1) Woo the Shadow King.The Shadows Between Us is a fast-paced fantasy standalone that is easily bingeable. Set in a fantasy kingdom with court politics and a new king, the book marries historical elements with modern feminist ideas for a powerful and empowering tale.
2) Marry him.
3) Kill him and take his kingdom for herself.
"I love to truly live. To be a part of everything."If you're a fan of snarky, confident, and ambitious characters, you will love our cunning main character Alessandra. The second daughter of an earl, she's been overlooked her whole life to her older sister Chrysantha and she is ready to step out on her own. I love how fiercely confident and ambitious she is: she will stop at nothing to achieve her goals. She sets herself apart using fashion, creating her own designs that set the court's trends on its head.
The book shines with the characters and the relationships that develop. Alessandra has essentially been hidden from the world because she couldn't come out into society until her older sister is married. She's never had female friends before, and uses men as pawns to get what she wants. When she finally joins the Shadow King's court, she makes friends (initially out of necessity) for the first time and I really enjoyed watching her friendships with men and women develop.
"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."The world is patriarchal and rather sexist, but the characters are sex positive and themes of equality run through the book. Alessandra is empowered by her sexuality and shares her opinions with her friends. But I loved that while she is sex-positive, she doesn't share her friends for making their own choices.
"'There is nothing silly about waiting until you want to. Don't let anyone 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. One hundred lovers. There should be no judgement either way. A woman is not defined by what she does or doesn't do in the bedroom."Now let's get to what you are probably interested in: the romance! I really adored the Shadow King as a character and I was rooting for him to open his heart to Alessandra. The tension and chemistry is palpable.
"His eyes are the green of the sea, of crashing waves and violent winds. There's something dangerous in the depths of them, something exciting, and I realize right then that feigning disinterest will be difficult."One thing that I especially enjoyed is the reversal of expectations on the cunning, ambitious character. I am so used to narratives centered on male characters with this characteristic, and while I wouldn't necessarily call the Shadow King a saint, he is a cinnamon roll comparatively. There is so much I would like to say about his character but I don't want to ruin the experience of learning about him while reading.
I love the way that the backstory of the city and her family is just effortlessly woven into the narrative. You learn what you need about the world in so few words, the pace isn't bogged down with detail yet is beautifully described. I do wish that the overall worldbuilding were a bit more developed. It's rich but uncomplicated, providing the context you need to understand on a base level, but this is definitely character-driven. I was so enthralled with the characters that it didn't really matter to me, though. I just wish there were an epilogue though because I'd love more time with the characters!
Overall, I found this book to positively be a delight and I am an idiot for taking so long to read my eARC. In a lot of ways, reading The Shadows Between Us hit similar notes as The Beautiful for me. The chemistry between the characters oozes off of the page and Alessandra is equally interested in fashion. If you like complex characters and stories of friendship and love, I highly recommend that you pick this one up!
Representation: bisexual side character, feminism, sex-positive
Content warning: death, loss of a loved one, sexism (challenged)
eARC provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect the contents of my review. Quotations are from an uncorrected proof and may be changed upon final publication. I have since purchased a finished copy.
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