The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Title: Stolen Magic

Series: All That Glitters #2

Author: Camille Peters

Genre: Young Adult, Clean Romance, Retelling, Fantady

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review:

In a world where magic once reigned, Lysandra must decide how much she is willing to lose to fulfill her vengeful plans…or if her heart will undo her carefully laid schemes.

Revenge burns in the heart of Lysandra, the daughter of a slain witch, whose life is forever changed when her village is raided and her family’s magic stolen by the ruthless kingdom of Eldoria. Sworn to reclaim her birthright and make the enemy pay, Lysandra embarks on a perilous journey of deception and vengeance. Disguising herself within the very walls of her foes, she becomes a handmaiden who secretly takes the place of the princess planning to marry the unsuspecting Prince Callan and ascend to the throne that should have been her destruction.

But as Lysandra weaves her way through the treacherous webs of court politics in search of her lost power, her quest for revenge is complicated by the a burgeoning affection for the prince she is meant to deceive. Lysandra must navigate a dangerous path between her desire for retribution and the pull of a love that could be her salvation—or her ultimate undoing.

This book was so good! I don’t really read retellings from the villain’s perspective, so I didn’t know what to expect from this book, but I was pleased with it. It will probably be a reread.

This is a Goose Girl retelling, from the perspective of the handmaiden who stole the princess’s spot. I have only read two other Goose Girl retellings and only really remember one of them, which is the one be Shannon Hale. Due to this I kept comparing it to the other. Not in a bad way, but it was different due to perspective.

In one review I read it mentioned how much magic was on it. I have to agree. There is quite a bit of magic in this book, especially at the beginning. However, it’s not overly done and not described in too much detail. I know some people feel uncomfortable with magic themes, which I completely understand, but I felt the focus of this book shifted early on. The main characters goal was still to get her magic back, but she was also doing other things.

I really liked the main character, Lysandra/Lysa. She really had gone through some traumatic experiences that made her the way she was. I enjoyed that, while she had dark intentions, she was still kind. She also knew that the actions taken against her weren’t the people’s fault but the ruling party’s fault. I wish that was in books and media more.

I loved the love interest, Callan. He was so sweet, caring, and attentive. I especially love how he helped Lysa heal from her trauma.

There were a lot of hints towards Callan’s dad being abusive and angry. I didn’t really see a follow through on this. It was giving me strong Maxon from The Selection vibes, except without really showing it.

I actually really loved Gwendolyn. She was one of the best characters in the book. She was so sweet and kind. I loved her relationship with Lysa. I am so excited to read her story!

There was a time jump after chapter 19 and it isn’t explained for a chapter or so. The time jump was important, I just wish it was made clearer of the time jump.

This book did take some time to get into. It really settled in the middle of the book and from there is was so much fun to read.

On the surface it was about exacting revenge, however it really was a romance and about healing from the past. Speaking of the past, I wanted a little more about Lysa’s mother’s past. The scenes between these two were very sweet and I wanted a little more of her backstory.

The ending was amazing! I love how Lysa put in the work to be better, and Callan supported her. They didn’t rush into anything, which I adored!

Stolen Magic is a villainess retelling of The Goose Girl. It has clean romance, magic, a sweet love interest, a caring friend, and a focus on healing from trauma!

*I received an ARC copy from the author and all opinions are my own.

Quotes

“‘We all carry things we wish we could change, but the fact you’re touched by regret is not a weakness, but evidence you desire to grow and find the strength to overcome them.’”

“I wanted to be seen by him-not as an illusion, but as myself.”

“‘I love you,’ I whispered. ‘Even when I tried not to. Not as a prince or the man who saved me, but as the one who stood in the wreckage of all I was and still saw someone worth reaching for. I thought loving you would be the ultimate betrayal-to my mother, to my past, to the girl I used to be-but now I realize the true betrayal would be walking away from what we could create together.’”