Guys, I’m now six books ahead of schedule for my Goodreads reading challenge… This has literally never happened before and I’m a little in shock. Anyway, I finished The Shadows Between Us yesterday, and since it’s a newer release, I thought I’d review it!
The Shadows Between Us
By Tricia Levenseller
Published 25 February 2020 by Feiwel and FriendsFantasy | Young Adult | Romance
My rating: ★★★.75☆
Alessandra is tired of being overlooked, but she has a plan to gain power:
1) Woo the Shadow King.
2) Marry him.
3) Kill him and take his kingdom for herself.
No one knows the extent of the freshly crowned Shadow King’s power. Some say he can command the shadows that swirl around him to do his bidding. Others say they speak to him, whispering the thoughts of his enemies. Regardless, Alessandra knows what she deserves, and she’s going to do everything within her power to get it.
But Alessandra’s not the only one trying to kill the king. As attempts on his life are made, she finds herself trying to keep him alive long enough for him to make her his queen—all while struggling not to lose her heart. After all, who better for a Shadow King than a cunning, villainous queen?
What I Liked
You know how sometimes you’re kinda of rooting for the bad guys? The Shadows Between Us is kind of like that. You won’t find any “good” or “morally just” people in this story, so if that’s what you want then this book isn’t for you. There are really two main characters: Alessandra, who plans to kill the king, and king Kallias, who is trying very hard to stay alive.
I enjoyed Alessandra’s character a lot. She’s very driven, and although she isn’t the nicest person around, she definitely isn’t mean either. I love the way she made female friends in this book, and that she didn’t use them for her own goals. In fact, she even helps them out multiple times in the book.
Additionally, I love the sex positive message this book sends. In this world, second born girls are not allowed to marry before their older sisters, and they’re definitely not supposed to dally with men before that either. However, Alessandra doesn’t give a damn about that and does as she pleases. Many characters in the book describe her thus as a “trollop,” which Alessandra thinks is ridiculous because she sees herself as a sexually empowered woman. I honestly love that.
What I Liked Less
Unfortunately, it can’t all be good. While I enjoyed the story, I thought the writing was really jumbled at times. I never had this issue with Levenseller’s previous books, Daughter of the Pirate King and Daughter of the Siren Queen. It made the story very confusing sometimes and I had to read some passages twice to make sense of what was going on.
Lastly, I think the ending was just a teeny bit rushed. Everything comes to an abrupt conclusion, and I would’ve liked an extra chapter or two or three that deals more with the aftermath of all the events.
Overall The Shadows Between Us was really enjoyable, and I think it’s a good stand-alone fantasy to read. Have you read this book yet? What did you think?
You can find other books I’ve reviewed here!
