About the Novel
Princess Sitnalta has been living happily ever after with Queen Aud and King Gerald as her adoptive parents, enjoying the peace in her world. Her growing friendship with the mysterious Prince Navor leads her on a journey to visit his island kingdom. While there she receives the horrible news that her kingdom has been conquered and cruel King Wilhelm is responsible.
With King Gerald and Queen Aud imprisoned, Prince Navor and a secretive network of spies as her only allies, Princess Sitnalta feels lost and adrift. Nothing about Colonodona's takeover seems right, and Sitnalta suspects magic may be to blame.
Far from home and unsure of whom to trust, Sitnalta must find a way to save her kingdom, and return her beloved Aud and Gerald to their rightful thrones.
With King Gerald and Queen Aud imprisoned, Prince Navor and a secretive network of spies as her only allies, Princess Sitnalta feels lost and adrift. Nothing about Colonodona's takeover seems right, and Sitnalta suspects magic may be to blame.
Far from home and unsure of whom to trust, Sitnalta must find a way to save her kingdom, and return her beloved Aud and Gerald to their rightful thrones.
Recognition
Winner of the Literary Titan Gold Book Award
Preview Excerpt
Sitnalta was taken on board the ship; her trunks packed away in her cabin below. She stood on deck with Prince Navor and watched as the ship cast off. She stood waving as King Gerald and Queen Aud got smaller and smaller the further from shore they got. Sitnalta was both excited and scared as she found herself surrounded by water on all sides. She knew that the boat was safe, but she didn’t realize just how far from land they would be. However, her fear was soon short lived as Prince Navor walked her around the boat explaining how everything worked. He showed her how they steered, how the sails worked, and how to tie knots. As the day went on, Sitnalta changed from her travelling gown into a pair of breeches she’d smuggled into her luggage. She was delighted to find that King Parven didn’t mind her unusual attire, and soon she and Prince Navor were climbing the masts like a pair of monkeys. He took her up into the crow’s nest to show her all the sights of the sea. She looked at the water around them and breathed in the salty air, feeling as if she could happily stay there forever.
As the day passed, Navor left her to go look over some things with his father. It was warm out, yet Sitnalta found herself shivering. She didn’t know why, but she felt that something was very wrong. She brushed off the fear, and told herself she was being silly. It was probably the newness of her surroundings, the unfamiliar situation.
Evening came all too soon for the Princess, and she joined the King and Prince in the royal cabin for supper.
“I have to tell you,” King Parven said. “I was worried we’d be caught.”
Sitnalta paused in her eating to give the King a perplexed look. “What do you mean?” she asked.
“I went to Colonodona for the trade agreement,” the King said. “That much is true. However, the true reason of our journey was to fetch you.”
“Fetch me?” Sitnalta asked. “I know that I was always to go on this trip with you, but what exactly do you mean?”
“Princess,” Navor said. “Don’t you remember? The Mad King was going to marry you by the end of the week. He’d announced it to the entire kingdom.”
Sitnalta was horrified. “King Gerald would never do that!” she shouted. “What are you talking about? Take me home this instant. I want to go home to Aud and Gerald.”
Prince Navor looked at her sadly. “Queen Aud and King Gerald haven’t been King and Queen in quite some time. Don’t you remember?”
With those words, it was as if Princess Sitnalta had two sets of memories in her mind: One where she was the adopted daughter of Gerald and Aud, laughing in the sunlight, riding her horses. The other one, where a cruel looking man with formidable power had taken them from her; He had claimed her as his own and taken the throne, proclaiming himself king. The strange thing was that she didn’t know which was true. She just knew that she had to save the people she loved. Somehow.
As the day passed, Navor left her to go look over some things with his father. It was warm out, yet Sitnalta found herself shivering. She didn’t know why, but she felt that something was very wrong. She brushed off the fear, and told herself she was being silly. It was probably the newness of her surroundings, the unfamiliar situation.
Evening came all too soon for the Princess, and she joined the King and Prince in the royal cabin for supper.
“I have to tell you,” King Parven said. “I was worried we’d be caught.”
Sitnalta paused in her eating to give the King a perplexed look. “What do you mean?” she asked.
