The Stone of Essence

Kingdoms of Talia #1

by Maya Unadkat

A princess who vowed never to love. A bodyguard who would stop at nothing to keep her safe. And a letter that would change everything.

Princess Chhaya has been told it is time for her to marry. To make matters worse, her father has assigned a bodyguard to protect her from the Blood Magicians that have been leaving destruction across the Kingdom.

Chhaya proposes a deal to her father—she will host eligible suitors at the palace and give each one a fair chance to win her hand. But her decision will be final.

As Chhaya welcomes the bachelors and enjoys the lavish picnics, intimate promenades and beautiful balls, she finds her patience tested by the constant presence of her bodyguard, Favian, who seems to take his job far too seriously.

In an effort to escape his watchful eye, Chhaya begins writing anonymous love letters to Favian, pretending to be a secret admirer.

But as the letters become more intense and the Blood Magicians draw closer to the kingdom, Chhaya finds herself caught in a dangerous love triangle between her duty as a princess and her growing feelings for Favian.

With the fate of the kingdom at stake, Chhaya must make a decision that could determine her happily ever after.

From the author of Asyra's Call and Drako's Fire comes The Stone of Essence, the first clean standalone fantasy romance novel in The Kingdoms of Talia!

Genres: Fantasy

291 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 21, 2023

About the author

Maya Unadkat is a multi-genre UK-based author of young adult fantasy and romance novels. She is also an avid reader of many different genres. Her favourites include Fantasy, Romance and Psychological Thrillers.

When she was sixteen, she discovered her love and passion for writing in her English classes and began working on her first book at age eighteen when she was recovering from surgery to remove her appendix. She hasn’t stopped writing since.

She is obsessed with Christmas Rom-com films (especially Hallmark), chocolate, coffee and Jane Austen.

Reviews

[Navneet · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the author reached out to me with this book saying it was inspired by the bollywood movie, Bodyguard, I knew I was gonna love it already. If you’ve seen the movie, you’ll definitely have scenes from the movie running through your head as you read the book.

This book for me, had a great balance of fantasy and romance. As someone who’s been in a fantasy slump for a while this book was a good pull back towards it. The storyline was kinda cool, reminded me a little of Brahmastra ngl (another bollywood movie). So if you liked Bodyguard, Brahmastra or the book Twisted Love, you should definitely give this a shot.

The book was binge worthy, because it’s really easy to get pulled into the world and it’s an easy read. The plot twist also damnnnn. I’ll definitely be looking forward to the next book.

Also, you’ll love Favian. Who wouldn’t love a dude who tells them they remind him of the moon?? I’ll cry?? God when??

Tropes:
-Forced Proximity
-Princess x Bodyguard
-Grumpy x Sunshine

[Mariyah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the author for sending me a copy of this book!! It was kinda addicting to read icl, just spent the whole train ride reading the rest of this even though I had a migraine (the things I do for books😌🫶🏽)

This book genuinely is for all the Bollywood fans & the fantasy girlies that grew up singing ‘I love you’ bc bodyguard (a Bollywood movie) was one of their guilty pleasures🤪🤪

The book was really easy to get into and it actually got me out of my little reading slump, especially since a lot of the fantasy books I’ve been reading were slow and this was quite fast paced. Really enjoyed this though!! Fully imagined the bodyguard as Aditya Roy Kapoor😭😭 Also can we talk about that plot twist?!?!?!

I feel like it could’ve been a bit longer as a book & the plot kinda had the potential to be a trilogy! That would be really cool & they could’ve made the bodyguard and the princess would probably have to fight for each other but it was still really cute🙈🙈

All my Desi girlies need to give the book a go!! Especially if you love being called after the moon 🤪🤪🤪

Tropes in this book:
- Grumpy x Sunshine
- Bodyguard x Princess
- Forced proximity

[bailee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have so many thoughts about this book. All I can truly say is WOW. I have never read anything like this before. Chhaya and Favian’s interactions are something I didn’t know I needed until I read this book. Maya Unadkat does a phenomenal job with keeping you on your toes as well as hooked throughout the book. I would 100% recommend, and I cannot wait for the next book in this series!

[Naomi Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A unique, easy to read romantasy with a character driven plot (and a few twists along the way to keep you on your toes!) There was good character development between Chhaya (who has to get used to her annoying bodyguard) and Favian (who needs to loosen up.)

Perfect for fans of:
Opposites Attract (Outgoing x Shy Boy)
Forced Proximity
Desi Princess x Bodyguard

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a digital advanced reader copy of this book from the author for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Stone of Essence is a lovely fantasy romance novel. The author takes a lot of influences from Hindi culture and films, which helps create a fantastic magical world with wonderful characters and a very interesting plot.

