Alessandra Stathos is a woman who knows what she wants; and what she wants is the Shadow King. Well, technically, to kill the Shadow King.
Driven by a desire for power and acknowledgement, Alessandra plans to seduce the King into marrying her, then kill him for his kingdom. However, as court-intrigue and murder plots arise, Alessandra finds herself falling for the one person she cannot ever touch. The one person she plans to kill.
When TikTok’s algorithm suggested a worryingly specific genre of books I may enjoy, I knew it was time to put down my phone. If this app meant for music and dancing knew my obsession with the enemies-to-lovers romance trope amongst young-adult fiction, then who knows what other secrets I have accidently given away. I cannot say I regret arriving at this point, however. Especially when it led to The Shadows Between Us.
I knew this novel would be absolutely delightful when I read the author Tricia Levenseller’s dedication: “For Becki. I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this Slytherin romance.” For those who are not aware of the Harry Potter houses, Slytherin is infamous for their cunning and ambitious tendencies. I cannot imagine a more perfect description of our heroine.
Alessandra is incredibly refreshing in her drive for control. She’s transparent, if not proud, about her intentions to climb the social ladder of success. Instead of the many shy and unwilling protagonists that seem to make up the world of young adult literature, we are presented with a passionate woman who will stop at nothing to gain power. Feisty, unapologetic and calculating, Alessandra is pure Slytherin.
Our lead is also a “sexually empowered woman,” according to herself. The first scene introduces us to her as she proceeds to kick a man out of her bed, rejecting his engagement. Throughout the novel, Alessandra refers to her lovers without shame, and is open about her desire for more equality amongst the elite women. She cares not for slut-shaming and uses her wiles against more than one character who attempts this.
Of course, the love interest of the protagonist is almost equally important as the protagonist herself. Well, in my opinion it is. With a mysterious power that provides for the fantasy portion of the book, the Shadow King, or Kallias Maheras, is a moody and reserved male. To be honest, his character seemed predictable. While I enjoyed the growing love story between the two protagonists, I would have appreciated a more in-depth search of Kallias’ character. Perhaps knowing Alessandra’s purposeful seduction of him made Kallias appear unsurprising; alas, I almost felt disappointed in the easiness with which he was captivated by her. His character appeared, at times, to fulfill the overdone stereotype of lustful men. Yet, I still appreciated the author’s ability to turn him into a man worthy of our main character.
As for the plot, I enjoyed the mystery and intrigue of court life. With his parents murdered and his brother dead, Kallias’ shift to power was sudden and brutal. He suspected those within his court to be responsible, and the plot revolves heavily around this idea. Possibly due to my obsession with mystery novels, it was a bit too easy for me to guess the ending; however, there was a large plot twist I had no expectation of. While it was a bit of a stretch, I still loved the sudden turn of events.
I recommend this novel for those who need a revitalizing heroine and a forbidden-love romance. In any other novel, Alessandra and Kallias would serve as the typical power hungry elite couple who deserved to be dethroned. Here, in the Shadows Between Us, we get to root for the villains and their wickedly fun love story.
You can purchase the novel here, or visit Tricia Levenseller’s website for more information. Happy reading!