This book was definitely not my cup of tea…

The basic premise of this novel is that men and women must marry by a certain age; the Farview sisters are running out of time as they near the age of 26 in the small village of Kaloma, a place of few eligible suitors. After stumbling across a key lying in the forest, Our protagonist Auri finds herself trapped in the curse of the god of night Nix.

The Shadow of a Wish is more of a romance that takes place in a fantasy world than it is a classic fantasy novel that has romance. While I was initially intrigued by the premise of this novel (expecting a strong heroine who defied the laws of her reality and was sent down a path of adventure), it diverged down a path I was not expecting…

The relationship felt forced, and at times beyond inappropriate, in terms of questionable outlines of consent. If you are looking for a book with questionable ethics and the use of words such as “growled” or “devoured” this book might be worth giving a chance.

I urge those thinking of reading this book to look at the trigger warnings before reading, as it does include some sensitive topics that may be triggering to some.

-
Triggers of sexual assault and questionable consent.

“And though he knew being a voyeur to her pleasure without her knowledge was vile, and he hated himself for it, he just didn’t hate himself enough not to replay it over and over in his mind.”

“The price for your wish, Auri,” he said, “is the loss of the freewill over your body in all ways.”

The cover of this book puts off YA vibes of innocence and fantasy. The fantasy is there for sure, a world that's beautifully crafted and interesting in its details with laws that make you feel for the characters, gods, and magic. The YA vibes don't go past the cover, though, and this book had far more spice than I honestly expected when going into it (not at all a complaint).

Aurora did a wonderful job of keeping the story interesting, which is challenging when you don't have much outside of two characters forced into a spot away from others. This easily could have become boring, but wasn't at all! I was impressed by the almost ease there seemed to be with keeping things interesting with minor additions of things like the book being read, the changing scenery, etc.

I liked the sisters introduced in the beginning so I'm looking forward to getting more with them in what comes next for this story! Though this is going to be a series, with the end provided you could easily stop and be content with this story if you aren't a multiple books sort of reader.

Give this one a try!

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the advanced copy so I could provide my honest review.

😭
In the Shadow of a Wish by @maciaurora

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🤩

I’M NOT CRYING, YOU’RE CRYING!!! Stars, this book has it ALL. Super hot, broody male. Strong, fierce female. GODS. Forced proximity. Debauchery. 🍯. 🌶. 🔥. 😍. 😭. Adult fantasy at its freaking PEAK. Nixus is 🤤🥵

Releases TOMORROW 4/26/2022.


I absolutely LOVE when a book is filthhaaayyyyy but also serves me plot and character building 👌Aurielle Fareview is two years away from Collection. Spending her days at the marriage market with her sisters is daunting and she is looking for a way out. Upon finding a key in an out-of-place-meadow she meets Nixus. A nod to the genie in the lamp, what can Auri do to help Nix? What has Nix done to help save Auri?

Buy. This. Book. Seriously. I’m crying until January 2023 when #IntheShadowofaHoax comes out 😂

Thank you so so so much Maci, @netgalley and #MixedPlatePress for access to the eARC. I LOVED IT!!

#intheshadowofawish

For starters, that damn cover art is stunning and drew me in. I was sucked into the fairytale retelling from the very first chapter. My overall thought - I was pleasantly surprised and you guys will want to add this to your list.

This follows Auri as she discovers a golden key that transports her into a trapped realm with Nixus, the God of Night. She is given three wishes, but with each wish comes a consequence designed to make Nixus the enemy. After the three wishes are made she’s given the choice to choose her freedom, or to make a sacrifice and free the God of Night.

Told in dual perspective this was an absolute delight to read. The storytelling, the world building, the spice was intricately woven throughout the book and I couldn’t help but fall for these characters along the way.

