4.5 out of 5 stars

When they compare this book to Bride of the Elf King, they do it correctly. It does feel similar to that book, but not in a way that feels like a straight-up copy. It's its own story, with vibes that worked really well for me. Once I started reading, I didn't want to stop.
It has slow-burn, it has magic, it's fantasy, it's everything I could have ever wanted. I'm definitely going to read book 2 as soon as I can.

I received an e-arc from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A slow burn romance and can I say ever I never thought trolls could sound so handsome 😆 A good mix of mystery, plot twists and deception, while fighting attractions. I am super curious to see where the story goes with the rest of the series. Love the redesigned cover.

It’s not a bad book, but is was very slow paced and took awhile to grab my attention, i know its the start of a new series but I’m not if I am invested enough to want to continue.

The formatting really was not great and found it too distracting

Thank you Netgalley for a copy for an honest review

The first few chapters seemed a little contrived, and I had my doubts about this fantasy book. But then they were dispelled as the story started making sense, the action picked up, the political intrigue darkly blossomed and the characters feelings were laid bare with tragedy never far away. I really look forward to the next book, soon to be published, to see where the story goes. Thank you to Daphne Press and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine freely given.

Book Review 📚

Bride Of The Shadow King by Sylvia Mercedes - 3/5 ⭐

I was fortunate enough to be sent Bride of the Shadow King as an arc - but unfortunately the format was horrible. Random paragraphs all over the place and couldn't make sense of the story at times. With that being said, from what I managed to understand and read, it was an amazing story.

Dual POVs and magical romance? Love it. It's a very slow burn and not an overly fast paced book but the story was still intriguing. The MCs have a variety of personalities which I think opens the story a little more so it's not the same over and over. I got frustrated at times when I didn't know more about the characters and certain parts of their stories.

There's a huge dive into violence (I quite like that) and you really didn't expect it. I think that should be a trigger warning for some? The story doesn't really "come to life" until about half way, but you expect that with a slow burn so I want disappointed. It is a well structured and thought out plot, so overall a great read. My only downfall was trying to piece together certain parts with the format being a bit "off".

Thank you to NetGalley and Daphne Press for allowing me to read this ARC - this is an HONEST review from my own personal opinion.

The formatting of this book is not great so I’m unable to read at present.

There seems to be random paragraphs made in the middle of a sentence and some words have letters randomly taken out of the word and placed further down the page?

Hopefully this gets fixed so I can properly read and review the book!

Loved the story, went a bit slow for me. That’s why I give this book 4 stars. Did enjoy Bride of the shadow king!

Slow burn dual POV magical romance which I felt focused on world building and at times the story felt like it was slow paced. All the main characters have very different personalities and I wanted to know why the female lead Princeas Faraine was seen so much as an outcast. Did her mother not try and speak up to stop her from being sent to live in a convent? I did feel frustrated at some of the characters and their actions or lack of actions. The shadow king was an interesting character and I hope in future books, we see his character develop further. I was surprised when a certain character portrayed as a villain turns out to actually be ok! I was certainly not expecting the sudden delve into dark fantasy, Full of gore and violence. Definitely not a book for the faint of heart. Overall, an enjoyable read and will look out for the next in series.

thank you to netgalley, the publisher, and the author for this arc.

3.5 stars.

i must admit i poked fun at this book a little, because NOWHERE in the description does it state that it is about TROLLS and it caught me off guard so badly, but this actually wasn't half bad.

sure, i had some issues with it. like the way the story didn't even properly take off until the halfway mark. like that first half did not need to be dragged out the way it did. then, also, the way characters reacted to certain events? it just didn't seem believable at times. but i say this a lot with a lot of books, so maybe it is a ME problem, but okay.

the thing that grabbed me the most was the worldbuilding. it's not 100% original, but i feel like the underground-caves-world is something that is not yet overdone the way some other things are. i also liked most of the characters. as someone who hasn't always had the best relationship with my own siblings, i could relate to faraine. there is the bickering and the fighting, but in the end, you can't really live without them. it's a strange thing, and it was captured well in this story. there is also the one character (not naming bc i don't wanna spoil anything) who got their 'redemption arc', and i loved that as well. i'm less convinced on some other aspects, but that's okay.

overall, i enjoyed reading this. enough that i would read the second book, and that says something.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an Arc!

Bride of the Shadow King was an absolutely enthralling read! I really enjoyed the two main characters and how the book was centred around their perspectives. This made their characters, as well as the story, well structured and more multi-faceted. The world building was also interesting and easy to read as there was not much information dumping. The pacing of the book was also done well.

Princess Faraine and the Shadow King had a really great dynamic and relationship. I really enjoyed reading their interactions and was rooting for them from the beginning! I also loved the characterisation of Lyria who was very strong!

Also, I thought that the depiction of the chronic illness was well written and good representation.

Overall, I would really recommend this book to anyone who loves drama, romance, emotion, and of course fantasy!

This was a nice, diverting read that was well-paced and easy to follow. By structuring it around the main two characters and seeing both their viewpoints, the story was conveyed in a well-rounded way. I think that the main romance was believable and the ending was just right for the start of a trilogy. I particularly liked the thoughtful portrayal of otherness and difference as well as the helplessness of the main couple with the situation they're in. Finally, the relationships between the female lead and her sisters was endearing and satisfying. I liked that despite all of the external pressures and stressors as well as the hostile environment they had been raised in, they loved each other and didn't allow the outside things to make them enemies. This was a really important facet of the story to me.

Ugh my heart weeps for Faraine!
What an intense ride the first book in this series in, I read it in one sitting it absolutely gripped me!
I am thoroughly invested in Faraine and hope that she gets the ending she deserves. King Vor is dreamy and also deserve his true love 😉
I'm excited to see how the story continues in the next books.

I really enjoyed Sylvia Mercedes' "Bride of the Shadow King." I thought she did a great job in presenting Princess Faraine (reluctant bride) and Vor (the Shadow King) as two characters torn between love and duty. I also loved Lyria's (Faraine's illegitimate half-sister) character who comes across as being strong, independent and fiesty without being overbearing. I hope we get the opportunity to see more of her.

Bride of the Shadow King fits in well within that will they/won't they narrative that makes the book quite thrilling and at times difficult to put down. The only issue I had is that there isn't much racial diversity. The humans who are seen as attractive are constantly praised for their golden hair and pale skin, While I understand it is not the responsibility of every author to platform characters of colour it does seem strange that within a world where humans, trolls and fae co-exist. the humans always tend to be white. I also felt uncomfortable with the other character's reactions to facial differences. For example, some of King Vor's people are mocked by both the humans and trolls for their facial "deformities." This "deformity" manifests in rock-like skin, and for one character Hael who acts as Vor's bodyguard, the reader is informed more than once that it's such a shame half of Hael's body is affected by this condition as she would be so beautiful otherwise. Not once is the message driven home that it's what on the inside that counts not the outside, but perhaps the author wrote it like this as this sentiment pretty much mirrors real-life attitudes towards facial differences. Apart from that, it was a good read.

The author crafted a story which I found entertaining to read. Filled with drama and emotion, the story introduces two interesting characters who quickly find their way into your heart. I found myself rooting for them even though at times, I was not totally a fan of his. An enjoyable read.