The Shadow Queen (Ravenspire, #1)

by C.J. Redwine

[whisperingchapters]

This review was originally posted on Latte Nights ReviewsI don't normally read retellings but The Shadow Queen was one that captivated me the very simple cover and the intriguing synopsis. Even though this book took a bit for me to fully get into mainly because it was slow in the beginning, I was surprised by how much I was enjoying it.

Lorelai had a good life with her family at the castle but she soon started realizing that Queen Irina was not who she was portraying to be and Lorelai was the only one not falling at the queen's feet, thanks to the powers she possess. When the queen murdered her father, the former captain of the guard took Lorelai and her brother Leo, helped them escaped and kept them in hiding. All the while, Lorelai practices her magic so that one day she can defeat Irina and reclaim her throne.

I was impressed by not only the characters but also the vivid description the author wrote for this fantasy world. It's usually quite difficult for me to really picture a fantasy world but C.J. Redwine executed it wonderfully. Even writing this review, I'm remembering various scenes of the book where Lorelai had to use magic to fight/defend herself and I can still picture everything in my mind (and I read this book in December so it says a lot).

Prince Kol lost his father and his brother to ogres and now he has to step up and be king of Eldr. I expected him to be a careless king and sit on his throne, not doing anything. To say I was surprised by Kol is an understatement. He took charge from the moment he was appointed king and decided to seek for a solution so his people would be safe in Eldr. He goes to Irina for help but she asks for Lorelai in return. And Irina knows Kol's a dragon, which she uses to her advantage and takes control of Kol in the process. Okay, yes you read right. A DRAGON!! I was so surprised by this fact but I was loving every minute of this turn-around to the story. It got me even more excited for the rest of it!

I really loved both Lorelai and Kol. Lorelai was so caring but so freaking tough and badass. The badass-ery in this book from this princess is off the charts. I was in awe of her and I wanted to read more and more. Kol was the perfect addition especially with his dragon nature. There were scenes that really hooked me in deep when it came to these two amazing characters that when the book ended, I wanted more! And the romance isn't insta-love!! It was slow-built and the reader gets to enjoy it at a very nice pace.

The story was very well-written, even in third POV. I'm not the biggest fan of third POV but this one was perfect. It demanded to be in third POV and it helped deliver the story even more. We get to read about Lorelai, Kol and even Irina.

Overall, I loved this book a lot. It was a great start to a series that I can't wait to read more of. I highly recommend it to every fantasy lover and retelling lover because you won't be disappointed.

I received an eARC from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews