Title: SitnaltaAuthor(s): alisse-lee-goldenbergPublisher: Independently Published (2025)ISBN: 979-8266267527
Village Books
Amazon
Alisse Lee Goldenberg’s Sitnalta is a delightful fairytale adventure set in a castle with a classic evil ruler who aims to stifle the spirit of his daughter for his own gain. Sitnalta is a young princess who wants nothing more than to see what lies beyond the walls of the castle—and maybe, one day, to find love.
Her father, the dreadful king Supmylo, has always kept her at arm’s length, until the day comes when he decides to marry her off for his political gain. Sitnalta makes the only choice she can. She flees the life she has always known by scaling the castle walls and entering the magical forest surrounding the kingdom to strike out on her own in the hope of living a life on her terms.
There is a lot to like about Sitnalta, most of all its cast of heartwarming characters. Despite being a young princess at only fifteen, Sitnalta knows she deserves more than anything her father has planned for her. Her convictions and empathy toward others are in part thanks to her governess, the faithful Aud. Supmylo, disappointed in not having a son, left Aud to care for Sitnalta until he found a use for her.
Supmylo stops at nothing to find his daughter and throws anyone who dares to defy him in the castle’s overcrowded dungeon.
An overarching theme of found family begins with Aud, Sitnalta’s mother figure, who enriches her whole journey.
Beyond the castle walls, Sitnalta encounters a reclusive forest troll named Najort who, despite being afraid of humans, shows her nothing but kindness and love.
Najort has a mission of his own. A wizard has entrusted him with a decades-old task to protect an important secret at all costs, and readers will find themselves rooting for him and the other characters surrounding Sitnalta just as much as they will root for her ownfight for freedom.
While this book comes to a satisfying conclusion, Sitnalta’s story does not end there. Readers enchanted by this tale of perseverance and love will be glad to learn that Sitnalta is the first book in its series. The Sitnalta series has recently been released as eBooks editions with new colorful covers. Follow the rest of Sitnalta’s story in The Kingdom Thief and The City of Arches!
Perfect for young adult readers and enjoyable for readers of every age, Sitnalta by Alisse Lee Goldenberg is a wonderfully easy-to-read, exciting tale filled with intriguing, relatable characters and a great deal of heart. Readers are sure to be drawn into its vividly imagined world where friendship and self-discovery take center stage.
NOTE: Book 4 in the Sinalta series, The Hedgewitch’s Charm, is on preorder now!
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