodruff
