I went into this book with zero exceptions, I’ve heard of Ruby Dixion before. But I didn’t think to look up who that was before requesting this book. Ice Planet Barbarians, so this book is technically part of the omega-verse. Would’ve liked to know that before hand.

That being said, this book was fine. I did skim over the copious amount of smut scenes, since this type of “intimate” scene isn’t my cup of tea. But I liked the banter between the characters before they started having sex. It was amusing and realistic. But the sex scenes, as the book neared the end, often happened at such odd times in my opinion (Shortly after the FMC was almost SA’d for example). It just felt out of place.

The world-building was pretty weak at times. The magic was very glossed over, to the point where I’d prefer zero explanation over the flimsy descriptions that were given. The dynamic of being locked in a tower for years, didn’t make sense to me. They were given more supplies, during that time, but other than that, there are no windows and the door is bricked shut… It’s not very clear why exactly they had to be locked in complete darkness either. My suspension of disbelief was broken even more by the fact that they would’ve run out of air, even with the slight breeze under the door. It just didn’t make sense to me. Why couldn’t they have one of those windows that you can’t even stick your arm through. Or why they couldn’t have lights. I also didn’t understand why the country the FMC was from wasn’t a Matriarchal society, especially if the women born from their bloodline are supposed to be important. It was just another trope this book had that I’m tired of seeing. Sexism for the sake of sexism.

The characters were, meh. I didn’t care for any of them. There was an attempt to make them multi-dimensional, but it just came across as them being inconsistent. I also saw the twist to Candra’s “cursed blood” a mile away. Something else that bothered me throughout the book is the over use of the swear “dragon shite” It was the only swear used… and it got old fast.

Ultimately, the two main problems with this book are 1) it is way too long, and 2) there’s too many twists. The final 10% was just bonkers, where another 10+ twists happen in a very short span. The conclusion also came abruptly compared to the rest of the book, where things moved so fast they felt glossed over.

This book was both gratuitous in sex and violence, and also very silly.

I have loved everything Ruby Dixon has written and this was no exception. I am just blown away by how amazing this story is and I instantly want to read it again and that’s my top rating in my opinion. Re reading is the top way to know you loved a book in my opinion.

IMAGINE being locked in a windowless tower for 7 YEARS with your mortal enemy 😏 in total darkness! Can you say CLAUSTROPHOBIA!?!
Candra was never meant to be a sacrifice. She is a carefree Princess with a flirtatious streak & and chronic illness. Basically an everyday modern girlie 💕 after her sister says ‘bye-bye’ to the mortal realm Candra is placed in a dark tower to survive on her own. Started from the top now we…down here. Let’s just say our girl went through it in that tower 🗼

Bound to the Shadow Prince is a story about rival reigning houses that send their heirs to live in an enclosed tower with no open windows or doors for 7 years to avoid a curse.

Going into this I should have known that the male main character was some kind of fae beast like man similar to Ruby Dixons other series Ice Planet Barbarians and if I would have read that, I probably wouldn’t have requested an arc. I wasn’t a huge fan of IPB so it’s my fault.

But overall, I found the story to be lacking. The characters didn’t really have any chemistry, and they seemed to forcefully fall in love with each other rather quickly in my opinion. The plot was kind of predictable although there was a twist towards the end that I wasn’t expecting.

This was okay, not my fave but it was quick to get through and interesting enough to keep your attention. I wish there was more about the actual plot than spicy scenes, but it is erotica so I can’t really dock any points for that.

Thank you to Wattpad Webtoon Books, NetGalley and Ruby Dixon for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ruby Dixon never misses!!! As a huge fan of the Ice Planet Barbarians series I had high hopes for this story. This is my first time venturing outside of that series and I loved every minute of this book. And the spice? Immaculate.

Ruby Dixon seriously knows how to write a romance novel. I love her sassy FMCs and the brooding, protective MMCs they get paired with. There’s always a perfect balance between spice and smut and I will eat it up every single time!!!

From the author of all the blue alien sci-fi romances, this fantasy romance excels in story telling and world building. I especially love that the entire story is contained in one volume.

