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Kingdom Saga #1
Kingdom from Ashes
USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR Megan Linski weaves a Middle Eastern historical fantasy based on the 1001 Arabian Nights. Forbidden love and royal romance ignite in this Aladdin retelling of a princess’s fight to rule her empire.
I am Princess Bennua. My father, the sultan, has promised my hand to a cruel warlord on the outskirts of the realm. The desert of Sahrahn is a dangerous land of ruthless bandits, endless battles, and captivating magic, and most do not survive its fire.
Though the cruel warlord plans to make me his prisoner, another takes me captive; the roguish killer and infamous king of thieves, the Raider Prince.
I’m stolen away to the Raider Prince’s city of darkness and enchantment. The Raider Prince trains me to become a thief, teaching me how to wield a sword, seek out coin, and deceive our foes.
The Raider Prince is handsome, kind, and dangerous. I find myself falling for the man who kidnapped me, unable to tame my heart’s desires. There are many enemies amongst us, and we must wage war if we are to rebuild our kingdom from the ashes.
Love is dangerous. If anyone comes between the Raider Prince and I…
They will burn.
Kingdom From Ashes begins a legendary fairy tale of Arabian lore and Middle Eastern mythology. This young adult enemies to lovers romance features suspenseful action, thrilling adventure, and undying love. This is the first book in The Kingdom Saga.
Recommended reading age 16+
I am Princess Bennua. My father, the sultan, has promised my hand to a cruel warlord on the outskirts of the realm. The desert of Sahrahn is a dangerous land of ruthless bandits, endless battles, and captivating magic, and most do not survive its fire.
Though the cruel warlord plans to make me his prisoner, another takes me captive; the roguish killer and infamous king of thieves, the Raider Prince.
I’m stolen away to the Raider Prince’s city of darkness and enchantment. The Raider Prince trains me to become a thief, teaching me how to wield a sword, seek out coin, and deceive our foes.
The Raider Prince is handsome, kind, and dangerous. I find myself falling for the man who kidnapped me, unable to tame my heart’s desires. There are many enemies amongst us, and we must wage war if we are to rebuild our kingdom from the ashes.
Love is dangerous. If anyone comes between the Raider Prince and I…
They will burn.
Kingdom From Ashes begins a legendary fairy tale of Arabian lore and Middle Eastern mythology. This young adult enemies to lovers romance features suspenseful action, thrilling adventure, and undying love. This is the first book in The Kingdom Saga.
Recommended reading age 16+
Paperback
First published April 11, 2013
59 people are currently reading
954 people want to read
About the author
Megan Linski
99 books563 followersMegan Linski lives in Michigan. She is the author of more than fifty fantasy and paranormal novels which feature themes of friendship, community, and healthy romantic relationships. She has over fifteen years of experience writing books alongside working as a journalist and editor. She graduated from the University of Iowa, where she studied Creative Writing.
Her passions include ice skating and horseback riding. In her free time she enjoys dancing in the snow and drinking fancy coffee while at her natural habitat, the mall.
Megan advocates for the rights of the disabled, and is an activist for mental health awareness.
Megan co-writes the Hidden Legends Universe with Alicia Rades. She also writes under the pen name of Natalie Erin for the Creatures of the Lands series, co-authored by Krisen Lison.
Awards Megan has won include;
Best Fantasy Book of the Year 2019 by Once Upon a Book
Best Co-Authored Book of the Year 2022 by Once Upon a Book
Author of the Year 2022 by Once Upon a Book
Keynote Speaker at Once Upon a Book 2023
Best Book Friends (Ava and Kallie) 2023 by Once Upon a Book
Featured in the FOX Teen Choice Awards Gift Baskets
Two-time Reader's Favorite Five Star Read (Bronze Medal Finalist)
Winner of Amazon's Kindle Scout Competition
Her passions include ice skating and horseback riding. In her free time she enjoys dancing in the snow and drinking fancy coffee while at her natural habitat, the mall.
Megan advocates for the rights of the disabled, and is an activist for mental health awareness.
Megan co-writes the Hidden Legends Universe with Alicia Rades. She also writes under the pen name of Natalie Erin for the Creatures of the Lands series, co-authored by Krisen Lison.
Awards Megan has won include;
Best Fantasy Book of the Year 2019 by Once Upon a Book
Best Co-Authored Book of the Year 2022 by Once Upon a Book
Author of the Year 2022 by Once Upon a Book
Keynote Speaker at Once Upon a Book 2023
Best Book Friends (Ava and Kallie) 2023 by Once Upon a Book
Featured in the FOX Teen Choice Awards Gift Baskets
Two-time Reader's Favorite Five Star Read (Bronze Medal Finalist)
Winner of Amazon's Kindle Scout Competition
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
March 24, 2015
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.
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.
August 7, 2017
Pretty good! On to book 2!
April 15, 2016
This is a DNF. Where do I begin with all of the things in this book that didn't make sense? Should I start with how a tiny band of thieves, who wanted to improve their bad reputation with the rest of the world, thought the best course of action would be to... infiltrate a palace and threaten to murder the sultan's son if he didn't trade one of his daughters to go back home with them to "learn about what a nice and peaceful people they really are?" (Spoiler alert: our heroine volunteers as tribute.)
Or maybe I could start with how a sultan gave each of his five daughters in marriage to horrible men, yet still is seen as a jolly, and somewhat stupid, yet loving and caring father by our heroine?
Or perhaps how our heroine, who has felt trapped most of her life, is made to marry just about the most disgusting, horrible guy ever - a guy who literally threatens to keep her locked in a room for the rest of her life except when he wants her for sex, and a guy who threatened to murder her if she stepped out of line (thanks, Dad, love ya)- spends most of the book plotting to flee her merry band of thieves who treat her with dignity and respect and kindness? And go back home to a marriage with this guy????
And like, I don't know, she is portrayed in the beginning as having a tender heart for the poor and weak, and yet all she really does when she gets to her merry band of thieves' kingdom and finds it desolate and impoverished is to complain about how she wants to go home?? To a family who treats her with contempt (besides her loving daddy aww), and to this guy she will be given to as a sex toy?
How she literally spends most of the book acting like a spoiled little brat? Complaining, nagging, whining...
And I don't even need to talk about how it doesn't make any sense that this merry band of three thieves can rob from palaces, and has built up such a horrible reputation about being Oh So Powerful and Able To Overthrow Kingdoms.
In all fairness, though, I only made it 62% into the book. Who knows, maybe after finding out that Zahid didn't REALLY want to blackmail the sultan to gain trust and improve their reputation, but instead felt moved to travel days and days in order to rescue this unknown princess from a rotten marriage arrangement (even though he's always hated royalty and has to deal with his own desolate kingdom with men, women, and children)... maybe the author had some more brilliant twists to tie all of these questions together?
I won't be around to find out.
Or maybe I could start with how a sultan gave each of his five daughters in marriage to horrible men, yet still is seen as a jolly, and somewhat stupid, yet loving and caring father by our heroine?
Or perhaps how our heroine, who has felt trapped most of her life, is made to marry just about the most disgusting, horrible guy ever - a guy who literally threatens to keep her locked in a room for the rest of her life except when he wants her for sex, and a guy who threatened to murder her if she stepped out of line (thanks, Dad, love ya)- spends most of the book plotting to flee her merry band of thieves who treat her with dignity and respect and kindness? And go back home to a marriage with this guy????
And like, I don't know, she is portrayed in the beginning as having a tender heart for the poor and weak, and yet all she really does when she gets to her merry band of thieves' kingdom and finds it desolate and impoverished is to complain about how she wants to go home?? To a family who treats her with contempt (besides her loving daddy aww), and to this guy she will be given to as a sex toy?
How she literally spends most of the book acting like a spoiled little brat? Complaining, nagging, whining...
And I don't even need to talk about how it doesn't make any sense that this merry band of three thieves can rob from palaces, and has built up such a horrible reputation about being Oh So Powerful and Able To Overthrow Kingdoms.
In all fairness, though, I only made it 62% into the book. Who knows, maybe after finding out that Zahid didn't REALLY want to blackmail the sultan to gain trust and improve their reputation, but instead felt moved to travel days and days in order to rescue this unknown princess from a rotten marriage arrangement (even though he's always hated royalty and has to deal with his own desolate kingdom with men, women, and children)... maybe the author had some more brilliant twists to tie all of these questions together?
I won't be around to find out.
March 9, 2015
*free copy from publisher*
This book has an Islamic background and gives an amazing insight on the Arabian culture!!
Bennua is a princess and is engaged to get married to Quasim, the most handsome and powerful. She abides by rules of her country-don't talk to men, were a veil and so on but she longs for freedom. Quasim has already had two wives before her and they warn her that he is vile and cruel. Bennua knows that if she marries him, she will be more restricted than before but she is ready to do so because an alliance with him would secure her country's welfare. Then attacks on his homeland start and Quasim is forced to leave before his wedding but promises to be back in a few months. In the meantime, The Raider Prince himself arrives at the sultan's house and demands and alliance to ensure the welfare of his kingdom. His kingdom is known to be full of murderers and criminals. And when he threatens Bennua's brother, she agrees to go with him to his homeland. And so their journey begins!
Bennua has to be one of my favorite princess characters! She's kind, sweet, stubborn, strong and would do anything for her country and her family. She reminds me of Katniss who took Prim's place in Hunger Games and let me tell you, agreeing to go with a total stranger said to be the devil himself to save her home is equally if not more heroic!
The Raider Prince is a young handsome man who as passionate as Bennua. He loves his city more than anything and it is not a place for criminals and murderers as Bennua was led to believe. It is a place of freedom, which had been burnt long ago, leaving ashes like a blanket on the ground. The people there are happy and free and Buenna starts to realize the truth that she has been hidden from all her life as she falls head over heels with the prince. Bennua starts to love the freedom she's got but she still feels like a prisoner. But is was Quasim's intention only to acquire a bride or was it more?
I absolutely loved this book! Buenna was a worthy princess and i loved her journey as she starts to trust the prince and appreciate him! This is definitely a favorite of mine-just splendid writing, great plot, action, romance, humor and everything else just comes together perfectly!! I just cannot get over the amazing setting of the desert and the kingdoms!! LOVED the ending. LOVED EVERYTHING!!!!!!!
This book has an Islamic background and gives an amazing insight on the Arabian culture!!
Bennua is a princess and is engaged to get married to Quasim, the most handsome and powerful. She abides by rules of her country-don't talk to men, were a veil and so on but she longs for freedom. Quasim has already had two wives before her and they warn her that he is vile and cruel. Bennua knows that if she marries him, she will be more restricted than before but she is ready to do so because an alliance with him would secure her country's welfare. Then attacks on his homeland start and Quasim is forced to leave before his wedding but promises to be back in a few months. In the meantime, The Raider Prince himself arrives at the sultan's house and demands and alliance to ensure the welfare of his kingdom. His kingdom is known to be full of murderers and criminals. And when he threatens Bennua's brother, she agrees to go with him to his homeland. And so their journey begins!
Bennua has to be one of my favorite princess characters! She's kind, sweet, stubborn, strong and would do anything for her country and her family. She reminds me of Katniss who took Prim's place in Hunger Games and let me tell you, agreeing to go with a total stranger said to be the devil himself to save her home is equally if not more heroic!
The Raider Prince is a young handsome man who as passionate as Bennua. He loves his city more than anything and it is not a place for criminals and murderers as Bennua was led to believe. It is a place of freedom, which had been burnt long ago, leaving ashes like a blanket on the ground. The people there are happy and free and Buenna starts to realize the truth that she has been hidden from all her life as she falls head over heels with the prince. Bennua starts to love the freedom she's got but she still feels like a prisoner. But is was Quasim's intention only to acquire a bride or was it more?
I absolutely loved this book! Buenna was a worthy princess and i loved her journey as she starts to trust the prince and appreciate him! This is definitely a favorite of mine-just splendid writing, great plot, action, romance, humor and everything else just comes together perfectly!! I just cannot get over the amazing setting of the desert and the kingdoms!! LOVED the ending. LOVED EVERYTHING!!!!!!!
May 26, 2017
A wonderfully empowering book! I had a hard time putting it down. The story follows Bennua a young princess who is to be married to a warlord. Her duty is to follow her husband and the law, being a submissive wife. All Bennua can crave is freedom. When the Raider Prince threatens her kingdom she gives up everything and become his prisoner to save her family. The more time she spends with him, the more she questions everything she's been told. In the end, Bennua is force to decide what she wants and what she's willing to sacrifice to gain it.
Bennua is one of the best female characters I have read in a long time. She was brave, independent, and courageous.
Zahid is a sexy dangerous and misunderstood man. I loved his character!
The story was enjoyable and entertaining to read. There were a lot of universal themes that ran throughout the story and there's something every reader can take away from it.
When I read, I found myself thinking of Prince of Persia. If you enjoyed that movie or anything like that then you will definitely love this!
Bennua is one of the best female characters I have read in a long time. She was brave, independent, and courageous.
Zahid is a sexy dangerous and misunderstood man. I loved his character!
The story was enjoyable and entertaining to read. There were a lot of universal themes that ran throughout the story and there's something every reader can take away from it.
When I read, I found myself thinking of Prince of Persia. If you enjoyed that movie or anything like that then you will definitely love this!
August 13, 2020
SPECTACULAR!! I LOVE THIS SOO INCREDEBLY MUCH!! I CAN'T CONTAIN MY FEELINGS!!! It made me sooo angry, emotional!! The cruelty and unfairness is crazy!! But ohb the romance... LOVE EVERYTHING!!
Princess Bennua she is locked up in her prison and longs to be free, she is kind (gives food to her poor, therefor a disgrace) but also brave, stubborn and determined as the stpry evolves. She is in an arranged marriage with a cruel vicious warlord Quasim, to be used as a plaything!! I WAS SOO ANGRY OMG I ABSOLUTELY HATE HIM!!! men in this story are UNBELIEVABLE!!!
-she is warned by one of his wives, she runs away on Ahmar but is followed by thieves!!
-3 thieves have come to Haya-Maa the kingdom to bargain: taking someone from the sultan's court to Ashana (the infamous dangerous/filthy slump) for an alliance, the sultan refuses and Beanna's brother attacls the thieves, but one of them is going to kill him amd Breanna jumps in and goes with them, she is sacrificing her freedom for her family and kingdom
-but the thief is non other than THE INFAMOUS FEARED RAIDER PRINCE HIMSELF!!!
-bennua dispises him (he tries to help her and tells she can escape but won'tsurvive without them) the other thieves are Toshana and Mirkh. They journey through the dessert to Ashana-oasis scene, heist: she dances for a cons and the guys streal their gold) they use the money to survive- she tries to escape but is attacked, Zahid (raider prince) saved her and fought 10 thugs ALONE!! But he is rull of remorse.
. Sumu: city in extreme poverty, breanna sees the truth of her kingdom for the first time... -dances for the sultan and the thieves raid the goldchambers, Zahid and bennua begin to reconcile and even bond, I LOVE THIER CHEMISTRY!!!
-orphanage is set on fire, Zahid gives ALL the gold to the children!!!! OMG THE FEELS!!! I LOVE HIM SOO MUCH MORE
-mirkh: he hates him for it, huge fight and keeps his distance (zahid tells Bennua later that his family was extremely poor and he became guard to provide for his family but the sultan never gave him much and his family was killed, Zahid found him, nursed him and he became like a father to Zahid!!!)
