This book was a quick read but seemed to be jumbled at times. The cliffhanger was an abrupt ending that could have been better tied together.

If you are interested in reading a romance with a twist of magical realism, then this is the book for you! The prologue sinks its hooks into you by grabbing your attention, creating mystery, and thrilling you to read more. I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew I had a lot of questions that needed to be answered. Aleryn is a Fae. A royal Fae at that. While he was a baby, his uncle had his wings clipped and banished from the Kingdom of Mairene. Wanting a better life for her son, his mother escapes and gives her baby over to their family advisor to raise. We are transported to years later, where Aleryn and Theo are older, and meet Anya and Nat. Anya and Nat are expanding their business and commissioned to get a shed built close to their house. From then on, we are introduced to the attraction and pulling urge between Aleryn and Anya.
Thank you, NetGalley and Victory Editing, for this copy! I don’t read a lot of fantasy or magical realism, but this book has put this genre on my radar. My only complaint was that the book was too short and ended on a cliffhanger, so I expect a second book to be in the works. Other than that, the storyline flowed. There was even some SPICE added to the mix, which I enjoyed. I loved the characters in the book. They complimented each other, and their storyline was easy to follow. They were also relatable. I could picture the characters among the individuals I interact with daily or in a series I am interested in watching. Overall, it was good, and I can’t wait for the second book in this series.

The Forgotten Prince by Akira Varma.

A delightful and intriguing adventure in the world of Mairene.
Diving right into the action with Samira in the prologue, i was struck by the emotion so easily conjured by Varma. I was right there with Samira and felt that her genuine distress, fear and love for Alerynwas perfectly delivered,

With minimal spoilers....

I loved
♥ Anya and Nats friendship
♥ The playful, young, fresh chemistry between Ryn and Anya
♥ The jeopardy
♥ The pace

I loved less
♦ The more juvenile writing style
♦ The inconsistencies and repetitive nature of the writing
♦ Grammatical errors
♦ Sometimes awkward phrasing that had me rewording it in my head as i was reading

I would 100% recommend this book as a YA or Teen+ QuickReads text. Particularly for a younger audience that's new to fantasy.

“The Forgotten Prince,” by Akira Varma

I really liked this book. A runaway prince in the human realm finding his mate who is a human. I would say most of the book is lighthearted, at least with the romance part of the book. The ending cliffhanger was insane, now I really need to wait for the next book? I will wait patiently to get answers on what will happen next. I also hope to get to know the side characters more in the next book. The only thing I didn’t like was it was too short. 4 out of 5 stars.

-Fae
-Magic
-Kidnapped

Thank you for the free copy, Netgalley.

A dual-POV fantasy romance novella about a human baker, Anya, and a handsome fae, Aleryn, who is living in the human world to hide from the king of the fae realm.

⭐️ The good parts ⭐️
- Some witty jokes
- There was indeed a plot

💀 The negative aspects 💀
- Many spelling etc errors
- Awkward sentences
- Repetitive language
- Superficial character development
- Almost DNF-ed 20 times

_____

This review will appear on my Instagram account, @for_ambrolia, in less than 24 hours!

The Forgotten Prince was a quick read. The storyline was quick and held onto my attention with something new happening with every chapter although it was predictable. With it being such a short read, you can’t connect to the characters as much but you can get a sense of them. I’m interested to see what the next book will hold.. hopefully a plot twist?

I really wanted to like this because the synopsis seemed compelling and exactly like the type of story I'd enjoy. However, I was sadly let down in the execution.

Characters
The characters were fine. None of them were particularly complex, interesting or memorable to me. There were moments where I felt a small attraction to the MMC but I wished the author took more liberties to describe him better in a way that would make me love him more. [I also found it a little hard to believe that a 30 year old fae male was giggling awkwardly with this human girl who I'm assuming was around the same age as him. (hide spoiler)]

Atmosphere
I was confused by the vibe of the setting. The prologue gave me the impression that I'd be in a typical "historical" fantasy world but was taken by surprise when phones and documentaries existed in the main body of the story. I know it can be hard to write an urban fantasy because technology can often breakdown plot points and this was one of those cases - why couldn't they just use guns against the bad guys?
However, I did get the cozy vibe from this book (a strength) but wished the author was more descriptive with the bakery to make it a more immersive read if coziness was intended.

Writing
Unfortunately, I think the writing was the weakest element of this book. There some repetitive choices of words, especially in the prologue, where sentences in the same paragraph used almost the exact same phrasing consecutively. Also, there were a lot of grammatically incorrect sentences which may have been a stylistic choice of the author to create urgency but instead, came across as juvenile and unedited to me.

Plot
The plot was probably the strongest element. The book delivered what I expected based on the synopsis and I saw a lot of potential but the execution was not as I had hoped (as I detail in the other sections of this review).
The pacing was a little strange to me. I read this book very quickly but I wouldn't necessarily say it was fast paced. There were a lot of unexplained time jumps that I felt were missed opportunities [e.g. The 2 main characters had been in a relationship for 4 months but that time was entirely skipped. It could have been used as an opportunity to for readers to get to know them better and feel more invested. (hide spoiler)]

Intrigue
This was slow going at the start with a lot of set up. However, once the story picked up around 50% of the book, my attention held and I was curious how it would pan out.

Logic
For the most part, the story seemed logical but the setting created a big unexplained plot hole for me (as I mentioned in Atmosphere). The character motivations were somewhat clear but I didn't feel the stakes involved since I felt like the characters were one-dimensional and underdeveloped.

Enjoyment
I prefer stories that are character driven and immersive and because those were weak points of this book, I didn't enjoy it overall unfortunately. The writing style made it nearly unbearable for me and I wanted to DNF this book but wanted to give it a fair chance.

Other notes
I love that the author listed the trigger warnings at the start of the book.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for gifting me this ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you BookRoast for the CAWPILE review method.

First of all...I'm a sucker for an FMC that bakes. I love that her and her friend own a bakery together. That said, I was very disappointed that there wasn't a slow buildup of Ryn and Anya's relationship. It was like they were flirting and Anya was being coy and it was cute...and then there was a random time skip to 4 months later and Ryn is already her boyfriend. I feel like I got cheated out of seeing how they actually got together. Ryn is not the typical love interest I like in books, but he's cute and sweet, a perfect fit for the FMC. I wish we'd gotten to see more of Ryn and Anya together.

Also the book ends with "Anya, Nat, Enzo, and Theo will return" as a teaser for the next book in the series...who is Enzo? I searched the entire book as if there were some main character I'd completely forgotten and there's...not an Enzo in the book.

Thank you to Victory Editing for providing this book to me!

I really enjoyed this book had a great build up before getting into the action. The book was a very easy read even without a lot of fantasy background I think most readers will really enjoy it. Can't wait to see what the next book holds for Anya, Theo, Nat and the forgotten Prince!

Akira Varma's The Forgotten Prince is a quick, easy read, that end much too abruptly. In this Reviewer's humble opinion. The story is full of fun, light heartedness between friends and loved ones, as well as some brief violence from a group of kidnappers, trying to prove they're more masculine than they really are. The vibrant storytelling, and the quick wit make the story very easy to enjoy, and the author's style of writing grabs the reader's attention immediately at the beginning of the story, then holds it like a vice grip to the very end. All of the characters are fun, and full of life, and falling for all of them most definitely not outside the realm of possibilities. Ms. Varma tells the readers book two is on the way, but honestly, book two cannot get here soon enough.

First offi I was immediately sucked in by the cover I love it. Also it's a very short read. The author added a content warning at the beginning of the book so there's that. Research the warnings at your own risk. There are a few grammatical errors in the book. Also repetitious with certain aspects of the plot. Overall a nice quick read about fairies!

This is a tough book to get through. The prologue is solid and then it loses its steam. It turns into more of a love story which isn’t what the prologue suggests it will be. I can barely finish it due to frustration of the back and forth romance that’s taking place. I keep waiting for it to get to the action. (No spoiler) The writing is good but the prologue and most of the book don’t line up.

Short fast paced fantasy with sacrifices, fae, and fated mates. Easy read, captivating and finished in one sitting. I really enjoyed the characters and the connection between Anya and Ryn. I am eager to see more of their story.