“I went to Colonodona for the trade agreement,” the King said. “That much is true. However, the true reason of our journey was to fetch you.”
“Fetch me?” Sitnalta asked. “I know that I was always to go on this trip with you, but what exactly do you mean?”
“Princess,” Navor said. “Don’t you remember? The Mad King was going to marry you by the end of the week. He’d announced it to the entire kingdom.”
Sitnalta was horrified. “King Gerald would never do that!” she shouted. “What are you talking about? Take me home this instant. I want to go home to Aud and Gerald.”
Prince Navor looked at her sadly. “Queen Aud and King Gerald haven’t been King and Queen in quite some time. Don’t you remember?”
With those words, it was as if Princess Sitnalta had two sets of memories in her mind: One where she was the adopted daughter of Gerald and Aud, laughing in the sunlight, riding her horses. The other one, where a cruel looking man with formidable power had taken them from her; He had claimed her as his own and taken the throne, proclaiming himself king. The strange thing was that she didn’t know which was true. She just knew that she had to save the people she loved. Somehow.
Reviews
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Five Stars on Literary Titan!
I really enjoyed the book’s finale. This book is a lot of fun. It is packed with creative ideas, big twists, and a classic good-versus-evil fight. I would absolutely recommend this for a younger YA reader, or really, for anyone looking for a quick, imaginative fantasy adventure. It’s the kind of book you can read in a weekend and just have a good time with.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Four Stars on Readers' Favorite.
Reviewed by Ray Simmons for Readers' Favorite
The Kingdom Thief is a delightful young adult fantasy by Alisse Lee Goldenberg. All in all, it is a fun and upbeat adventure, but it starts from a pretty depressing scenario. What happens if your parents are terrible and you and everyone around you are happier and much better off with your new adoptive parents? I did not read the first book in this series so I don’t know how this situation started, but this story is complete in and of itself. Our heroine is a princess enjoying a great life in the palace, but evil forces are conspiring to take back the throne. The Kingdom Thief is the story of that attempt and it is an interesting tale.
The characters in The Kingdom Thief are well written and it is very easy to like the good guys and hate the bad guys. The personalities and perspectives are pretty much black and white. Alisse Lee Goldenberg is especially adept at portraying young blooming romance, as well as contrasting the way good, decent people think and behave as opposed to the twisted thinking of the bad guys. With an entire kingdom at stake, there are a lot of people depending on Princess Sitnalta to grow up fast. The plot is good, the setting is lovely, and I enjoyed escaping into a kingdom that, at times, reminded me of the very best of the fairy tales my mother used to read to me. I liked The Kingdom Thief. I think most people will, especially teenage girls.
I really enjoyed the book’s finale. This book is a lot of fun. It is packed with creative ideas, big twists, and a classic good-versus-evil fight. I would absolutely recommend this for a younger YA reader, or really, for anyone looking for a quick, imaginative fantasy adventure. It’s the kind of book you can read in a weekend and just have a good time with.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Four Stars on Readers' Favorite.
Reviewed by Ray Simmons for Readers' Favorite
The Kingdom Thief is a delightful young adult fantasy by Alisse Lee Goldenberg. All in all, it is a fun and upbeat adventure, but it starts from a pretty depressing scenario. What happens if your parents are terrible and you and everyone around you are happier and much better off with your new adoptive parents? I did not read the first book in this series so I don’t know how this situation started, but this story is complete in and of itself. Our heroine is a princess enjoying a great life in the palace, but evil forces are conspiring to take back the throne. The Kingdom Thief is the story of that attempt and it is an interesting tale.
The characters in The Kingdom Thief are well written and it is very easy to like the good guys and hate the bad guys. The personalities and perspectives are pretty much black and white. Alisse Lee Goldenberg is especially adept at portraying young blooming romance, as well as contrasting the way good, decent people think and behave as opposed to the twisted thinking of the bad guys. With an entire kingdom at stake, there are a lot of people depending on Princess Sitnalta to grow up fast. The plot is good, the setting is lovely, and I enjoyed escaping into a kingdom that, at times, reminded me of the very best of the fairy tales my mother used to read to me. I liked The Kingdom Thief. I think most people will, especially teenage girls.