Bennua agrees to go on a horse race if Zahid Trains her (so she can defend herself and escape) she wins the race!!! She has earned the thieves trust!! He trains her and they bond together!! She joins the heists and becomes better and stronger
-the inn is SET ON FIRE!! Toshana who became her best friend, saved her and together they saved Zahid (who was unconscious due the smoke!!!
-arrive in Ashana, WORSE than she could imagine!! The whole city was burned to the ground, all that remains are ashes and ruins!!! Zaghid is haild as their savior and he gives ALL hiss money to his people and the thieves, he has nothing!!!
Zahid opens up: these people are poor but happy for they are free, women are treated as equals and he does everything to help them. he hates cruel vicious greedy sultan/people in power 'fat sultans while people starve' breanna thinks not all people are greedy for she was blinded by royalty. He himself was asked to lead his people and is in the same conditions!!
He is alone and an orphan, his mother was a prostitute and abused by many, he was helpless and lost AT AGE 7!! at 12 Quasim invaded their home and Zahid had mercy but Quarim KILLED HIS MOTHER!!!
'I can save everyone of my people but never her, that's why I have no hope' (doesn't believe in their god)
MY HEART OMG I CRIED FOR THIS BOY/MAN
-he knew about Quasim and his reputation for being a hideous man, he wanted to SAVE HER!!! (in the dessert and in the palace!!!) I HAVE NO WORDS!!
-they share a special moment AND KISS!!! they have fallen in love!!!
-zahid birthday: all people celebrate for him, Breanna carved a phoenix out of stone for him TO REMEMBER HER BY!!, his most precious gift ever!!! I LOVE THEM
-Breanna was ambushed by MAHSKI!! He is jealous and 'stole' Zahid from him, he tries to kill her!!! But Zahid came to her rescue and was forced to kill him!!
-they have an emotional scene: what do you want Brenna (she wants to go bacm to her family/ stay heree with Zahid who learned her qho the world works and gave her freedom) suddenly ASHANA IS UNDER ATTACK!! Quarim and his army IS KILLING THEIR PEOPLE!!! they have set everything on fire!! Breanna breaks the engangment but thats annact of war so Quarim goes after Haya-Maa (his goal all along) to kill the sultan!!
-breanna goes after him despite Zahid begging her to stay and help Ashana!! He sends toshana after her
-THE BATTLE IS MERCILESS!! SO MUCH DEATH!!! She saved her eldest sister and killed many men!!
-she finds her brother in the palace but almost immediately dies!!!
-her father is as good as dead too!! BOTH ARE SOO SAD SCRNES!!!
-HUGE FIGHT with Quarim, but she is losing and ZAHID BARGE IN!! HUGE DUAL, but Breanna tries to help and he is distracted by her, QUARIM ALMOST KILLED HIM!!!
They are helpless now and Breanna frees his own Cobra, who BItes him!!! One last attempt on her life fails and he dies!!! FINALLY!!! Remains of the Ashana army came with Zahid and the war was quickly won!!!
-EMOTIONAL SCENE ZAHID IS DYING!!! -toshana heals him just in time!!
-breanna goes to the council to propose herself as queen. And an alliance with Ashana!! An adviser refuses and is an ass, 'no woman can rule' head adviser: you must be married, Zahid as raider prince says SHE IS ENGAGED TO HIM!!!! The got the most votes and breanna IS GOING TO BE QUEEN!!! adviser tries to kill her, but she killed him instead!!!
Zahid loves Breanna and wants to marry her for real!!! They can finally be themselves and be together!!! I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!
-breanna asks Toshanna to be her head adviser but she wishes to stay in Ashana, her home!!
-Zahid and Bennua are now going to rebuild their kingdrom from the ashes!!!
Princess Bennua she is locked up in her prison and longs to be free, she is kind (gives food to her poor, therefor a disgrace) but also brave, stubborn and determined as the stpry evolves. She is in an arranged marriage with a cruel vicious warlord Quasim, to be used as a plaything!! I WAS SOO ANGRY OMG I ABSOLUTELY HATE HIM!!! men in this story are UNBELIEVABLE!!!
-she is warned by one of his wives, she runs away on Ahmar but is followed by thieves!!
-3 thieves have come to Haya-Maa the kingdom to bargain: taking someone from the sultan's court to Ashana (the infamous dangerous/filthy slump) for an alliance, the sultan refuses and Beanna's brother attacls the thieves, but one of them is going to kill him amd Breanna jumps in and goes with them, she is sacrificing her freedom for her family and kingdom
-but the thief is non other than THE INFAMOUS FEARED RAIDER PRINCE HIMSELF!!!
-bennua dispises him (he tries to help her and tells she can escape but won'tsurvive without them) the other thieves are Toshana and Mirkh. They journey through the dessert to Ashana-oasis scene, heist: she dances for a cons and the guys streal their gold) they use the money to survive- she tries to escape but is attacked, Zahid (raider prince) saved her and fought 10 thugs ALONE!! But he is rull of remorse.
. Sumu: city in extreme poverty, breanna sees the truth of her kingdom for the first time... -dances for the sultan and the thieves raid the goldchambers, Zahid and bennua begin to reconcile and even bond, I LOVE THIER CHEMISTRY!!!
-orphanage is set on fire, Zahid gives ALL the gold to the children!!!! OMG THE FEELS!!! I LOVE HIM SOO MUCH MORE
-mirkh: he hates him for it, huge fight and keeps his distance (zahid tells Bennua later that his family was extremely poor and he became guard to provide for his family but the sultan never gave him much and his family was killed, Zahid found him, nursed him and he became like a father to Zahid!!!)
Bennua agrees to go on a horse race if Zahid Trains her (so she can defend herself and escape) she wins the race!!! She has earned the thieves trust!! He trains her and they bond together!! She joins the heists and becomes better and stronger
-the inn is SET ON FIRE!! Toshana who became her best friend, saved her and together they saved Zahid (who was unconscious due the smoke!!!
-arrive in Ashana, WORSE than she could imagine!! The whole city was burned to the ground, all that remains are ashes and ruins!!! Zaghid is haild as their savior and he gives ALL hiss money to his people and the thieves, he has nothing!!!
Zahid opens up: these people are poor but happy for they are free, women are treated as equals and he does everything to help them. he hates cruel vicious greedy sultan/people in power 'fat sultans while people starve' breanna thinks not all people are greedy for she was blinded by royalty. He himself was asked to lead his people and is in the same conditions!!
He is alone and an orphan, his mother was a prostitute and abused by many, he was helpless and lost AT AGE 7!! at 12 Quasim invaded their home and Zahid had mercy but Quarim KILLED HIS MOTHER!!!
'I can save everyone of my people but never her, that's why I have no hope' (doesn't believe in their god)
MY HEART OMG I CRIED FOR THIS BOY/MAN
-he knew about Quasim and his reputation for being a hideous man, he wanted to SAVE HER!!! (in the dessert and in the palace!!!) I HAVE NO WORDS!!
-they share a special moment AND KISS!!! they have fallen in love!!!
-zahid birthday: all people celebrate for him, Breanna carved a phoenix out of stone for him TO REMEMBER HER BY!!, his most precious gift ever!!! I LOVE THEM
-Breanna was ambushed by MAHSKI!! He is jealous and 'stole' Zahid from him, he tries to kill her!!! But Zahid came to her rescue and was forced to kill him!!
-they have an emotional scene: what do you want Brenna (she wants to go bacm to her family/ stay heree with Zahid who learned her qho the world works and gave her freedom) suddenly ASHANA IS UNDER ATTACK!! Quarim and his army IS KILLING THEIR PEOPLE!!! they have set everything on fire!! Breanna breaks the engangment but thats annact of war so Quarim goes after Haya-Maa (his goal all along) to kill the sultan!!