Read this if you like: adult fantasy, the golden key retelling, were a fan of Gild, forbidden love, soulmates, forced proximity, magical curses, wish making, brooding Gods and sassy female MC’s, open door spice, magic storytelling

Review can be seen on goodreads.com/hiimleslie
And on my Instagram page: Instagram.com/_butfirstbooks

High 4⭐️
Beautiful cover. To be honest, I had no idea what this was going to be about. I went in blind and fell right into the story. I love fairy tales and fantasy novels. The world building worked for me. Likable characters and a strong story.
Loved Nix. It’s a smexy romance that had me rooting for them because of everything they were facing. I found sacrifice, love and courage in this story. I ended loving it and can’t wait for book 2.
I highly recommend it.
Thanks Mixed Plate Press via NetGalley.

In the Shadow of a Wish is the reimagined Grimm's Fairytale "The Golden Key".

In the Kingdom of Kaloma, women are forced to marry by the age of 26. It’s the law.
In the remote village of Sevens, at the northernmost point of the kingdom, there lives an impoverished family with four daughters and a son. Without the means to make love matches, the daughters are trapped by their circumstances.
When one daughter discovers a golden key deep in the Whitling Woods, it may have the power to change everything

I received and eArc of the book, which I was really interested in reading.
The main character, Auri, felt a bit generic, but likable. She was more interesting in the second half of the book. Nixus was also really entertaining. I enjoyed the romance (also some spicy scenes.)
The first half of the book was a bit slow, but it picked up when Auri made her first wish, and it increased in the last third of the story.
I liked the characters we met later on in the story (Lexa, Lucian especially and their relationship with Nix as siblings).
It was really fun and quick to read, with a compelling writing style (despite it being 500 pages).
Soulmate vibes ❤ and happy ending, which I have to admit, I love that.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I'm having a very hard time rating this book. I think mainly because the writing is quite different throughout. At some places I felt, '5 stars, this is steamy and written so well,' and other times, it felt very YA even though 'Fuck' is repeated many times. I think around the 80% mark when Lucian, Poe and Alexa got involved, the banter changed. Then after Auri did her deed, and we read the excerpt for the next novel, it got exciting again.
Overall, I'd say 4 stars, but at times that fluctuated. Nixus and Auri are very hot together, and I do want to see what's in store for the rest of the family.

I'll preface this by saying I am an absolute sucker for fairytale retellings, but I absolutely adored this book. This modern retelling of the golden key has wonderful feminist themes and strong female characters who overcome dire circumstances with tenacity and grace. and The characters are fascinating and complex and deeply realistic and relatable. I loved the way that the plot was designed to wrap up without a cliffhanger but still leave loose threads of plot line open for future books, which has just made me all the more excited for the next one!

first of all, i liked the book. let's start with that. i'm still unsure about my rating because i liked the second half so much more than the first. if i had to rate it, first half would be three stars but second one would be four. i just don't think it balanced out enough for me to want to round up, but the second half was great. i moved it up to 3.75, though, because it just is higher than a three, just not quite four.

let's start with what didn't work for me completely just so i can finish in a high note with what did like because i like to finish on the positive notes. and i say completely because i didn't dislike anything in the book, it was mostly just fine:

* auri: auri is likable during the first half but she's a little bit generic, to be honest. she grew on me during the second half and i ended up really liking her, but realistically speaking, as of right now, she's not a character that stands up to me.
* the romance was too insta-love for my taste: this one comes down to a matter of personal taste, it happened too quickly for my taste. i always like when there's a lot more development for it. that said, i think it makes sense in universe for it to happen so quickly. this one is more personal. they have pretty cute scenes after, so i enjoyed them just fine, but that was it.
* i have issues pin pointing exactly what didn't work for me in the first half. was it the pace? i think it was a little bit too slow for my taste, which is funny considering i just said the romance moved too quickly, but i do think the plot takes a little bit too much to get moving, and considering the characters are into the other so soon into the book, i didn't like it that much. maybe that was it, maybe it was that, combined with how auri seemed a bit generic at first.

