Jennie's Reads

“We’ve been at war with the Shadowlands for ten years. The Great War, it’s called. And we’ve been waiting for you to return, to end it.”

⭐️ 4
🌶 0.5
👑 Lost Memories
👑 Fated Destinies
👑 Multiple POV’s
👑 Morally Grey Characters
👑 Plot & Story Driven
👑 Touch Her and Die + TOUCH HIM AND DIE
(but not where you expect)

**Warning, spoilers possible ahead**

First of all, wow! This book by Nicola Tyche is so well written! Definitely adding to my recommended fantasy/romantasy books of 2024. The past lover/morally grey MMC/political intrigue/feisty FMC themes will always have a special place in my heart. And what a way to start a book- where our first glimpse into the world is one where the character is learning about it at the same time we are! There’s something about the newness of the experience that kept me riveted.

So, Norah our FMC wakes up in the middle of a Wild forest with no memory of how she got there. Seemingly driven into movement and purpose by a fox- we’re then taken on a WILD journey to learning that she is actually a princess (discovered by her former lover and head of the royal guard- though he does not tell her… duty? honor? masochism? eh.) who is supposed to take the throne for a whole kingdom! Yeah, you can definitely guess how that went over. Someone who has no idea who she is, but is forced into all these boxes and force fed these customs… and has all these expectations of her. I mean, Norah, I’d be in the same boat as you, girl.

“Leading people takes heart, and you’ve always been the heart of this kingdom. Follow yours, and you’ll know what to do.”

— Ohkay, taking a side road here for a second- I don’t think I’ve read about “eating” or anyone’s “hunger” as much in any other fantasy series. Nicola is definitely alluding to something, but I don’t know what it is yet. All I know is our girl Norah, she can EAT- and everyone is obsessed with making sure that she eats.

Norah also finds out that a seer has seen her destiny- how she will defeat this “Shadow King” they’ve all been at war with for so long. Fate. Fate be sticking her hands into all the things and swirling them around to create a tsunami of blood and carnage. So she follows the path that’s laid out in front of her with minimal resistence- drawing strength from her former lover, now Lord Justice. When she’s supposed to go and wed the king in a neighboring kingdom – one who is to lead them to vicotry over their enemy, the same one she’s been promised to for many years – she’s kidnaped during the travels by aforementioned enemy.

Here’s where the plot thickens…

“But this wasn’t the man she’d thought he was. “You’re not the Shadow King,” she said coldly. “You were expecting something else?” he asked. “A monster, perhaps?” She scoffed. “Stories, meant to scare people.” He ambled toward her, the darks of his eyes almost drowning her, but she stood firm.”

Of course he’s not!! *squeel* What was a kidnapping turns into a marriage by convenience, because- what’s better to promote peace than uniting two kingdoms who’ve been at war for decades? We then learn about Kharav (the Shadow Kingdom) and how their politics work within this world, and how the other kingdoms fare as well. We are given a deeper view into the relationships that Norah creates- including the relationship of the king and his ‘brute’. *Full transparency- not sure yet if I’m ok with the brute or if I hate him… will loop back, tbd. Of course we end up developing a soft spot for our Salar (king).

“In front of the world, he was cold and dark, threatening. He was the Shadow King. Impossible to love. But with her, the darkness fell away. He was Mikael. Impossible to hate.”

Things seem to be going ok with Norah and said Shadow King before her kingdom’s politics try to step in and make a show of not respecting their marriage. Trust is lost, trust is regained, betrayals and back stabbings galore. Couple all of this with Norah still not knowing her past and attempting to navigate the waters of this royal world and responsibilities she was forced into.

The only reason this book has 4 stars instead of 5 is because it moves a little slow. It took me to about half the book before I started really getting into it and getting invested. However, I am now fully IN IT – and have already started the Shadow Queen.

The multiple POV’s were fun to navigate. They were just enough not too much where things are given away, but also provide a view into the other character’s heads and hearts. I thought we’d be able to see the full story and kinda get a glimpse into Norah’s past without Norah knowing- but Nicola does it well in the way we’re still in the pressent and experiencing everything along with her, even through other’s eyes.

I am intrigued by this whole “eating”… thing… and look forward to see how Mikael & Norah attempt to change fate. Because… they need to.

*note, this book is available on Kindle Unlimited for your reading pleasure
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