-breanna goes after him despite Zahid begging her to stay and help Ashana!! He sends toshana after her
-THE BATTLE IS MERCILESS!! SO MUCH DEATH!!! She saved her eldest sister and killed many men!!
-she finds her brother in the palace but almost immediately dies!!!
-her father is as good as dead too!! BOTH ARE SOO SAD SCRNES!!!
-HUGE FIGHT with Quarim, but she is losing and ZAHID BARGE IN!! HUGE DUAL, but Breanna tries to help and he is distracted by her, QUARIM ALMOST KILLED HIM!!!
They are helpless now and Breanna frees his own Cobra, who BItes him!!! One last attempt on her life fails and he dies!!! FINALLY!!! Remains of the Ashana army came with Zahid and the war was quickly won!!!
-EMOTIONAL SCENE ZAHID IS DYING!!! -toshana heals him just in time!!
-breanna goes to the council to propose herself as queen. And an alliance with Ashana!! An adviser refuses and is an ass, 'no woman can rule' head adviser: you must be married, Zahid as raider prince says SHE IS ENGAGED TO HIM!!!! The got the most votes and breanna IS GOING TO BE QUEEN!!! adviser tries to kill her, but she killed him instead!!!
Zahid loves Breanna and wants to marry her for real!!! They can finally be themselves and be together!!! I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!
-breanna asks Toshanna to be her head adviser but she wishes to stay in Ashana, her home!!
-Zahid and Bennua are now going to rebuild their kingdrom from the ashes!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2025
amazing short read
January 19, 2016
I just want to start off by saying I received a free copy for an honest review. I almost turned this down and I’m so glad that I didn’t!
Princess Bennua is the youngest and kindest princess in her country… and the last one to be married off. As her father is terrible at creating marriages and alliances, marrying Princess Bennua off the powerful Quasim should have been a no-brainer. Except, Quasim isn’t anything like how he’s described to Princess Bennua. While he is handsome and powerful, he is also cruel and vile… deceitful… just plain evil! Quasim experiences a bit of a “dust up” in his country and must put the wedding on hold. In his absence, the king is visited by three “commoners” from Ashana, city of thieves… one of them being Zahid, the prince of thieves. They come with a proposition. Give us a princess so she can see we aren’t as bad as the world make us out to be… or we’ll overtake your city. (Hell of a proposition, right?!) Naturally, Princess Bennua did exactly as expected. She volunteered. She learns what it means to be her own person and to make up her own mind, in a culture where women are meant to be seen… not heard. But now she has a decision… now that she has had a taste of freedom, do you keep your freedom… or do what you think is right and find your way back to your family?
What is so awesome about this story is that while it takes place a fantasy land, it follows some Islamic cultural norms, such as some women wearing full hijab, women not being able to read or write as it was punishable by law. For me, that made the book that much better! The world building along with some Islamic culture was wonderful to read and definitely a breath of fresh air! Ms. Linski is a new author to me and I thoroughly enjoyed this story and I look forward to seeing where it goes from here.
Princess Bennua is the youngest and kindest princess in her country… and the last one to be married off. As her father is terrible at creating marriages and alliances, marrying Princess Bennua off the powerful Quasim should have been a no-brainer. Except, Quasim isn’t anything like how he’s described to Princess Bennua. While he is handsome and powerful, he is also cruel and vile… deceitful… just plain evil! Quasim experiences a bit of a “dust up” in his country and must put the wedding on hold. In his absence, the king is visited by three “commoners” from Ashana, city of thieves… one of them being Zahid, the prince of thieves. They come with a proposition. Give us a princess so she can see we aren’t as bad as the world make us out to be… or we’ll overtake your city. (Hell of a proposition, right?!) Naturally, Princess Bennua did exactly as expected. She volunteered. She learns what it means to be her own person and to make up her own mind, in a culture where women are meant to be seen… not heard. But now she has a decision… now that she has had a taste of freedom, do you keep your freedom… or do what you think is right and find your way back to your family?
What is so awesome about this story is that while it takes place a fantasy land, it follows some Islamic cultural norms, such as some women wearing full hijab, women not being able to read or write as it was punishable by law. For me, that made the book that much better! The world building along with some Islamic culture was wonderful to read and definitely a breath of fresh air! Ms. Linski is a new author to me and I thoroughly enjoyed this story and I look forward to seeing where it goes from here.
August 21, 2025
Actual Rating: 3.75☆
Kingdom of Ashes is a fairytale retelling that will bring you back to your childhood if you were an Aladdin fan.
This story follows Princess Bennua on her journey to freedom. Her father arranges her marriage to a vicious man. Before they can wed, the Raider Prince infiltrates their palace and threatens the life of the heir, Bennua's brother. Bennua voluntarily goes with the King of Thieves and his followers. Bennua transforms from princess to thief and must fight for her life on her journey to become her own person.
I listened to the audiobook edition of Kingdom From Ashes that I got from a Stuff Your Earbuds event.
It was a fun and entertaining book. The Aladdin vibes were strong for me at the beginning. I would have loved this as a teenager.
I respect Bennua's loyalty to her family, yet I didn't understand it. Her mother was awful, and her sisters were jealous. Her father seemed nice yet niave to the fact that he married all of his daughters off to horrible men. Honestly, I would have been more than happy to get out of that palace.
While I enjoyed this story, there was nothing that really stood out to me or any characters that I really loved.
adventure • aladdin • arabian • arranged marriage • drama • enemies to lovers • fairytale • forbidden romance • kidnapping • middle eastern • mythology • retelling • romantasy • slow burn • suspense
Kingdom of Ashes is a fairytale retelling that will bring you back to your childhood if you were an Aladdin fan.
This story follows Princess Bennua on her journey to freedom. Her father arranges her marriage to a vicious man. Before they can wed, the Raider Prince infiltrates their palace and threatens the life of the heir, Bennua's brother. Bennua voluntarily goes with the King of Thieves and his followers. Bennua transforms from princess to thief and must fight for her life on her journey to become her own person.
I listened to the audiobook edition of Kingdom From Ashes that I got from a Stuff Your Earbuds event.
It was a fun and entertaining book. The Aladdin vibes were strong for me at the beginning. I would have loved this as a teenager.
I respect Bennua's loyalty to her family, yet I didn't understand it. Her mother was awful, and her sisters were jealous. Her father seemed nice yet niave to the fact that he married all of his daughters off to horrible men. Honestly, I would have been more than happy to get out of that palace.
While I enjoyed this story, there was nothing that really stood out to me or any characters that I really loved.
adventure • aladdin • arabian • arranged marriage • drama • enemies to lovers • fairytale • forbidden romance • kidnapping • middle eastern • mythology • retelling • romantasy • slow burn • suspense
July 6, 2017
I've been wanting to do another fully juicy beefy review for awhile... I mean I was hoping I would actually LIKE the book but whatever I guess.
I should start by saying that I DNF'ed this book at exactly 28% (I calculated 'cause I'm THAT person.)
quick blurb this book is about a princess named Bennua who is supposed to getting married to this famous warlord named Quasim (btw this mans' already has 2 whole wives, don't ask me why he needs another.) anyway our special snowflake of a main character (Princess Bennua) does not wanna marry this man cause he seems kinda sketch to her. Anyway she's conveniently kidnapped by the 'evil' man/boy known as the Raider Prince... though in my opinion she wasn't 'kidnapped' per-say as she basically offered herself up. Anyway I didn't finish the novel so that's all I got up to but I predict (following a tried an true cliche ya romance guideline.) that the Raider Prince is actually a great guy. Obviously Princess Bennua and him fall in love the moment she realizes that he cares just as much for the people as she does... and that he values the worth in a woman!!! (which every other character in the book can't seem to see...) hmmm weird right *whispers* seems like the author was trying to force us to like her characters. shhhhhh.