as far as what did work for me very much? the second half. the development of the plot was great, and i loved how the author resolved it. i liked the twists, personally, which is always fun to read. there were character introduced later that were just, so interesting for me, and i found the dynamic between nixus and his brother incredibly interesting from the start, as well as the dynamic between the characters introduced later with nixus and auri.

i also really liked nixus as a character, i found him entertaining, to be frank. but mostly as soon as the plot started moving quicker, i started having a lot more fun. as i said seeing the dynamics was fun, and i grew to like auri a lot more as the book progressed. the author also starts opening some mysteries along the book, and some are resolved in this book, but others remain open for next book, so yes, when book two comes out next year i plan on getting it because i was left interested to know what happens next.

This one was definitely giving me some beauty and the beast vibes. I was swept up in this whirlwind of a book and the romance, the family, and the magic.
A good teen read, that I think a lot of my teen fantasy readers will like.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝑵𝒆𝒕𝑮𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆-𝒂𝒓𝒄.

𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟐𝟔, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐

.


I never heard of The Golden Key story before so I don't have an idea nor don't know what to expect wishing granting and forbidden romance and angst and 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐡 did deliver those.



𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭:

-𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐱𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐲
-𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠
-𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞
-𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠
-𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞/ 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐬
-𝐢𝐧-𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐡 / 𝟑 𝐝𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬
-𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐱 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭
-𝐟𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞
-𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭, 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲, 𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬


First things first, the writing was compelling, it gives this poetic kind of writing that instantly drew you into the story.

Aside from the compelling writing, the sequence of scenes, pace, the plot, and the world-building were weaved intricately and cautiously go in hand with how the characters behaved as the story goes on.

I also would like to include that even though it was kind of predictable, I enjoyed how the author utilized each point to make an even more dramatic, riddle-like yet simple plot in terms of the conflict and resolution that made the story even more gripping because you don't know or you're not sure what happens next.

𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐒𝐓. Don't get me started with the angst. I admit that I had a fair share of frustrating moments in the story, especially the last 30% of the book. The agents making them behave
were valid, true, but it was still frustratingly depressing in some sense.

One thing that I need from every story is that they should have depth, or should I say developed and realistic and this book did not disappoint. The dialogues between characters are enjoyable, it did show what they are as a person, may it be mortal or immortal.

The main leads, Nixus and Auri, I just love them. I normally don't enjoy too much telling in any genre but this book did absolutely changed that.

One thing that I need from every story is that they should have depth, or should I say developed and realistic and this book did not disappoint. The dialogues between characters are enjoyable, it did show what they are as a person, may it be mortal or immortal.

I just love their teasing, the banter, the angsty fights, and those 𝐈 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐞 scenes. 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝.

𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐌. To be honest, I can't remember when's the last time I flustered over a hot scene and 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐂- 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐂 𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐄, had to turn off my phone, scream internally, and daydream for hours.

As for the side characters, although there are a lot of times I want to punch Lucian, I just want the author to know that I want a story for him. I can't imagine how he and Nexus felt in all those years and maybe a few domestic chapters of just the two of them. He's such a cinnamon roll despite those villainous facades of his.

Lexa, oh dear Lexa. This older sister of them is just in a mood. I want her. Also a story for her, please.

No comment for Poe but I also want a story about her.

Now onto the climax and the ending, it was nerve-wracking and intense for me. As much as I want it to be more drawn out and longer, I think that part was satisfactory and still angsty.

There are still parts that are left unanswered, especially the ribbon and their suspicious mother but I think that would be delved into more in the next story, which is 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐇𝐨𝐚𝐱, if I'm not mistaken, to which I am excited of.

Overall, it was an outstanding read, definitely a new favorite for me. I love the characters, the writing, and the plot. I can not wait for the next story!

This was a really great start to a new romantic fantasy series. We have Aurielle, who lives in a kingdom with very strict laws for women, and Nix, the God of Night who has been trapped inside of a spell for many years. When Auri finds a mysterious key and becomes trapped alongside Nix, she must make three wishes and suffer their consequences. She must then choose to either free Nix by making a sacrifice, or leave him like all of the previous key keepers have.

