1. Woo the Shadow King.
2. Marry him.
3. Kill him and take his kingdom for herself.
A woman wanting to kill the King so she can become a powerful Queen? Sign me up! There aren’t better words to describe The Shadows Between Us than Kerri Maniscalco’s blurb at the back of it: “It’s the Slytherin romance we’ve all been waiting for.” With 324 pages, this fantasy book written by Tricia Levenseller will have you clinging to every word. You’ll finish it in one sitting!
Image courtesy of @bookishly_kenia
*Spoilers ahead*
The Shadows Between Us follows Alessandra, the daughter of a lord, on her quest to make the Shadow King fall in love with her in order to to kill him. She set her plans into motion and, ever since the Shadow King laid eyes on her, he was intrigued by her. He made the decision to court her, and soon after that, she moved into the palace. After a while, she discovers (surprise surprise!) that he is not at all what he seems, and she starts to fall in love with him.
Okay so, was this book really predictable? Yes. But did I read it in one sitting because I just couldn’t put it down? Of course! Let’s be real, this book was not perfect―sometimes the plot was all over the place―but it has such good writing that you just can’t help but eat it up. The characters are advertised as Slytherin and I definitely see it. They’re just unapologetically bad, and fortunately stay that way till the end. Alessandra is a selfish and evil character since the beginning, but at the same time it’s so hard not to like her (even if sometimes you just want to hit her so she’ll be nicer, like that time she wanted to tax poor people more).
Although I loved that it was a very fast-paced book, sometimes everything happens too fast. Problems arise at lightning speed and leave in the same manner, and then suddenly, you’ve finished the book. However, that didn’t make this read any less enjoyable.
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I think my favorite thing about this book is that it’s very feminist. Alessandra’s thoughts make that very clear: “The poets can say whatever they damned like. A woman’s worth is not decided by what’s between her legs but by what is in her mind.” (94). Alessandra is a sexually empowered woman that doesn’t really care about what men think, and she goes for what she wants without doubting herself. The Shadow King himself is doesn’t shame her for her sexcapades; instead, he affirms that she has the right to do whatever she wants with her body.
While I won’t tell you it’s the best thing I’ve ever read, this book definitely deserves a shoutout. It’s a very entertaining read with really good writing― you won’t be able to put it down!