Bride of the Shadow King

Product Information

I had to admit my first attraction was the gorgeous cover, so beautifully created, kudos to the artist. I would like to thanks Daphne Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. but their chance encounter shifts both their worlds in unimaginable ways, dooming them both to love, to misery, to a destiny the gods can't break.

And although the banter between Vor and his rakish brother Sul are quite fun, the latter is quite persistent in his innuendos. Their chemistry was off the charts from the moment they first meet, and I genuinely liked how the similarities between two were explored —particularly when it came to their complex family relationships and feeling like they don’t belong. I'm into it up to a certain point but what is it with paranormal and fantasy romances thinking it's ok for romance to be so, so, SO understated? I recently finished Dreams of Gods and Monsters, the final book in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy.It has vibes like Lonen's War (Jeffe Kennedy) and maybe even Demon Ember (MJ Haag) but stands head and shoulders above in the flood of Fantasy Romance. Overall, a solid series starter that fans of These Hollow Vows, plot-twisty romantasy, or the marriage of convience or forced proximity tropes will absolutely love. I want to see Faraine steal some of Ilsevel's fire and stand up for herself and tell Vor in no uncertain terms that he's being a terrible hypocrite and that she is far too good for him and he does not deserve her. He sees the quiet strength in Faraine that others overlook and their slow burn relationship is achingly romantic and gave me butterflies. Vor is a good-hearted King who cares about his people, and ends up feeling conflicted between doing what’s best for the underealm and following his heart.

I’m not as disappointed as I thought I’d be now that it’s been a few minutes since I finished 😂 It’s a great story with great characters so I’m here for more. It’s perfect for fantasy fans looking for a touch of spice to go with the sweet in their next swoony, slow-burn romance. I find that it’s not too common in fantasy books but I feel like it makes a book so much better because you can truly understand the characters and fall in love with them so much more. While I am fine with a story ending on a cliffhanger, however, I did not care for how fickle Vor behaved.

As this is only the first book, I’m hopeful that we’ll get to explore the limits of her capabilities in much more detail throughout the rest of the series. The Not-So-Good: While I am going to continue on to the next book and still feel into in the story, I had moments of thinking that the time was drawn out a little too much.

Yok, Sul, Hael, I loved them all really💙The writing in this was stunning and everything flowed so well. Though not eager to take a human bride, King Vor is willing to do what is necessary for the sake of his people. If anyone has been betrayed, it's Faraine- betrayed by her family who should have loved her but tossed her aside and treated her terribly. When you read the likes of SJM, JR Ward, Gena showalter, Kresley cole you notice how juvenile the writing in this book is.

As I said before it is a slow-burn romance, so if you don’t enjoy those (I’m talking Mariana Zapata levels of slow-burn) then you might want to skip this. She is such a surprise with her God's Gift, and becoming an ally and closer to a real sister to Faraine. So Faraine is the one being treated the worst here, by EVERYONE, and the one person who should be caring for her is being a complete asshat.