The Shadows Between Us

by Tricia Levenseller

Caitlin Davies (Narrator)

They still haven't found the body of the first and only boy who broke Alessandra's heart - and they never will. Since then, all of her relationships have been purely physical. And now at eighteen years old, Alessandra is ready for more. The plan is simple:

1. Make the king fall in love with her.
2. Get him to marry her.
3. Kill him and take his kingdom for herself.

It's no small task, but Alessandra wants a kingdom and is going to do everything within her power to get it. She knows the freshly crowned Shadow King will be her toughest target yet. Shrouded in a mysterious power, no one is allowed to touch him.

But, as forces combine to try and keep Alessandra from earning the king's heart, she wonders if perhaps she's already lost her own.

• ISBN10: 1250249104
• ISBN13: 9781250249104
• Publish Date: 25 February 2020
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 22 June 2024
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: Audiobook (CD)
• Duration: 9 hours and 53 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[RoXXie]

The Shadows Between Us ♦ Tricia Levenseller | Review

It was incredibly fun reading The Shadows Between Us. The book captured my attention from the very first page and retained it throughout the entire work of fantasy.
I often wonder what it is about the infatuation between two morally dubious, murderous individuals that I am utterly addicted to, that I hardly could stop reading to do some chores. 😊


The Shadows Between Us ♦ Tricia Levenseller

Opinion

Alessandra, the primary character, is a vain and evil young woman with a vile scheme. She is a liar, a murderer, and a schemer. Not really the kind of character you expect to be the heroin. However, the Shadow King is one as well, which is why they work so well together.
I adored the character interaction. I liked how neither Alessandra nor The Shadow King steered away from the other’s deepest and darkest secrets. They simply accepted each other for the shattered persons they are inside.
I cherished seeing them scheme against one another and wished that more of their homicidal mischief would have taken place. I cracked up a lot while reading the novel and kept wondering whether one of them was really getting harmed.
Furthermore, I really liked the two main characters from the start because they were authentic. But the secondary characters also gave the book interesting starting points, some of which were also quite important for the entire plot. For example, Alessandra’s friendship with Rhoda and Hestia, which was portrayed very convincingly. Finally, in a young adult novel, there were true female friendships without bitching, gossip and betrayal.

The lack of world building made it difficult for me to create an accurate imagination of the locations. It’s not clear if this is our world, with made-up places; or a completely different world. The whole description of the castle and various trivialities put me in a time of the European Middle Ages. In the end, though, none of these points mattered to the story.
The Shadow King has power over the shadows, as his name suggests. The origin of this power is mentioned vaguely in between, but it doesn’t seem to have any deeper meaning. Of course, the shadows are for his protection, otherwise they seem more of a burden. Here I would have hoped for something more of a mythical secret. But who cares, you can’t have everything.

Despite some inconsistencies, I really enjoyed the book and would have loved to read more. But eventually the end came.

Conclusion

★★★★★

The Shadows Between Us has an engaging cast of primary and supporting characters that create an entertaining homicidal conspiracy party that occasionally made me giggle.
In any case, I will get the second volume, but also keep an eye out for other books by the author.



This review was first published at The Art of Reading .

[marciemarie]

I was pleasantly surprised by this!! I was really expecting an ACOTAR-type knock off honestly (nothing wrong with that!) but the tone was really different from what you expect in the fantasy-romance genre. The protagonists are pretty morally ambiguous, our female lead is refreshingly confident and maybe even selfish, there’s lots of unchecked and unearned ambition, and yet everyone is lovable. (It’s also explicitly sex-positive, which is nice!) Overall the premise of “girl seduces mysterious king for personal gain” is pretty standard, but the execution was original, and that’s what grabbed me.

[littleread1]

This was a freaking delight, seeing two bad guys become a bad couple was just ... so much fun. They are both unapologetic in who they are and how they do things. Fantastic.

[thepunktheory]

Full review on my blog!

This was absolutely impossible to put down. The Shadows Between Us is the Slytherin romance of your dreams and can only be described as delightfully wicked.
My edition is from Fairyloot and the purple and black cover is stunning. I think the normal version is red and black, but the special one stole my heart. It's. So. Beautiful.
And then I opened the book and only put it back down once I was finished. It has just the right length to binge read but at the same time, I wanted another 1000 pages in this world with these characters.
I love that we don't really have many typical "good guys" or "nice" characters here. Levenseller went full-on Slytherin and I'm here for it. The main character Alessandra is super badass and doesn't give a fuck. I want to be best friends with her. Also, she designs and sews her own clothes with is such a cool addition to the character.
The story unfolds nicely, comes with many interesting twists and turns. While I may have found the end a tiny little bit cheesy, it was to be expected and I'm not really mad about it.

