Valued

by Maria Blackmore

In a magical land where your worth is dictated by the rings on your fingers, Jemmah hopes for nine of them – to protect Rakai from the Empire and be admired by all. Yet, on her fifteenth birthday, the gift she secretly wishes for is a simple one: for her sisters to be kind to her. Kind, like she is.

But the only gift her sisters give her that day is a choice. A choice that changes her.

Two years later, Jemmah is no longer kind. She no longer cares about her sisters or Rakai or the Empire. She certainly doesn’t care for the pathetic rebellion. Kindness is for fools and Jemmah will do anything to survive. Society doesn’t value her, so she decides to value only the wealth she can claw into her grasp – the cold hard shiny kind. Or, better yet, the rings that should have been hers.

Just when Jemmah is formulating a plan to return her lost magic, a roguish rebel swoops in and sweeps her, literally, off her feet. Thorn is as annoying as he is powerful, and he flaunts his nine rings while taking her further from getting hers back.

Jemmah is determined to escape Thorn, but she cannot deny he is making her question what she believes …

What is her true worth? Where does power really lie? And what does she truly value?

Valued is a standalone YA romantasy.

Kindle Edition

Expected publication August 19, 2026

Reviews

[Charlotte Nolte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Valued is a fantastic read! It captured every one of my emotions; love, hope, fear, anger, sadness, pain, and joy. Jemmah's story is set in a wonderfully crafted world filled with magic and well rounded characters. Jemmah and Thorn are both beautifully and realistically flawed characters who make you root for them from begining to end. The magic and caste system created for this book are unique and well done, they make sense and are easy to understand while still being wonderfully intricate.

Following Jemmah as she grows and learns to understand that the world and life you know aren't always the best or the right way of life was an emotional rollercoaster that I couldn't put down. I sincerely hope that this doesn't stay as a stand alone boom and that we get a chance to return to her new world and see what it has to offer!

I highly recommend this book to everyone, but especially to readers who love a good YA fantasy romance with a happy ending.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Elesha Kilgore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Valued is full of compelling characters and difficult family and societal expectations. It was a joy to read and drew me in from the beginning. It has a well thought out class system of magic and power dynamics. I enjoyed seeing Jemmah’s growth through the story as she came to terms with what brings someone value and grew to accept past choices she made. She was challenged to become more than she ever thought possible and was able to find more than she expected. I received an advanced review copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily. After reading this work I look forward to seeing what this author comes out with next.

[Entisar Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Valued was such a fun surprise, and I ended up flying through it! From the very first chapter, I was pulled into Jemmah's world, and I loved watching her journey as she challenged everything she'd been taught about power, privilege, and what truly gives someone value.
The world-building was one of my favourite parts. The magic and caste system felt unique, well thought out, and easy to follow without ever feeling overwhelming. I also really enjoyed the family dynamics, which added a lot of heart to the story.
Jemmah and Thorn were a joy to read. They're both wonderfully flawed characters, and their banter, chemistry, and habit of getting under each other's skin made me smile more than once. I found myself rooting for them the whole way through.
The story kept a great pace, and although I would have happily spent even more time in this world, I finished feeling really satisfied. If you're looking for a YA fantasy with strong character growth, romance, and an original magic system, I'd definitely recommend picking this one up!
Thank you to the publisher as I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Brandi Conico · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Things will never be perfect, but if we keep trying to make things better for as many as possible... Then hopefully we'll leave the world better than we found it. And that's good enough."

I enjoyed this book a lot. The pace kind of ebbed and flowed, but for the most part I was engaged and eager to see what happened next. There are a lot of characters, so at times it's hard to keep some things straight, but overall. Great book.

There were some lingering plotlines, but I feel like the book ended where it should end and those thing may appropriately be lingering out there.

If you love a spirited underdog story, or a bulldog heart in a Pomeranian body- this story is for you. The moral being that everyone can make a difference if they embrace their own gifts.

I appreciate the opportunity to read this ARC copy and look forward to more titles by this author.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Valued draws you into a dangerous world of life changing sorcery. The pace of the story held me in its grip throughout. While the true worth of privilege, power, rank and rebellion are all questioned. I loved the relationship between Jemmah and Thorn who annoy eachother in equal measure. Made me smile.

[Preena colada · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a great read for sure I’m usually very picky when it comes to fantasy books and I mostly read duel pov so it really was a different experience reading this book for me personally , I loved the family dynamics I loved the mfc & mmc , the storyline was good 👍🏻 literally no complaints from this reader.