ARC Review: Kingdom From Ashes by Megan Linski

Title; Kingdom From Ashes
Author: Megan Linski
Publication: April 1st 2015 by Gryfyn Publishing
Genre: Young Adult ~ Romance 
Rating: 3/5

Review copy provided in exchange for an honest review.

 

Princess Bennua is to be married. The daughter of a sultan, her duty is to marry a powerful yet cruel warlord to be her husband, sealing an alliance that will scare the desert of Sahrahn into submission. But the wedding is halted in place when the infamous Raider Prince, king of thieves and leader of the dark city Ashana, threatens to take her city by force.

Sacrificing her freedom for her country, Bennua agrees to accompany the Raider Prince on his travels if he leaves her homeland alone. Stolen from her charmed life Bennua begins to learn the truth of what lies beyond the palace walls and the suffering that plagues Sahrahn’s people. Bennua begins to plan her escape, but the more she learns from the thieves the more she finds herself becoming one of the them...all while falling hard for their leader, the Raider Prince himself.

First of all I want to thank Megan Linski for being so kind as to give me an ARC of this book. Second, I Iove that although, just like the author says in her author's note, that Sahrahn is a fantasy land that is inspired by pre-Islamic Middle East and some traits from Islamic society. I've been wanting to read more books that have that. 

The story is about Princess Bennua, a sultan's daughter who is about to get married to the powerful Quasim. She soon finds out that he is as cruel as he's handsome and all she wants is to be free of marrying him but she wants to do what's right for her city. Her escape comes in the form of the Raider Prince who threatens to take over her beloved city and kill her brother. She agrees to accompany him on the journey back to his homeland, a journey that's not short of dangers and betrayal. 

I liked the story but it still had a few flaws. It's pretty obvious that I loved the setting and I really did. It was exotic and fresh and new. I also really liked the Raider Princ a.k.a. Zahid. He was pretty fun to read about and I especially liked his interactions with Bennua. They had a lot of chemistry together. Another character I was fond of was Zahid's friend Toshana. Without wanting to give too much away I can only say that I hadn't seen the end coming which involved Toshana. 

The things I thought weren't the best was mostly the writing. It wasn't that it was bad but I didn't really have a liking toward it. I also thought there could've been a little more character building and I felt like things moved a little too fast. With that said I do have to say that the romance was well-written. That, at least, wasn't rushed at all. Bennua and Zahid didn't fall in love right away but the spark between them was there at least. 

All in all, Kingdom From Ashes by Megan Linski was a pretty likable read. I liked the beautiful setting and the journey that Bennua and Zahid went on. It also read really fast, so that's always a good thing. 

About the Author:

Megan Linski is the owner of Gryfyn Publishing and has had a passion for writing ever since she completed her first (short) novel at the age of 6. Her specializations are romance, fantasy, and contemporary fiction for people aged 14-24. When not writing she enjoys ice skating, horse riding, theatre, archery, fishing, and being outdoors. She is a passionate advocate for mental health awareness and suicide prevention, and is an active fighter against common variable immune deficiency disorder. She lives in Michigan.