The story follows Anya who hires a construction crew to build a shed for her and her best friend. She feels an immediate pulling connection to one of the workers, Aleryn, AKA Ryn. She falls for him not knowing that he is the banished fae prince with a target on him. The other fae will stop at nothing to get to him, even go after people he cares for.

Anya, the determined baker, and Aleryn, the enigmatic prince, are both relatable and endearing. Their forbidden love, filled with undeniable chemistry and mutual attraction, forms the emotional core of the story. The supporting characters, Natasha and Theo, add depth and humor to the narrative. Varma creates a vibrant and immersive world imbued with fae lore and ancient magic. The Kingdom of Mairene and the mortal lands are meticulously described, transporting readers to a realm of wonder and enchantment. Beyond the romantic plotline, the story explores themes of sacrifice and redemption. Aleryn's banishment and Anya's mother's desperate act set the stage for a journey of self-discovery and reconciliation. While the focus is on the love story, Varma also includes plenty of action and intrigue. Aleryn, with his banished status and scars, faces numerous threats and challenges that he must overcome with the help of Anya and her allies. This imaginative fantasy novel combines an enthralling love story with an engaging adventure. The detailed world-building and well-developed characters make this book a captivating read that will appeal to fans of fae tales, romance, and fantasy alike.

3.5⭐️ such a cute short read.
If it was a longer book it would definitely be rated higher!
Anya and Ryn are super cute, and I loved seeing how loyal Nat was!

I believe the author had a good plot in mind, but this novella was disappointing. I understand that novellas are shorter, but this book felt like a movie in fast-forward. There was no time to build up the characters or their relationships, and I could barely keep track of what was happening in the book. It was all happening so quickly. I feel like with more time and more detailIng this could have been much better than it was.

The Forgotten Prince is a short novella about Ryn, a Fae Prince who has been hiding in the mortal word since he was a baby as his uncle seized the throne from his family, and Anya, a human baker. After a riveting prologue, the first half of this novella reads like a contemporary romance meet-cute. This isn't my particular taste in books and so I found this first half boring. Thankfully the book is short and so it didn't really last long. The second half of the book dives right back into the fantasy realm and becomes quite exciting as Ryn's past catches up with him.

This book has fated mates, mild romance, and dual POV with the main FMC Anya and her best friend Nat. I actually really enjoyed Nat's chapters and kind of like her personality better than Anya.

I did find the writing to be pretty average, but it didn't get in the way of the overall flow of the book. This book does list the trigger warnings at the beginning (yay!) and does warn it ends with a cliffhanger. I would read the second book in the series once it comes out as the fantasy action and romance is definitely my preferred genre. If you want a blend of contemporary cute romance with Fae fantasy packed into a short novel then this book is for you!

This was quite poorly written. It was both rushed and repetitive, and I can't say that I cared about any of the characters, their relationships or even the plot. It got a bit better towards the end, but overall, this needed a lot more polishing and editing before being published.

What I loved :
The details
Lovable quotes
Quick read
Fast paced
Cliffhanger

What I didn’t like:
The writing was too young - juvenile for me
While I liked it was a quick read , the story Could have been longer to improve the issues
More editing needed

Thank you to the author for sending me an ARC of The Forgotten Prince in exchange for an honest review!

I normally don't reach for novellas, but the premise of this story had me extremely interested. Anya, the main character, seemingly gets much more than she asked for when she hires contractors to build a shed behind her bakery. She's swept up in a whirlwind romance with Aleryn, a handsome man with a not-so-heavenly past.

While I was interested in the plot, the writing felt pretty elementary to me. Aside from the decent amount of typos, grammatical errors, and repeating texts, the writing felt very surface level and at times, childish, ( the inability to see the main character blushing due to the "darkness" of her skin was mentioned multiple times). This bled into how the characters were perceived, with decisions seeming erroneous, timelines not being clearly explained, or characters knowing things they shouldn't because we never saw them explained.

Overall, this book could have benefitted from being 100-200 pages longer. We needed to believe in the love story between Anya and Aleryn and this title left us lacking.