I didn't think the romance aspect of this book was over the top at all and actually found it to be very believable. While this is a fantasy romance, there is also a war subplot that involves enemies called Blood Magicians, which leads to some pretty cool action scenes later on in The Stone of Essence. There is also some mystery about the origins of magic and the Blood Magicians mixed in as well. All of these elements, along with the wonderful written characters, made for a very engaging and enjoyable read.

The main characters Chhaya and Favian are the opposite in many ways, but they have great chemistry together. It was very fun to watch Chhaya gradually warm up to Favian and to watch Favian slowly start to loosen up and act more comfortable around Chhaya. I really liked these characters and found myself empathizing a lot with Favian, since he and I share some similar personality traits. I did really like Chhaya, too, and thought she was a very caring and kind person.

I really enjoyed reading this and I would recommend it to those who enjoy clean fantasy romances and diverse characters and settings.

[Sommer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for sending an advanced copy!

I was very excited to read this story with desi representation, forbidden love and a mystery that definitely kept me guessing for the next scene.

I really enjoyed Chayya's strong character as she navigated her role and the events happening around her. I also loved the background story and the fantastical world that was created through Blood Magicians and more.

I was really hoping to see more detailed scenes and delve deeper into the connection between Chayya and Favian especially as they spent so much time together. The storyline at times also felt rushed, particularly in the action scenes and with Chayya discovering her power as it didn't give enough explanation. I also would have loved to see more details to set up scenes and the world they live in.

Overall, I enjoyed this read and loved the way it picked up in the end!

[Iesha (In east shade house at...) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed The Stone of Essence. More than I thought I would actually. I can't you how amusing parts of this wonderfully, creative story was. A story that is touching (in those warm, fuzzy ways) & serious (in those heavy dramatic, emotional ways). I can't believe Favian is so unique. He was definitely a favorite of mine. Such an introverted character that was a nice compliment to the outgoing, good natured Chhaya. Now while I would recommend this story to others, I did have parts I found that could have been developed further. The stone being a big one. I'm so hoping to see Chhaya & Faavian in future stories because they are a pair worth reading about.

[Molly Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

Tropes:

Grumpy x sunshine
Forced Proximity
Princess x bodyguard


The stone of essence by Maya Unadkat is the first book in a new series called the Kingdoms of Talia. This book was really good, easy and fast paced. I really enjoyed reading the story of Chhaya and Favian. The interactions between them were so good! The author does an amazing job at keeping your attention and making you want to continue reading. I 100% recommend this book and can’t wait to continue this series.

[Beth Kendall · Rating 3 out of 5]

* Disclaimer this is an honest review in return for a free copy*

I would’ve liked a little more conversation that passes the bechdel test but on the whole a nice book.

The characters were nice and likeable

Most of the storyline was revolving around relationships between characters. We diddnt even find out about the stone of essence (the title object) until 80% of the way through the book, so a little bit more backstory would’ve been nice.

There was a plot twist at the end that I should’ve seen coming but I diddnt which was nice.

[Ramishah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was such a great spin of desi princess x bodyguard trope it was so easy and fun to get into!!

I loved how funny and outgoing Chai was and how awkward and shy Favian was, why do I want to protect him at all costs 😭


Towards the end I felt like it was rushing a bit especially the story of the stone of essence because it was SO good I would’ve loved to see it dive more into that!!

I def would recommend & cant wait to see what Maya writes next!!! Thank you for the ARC!!

[Jeanette T. Queen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to be an ARC reader for this book. It is a well written and different from anything I have ever read. Maya has created a unique world and beloved characters. I was sucked into the story right away. There are plenty of twist and turns to keep you hooked and just when you think you know what is happening. She threw us a curve ball. I loved it and can’t wait till her next book,

[Leah Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started reading this I’ll be honest and say that I felt like something was missing, some sort of over described emotion I think? But honestly as I read more I fell in love with the vibrant world and characters! I can’t wait to read more of Mayas works and meet more wonderful and diverse characters in her world

[Kenadhe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story that kept me hooked till the end with a surprise I didn't see coming. The ending did just stop and it felt as if it was not finished. Even with the ending I liked reading this book and would definitely read it again. It is a good quick read that I recommend.

[Hanna (lapetiteboleyn) · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a little predictable, but I did really enjoy all the Bollywood references.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is easy to binge! I really liked the story and it was an easy read.