Review – The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Length: 333 pages
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: February 25, 2020
ASIN: B07P9LQBM1
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Bought for Kindle
Rating: 4/5 stars

“Alessandra is tired of being overlooked, but she has a plan to gain power:
1) Woo the Shadow King.
2) Marry him.
3) Kill him and take his kingdom for herself.

No one knows the extent of the freshly crowned Shadow King’s power. Some say he can command the shadows that swirl around him to do his bidding. Others say they speak to him, whispering the thoughts of his enemies. Regardless, Alessandra knows what she deserves, and she’s going to do everything within her power to get it.

But Alessandra’s not the only one trying to kill the king. As attempts on his life are made, she finds herself trying to keep him alive long enough for him to make her his queen—all while struggling not to lose her heart. After all, who better for a Shadow King than a cunning, villainous queen?”

Series Info/Source: I bought this book for Kindle. This is a stand alone fantasy novel.

Story (4/5): The plot for this book is not all that original but I enjoyed it all the same. This is a theme I enjoy. It’s basically an intrigue driven plot where our main protagonist, Alessandra, ends up falling in love with the very person she is trying to make a power grab from. While the story is a lot of political intrigue, there is also an lot of action in the form of assassination attempts. It is fun to watch the Shadow King and Alessandra try to manipulate each other, while finding out that they are more and more well matched. While there is a story about bandits in the outside kingdom, this ended up being a rather minor plot point and wasn’t woven into the story all that well. This is at its heart an intrigue-filled romance.

Characters (4/5): I really enjoyed the characters here even if neither of them are particularly likable. Alessandra is obsessed with having power and the ability to control her own fate and doesn’t really much care who she steps on. The Shadow King is concerned about his kingdom and its stability but doesn’t seem overly concerned about the actual welfare of his people. Both of them are using each other and honest about it. I enjoyed the frankness of these characters and their wittiness and manipulation of each other; even if I didn’t really like them much. The side characters are a bit underdeveloped throughout.

Setting (3/5): The setting is a pretty typical fantasy kingdom style setting. We hear a bit about the agglomeration of kingdoms that the Shadow King rules but this is very much in the background. This is definitely more of a character driven story and could have taken place in any generic fantasy kingdom.

Writing Style (4/5): This story was engaging and well written. It was very easy to read and full of fun, witty dialogue and scenes. It’s a fairly simple story but very entertaining. While this is definitely not Levenseller’s strongest book it was still a fun diversion. It had a good balance of fun characters, humor, intrigue, action, and romance.

My Summary (4/5): Overall this was an entertaining read that was sweet and a bit edgy. You are getting exactly what you expect from the synopis; a story about two people who make an arrangement to use each other accidentally falling in love. There are some politics and action to keep things exciting but at its core this story is definitely a combative romance. I enjoyed it and am glad I read it; it was fun and made me smile.