This book is full of magic, gods and goddesses, romance, monsters, and more. I love that Auri is a strong feminist character who wants to make the world better for herself and her sisters. Nix is a handsome, broody god who doesn’t know much about love or sacrifice until he meets Auri. They have such great chemistry and it was wayyy steamier than I expected. There are some good twists and the ending is satisfying but leaves just enough questions to make you want to read the next one.

My only complaints are that there were sometimes a lot of repetitive interactions like having the same arguments, making up, etc, and I also felt like parts of the spell got a bit too complex toward the end. But ultimately I really enjoyed it and will look forward to reading the next book.

Thank you to Mixed Plate Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you Netgalley and to the author for the digital ARC of this book. I'm honored to have been chosen to read and review such an enjoyable story.

“In the Kingdom of Kaloma, women are forced to marry by the age of 26. It’s the law.
In the remote village of Sevens, at the northernmost point of the kingdom, there lives an impoverished family with four daughters and a son. Without the means to make love matches, the daughters are trapped by their circumstances. When one daughter discovers a golden key deep in the Whitling Woods, it may have the power to change everything…”
One of the biggest obstacles as a reader of fantasy is often that world building can be confusing. Typically this is for two reasons: either because there is not enough information given and so when there are major plot points they don't feel grounded or because there is too much information given to the reader at one time which makes it a chore to get through in order to understand. Neither is the case when it comes to In the Shadow of a Wish.
The author places the rules of the world into the book organically and it reads very easily. She makes sure to weave information into the fabric of the story through dialogue more so than just telling the reader in the form of block paragraphs. This same ease of explanation extends to the rules of the magic, lore, and spells which I also appreciated. The Lore of the gods is equally interesting and as a sucker for that kind of information this book is dream come true. Nixus being under a spell cast by those close to him reads like a Greek myth. The details of the spell itself are so clever and the constant addressing of words mattering when it comes to not only magic, but to truly understanding someone as they are, show that the author spent a lot of time making sure everything lined up. By simply and organically explaining the rules of the world works in this setting it allows for the reader to feel anchored without growing tired or confused. It takes a talent to be able to orchestrate such tools properly.
Then, when we pair this accessible form of explanation with the tension that builds with each page, you are officially set for the start of great read. The overall pacing of In the Shadow of a Wish is a masterful combination of slow burn romance and an ever present knowledge that time is running out for our two protagonists, Nix and Auri. You are constantly wracking your mind for how events are going to turn out as the stakes continue to increase in risk. Your concerns, wishes, and hopes for the characters grow and change as they do.
Which brings us to our cast of characters. We are first introduced to the Fareview sisters and almost immediately the bond between them is compelling and endearing. It reminds me of my love of reading Little Women and Pride and Prejudice. Each sister's personality is fleshed out and dynamic, each one treated with respect despite their different ideals. It is clear that each sister's personalities have impacted our main character, Aurielle the more time we spend with her alone. Her tenacity and her desire to be braver than she currently is being one of the most admiration traits throughout the story. She wants to be brave and she wants to be good, she wants to channel the strengths of her sisters which is endearing. She's selfless and content with her life, her only unhappiness being the Law that forces her in a direction she doesn't want to go. She's smart too which makes experiencing the book partly through her eyes not tiresome. At her core, Auri cares more about others and wants those around her to taken care of. Part of her arc focusing on her learning that her pleasure and desires are just as important as the needs of others is one of the best pieces of character development I've had the pleasure of reading in a romance.
One of my favorite decisions the author made in this book is the way that Auri doesn't often describe herself and the first time we really get any information on her appearance is the way that Nixus sees her. For example, during their first meal together we don't get a detailed description of her outfit, but later Nixus spends a good while admiring her. Not only her appearance but her mind and her heart as well.
As for Nixus,the romantic lead and second protagonist, I was refreshed by him. He's not an ass which is rarity with stories where gods are involved as lead characters (a stereotype that is humorously addressed within the story). He seems genuinely intrigued towards Auri and his manner of speaking to her is direct and not condescending nor does he mansplain to her. His magic and power is not his sole personality trait and that allows for the reader to connect with him on a more emotional level. Nixus is surprisingly emotionally mature and aware. He laughs freely with Auri and not at her, he openly shows distaste towards the human world for their cruelty, and he recognizes Auri's concerns and fears and responds with kindness. He's also not blind to the mistakes he has made, especially when he looks back at his younger self. That awareness is refreshing and lays the foundation for their romantic relationship to build in a healthy way.
Fantasy romance is a genre is hit or miss for me at times and finding the perfect fit can take quite some time to find. I find myself quite picky to romantic leads in that if the main characters irritate me just a little, I can struggle to become attached or invested in the romance. However, in the case of Auri and Nix, I was invested in their relationship from their first meeting in the middle of the woods. One of the main reasons the relationship between Nixus and Auri works is due to the immediate mutual respect towards one another. Though neither is entirely happy about the situation; for Nixus he's doubtful that Auri will even be able to help him and for Auri, her main concern is going back home to her family, neither of them are rude or taunting. In the era of many romances having less than healthy relationships I found Nixus and Auri's refreshing.
I also love the emphasis on a woman's pleasure (in and out of the bedroom) and how female pleasure is not something to be ashamed of. With how woman are viewed in Auri's hometown it's a beautiful learning moment for her as well as a very important lesson all readers should take the chance to learn. This assertion of a woman's choice and pleasure being important is a stunning contrast to what Aurielle has experienced growing up. The steamy moments sprinkled in were a treat and though I don't believe there needs to be a lot of plot around romance, I feel that the author balanced the steam and plot really well. She utilizes the characters emotions and their growing affection for each other alongside the steam to get my heart pounding. If you're like me and you enjoy a fantasy romance with a plot that feels well thought through without any compromise on the adult content, I cannot recommend this book enough.
Overall reading In the Shadow of a Wish was beyond enjoyable and I cannot wait to read the continuation of the series! There's so much promise for where the story can go and I'm excited to follow.

