I used to love this author and absolutely not to diminish their hard work but something has been missing for years. I don't know if they are trying to get too many books out in too short a time, using interns to write sections, fell out of love with the universe, or what. The ideas are still good but the execution falls flat.

I liked the world building and Valteri was a great character. I did find it annoying that Ariel kept thinking that if she left she could somehow delay the curse that was on them. Personally I didn't think that would have solved anything. She kept going back and forth saying that she would stay and never leave, then turn around and decided to leave. I loved Thorn and Shadow's banter.

I love the book. I feel like I’m a little biased because I like everything that Sherrilyn writes. I have been waiting for more of her books to come out. I love the continuation of the dark hunter universe.

I have read a lot of sherrilyn kenyon and this one was an updated rerelease. It was ok, but not great. Her work is predictable now and unfortunately has gotten stale. She has many of my favorite bookish characters, but as with most of the recent releases, they are just not exciting to read anymore. The only things i look forward to are the updates on my favorite characters lives.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have been reading this author and specifically this series for a long time. This is a Dream Hunter book which is a spin off from the Dark Hunters series. I've been reading both of these series for a long time and I have to say this is the first book of this author's that I didn't love. Not that it will stop me from reading the next books in either series but for the first half of this book, it didn't feel or read like it was from the Dark Hunters universe at all.

Because of something she did in her past, Ariel can't remember her life and is cursed to be a mortal human. She meets Valteri who was treated horribly by an unfeeling mom until his brother finds him and tries to help him. He now has a home thanks to his brother.


These two end up working closely together when he asks for her help with his books since he isn't good at math and can't make heads or tales of the ledgers. So Ariel helps him and they spend more and more time together, getting closer. I really enjoyed the ending when Acheron and Simi made a surprise appearance. Overall, this was a good addition to the series but not my favorite.

I absolutely LOVED this book by SK. I couldn't put it down for the life of me. I've been looking forward to the next book in this series for what feels like forever now and she definitely didn't disappoint,

I really enjoyed this book. I hope the author continues to write more books in the future. I can't wait to see what the author releases in the future.

I so loved this book!! I love the Dark Hunters series, this book is a great addition to a wonderful series!! The storyline was well done!! I can’t wait for more books in this series!! I would highly recommend this book to everyone!!

Started a bit slow for me, but when it got started, it got started. Couldn’t put it down. Ariel was an Angel that was cursed to be human until someone she loves dies in her arms. Valeria is cursed, has been all of his life, some would even call him a demon. When a beautiful woman is brought to him with no memory, he knows something is different about her but what?

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

Shadow Fallen: A Dream-Hunter Novel by Sherrilyn Kenyon

9781250773869

282 Pages
Publisher: MacMillan-Tor / Forge, Tor Books
Release Date: April 22, 2022

Fiction, Sci Fi, Fantasy, Romance


Ariel has been cursed to be a human. She has no memory of her true self or her calling. It is the time of William the Conqueror and the Norman invasion of England. Ariel meets Valteri and falls in love with him. She does not know that he is part of a demon family. All she knows is she loves him and will do anything to save him.

This is the fifth book in the Dream-Hunter series. The book has a steady pace, the characters are developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. Even though Ariel does not have any memory, she is an independent woman with strong emotions. Even though Valteri is a demon, he has a good side especially towards Ariel. If you like sci fi and fantasy books, you will enjoy reading this one.

Highly entertaining, edge of your seat and action packed journey filled with witty and engaging charters, heart racing twists and undeniable passion. An emotional roller coaster ride from beginning to end and so hard to put down!

Many thanks to NetGalley, MacMillan Tor/Forge and Sherrilyn Kenyon for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are 100% my own and independent of receiving an advance copy.


Shadow Fallen is the sixth book in the series Dream Hunters. This one tells the story of an angel Ariel who falls to earth because of a curse. Ariel’s job is to escort the dead souls (usually soldiers fallen in battle) to their afterlife. One such soul’s mother was so distraught at her son’s demise that she curses Ariel to fall to earth and fall in love with a man, Valteri, who will then die and leave her brokenhearted. The old woman has made a blood curse with a demon, who also wants their souls to gain his freedom from Hell. Valteri is no ordinary man, he has suffered greatly because of his vague parenthood and most think him some sort of demon. Ariel has lost her memory but falls madly for Valteri knowing him to be the good man that he is. Now, if they can only find a way around this curse.

I was not a fan of this story. I have read the prequel to the series, Phantom Lover and enjoyed it very much and was hoping for something in the same vein. This story just had too much repetition and it got really boring. I read it in one sitting and to be constantly hit over the head with Valteri had a hard life growing up, got it, he got beaten, got it, he doesn’t trust anyone, great, over and over again for three hundred pages, just wasn’t interesting. Same with Ariel, I mean she was an angel fallen from heaven, there should have been lots to talk about becoming mortal that could have been interesting. The only thing that was remarkable was how beautiful and kind she was. I mean really, that’s it??

There was also lots of confusing history of different demons and demigods, their children and who ran things in what realms. As well as bible quotes thrown in for good measure. So for me the characters were cardboard, the story weak and the repetition of scenes with no forward progress was not enticing. I am curious to see what the rest of the series is like, since I liked the first one so much but as for this one, it’s a pass for me.

I have read a lot of books by Sherrilyn Kenyon and I loved all I had read but this one just felt flat and I really struggled to read it because I got bored .

I am so disappointed that I didn’t love this one .