[Veronica 🦦]

C+ | Oh man this book is pure, entertaining garbage fire. The book is fast-paced and easy to read. I would have finished it in less than a day. But I had things to deal with. This book is ridiculous and over the top, but I adored that! I had fun reading it. But dear lord God. Even though it is a fun read at face value, there are so many issues with this book from plot to worldbuilding to the characters. It never reaches its full potential.

For more of my thoughts, check out my full review on my blog, moon & coffee.

This was amazing. A true Slytherin romance. It was just perfect.

Alessandra is totally badass. She's a manipulative scheming bitch and it's perfection. I loved her so much. She's probably one of my favourite heroines now. She was just fantastic - she's badass and mean and cruel but she's also nice and generous and kind when she wants to be. She "woo's" the Shadow King but she's also honest and real with him. And he's just as cruel and manipulative but also kind and sensitive and honest. They were fantastic. The romance between them was slow burn and it was swoonworthy. They were both ambitious and driven and it was nice to see them not give an inch when it comes to getting what they want.

The other characters were just as interesting. I loved Rhouben and Petros. Rhouben who cares about his wardrobe and wears daring fashion choices. And Petros who is openly gay. (Which does beg the question of why one can be openly gay but not openly not a virgin but anyway.) Rhoda was highly amusing and incredibly perceptive. I loved the friendship between Rhonda and Hestia and Alessandra. Although they don't posess a long friendship, the friendship they do have is incredibly honest and open and supportive. There isn't even a question of not inviting Alessandra to join or be nice to her. They just are. They aren't critical or mean or passive agressive, just cheering her on in her goals. I mean my favourite line is this;

Rhoda bends over my shoulder to give the trinket a proper look. “My, my,” she says. “The king must be head over heels for you.” Quieter, she adds, “Well done, Alessandra.”

Levenseller, Tricia. The Shadows Between Us (p. 71). Feiwel & Friends. Kindle Edition.

No jealousy, just admiration and support. And I adored every time any of the characters stood up against society. I loved the focus on dressmaking and the skill in which Alessandra possesses to get what she wants. She may be driven but she's also dedicated and works hard to make it happen.

I loved the ideas on feminism and what a woman should be. I loved the idea that women should be themselves and a man should want them for that, not for some perceived ideal - and the fact that no woman should settle for anything less than a man who wants you for you. I loved the idea that relationships weren't discarded and a woman can be both strong and married/partnered. I loved Alessandra's sexuality. The idea that a woman shouldn't have to be a virgin and should explore her own sexuality is perfect and I wish we had more of these ideas depicted in young adult books. I loved that Kallias supports this idea. There were so many favourite empowering lines but I'm rather fond of this one;

“Has he pressured you?” I ask, suddenly growing protective of my friend. “Oh, no. He’s been wonderful about it. You might think I’m silly, but I just want to wait until I’m his wife.” I take her hand in mine. “There is nothing silly about waiting until you want to. Don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise. It is your body to do with as you will.” She smiles at me then, and I worry that I might be the first person to tell her that. Waiting. Not waiting. One lover. A hundred lovers. There should be no judgment either way. A woman is not defined by what she does or doesn’t do in the bedroom.

Levenseller, Tricia. The Shadows Between Us (p. 301). Feiwel & Friends. Kindle Edition.

Leandros Rhouben Petros

The plot was incredible. I didn't see the twists coming. I mean I sort of thought Leandros was the guilty party but I didn't see any of the whole it's Kallias' brother back from the dead plot.

I did feel disappointed by Alessandra using the trunk to bury Hektor. I mean it had her initials! I felt let down by that oversight. But then we wouldn't have got to see the King laugh his ass off and pardon her so...

And I didn't love that her blackmail on Myron or Nestor wasn't as airtight as the other guy she's got on smuggling. But then if her blackmail was, we wouldn't get to see her brilliant plan to break up Rhouben and Melita and use the money she gets from doing that to buy his debt and then call it.

Like she did stupid things but only so she could pull off amazing plans/revenge - so it's hard to hate it.

And I LOVE that she's the one to figure out the plot and then kill Leandros. It was nice to see the female save the day. And so brutally too. I mean this;

“If you want to stop me, you’ll have to kill me. I think we both know you don’t have it in you.” When he tries to move, I let the tip of the sword break his skin, sliding in until it hits the wall. Xanthos’s eyes widen in surprise, as a choking noise comes out of his throat. Where blood oozes from his airway. “You didn’t really know me,” I say. “If you had, you’d know I’ve already killed for love once before.” And then he slumps forward, tacked to the wall like some macabre tapestry. Dead.

Levenseller, Tricia. The Shadows Between Us (p. 318). Feiwel & Friends. Kindle Edition.

It's pure perfection. I would've loved to see more of Alessandra/Kallias scheming. And more interaction of Alessandra with the Council but overall this book was fantastic. My only real complaint is that's it's standalone. Like the standalone aspect was a huge draw for me but now I've read it and I'm wrecked - I want a whole series! Hopefully, there's more Slytherin romances on the way. 5 stars.