Anyway the climax of this book will probably be Bennua getting 'saved' by Quasim and friends even though she likes where she is now. oh bonus prediction for the series I seeeee a fight in this series' future... between Quasim.... anddddd *puts hand on crystal ball* theee Raider Prince..... ohh but there's moooorrrreeee.... Quasim.... Quasim will diee!!!
shocked? me neither.
On another note I found that for a fantasy novel the language style presented in this novel does not follow the fantasy 'theme' I mean when I think fantasy vocab I imagine something like
"She glanced to the reflecting pool of water pondering the absence she felt in the place of her heart."
Maybe the above example is doing the most but you get the idea right? if not sophistication is the idea. duh!
The issue was this book used modern terms, and modern expressions in a fantasy world that 100% reminds me of 1001 nights or some other middle eastern beautiful sand dunes, and delicious dates kinda setting... in other words the modern language in the book DID NOT WORK!
Princess Bennua says to Quasim "...you want me to claw out your eyes"
So this example isn't the best, but trust me it's bad.
Anyway I don't know what kind princess would tell an assailant that they wanted to 'claw' their eyes out... 'castrate' MAybe but 'claw' issa no from me.
Also Linski was determined to make every single character other than a select 5 seem horrid, that way the respective 5 would bask us in the light of their utter SPEESHUIL-ness and we would have no choice but to love them... but I got you guys which is why I told y'all in advance.
____________________________________________________________
now it's time for... pull direct quotes from the book and bash it withhhhh Ruuuuueee!!!! A.K.A : PDQFTBABIWR!!! (it's a bit of a mouthful but we'll work on it.)
A guard says to Princess Bennua after watching her give food out to the poor
"Pardon my words, but it's not what princesses do, miss." our SPEESHUILL princess replies quote on quote.
"Yes, but it is what I do" I tell him softly. "So perhaps other princesses should."
-First stop acting like you invented charity find a LOng-term solution then act all high and mighty
-Second YOU. ARE. NOT. SPeciAl. I could name 102765 princess' that did that before you while also thinking of long term solutions ( my list starts and ends with Aelin Ashryver Galathynius)
-Third we GET.IT you are special and we should ALLL strive to be you (or... at the very least strive to breathe your air.)
-Fourth I'm not a princess but if I was I would choose the guillotine before making any part of myself physical or internal resemble you in ANy way.
____________________________________________________________
As if the Author couldn't force anymore of Princess Bennua's speSHul-ness down our throat Linski decides to add this.
(Bennua is talking about belly dancing with her sisters btw.)
"It was the one thing we could do all together without fighting...until I grew to be better than they."
-I can't spell 'special' any differently at this point smh.
-boo hoo you're better than your sisters at virtually everything... cry a river for us and... please DROWN in it.
-Are you guys sick of her shenanigans??? cause I. AM.
____________________________________________________________
This incest approving girl even says that she'd marry her half-brother instead of this Quasim guy.
"Even though we're brother and sister, I nearly wish father had chosen to marry me off to Bashur instead of some stranger."
-GiRLL that is incest. incest with a PERIOD.
-I wouldn't care if Bashur was your 12th cousin's uncle's dad's goat's shepherd... IN-to the FRICKIN-CEST
-Bennua's a whole new type of 'special' now ain't she.
-Did I mention INCESTTTTTT Bennua better change her name to BennuLa because I am handing her a WHOLE 'L'
____________________________________________________________
Kinda feel bad now 'cause this whole review is basically negative... but over-all for me its a 2.5 stars (I'm being generous.) but honestly the writing style was lacking, the characters were not developed, and the setting and dialogue were a little inconsistent... on the plus side the IDEA for the story was really engaging and nice! *awkward shrug*
/side note/ I occasionally reread books in the future and absolutely LOVE them so I will eat my words and delete this review if my position ever changes.
I should start by saying that I DNF'ed this book at exactly 28% (I calculated 'cause I'm THAT person.)
quick blurb this book is about a princess named Bennua who is supposed to getting married to this famous warlord named Quasim (btw this mans' already has 2 whole wives, don't ask me why he needs another.) anyway our special snowflake of a main character (Princess Bennua) does not wanna marry this man cause he seems kinda sketch to her. Anyway she's conveniently kidnapped by the 'evil' man/boy known as the Raider Prince... though in my opinion she wasn't 'kidnapped' per-say as she basically offered herself up. Anyway I didn't finish the novel so that's all I got up to but I predict (following a tried an true cliche ya romance guideline.) that the Raider Prince is actually a great guy. Obviously Princess Bennua and him fall in love the moment she realizes that he cares just as much for the people as she does... and that he values the worth in a woman!!! (which every other character in the book can't seem to see...) hmmm weird right *whispers* seems like the author was trying to force us to like her characters. shhhhhh.
Anyway the climax of this book will probably be Bennua getting 'saved' by Quasim and friends even though she likes where she is now. oh bonus prediction for the series I seeeee a fight in this series' future... between Quasim.... anddddd *puts hand on crystal ball* theee Raider Prince..... ohh but there's moooorrrreeee.... Quasim.... Quasim will diee!!!
shocked? me neither.
On another note I found that for a fantasy novel the language style presented in this novel does not follow the fantasy 'theme' I mean when I think fantasy vocab I imagine something like
"She glanced to the reflecting pool of water pondering the absence she felt in the place of her heart."
Maybe the above example is doing the most but you get the idea right? if not sophistication is the idea. duh!
The issue was this book used modern terms, and modern expressions in a fantasy world that 100% reminds me of 1001 nights or some other middle eastern beautiful sand dunes, and delicious dates kinda setting... in other words the modern language in the book DID NOT WORK!
Princess Bennua says to Quasim "...you want me to claw out your eyes"
So this example isn't the best, but trust me it's bad.
Anyway I don't know what kind princess would tell an assailant that they wanted to 'claw' their eyes out... 'castrate' MAybe but 'claw' issa no from me.
Also Linski was determined to make every single character other than a select 5 seem horrid, that way the respective 5 would bask us in the light of their utter SPEESHUIL-ness and we would have no choice but to love them... but I got you guys which is why I told y'all in advance.
____________________________________________________________
now it's time for... pull direct quotes from the book and bash it withhhhh Ruuuuueee!!!! A.K.A : PDQFTBABIWR!!! (it's a bit of a mouthful but we'll work on it.)
A guard says to Princess Bennua after watching her give food out to the poor
"Pardon my words, but it's not what princesses do, miss." our SPEESHUILL princess replies quote on quote.
"Yes, but it is what I do" I tell him softly. "So perhaps other princesses should."
-First stop acting like you invented charity find a LOng-term solution then act all high and mighty
-Second YOU. ARE. NOT. SPeciAl. I could name 102765 princess' that did that before you while also thinking of long term solutions ( my list starts and ends with Aelin Ashryver Galathynius)
-Third we GET.IT you are special and we should ALLL strive to be you (or... at the very least strive to breathe your air.)
-Fourth I'm not a princess but if I was I would choose the guillotine before making any part of myself physical or internal resemble you in ANy way.
____________________________________________________________
As if the Author couldn't force anymore of Princess Bennua's speSHul-ness down our throat Linski decides to add this.
(Bennua is talking about belly dancing with her sisters btw.)
"It was the one thing we could do all together without fighting...until I grew to be better than they."
-I can't spell 'special' any differently at this point smh.
-boo hoo you're better than your sisters at virtually everything... cry a river for us and... please DROWN in it.
