The Shadow Queen

"The Shadow Queen" is a fantastic retelling of Snow White. Lorelai is a young princess when her mother does and her father remarries her aunt, Irina, a powerful mardushka (witch). Irina puts the kingdom under a spell using magical apples and soon everyone will listen only to her. Lorelai is a mardushka herself and breaks Irina's hold over the kingdom. Irina retaliates by killing her father and Lorelai flees with her brother Leo and a guard, Gabril. The kingdom ends up in poverty with enough food. They are on the run but try to help the people by stealing from Irina. Lorelai is also training to defeat Irina.

Kol is a prince of Eldr, where everyone has two hearts-human and dragon- and can shift into a fire breathing dragon at any time. His kingdom is under attack by magical ogres. His parents and older brother are killed by ogres and he must take their place as king. He goes to Irina for help to defeat the ogres as they kill more and more people.

Kol and Lorelai's lives are quickly entwined. This book is well written and captivating. I loved the ideas and her growth plus their relationship. Lorelai is a worthy queen. I won't say too much so as to avoid spoilers, but it's an incredible journey all the way to the last. I am very much hoping for sequels and soon as there is so much that can be done with the fascinating world in this book!

This is the retelling of Snow White.
A story about a young girl is on a quest to reclaim her throne and get revenge for her family. This was a totally sad disappointment. I was expecting something more. I really wanted to like this book, but it was just bland. and unenjoyable. It was missing that certain, je ne sais quoi. It was such a predictable and obvious story (NOT because it’s a retelling). This story does not stay with you, and at the end, you do not sit and cry about how much you’re going to miss it; you don’t even cry when a character dies. The pacing was so slow, my mind just kept wandering. It was a miracle, I finished reading this.

In the Kingdom of Ravenspire, Lorelei is the crown princess and a fugitive ever since Queen Irina murdered her father and stole the throne. Lorelei is determined to get revenge and, with her brother and her father’s most trusted guard at her side, she has a plan to kill the queen. In the neighboring kingdom of Eldr, Prince Kol has always been reckless and carefree as the second born prince. He was never meant to take the throne but when tragedy strikes his parents and older brother, he finds himself in charge of a kingdom slowly losing the battle against an army of ogres. In exchange for Queen Irina’s help against the ogres, Kol agrees to kill Lorelei and bring the queen the heart of the princess. But when their paths do cross, Kol finds that Lorelei is nothing like he expected and the princess finds herself drawn to the newly crowned king. Together they might be able to achieve both their goals but Queen Irina has a few hidden moves left to play.

This was one of my most anticipated books since the moment I first heard about it. The cover design caught my attention right away(it’s so gorgeous!) and the synopsis sounded like something I would really enjoy. It also sounded like the type of book I could easily read in a sitting because I wouldn’t want to put it down. And I was right.

I absolutely adored Lorelei. She was strong and so protective over her brother. She was so determined to take her kingdom back from Irina and her heart hurt for her people who were starving because of the queen’s cruelty. She had a way of seeing the good in people and that served her well throughout the book. She was a character that I really connected to while reading. I trusted those she trusted, I got angry and wanted revenge along with her, my heart broke with hers. I loved her bond with her little brother Leo. The teasing and obvious affection they showed each other was heartwarming in the tense moments.

Kol was another great character. His was the second POV and I felt for him. He was thrust into a life he never expected to have and just wanted to do whatever it took to save his kingdom. He went from being reckless and a bit of a prankster to having to be a king, and while he may have still been a bit reckless in his attempts, his only desire was to save his people.

I enjoyed the spin on the original tale. The huntsman was a dragon-shifter, as were his friends, and the princess had powerful magic. There was so much new added to the story that it felt like a completely new story instead of a retelling. It was easy to read it all in one sitting because it was action-packed and every chapter end just made me say ‘one more chapter’. Even when there was no fighting or action immediately happening, it was entertaining to read the characters’ bantering and teasing each other. I laughed out loud quite a few times. I also cried and screamed a few times as well. It was definitely an emotional read that I felt very invested in finishing.

Other than the dynamics between the characters, my favourite thing about this book was the world. Both Ravenspire and Eldr were vividly described and I really liked the way different kingdoms had different abilities and beliefs. Ravenspire had magic, Eldr shifted into dragons, and there were mentions of other kingdoms, some with no magic, some with magic, some who hated dragon shifters. It all helped to make the world-building feel complete but without feeling like I had learned everything so when the next book comes out, I have more world-building to look forward to. And more characters to fall in love with.