[Mad Soul Child]

Ну что ж, эту было "ой как неожиданно и прияяяяяятно, очень приятно)))"
Пролетала сквозь текст как нож по масличку, так быстро и легко. Очень классно, хочу больше таких одиночек

[ladygrey]

I’ve read too many books. This one is a little like the shadow king/beauty and the beast story with the spiral cover only better and less abstract. And Leandros reminds me a lot of the friend in The Cruel Prince. Also I suspected the villain from the beginning. Granted I suspected a number of things that didn’t play out like that Kallias’ parents were killed by an offshoot of the family that had the shadow power so could walk through walls to kill them. But I also suspected Leandros from the start because of his closeness and I suspected that the brother was murdered. I also suspected Rhoda or Hestia because of their close niceness so clearly I didn’t get it all correct. And I’m glad it wasn’t either of them because I enjoyed that element of the friendships in the story.

This book also seemed to be a commentary as much as a story—a statement against things Levenseller had read in other books or just heard in life. When a book is also such a clear (and repeated) message it detracts from the rest of the story, regardless of whether I agree with the message or not. In this case it was all about women and sex and judgements and society’s expectations. It might have flowed into the story better if her father hadn’t been such an exaggerated cliché trying to make money off her marriage (several times, it was like the only thing he brought to the story making him one dimensional). ThoughI have to grant her that it’s nota one sided commentary so that was good. And the twist with Hektor looped around to the end quite well. But I found it a rather... interesting way to start a YA novel. And I get that the story was framed in a repressive society to give her something to rebel against and Levenseller something to comment on. It just felt at times like the commentary took over the story.

I liked the characters well enough. Though I wanted more from Kallias. The opening scene he’s so stark and intriguing. I wanted him to be more clever, more dangerous and manipulative so it didn’t feel like she was always the one maneuvering things and he was just smitten. The first morning after they’re engaged when he’s being demanding was close—I wanted more of that, more of him challenging her, moments when he keeps her off balance. In some of the scenes he’s reticent and stark and intriguing. But it never felt like he was challenging her or toying with her in the same way she was with him.

I liked that their relationship was so much more than physical attraction. That it was mostly friendship and getting to know each other and mischief. It made everything seem so much more solid. But then at the end it felt like more commentary for just a moment after he finally kisses her—oh look this whole time Love makes him physically vulnerable but Alessandra has to choose to be emotionally vulnerable—look at that fabulous parallel. I shouldn’t be snide about it because it’s actually well dont is just it went to that obvious place where you’re being told what’s going on instead of just letting it go in and o don’t like that obvious, here let me spell it all out for yo moment.

And yet, it was a remarkably well structured ending. Because in a lot of ways they got their happy ending before the actual end. So you got that moment of satisfaction, of the lingering in their time together in the aftermath to enjoy it. Then there was the twist and the typical short happy ending.

But overall, for all its flaws, Levenseller is a good writer and it’s an easy book to get caught up in. I also like that it’s a stand alone and she managed to get so much story into just one book.

[Kat @ Novels & Waffles]

The Shadows Between Us is a dark, deliciously sensuous Slytherin romance full of murderous lovers, political schemes, and sex positivity. Although it isn't particularly mind-blowing or memorable, it is a perfect example of what I've come to expect from Tricia Levenseller's books; a fast-moving plot and totally bingeable writing. Easy to get into, easy to read, and easy to forget about afterwards, it's a quick and highly entertaining read that's perfect for breaking out of a reading slump.

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[Brittany]

Do I think this book was bad? No. Do I think this book was good? Also no. I have so many mixed feelings on this because it had so much potential. Some parts were beautifully crafted and detailed while others fell completely short.

The story jumps right into the thick of things. The main character - Alessandra - says she’s going to marry the king and kill him and next thing you know she is in the presence of the king. The whole beginning was just rushed and seemed very easy.

That seemed to be the whole nature of the book. Easy. Problems would be presented and solved quickly with what seemed like not much effort. It was lacking details throughout most of the scenes.

Some other ~mysteries~ were completely obvious so the drag out of them seemed unnecessary because most readers would know the answer without having to live through multiple chapters of “I wonder who the bandit is”

I think what most kept me reading was the hope that I would eventually like Alessandra as a character and I really don’t think I ever did. She is portrayed more as a villain throughout the majority of the book but in a brash, bitchy entitled way.

I did enjoy Kallias as a character though he wasn’t a very complex character. He’s portrayed at the very beginning as shadowy and mysterious but that isn’t the case as soon as he’s introduced into the main story. There could have been more mystery there -like an actual misunderstood villain is actually a good guy trope instead of a half assed attempt at it.

Now saying all of this did I still read the whole thing? Did I refuse to put it down because I wanted to know what happened next? Was I a little sad when it ended?

Yes on all accounts but I understand that stories can be addicting while not actually being that good in a lot of ways.

I will probably never read this book again but I don’t regret picking it up for an easy read.