-Are you guys sick of her shenanigans??? cause I. AM.
____________________________________________________________
This incest approving girl even says that she'd marry her half-brother instead of this Quasim guy.
"Even though we're brother and sister, I nearly wish father had chosen to marry me off to Bashur instead of some stranger."
-GiRLL that is incest. incest with a PERIOD.
-I wouldn't care if Bashur was your 12th cousin's uncle's dad's goat's shepherd... IN-to the FRICKIN-CEST
-Bennua's a whole new type of 'special' now ain't she.
-Did I mention INCESTTTTTT Bennua better change her name to BennuLa because I am handing her a WHOLE 'L'
____________________________________________________________
Kinda feel bad now 'cause this whole review is basically negative... but over-all for me its a 2.5 stars (I'm being generous.) but honestly the writing style was lacking, the characters were not developed, and the setting and dialogue were a little inconsistent... on the plus side the IDEA for the story was really engaging and nice! *awkward shrug*
/side note/ I occasionally reread books in the future and absolutely LOVE them so I will eat my words and delete this review if my position ever changes.
May 23, 2018
May be some spoilers so read with caution.
Kingdom from Ashes is more of a pre-story like novel. Bennua is a princess, the youngest, and is about to be married to Quasim, a horrible and cruel man who mistreats everyone. The night before the wedding, she takes her horse for a ride and runs into some of the Raider Prince’s men, but manages to escape. The next morning she awakes to find that the Prince’s men are in the palace court with her father, demanding to take her with them and threaten to kill her brother. Being the self-sacrificing person that she is, Bennua goes.
Then her adventure begins with her being held captive, though it’s revealed later that she isn’t really a captive, where she learns about her captor’s ways and struggles. Before she knows it, she is helping them steal money by dancing in the streets and becoming one of them. After a while, she is taken to Ashana, the home of the Raider Prince, and learns about his way of life and his people. A relationship builds between them and he teachers her how to fight and before she knows it, Bennua is switching her loyalties.
The book is an easy read and keeps your interest. You embark on an adventure with Bennua as she struggles between what she wants and what is expected of her in a world where women are just property. There are a few things that I found difficult to grapple with.
1. The time line gets a little lost. The story reads as though it takes place in a matter of weeks, but feels like it should take place of over the course of a few months to a year.
2. Zahid’s motives for kidnapping Bennua rank along the lines of BS. I get that he is not the evil person everyone paints him as and that was fine, but he says he kidnaps Bennua because when he heard that the youngest princess was to be married to Quasim, he could not allow her to be condemned to such a horrible life. His reasoning is too altruistic and not believable. Now wanting to form an alliance with her father was more believable, but seemed to be more of a secondary reason behind his actions.
3. Mirkh trying to kill Bennua. That just seemed to come out of the blue. Yes, throughout the story he had been antagonistic towards her, but there was no indication that he wanted her dead. It just seemed to come from nowhere.
Overall, this is a decent read and a good one. It keeps your interest and you can watch as Bennua comes into her own in a world that is hostile towards women.
Kingdom from Ashes is more of a pre-story like novel. Bennua is a princess, the youngest, and is about to be married to Quasim, a horrible and cruel man who mistreats everyone. The night before the wedding, she takes her horse for a ride and runs into some of the Raider Prince’s men, but manages to escape. The next morning she awakes to find that the Prince’s men are in the palace court with her father, demanding to take her with them and threaten to kill her brother. Being the self-sacrificing person that she is, Bennua goes.
Then her adventure begins with her being held captive, though it’s revealed later that she isn’t really a captive, where she learns about her captor’s ways and struggles. Before she knows it, she is helping them steal money by dancing in the streets and becoming one of them. After a while, she is taken to Ashana, the home of the Raider Prince, and learns about his way of life and his people. A relationship builds between them and he teachers her how to fight and before she knows it, Bennua is switching her loyalties.
The book is an easy read and keeps your interest. You embark on an adventure with Bennua as she struggles between what she wants and what is expected of her in a world where women are just property. There are a few things that I found difficult to grapple with.
1. The time line gets a little lost. The story reads as though it takes place in a matter of weeks, but feels like it should take place of over the course of a few months to a year.
2. Zahid’s motives for kidnapping Bennua rank along the lines of BS. I get that he is not the evil person everyone paints him as and that was fine, but he says he kidnaps Bennua because when he heard that the youngest princess was to be married to Quasim, he could not allow her to be condemned to such a horrible life. His reasoning is too altruistic and not believable. Now wanting to form an alliance with her father was more believable, but seemed to be more of a secondary reason behind his actions.
3. Mirkh trying to kill Bennua. That just seemed to come out of the blue. Yes, throughout the story he had been antagonistic towards her, but there was no indication that he wanted her dead. It just seemed to come from nowhere.
Overall, this is a decent read and a good one. It keeps your interest and you can watch as Bennua comes into her own in a world that is hostile towards women.
December 18, 2019
Kingdom from Ashes by Megan Linski I received a complimentary Kindle copy of Kingdom from Ashes by Megan Linski, published by Gryfyn Publishing as an Advanced Reading Copy in exchange for a fair review.
I gave this book four stars.
Bennua is being fitted with her wedding dress when her eldest sister Pottina is critical of her future groom not being pleased with her. “He will be, for you better not shame us, Bennua,”
Mother warns. “Quasim is the greatest prince in all of Sahrahn. He’s the finest husband your father could ever find.”
She has not yet met her future husband. Her name means Phoenix in the ancient language.
"Hurt animals of all kinds were all attracted to me like I was their queen, and I had saved each one. Pottina said I had a bad habit of feeling sorry for whatever lost cause came through the palace door, and that it was going to get me in trouble someday. I told her it was better to have a giving heart than no heart at all, and she said nothing." It sounds like Pottina is a bitter, jealous sister.
Bennua has a kind heart and helps the beggars and children. She also is willing to do what is necessary for her country.
She bargains with Zahid, the Raider Prince to save her brother's life. He attempts to earn her trust by allowing her to keep her horse Ahmar which had been a gift from Quasim. She also realizes that she must earn their trust if she has any hope of learning skills to survive and return home again.
She uses her dancing skills to entertain while the Raider Prince and his associates rob the audience. She had learned certain dance moves that were insulting and used them to be rude to the Sultan, Abbas.
Zahid's city is Ashana and described like this: "Ashana is a city for the weary and the broken. Everyone here has been thrown away by their family or friends for things they either didn’t do or did do and now regret. The rest of us have been outcasted simply because of who we are. We are the freaks of society, the degenerates. The ones that can never be understood because we are different from those who are supposedly normal."
Link to purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Ashes-M...
I gave this book four stars.
Bennua is being fitted with her wedding dress when her eldest sister Pottina is critical of her future groom not being pleased with her. “He will be, for you better not shame us, Bennua,”
Mother warns. “Quasim is the greatest prince in all of Sahrahn. He’s the finest husband your father could ever find.”
She has not yet met her future husband. Her name means Phoenix in the ancient language.
"Hurt animals of all kinds were all attracted to me like I was their queen, and I had saved each one. Pottina said I had a bad habit of feeling sorry for whatever lost cause came through the palace door, and that it was going to get me in trouble someday. I told her it was better to have a giving heart than no heart at all, and she said nothing." It sounds like Pottina is a bitter, jealous sister.
Bennua has a kind heart and helps the beggars and children. She also is willing to do what is necessary for her country.
She bargains with Zahid, the Raider Prince to save her brother's life. He attempts to earn her trust by allowing her to keep her horse Ahmar which had been a gift from Quasim. She also realizes that she must earn their trust if she has any hope of learning skills to survive and return home again.
She uses her dancing skills to entertain while the Raider Prince and his associates rob the audience. She had learned certain dance moves that were insulting and used them to be rude to the Sultan, Abbas.