I just finished an arc of this box and it's sooo good. It's a retelling of The Golden Key, but I also kinda get very very subtle Beauty and the Beast vibes too. @maciaurora has created a world that is vividly described with heart stealing characters that suck you into their world from the first page. If you love books with magic, forced proximity romance, and lots of twists and turns this is a must read

A fairy tale of sorts but not a Princess trapped by a spell but a God whose time is running out. Auri lives in a country that puts the M in misogynistic as the women are treated appallingly but she's a realist although naturally hopes for better times. What she doesn't expect is to find a magical key that transports her to the home of Nix who needs her to make three wishes in order to free him. However each wish has dire consequences and Nix finds himself increasingly less bothered about regaining his freedom finally and more bothered about losing Auri !
This was a fantasy romance that was both original and steamy. The couple are very likeable and we are introduced to Auri's family who will clearly feature in subsequent stories. I found this to be enjoyable and very much enjoyed the twists. Occasionally the writing wasn't quite to my taste but nevertheless as its a fantasy setting I can ignore that. A new author to me and certainly one I will look out for as I'm already interested to know what happens next to the other sisters.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

Read this book. That's all I really need to say but I will say more.

This book is absolutely magical. A FMC that is brave, kind, smart, and takes control. A dark-haired broody MMC who is the god of night, but is also a complete romantic (hello, magical date on a beach he conjured ⁉️). In this book you get: gods and goddesses, magic, a little mystery, secrets, betrayal, forced proximity, romance, and so much more. It's just so good.

Again, read this book.

Oh also, 🌶🌶🌶😏


ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A smutty romance loosely based on a mish mash of Beauty and the Beast plus three wishes.

