A man claiming to be the estranged grandson of Chrysantha’s lecherous late husband has turned up to steal her inheritance. To make matters worse, her little sister is going to be queen and is rubbing it in her face. While this of course is up to everyone’s own interpretation, I would say the Shadows Between Us is not sad. No one but me is allowed to decide when Kallias Maheras, king of six realms and counting is going to die.”

The Shadows Between Us Book Review | Common Sense Media

The concept is really interesting. Like, that synopsis sold me the book. And the beginning was very promising. I loved the idea that she was just going to woo-and-kill the king and I couldn't wait to see what happens after she achieved her plan. But when the villainous Vordan exposes a secret her father has kept for years, Alosa and her crew find themselves in a deadly race with the feared pirate king. Despite the danger, Alosa knows they will recover the treasure first.... After all, she’s the Daughter of the Siren Queen. Drinking to drunkenness -- ale and wine -- by 18-year-olds. One says he's drinking heavily at a boxing match "to have a better time." Wine at dinner and parties. The author says that the main character is a Slytherin, and that irritates me. Why, you might ask? Because the author pulled a JK Rowling and took every negative quality about Slytherins and made it their only personality trait. This MC was self-serving, self-obsessed, selfish, and manipulative. I’m totally here for anti-heroes and morally gray characters, but this MC brought nothing to the story that was likable or sympathetic to me. Did you know Slytherins are more nuanced beyond just being assholes? What a concept! I guess the argument can be made that our main character is cunning and conniving, but honestly, I wasn't convinced. She just came across like a jerk who sometimes made suggestions that other characters found to be smart. But of course they would, because the author says so. Doesn't mean I believe it.Alessandra. I think the author tried too hard making Alessandra just the type of character we wish she was: unapologetic, confident, strong, and bold. But you know what went wrong? Exactly that. Alessandra is actually your typical YA female snowflake. There is nothing new and unique about her. She is a replica of other female leads, a cliche, an unoriginal. She is confident in knowing she's beautiful, but what is too much confidence? Alessandra knows she's beautiful, and she uses that as her advantage to woo other men. She knows men will be trying to court her and approach her. She knows she has a curves and a beautiful body that men will want. She knows all this. Sound familiar? Her personality reminded me of Eadlyn from The Selection series and how she kept mentioning her plan on taking over the throne. She wasn't even close to The Shadow King, and she was already telling us (for like, the 20th time, that the kingdom would soon be hers, so she might as well get started on acting like their queen). This is the first book in a new white fantasy trilogy, and it follows two main characters in two timelines in the same fantasy world. One is real and has been hiding the fact for her entire life that she has access to all seven elemental abilities in this world. Usually, people only have access to one, but she has all seven.

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller | Goodreads

There were several side plots which kept the story moving, so, I never really felt like nothing was happening. He swallows the bite in his mouth. “Alessandra Stathos, that’s positively despicable.” He says the words like they’re the highest compliment he can give me. “You are an absolute gem, do you know that?” But I’m desperate for you all the same. And though I will not have millennia to live, I want to give however many years I have left to you. Because I love you. I love the woman who saved me. And though she doesn’t need me, I want her. Fiercely. I’m not normally one of those “first chapter and I’m hooked” types of people, but I guess I can now relate after reading The Shadows Between Us. Right from the start I was intrigued… wait, she’s killed someone? She enjoys using men for gifts and pleasure? She wants to kill a king? Tell me more… That being said, there wasn’t much to this story in terms of depth and details. I felt as if the book was only skimming the top of what it could be; there was so much potential to get truly creative with the corrupt characters and the plot itself. While the first chapter set the tone for the whole book, I do feel as if the rest of the novel carried on at a more mellow pace. This does not mean I didn’t enjoy reading it; in fact, I think it would be the perfect story for getting over a book hangover, and it will give you a good distraction. It’s fun, light reading, and it’s easy to get lost in this little world without having to become too invested within the story itself.

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First, the main "villain" (if you do not count Alessandra as the villain of the story) was very obvious. Plus the reason or explanation behind their actions was pretty easy to guess as well. I'm not angry by it, just disappointed. Towards the beginning of The Shadows Between Us, she waltzes into the castle where Kallias is seeing potential brides and ignores him. Instead of walking up to him, she makes him walk up to her. If she were not like other girls, she would go to the castle being like I don't need a prince, attract his attention for no real reason, and fall in love immediately. But Alessandra did all of this on purpose. It was all a scheme to attract Kallias's attention. She's not just some "intriguing" bumbling idiot. This is calculated. You cannot imagine how happy I'm when I go to see the second round of the Goodreads Choice Awards and The Shadows Between Us are nominated in the Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction. Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide. Get started Close At last we have a cover! This Slytherin romance is hitting shelves on February 25th. You can read the first chapter here: https://www.tor.com/2019/05/16/cover-...