Review of Valoria

[Standor5865]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Valoria" by Tayma Tameem.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

After the war that led to great losses on both sides between Valoria and Intellectus, two of the three major kingdoms of Al Kunooz, the royal families of these kingdoms sued for peace and projected to join both families through the marriages of their children while signing a peace treaty in the future. Princess Amber of Intellectus is betrothed to Prince Zain of Valoria, while Zain's sister, Princess Zeina, is engaged to Prince Adam of Intellectus. This is a plan that is so many years in the making to ensure peace between the kingdoms, and as the time for its execution approaches, what could go wrong?

Valoria: Heirdom by Tayma Tameem is a fantasy novel that revolves around these royal families, their histories, the tension between them, and their proposed alliance. The book was a gripping read, as I struggled to put it down, even though it was fairly lengthy. Exploring themes of loyalty, betrayal, family, and love, we follow the intriguing characters that drive the story. The book features a host of strong female characters that readers will fall in love with from the first meeting, from the rebellious Princess Zeina, who wished to be free but understood the significance of her responsibility to her people, and her strong and wise mother, Queen Zainah, to Queen Najma of Intellectus, who, while being suspected for setting up the deaths of key people from Valoria during the war, showed class and brilliance to think ahead on multiple occasions.

The book is slow-paced, as the author gives readers enough time to immerse themselves in the family and political dynamics. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the princes and princesses attempt to understand their significant other, especially with an in-depth focus on Prince Adam and Princess Zeina since they disliked each other initially. Both of them being headstrong presented a problem and meant that they would only be going into marriage out of a sense of duty. Add that to the lack of trust that was in the air between both families, and you can imagine the level of suspense incorporated throughout the story. Excellent character development and the development of their relationship present other things for readers to look forward to.

Furthermore, Tayma Tameem does well to create a tense atmosphere that kept me on my toes, keeping me guessing about who the true enemy of peace in the kingdom was. The story ends with a twist that I never saw coming and sets up the second book in the series perfectly. I can't say that I am completely satisfied since I have to read the next book to see how this fascinating tale plays out.

Valoria: Heirdom is an exceptionally well-edited book. I did not find any errors while reading. There's not much to dislike about the novel as well. However, many of the characters' names beginning with the letter "Z" presented some confusion for me initially, but I got used to their names as the story went on.

All things considered, there is nothing that prevents me from awarding this book the maximum rating of four out of four stars. The plot and characters are well developed, and there is a lot of suspense to keep you engaged throughout. Young adults who enjoy fantasy novels will love this book.

******
Valoria
View: on Bookshelves

[Chinaza Nnabuenyi]

This book gives an insight into the extent families can go in promoting harmony, especially when it has to do with two or more kingdoms. Being the fact that it's a royal story, I can't just wait to devour it.

[Elisa Joy Ocasla]

The dramatic tension has been observed in the novel that attempted me to transport to a different time and place. Great review!

[Gabriela Veiga]

Put a fantasy novel + strong female characters + enemies to lovers + marriage + distrust + kingdoms = me already hiped up. Thank you for the review, I'll defently check Valoria out.

[Grace-Essien]

Sometimes, all we think about when we hear of 'the Royals' is regalia, wealths and affluence. I love how this book brings to our consciousness that there is a great deal of responsibility for the monarchs.

[NetMassimo]

This seems like an engaging novel with terrific world-building and character development. Yet another novel by Tayma Tameem receiving a stellar review. Thank you for your great review!

[Gabriella1997]

I enjoy reading fantasy novels that involves royalty, thanks for the honest review.

[yomide]

Excellent review. I really look forward to reading this book, thanks for the wonderful review.

[Humera955]

Princess Zeina, name sounds like an Indian princess, though it not and a very strong character.
great reveiw.

[Pandora10]

I like the way the author sets the stage for this novel, the first in a series. I found it to be slow moving at the start, but I enjoyed how the characters were introduced as well as the political rivalry between the two nations. Likewise, I found the letter 'Z' was overused in the names, and it took a little while to get them straight. Princess Zeina seems like a strong and interesting character. It will be fascinating to see how this story turns out. Thanks for the concise review on this novel.

[Clare Jose]

I loved reading this book. I too was taken by surprise due to the twist at the end and simply can't wait to know what happens in the rest of the series.
Thank you for your review.

[Ferdinand_Otieno]

This is an interesting science fiction fantasy novel highlighting royalty, ensuing peace, conflict, responsibility, free will, and secrecy. The book is temporarily free on Amazon Kindle and has a well-written OnlineBookClub review. Congrats @TaymaTameem on the BOTD selection.

[Aan Granados]

This sounds like the typical fantasy novel that young people might enjoy. Fantasy is not my first choice but, from your review, this sounds entertaining. I will definitely try this. Thanks for your review.

[Sou Hi]

Thanks for your review. It seems that with the presence of Princess Zeina, Queen Zainah, and Queen Najma, this book will appeal to feminists.

[Bertha Jackson]

I enjoy reading fantasy books and this one promises to be a good one. I am curious if Zeina and Adam can keep peace between the kingdoms. Thank you for your review.