Aurielle is the youngest daughter of a poor family. In the kingdom where they live women are required to be married by the age of 26 and begin to have children immediately. She and older sisters are getting dangerously close to this deadline and face being forced in to a marriage, a concubine, a birthing house or death.

One day as Aurielle is foraging she finds and key and then she's suddenly trapped in a spell with a god. She immediately intrigue by Nix and thoughtfully considers her options for the three wishes he offers.

As she is drawn closer and close to Nix her goals shift to changing her family's fate to saving this trapped god.

I'm not a romance fan, but this was an engaging read. There's plenty of tropes involved that can trip you up, but it's not unenjoyable.

Rating 4 stars

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All the opinions are my own.

In the Kingdom of Kaloma, women are forced to marry by the age of 26. It’s the law. Auri Fareview is the youngest daughter of four and after a bad day at the marriage market she wanders into an enchanted meadow and finds a key. The key holds an imprisoned god, Nixus, and now Auri finds herself trapped within the key as well. She is told she has three wishes and for each wish there is a price, or an obligation, to pay. And then a final sacrifice. Until then she is trapped with Nix until the wishes are made. For Nix, Auri is the seventh key holder who wishes he has to grant. He knows the final sacrifice can set him free but the key holder must choose it. And after six others letting him down, Nix is guarded and broody. And yet he finds himself drawn to Auri, who is full of life and love. Maybe, just maybe she will be the one to free him.

Apparently this is a retelling of the Golden Key (which I had never read) but I did get Beauty and the Beast vibes from it. A cursed god, fair maiden, rose garden, and the library. I very much enjoyed the story. And Auri’s first drunk night inquiring about kissing was just too cute. I enjoyed seeing Auri bloom into the empowered woman she was meant to be. I loved all the characters, especially Nix’s sister who is introduced late into the story. The story flowed easy with just the right amount of spice. There are unanswered questions at the end with seeds planted for the series. Too bad the next one isn't out until Jan 2023. Seems like a lifetime away. Can’t wait.

I received a copy of In the Shadow of a Wish via NetGalley to read and review.

In the Shadow of a Wish is a fairy tale retelling of The Golden Key. Auri lives in Sevens which has these awful marriage laws that do not benefit the women. After an incident at Market Auri and her sisters are kept near their cottage. While Auri is out in the woods she comes across a golden key and finds herself trapped in a spell with Nixus, God of Night. In order to break the spell Auri will have to make three wishes and pay three prices and then make a sacrifice to completely break the spell.

I really enjoyed In a Shadow of a Wish. There was a little spice and a few dark chapters but that is how most fairy tales go. I will be waiting to read book two!

Well, I absolutely loved "In the Shadow of a Wish." I wasn't sure what to expect from it, but I was pleasantly surprised. It definitely follows in the vein of some of my other guilty-pleasure favorites like Raven Kennedy's Plated Prisoner Series and SJM's A Court of Thorns and Roses, but it's still entirely its own thing. Maci Aurora is setting up a very interesting world, and I'm very eager to see where it goes. Auri was a lovely heroine who I didn't find annoying in the least. A lot of times when a naive character is dropped in an unfamiliar situation, they make some silly choices for the benefit of the reader to learn more about the world. Aurora kept Auri from being needlessly foolish, and as a reader, I appreciated that. I wish Nix and Auri would have been a little more communicative about their feelings earlier on in the story instead of running head-first into the idea of putting up more walls, but overall, that was easy to overlook as the story was so addictive. Nix was the perfect dark hero. I hope we'll see more of their story in the second book. I read "In the Shadow of a Wish" in less than 24 hours because the book was like a bag of potato chips that I just couldn't stop eating. I can't wait to recommend it to my sister-in-law as well. I know she's going to love it. Really appreciated the sneak peek at the next book -- I'm eager to keep reading the rest of this story as soon as possible!