A stolen kiss. An unstable curse. One big mess in the making.
We are all familiar with fairytales. Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, yada, yada, yada. I bet you can name at least half a dozen more off the top of your head if you wanted to. Even more, the idea of a curse and a magical kiss has been used in so very many of these to the point where one might think that there is absolutely no way that someone can make that kind of story interesting again. But Kelsey Keating does this with A Stolen Kiss, the first book in her Stolen Royals series. She takes the old fairytale tropes of our childhoods and breathes new life into them.
A Stolen Kiss follows the quest of four young people– a prince who has sacrificed his own happiness to please those around him, a young princess who suffers from a ridiculously complicated curse, a young girl who struggles with confidence, and a young man who fears that someone will discover who– or what– he is.
The book is set in the completely original world of Opea, but readers will instantly realize that they are familiar with some aspects of the world. As the four heroes go on their adventure, they make friends and enemies, encounter creatures both friendly and hostile, and struggle with their own selves. With every scene, Kelsey Keating makes her world even more and more compelling, introducing vivid characters, creatures, and settings that will make readers want to keep reading and see what happens next.
A Stolen Kiss is a gripping, fun book about finding confidence and the power within yourself. It is a book that’s not only great for young adults, but also for adults who want a quick and enthralling story that will allow them to escape their own lives even for a little bit.
Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from the author. All thoughts and opinions are mine.
Evan W.S. Morgan 
Anything Kelsey Keating, and I’m in. I loved this book!