Zahid's city is Ashana and described like this: "Ashana is a city for the weary and the broken. Everyone here has been thrown away by their family or friends for things they either didn’t do or did do and now regret. The rest of us have been outcasted simply because of who we are. We are the freaks of society, the degenerates. The ones that can never be understood because we are different from those who are supposedly normal."
Link to purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Ashes-M...
December 18, 2019
I received a complimentary Kindle copy of Kingdom from Ashes by Megan Linski, published by Gryfyn Publishing as an Advanced Reading Copy in exchange for a fair review.
I gave this book four stars.
Bennua is being fitted with her wedding dress when her eldest sister Pottina is critical of her future groom not being pleased with her. “He will be, for you better not shame us, Bennua,”
Mother warns. “Quasim is the greatest prince in all of Sahrahn. He’s the finest husband your father could ever find.”
She has not yet met her future husband. Her name means Phoenix in the ancient language.
"Hurt animals of all kinds were all attracted to me like I was their queen, and I had saved each one. Pottina said I had a bad habit of feeling sorry for whatever lost cause came through the palace door, and that it was going to get me in trouble someday. I told her it was better to have a giving heart than no heart at all, and she said nothing." It sounds like Pottina is a bitter, jealous sister.
Bennua has a kind heart and helps the beggars and children. She also is willing to do what is necessary for her country.
She bargains with Zahid, the Raider Prince to save her brother's life. He attempts to earn her trust by allowing her to keep her horse Ahmar which had been a gift from Quasim. She also realizes that she must earn their trust if she has any hope of learning skills to survive and return home again.
She uses her dancing skills to entertain while the Raider Prince and his associates rob the audience. She had learned certain dance moves that were insulting and used them to be rude to the Sultan, Abbas.
Zahid's city is Ashana and described like this: "Ashana is a city for the weary and the broken. Everyone here has been thrown away by their family or friends for things they either didn’t do or did do and now regret. The rest of us have been outcasted simply because of who we are. We are the freaks of society, the degenerates. The ones that can never be understood because we are different from those who are supposedly normal."
Link to purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Ashes-M...
I gave this book four stars.
Bennua is being fitted with her wedding dress when her eldest sister Pottina is critical of her future groom not being pleased with her. “He will be, for you better not shame us, Bennua,”
Mother warns. “Quasim is the greatest prince in all of Sahrahn. He’s the finest husband your father could ever find.”
She has not yet met her future husband. Her name means Phoenix in the ancient language.
"Hurt animals of all kinds were all attracted to me like I was their queen, and I had saved each one. Pottina said I had a bad habit of feeling sorry for whatever lost cause came through the palace door, and that it was going to get me in trouble someday. I told her it was better to have a giving heart than no heart at all, and she said nothing." It sounds like Pottina is a bitter, jealous sister.
Bennua has a kind heart and helps the beggars and children. She also is willing to do what is necessary for her country.
She bargains with Zahid, the Raider Prince to save her brother's life. He attempts to earn her trust by allowing her to keep her horse Ahmar which had been a gift from Quasim. She also realizes that she must earn their trust if she has any hope of learning skills to survive and return home again.
She uses her dancing skills to entertain while the Raider Prince and his associates rob the audience. She had learned certain dance moves that were insulting and used them to be rude to the Sultan, Abbas.
Zahid's city is Ashana and described like this: "Ashana is a city for the weary and the broken. Everyone here has been thrown away by their family or friends for things they either didn’t do or did do and now regret. The rest of us have been outcasted simply because of who we are. We are the freaks of society, the degenerates. The ones that can never be understood because we are different from those who are supposedly normal."
Link to purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Ashes-M...
May 4, 2025
Look... Something with the vibes of the 1001 Arabian Nights is obviously going to draw me in, not to mention the promise of enemies to lovers.
However I cannot walk past just how much this book didn't make sense or turned out to be a letdown in many aspects. To name a few examples:
- Surely in a royal family there would be at least SOME difference between how the members of this large family treat Bennua, even if those differences are small. The way everyone is just plain malicious towards them and yet she puts up with all that and still tries to save them without so much as thinking of any conflicting feelings is just... um, no.
- How the hell was a snake that the villain raised from its hatching moment supposed to know that this time when it encounters a woman (and remember that this guy reguarly uses it to murder people) that opens the bag, it has a chance for freedom? How??????
- What sort of system to pass the throne down would narrow the circle down to "unmarried but also engaged"? It's perfect for her situation and for Zahid to step up with a conveniently placed "oh but she's actually married - to me" but feels like a mere tool to make this scene happen and not something that could logically ever exist.
- The last scene with Toshana (mostly what remains of her) feels less like a scene that just didn't have enough time to make an impact rather than an interesting mystery to be solved in the next book.
(- This is an audiobook thing only, but were the wild switches in accent between the narration and the characters really necessary? It didn't really differentiate characters from each other so it felt confusing rather than helpful.)
Yes, it was nice to see these two people from different backgrounds find ways to connect, especially over shared values. Yes, Toshana was likable. But this book could have been so much better with some logic and better thought out relationships within the royal family.
However I cannot walk past just how much this book didn't make sense or turned out to be a letdown in many aspects. To name a few examples:
- Surely in a royal family there would be at least SOME difference between how the members of this large family treat Bennua, even if those differences are small. The way everyone is just plain malicious towards them and yet she puts up with all that and still tries to save them without so much as thinking of any conflicting feelings is just... um, no.
- How the hell was a snake that the villain raised from its hatching moment supposed to know that this time when it encounters a woman (and remember that this guy reguarly uses it to murder people) that opens the bag, it has a chance for freedom? How??????
- What sort of system to pass the throne down would narrow the circle down to "unmarried but also engaged"? It's perfect for her situation and for Zahid to step up with a conveniently placed "oh but she's actually married - to me" but feels like a mere tool to make this scene happen and not something that could logically ever exist.
- The last scene with Toshana (mostly what remains of her) feels less like a scene that just didn't have enough time to make an impact rather than an interesting mystery to be solved in the next book.
(- This is an audiobook thing only, but were the wild switches in accent between the narration and the characters really necessary? It didn't really differentiate characters from each other so it felt confusing rather than helpful.)
Yes, it was nice to see these two people from different backgrounds find ways to connect, especially over shared values. Yes, Toshana was likable. But this book could have been so much better with some logic and better thought out relationships within the royal family.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2023
She is called Princess Bennua. She is the youngest of seven sisters but cannot seem to fit in. She wishes for more than the men in her life allow. And to top it all, her father arranged her marriage to a cruel man. Then the Prince of Thieves demanded a hostage or face destruction, and to her surprise, she offered herself. This left her father with nothing to do but agree. After that, she went from city to city with the Prince of Thieves, stealing what they could, when they could, and where they could. She saw how the common people suffered under each ruler of each city. She saw her captor, the prince, give his ill-gotten-booty away to his citizens, how his citizens lived, and how happy they were under his rule.
Oh, this adaptation of an Aladdin fairy tale has little to do with the original story, at least from my memory. Then again, I could be wrong. I guess I’ll have to reread Aladdin’s fairy tales sometime. I say this because of the girl-power part of the story. Then, the effort of some men of power in the story to keep women down under their thumb. This version seems to highlight current events, but these issues have gone on for centuries. It seems to bring these issues to the forefront in this telling. Once again, this is based on my memory.
No matter if I remember the Disney version right or wrong, I liked this fantasy land and, thus, enjoyed this story. I give it five stars out of five stars.
