The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller

Rating: 4 out 5 Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Blurb:

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?

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Review & Reaction:

A "Slytherin romance" indeed! Ya'll this was such a FUN read! I hadn’t seen much of this book on Bookstagram but I was at Barnes & Noble two weeks ago and spotted it all alone in between a bunch of other books and opened it up to read the first lines,

“They’ve never found the body of the first and only boy who broke my heart. And they never will. I buried Hektor Galanis in a hole so deep, even the devils of the earth couldn’t reach him.”

I don’t normally read Standalone's but after reading that opening-line, I was SOLD .

This is probably the first time I read a book where the protagonist didn’t pretend to be evil because they actually were. As Alessandra attempts to woo the Shadow King so that she can kill him and take over his throne, she’s faced with a bigger obstacle: making sure whomever else is trying to kill him does not before she succeeds in securing the throne.

This was full of dark humor and mystery. Alessandra & The Shadow King were so similar in their ruthlessness & open-minded way of thinking that it was evident from the beginning that they were already a perfect match. I love how they were both unapologetically honest and accepting of themselves & and one another.

They were like “Hey you’re bad and I’m bad too” 😏😈

I admit that I didn’t love Alessandra’s character at the beginning of the book so much but she definitely grew on me as the story went on. Like many of us, though her actions were questionable, she just wanted to feel loved and seen. I also loved Alessandra's interactions with the others who were living at the palace. She was the perfect blend of “girls, girl” and “one of the boys”& I found the The Shadow King to be very complex but in best ways.

The story was a well-paced page-turner however, I do wish that there was more world-building. I will say that when the villain was revealed I was like 🤯🤯🤯 I really did not see that one coming! Enemies-to-Lovers is my favorite trope and this one did not disappoint!

Would I recommend: YES!!

Re-read it?: Probably!

Read the next book in the series?: N/A-It's a Standalone!