It's been awhile since I've been in this world, and I forgot how much I enjoy it. This book was great and is definitely setting up some interesting things for the future. I really enjoyed all the characters and loved their interactions. I can't wait to see where this goes. The relationship between Ariel and Valteri is great, and I love how they try to protect each other. I do think the book drags a bit in the middle and I would have like some more at the end, but I just loved being back in this world.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an e-ARC of the book in exchange for a review.

I am so happy that she's back, this book is an amazing read. I have loved Sherrilyn's books for a very long time and this one does not disappoint. The characters are engaging, likable, relatable and strong. The story is one that pulls you in quickly and doesn't let you go. I can not wait for the next one.

❤️❤️❤️❤️ out of 5
Welcome back Sherrilyn Kenyon! And not only a big welcome back to writing but to writing medieval romance! It’s been a very long time since I read her medieval romances under Kinley MacGregor although this one is also paranormal and the latest in the Dream Hunter series.

Our heroine is an Angel (and a warrior one at that) until she is cursed to fall in love and then have her love die in her arms. She is found in a field with no memory of who and what she is by a man whispered to be an evil monster because of his two mismatched eyes. But this so called “evil” lord shows her nothing but kindness in a world that heaps a whole lot of evil onto him because of how he looks. Meanwhile dark forces try to pair them together to crush our heroine under her curse and the more time she spends with the hero the more feelings she develops.

This book definitely felt different from all the medieval romances I read (mainly because they are all old school and this one definitely read more modern) but I really enjoyed it as well as the paranormal elements. This read like a beauty and the beast retelling (my catnip) and the hero is so grouchy and moody but soft on the inside- I mainly wanted to just hug him through the whole book! I really enjoyed this book even though at the beginning the pace seemed a little off and too Insta-lovey for me but it grew into it and I didn’t want to stop reading! Overall a great read.

I would like to thank Sherrilyn Kenyon, Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for giving me the chance to read this book for an honest review.


I had struggled to read this. I love the series and truly enjoy Ms McQueen's books but I think to help me I am going to have to go back and read the series again just to familiarize myself with it all. to be fair I had skimmed through the first third of the book because it just kept putting me to sleep.

Is Kenyon back? Seems like it. Though her books are unbelievably formulaic, she has a way of making them work. As usual, we have a grumpy male with a horrific backstory who believes himself unloveable. He is redeemed by the love of a good woman who annoys the crap out of him most of the time. I enjoyed the backstories. Not many books are set in during William the Conqueror's time period. Plenty of fan favs have cameos in here to keep the story moving along and keep it from going into Lala land like some of her previous books.

It's a fast read that gives us hints towards the end while leading our protags to their HEA.

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen one of Kenyon’s books come up on my TBR list. It felt sort of nostalgic! The Dream Hunters have been different books, and this one is more different than even the others. For one, this is set in the past. I don’t typically read fiction that is t set in contemporary times, but this was a good fit.

I’m not sure why there has been such a gap in book releases, but getting a new book was enjoyable. I’m glad she’s back.

Soooooo… I can honestly say I was expecting the setting on this one. I was thrilled to be able to jump back into the Dark-hunter series, after having been on a forced-sabbatical so long due to Sherrilyn’s personal battles, but I was kind of expecting this story to take place in the current timeline. That being said, once I got into the groove and understood just what I was reading I really loved this story and getting to see that pasts of so many of the characters we have come to know and love in the present of the dark-hunters series. It was interesting as hell to see how Sherrilyn wove her characters and storylines together and brought so many answers to my questions in the end. It is a little bit tricky to give details on this one without giving a lot away, but I will try my best. Ariel is a battle angel and has been captured by an evil sorceress and turned human, leaving her with no memory of who she is and in the path of a deadly foe that she should never have come into contact with. Valteri is a savage warlord who has fought for every scrap of freedom and respect he gets in life, but his loneliness from being seen as demonic spawn due to a birth defect has left him leery of others, and women in particular. When the beautiful and innocent Ariel is thrown into his life, Valteri fears a trap, but he find himself unable to resist the sweet and oddly brave woman that embraces him and offers him a chance to have happiness for the first time in his shitty life But when the truth of her past and identity is discovered and the full implications of their actions come to light, Ariel and Valteri have to find a way to come to terms with their new relationship and all the danger they now find themselves in, before their enemy kills them both and starts a war between the forces of heaven and hell that could end the world. Wow I have to say I have never met to characters that are so seemingly mismatched that turn out to be so perfect together in the end. I loved seeing Ariel find her humanity and come to terms with her present as she learned to live as a human for the first time. She obviously had to deal with some issues as she experienced true emotions for the first time and learned to do things for herself as a human for the first time in eternity. Seeing her trust in Valteri and how she showed him love and gentleness from the beginning showed that she could see the goodness in him that he himself denied. It was rough seeing her dealing with the pain she faced throughout the book, but in the end I felt she grew and changed beautifully into a character that I could recognize as one of Sherrilyn’s bad-ass heroines. Valteri was a piece of work through a lot of this story, showing only his darkness to everyone but Ariel as a way to protect himself from pain and rejection, but we get glimpses of the vulnerability and softness that he has had to hide for so long in order to survive. It’s obvious that he is looking for someone to love him and give him their love, but he doesn’t know whom to trust and only when he learn to offer his heart and faith to Ariel unconditionally does he become the strong and vibrant hero he is always meant to be. The passionate pull between these two is there from the very first time they set eyes on one another and only grow more intense as they come to know the heart of one another. Am dying to read the next in the series of course, though I have no clue where Sherrilyn might be heading in the series, but there were certainly some CRAZY revelations in this story that will make this world interesting. The Queen is back in a big way!