Oh, this adaptation of an Aladdin fairy tale has little to do with the original story, at least from my memory. Then again, I could be wrong. I guess I’ll have to reread Aladdin’s fairy tales sometime. I say this because of the girl-power part of the story. Then, the effort of some men of power in the story to keep women down under their thumb. This version seems to highlight current events, but these issues have gone on for centuries. It seems to bring these issues to the forefront in this telling. Once again, this is based on my memory.
No matter if I remember the Disney version right or wrong, I liked this fantasy land and, thus, enjoyed this story. I give it five stars out of five stars.
July 11, 2017
This was a great book! I love that if you wanted to, you could end it with this book. Because of this I'm not quite sure what to make of the next two...I'm very excited to find out though! Definitely recommend this book! It was a nice easy going read with just enough action and a bit of romance.
June 20, 2025
2.5 rounded to 3
The concept was promising, but execution was just fine. There were quite a few plot elements that I had trouble buying. The setting was it's strongest point.
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Nadia Marshall. She did a great job, truly acting out the lines. Her accents were spot on.
The concept was promising, but execution was just fine. There were quite a few plot elements that I had trouble buying. The setting was it's strongest point.
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Nadia Marshall. She did a great job, truly acting out the lines. Her accents were spot on.
May 1, 2022
clean and entertaining
Meet Bennua, the youngest daughter that has been put down by her family for years. She learns to think for herself and find freedom with help from new friends. Book is clean; no foul language or sex.
Meet Bennua, the youngest daughter that has been put down by her family for years. She learns to think for herself and find freedom with help from new friends. Book is clean; no foul language or sex.
May 3, 2022
Really fun retelling
This book was different than what I expected for a retelling of Aladdin, but it was great! I did have issue with the main character at times because there were some disconnects between her actions, reactions, and thoughts.
This book was different than what I expected for a retelling of Aladdin, but it was great! I did have issue with the main character at times because there were some disconnects between her actions, reactions, and thoughts.
April 22, 2024
Kingdom From Ashes (The !Kingdom Saga Book 1)
Fantastic book A real page turner of none stop action. Characters all blended and worked together. The need to find out what next kept you turning pages late in the night. Would highly recommend reading you won't be disappointed
Fantastic book A real page turner of none stop action. Characters all blended and worked together. The need to find out what next kept you turning pages late in the night. Would highly recommend reading you won't be disappointed
June 27, 2017
Not bad at all. A good little tale of coming of age, in a sort of Arabian Nights environment.
June 7, 2019
This book is so beautiful. I loved it so much. I don’t understand how this saga is not more known.
Want to read
December 12, 2019🎁 FREE on Amazon today (12/12/2019)! 🎁
January 15, 2020
Kingdom from Ashes
This is not a Christian romance novel but one of some unknown god. Even some of them question their god's validity.
This is not a Christian romance novel but one of some unknown god. Even some of them question their god's validity.
August 29, 2021
Love this book! I find it a really interesting read and always enjoyable!
December 6, 2024
This was a quick read. Entertaining but not the best book I have listened to and I will not finish the series
February 24, 2025
I listened to the audio version of this book and the narrator was fantastic. I'm going to search my local library data base for the rest and hope they are available!
March 20, 2025
Amazing read! Loved it so much. Looking forward to reading book 2.
February 9, 2022
A good, entertaining read!
January 6, 2016
Bennua was to married to Prince Quasim, who was a bad man. The Raiding Prince well he was no so good but not in a bad way. He was only trying to do right by his people.
So when he and his 2 rebels came to palace demanding someone come with them or else. Bennua jumped and said take me.
She cursed and yelled until Mirkh wanted to gag her. Toshana was happy to have her alone. The Prince well he was up to something. Bennua kept trying to run off, but she always got caught by the Prince. Then she had to start earning her way. she learned alot. she found out that they only took from thieves and other people that deserved it. a few times they made people mad and they had to leave town fast.
Bennua was having the Prince teach her how to fight and read a map. this way when she was ready she could escape.
Then they got to his home, it was in ruins. he told her the story of how it got that way, and she couldn't believe it. The Prince and her was getting closer, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to leave anymore.
Then the night of his birthday party everything went from right to wrong. From. the Prince telling Bennua he loved her, to Prince Quasim raiding them, añd her telling him that she killed the raiding Prince and this was her place now. She saved them. Now he was going after her father. and she has to warn him. she didn't want to leave her Prince but she had to go warn her family. Bennua is broken hearted. she gets a big surprise when Toshana shows up, and says that Prince Zahid sent her to be with her
When they got there it was to late Prince Quasim añd his team had already got into the gates.
she found some of her sisters and they told her that he has all of their husbands killed. They couldn't win their was a whole army and not enough of them. Bennua kept fighting for her family and for what Quasim did to Zahid mom when he was little. Then she found her father and he wasn't going to make it. Then Prince Quasim showed up and tried to get her but she was faster. He was surprised that she was as good as she was. When she gets to help Zahid, she ends up distracting him instead and he gets stabbed by Quasim. and Quasim knows he has won. but then he doesn't know Bennua very well. She took his cobra out of the bag and used it against him, and he didn't think it would work. Now she has to save Zahid, but he didn't want her to leave him.he said that he would rather die with her with him. then be by himself while she goes off looking for a healer.
well Toshana shows up and fixes him up. The people of Ashana all came to fight for her to save her, she was a part of them now.
She had to make a Decision and to tell everyone who these two people was and she didn't think that they would like it. when they walked into the council meeting things didn't go as smooth but she made her point. she only had to kill one man and no one seemed to care. Then Zahid announced that they was getting married and that made it so no one could really object to them ruling.This is just a start. I am sure I will read book 2 because I want to know what they get themselves into
So when he and his 2 rebels came to palace demanding someone come with them or else. Bennua jumped and said take me.
She cursed and yelled until Mirkh wanted to gag her. Toshana was happy to have her alone. The Prince well he was up to something. Bennua kept trying to run off, but she always got caught by the Prince. Then she had to start earning her way. she learned alot. she found out that they only took from thieves and other people that deserved it. a few times they made people mad and they had to leave town fast.
Bennua was having the Prince teach her how to fight and read a map. this way when she was ready she could escape.
Then they got to his home, it was in ruins. he told her the story of how it got that way, and she couldn't believe it. The Prince and her was getting closer, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to leave anymore.
Then the night of his birthday party everything went from right to wrong. From. the Prince telling Bennua he loved her, to Prince Quasim raiding them, añd her telling him that she killed the raiding Prince and this was her place now. She saved them. Now he was going after her father. and she has to warn him. she didn't want to leave her Prince but she had to go warn her family. Bennua is broken hearted. she gets a big surprise when Toshana shows up, and says that Prince Zahid sent her to be with her
When they got there it was to late Prince Quasim añd his team had already got into the gates.
she found some of her sisters and they told her that he has all of their husbands killed. They couldn't win their was a whole army and not enough of them. Bennua kept fighting for her family and for what Quasim did to Zahid mom when he was little. Then she found her father and he wasn't going to make it. Then Prince Quasim showed up and tried to get her but she was faster. He was surprised that she was as good as she was. When she gets to help Zahid, she ends up distracting him instead and he gets stabbed by Quasim. and Quasim knows he has won. but then he doesn't know Bennua very well. She took his cobra out of the bag and used it against him, and he didn't think it would work. Now she has to save Zahid, but he didn't want her to leave him.he said that he would rather die with her with him. then be by himself while she goes off looking for a healer.
well Toshana shows up and fixes him up. The people of Ashana all came to fight for her to save her, she was a part of them now.
She had to make a Decision and to tell everyone who these two people was and she didn't think that they would like it. when they walked into the council meeting things didn't go as smooth but she made her point. she only had to kill one man and no one seemed to care. Then Zahid announced that they was getting married and that made it so no one could really object to them ruling.This is just a start. I am sure I will read book 2 because I want to know what they get themselves into
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