Hello my friends, today we will be reviewing the book The shadows between us by Tricia Levenseller. This book is a stand-alone New Adult fantasy book and NOT a part of a series. If that interests you PLEASE keep reading!
Alessandra is tired of being second best to her older sister, and overlooked by her father- she wants power; she knows how to get it. The first step in her plan is to woo the King of Shadows. The second, make him fall in love with her. And the final step, kill him and take the throne for herself. Sounds easy enough- unless you know that Shadow King himself. With powers over the shadows no one quite fully understands, he can keep everyone at a distance, making it impossible to get close. Unless you're Alessandra of course. She knows what she wants and what she deserves, and she is determined to get it, however, she is not the only one trying to kill the king and take the throne. While trying to get her crown Alessandra finds it difficult to keep the king alive long enough to make her queen without losing her mission- or her heart.
*a bit of a spoiler on this rice burner dude
What I liked;
Alessandra is a great character. I am usually into the strong and good-hearted MCs BUT I loved Alessandra because she wasn't either of those things, not at first. She's savage, clever, and does what she wants. Even with the era, the book is written plays somewhat accurately to how women were restricted at that time, she was bold in a feminine way. She was rude and crass and full of sass. (wow I rhymed.)
I also liked how Alessandra was conservative with her clothing. She wasn't one for showing too much skin or any at all and I like that.
A Slytherin love story is right. At the beginning of the book, on the dedication page, the author says something about it being a Slytherin love story and I couldn't explain it any better, it was dark and a little twisted but I was good.
Killias is the typical bad boy soft teddy bear type but who doesn't love that? It's almost like a comfortable character to me, someone I am always drawn to and love.
The twists and turns were actually a surprise, which kept me reading. I could kind of predict the ending, as most avid readers can, but that doesn't mean I was less content with it.
I like the simplicity of the story because it is a stand-alone book. It's difficult to find stand-alone books anymore and I like to read them between my larger trilogies to give me a break.
What I didn't;
I wanted a more fleshed-out love scene, but that's just a preference. I am a Sarah J Maas fan after all. lol
I really don't have any complaints about this one, maybe if it were longer I might.
Overall mouthfeel; (Brooklyn 99 reference)
The story overview of the story is somewhat predictable but the twists and turns to get there are not; I was surprised three times. The details and specific aspects of the characters make the book fresh and interesting, a good spin on an old theme. (enemies to lovers sort of)
I like the dark gothic aspect of it, the way the characters had a darkness to them, but it was never really pointed out if that makes sense. The book doesn't focus on honor or being the best person but on finding a match that suits you and being who you are with that person.
It was a rather fast read and a nice story to focus on while taking a break between long series or complex reads.
Definitely a feel-good ending for sure.
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