It was fun to read something different from Ruby Dixon. I liked the story building in this story, the whole locked in a tower makes a really interesting story. Candra is kinda an unlikable character that Ruby makes you grow to love. Fun read.

4.5 stars

This is a slow burn romance set in a really interesting world. I personally wouldn’t have lasted with no windows even in the tower as long as they did, but they certainly decided on an interesting way to pass the time. I appreciated the character growth our female MC went through, and only wished the male MC didn’t essentially get worse. The end left a lot of things up in the air, (and one issue I have with the knife’s answer) I would love to read on to see these beings all in peace. If you like epic fantasy with romance I would give this one a try.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy to share my honest opinions.

So to be honest, the beginning of this book had me. I was super interested in the Fellians and Nemeth, but i was kind of annoyed with Candras people. Reading on and watching the relationship develop was awesome! I really enjoyed the way Nemeth was with Candra. Then they had to leave and it just went downhill for me there. Candra saw how her people ended up and Nemeth is "dealing" with his people. But for real, I just cant come to terms with how Nemeth has treated Candra since. I have just about lost interest in this and am struggling to get past page 445/509. It isnt a bad story just not what I was hoping it would be.

The only other book by Ruby Dixon that I have read was the first Ice Planet Barbarians, and this one was so different

I loved this book. If you know me, you know I love a shadow daddy and Nemeth was *chef’s kiss*. The beginning of this book was the slow burn I needed and then we got to the SMUT.

There were twists and turns to this book that I did not expect and I loved every minute of this read and was so sad when it was over.

If you love a shadow daddy too, RUN and grab a copy.

Let’s have a conversation about Bound to the Shadow Prince by Ruby Dixon. This book follows Candra, who after her sister dies, is forced to live in a tower for seven years to appease an angry goddess. Her only companion is Nemeth, the prince of a people at war with hers. As the two are forced to help each other survive, their relationship changes from one of enemies, to lovers.

If you have read any Ruby Dixon books, you know that she is an author who knows how to create these well-developed worlds with interesting creatures, and this book is no different. Taken inspiration from various fairy tales and historical events, this book’s setting of a tower could be boring., especially in such a small space setting. Dixon takes what could be boring and makes it interesting with Candra’s fight for survival and Nemeth’s need for friendship. This monster romance also features some great characters who show huge growth throughout the entire book. Candra, a human, starts off spoiled, but soon blossoms into an independent woman. Nemeth, a Fellian, is a shy monster who becomes more sure of himself with the help of Candra.

Something to keep in mind is that this book is very long, and I do think it could have been shortened a little bit, but I did enjoy the story overall. Readers should also keep in mind that this story does get heart-wrenching and can be very emotional.

Thank you to Ruby Dixon and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book prior to its release. Bound to the Shadow Prince comes out July 2, and I cannot wait for you all to read it!

I feel like I know exactly what I'm getting with a Ruby Dixon book. To me, this was just like the Ice Planet Barbarians, but make it vaguely fantasy instead of vaguely sci-fi. It was weirdly long though?? Even when she had massive leaps of time??

I haven’t read anything from this author before, but this was a wonderful surprise! I enjoyed it a lot, especially the tension between the two main characters! Definitely a great setting, as well, and world-building! And the grumpy x sunshine dynamic??? Amazing!

Excellent and consistent showing from the amazing Ruby Dixon. A gorgeous and captivating story, a little darker than some of her other stories. This one leans more into the darkness in a captivating way. The romance is lovely and endearing and the world that Ruby has built is harsh and unforgiving. I would love to get more stories from this setting!!

3.75/5 ⭐️
While this took me awhile to read, once i got to Candra and Nemeth in the tower, it was game over for me. The plot twists were done so well and this was overall a great romance. I enjoyed the enemies to friends to lovers a lot but lowkey wish she wouldn't have forgiven him so fast


Thank you NetGalley, W by Wattpad Books and Ruby Dixon for this ARC opportunity in exchange for my honest opinion!

I think the description of this book reads as a Rapunzel retelling but this book is very much not that. The only similarities is the tower that they're both locked in.
I also feel that this book was entirely too long - the smut took a bit of a front seat to plot around the beginning of the 2/3 mark of the book and just made the book drag on when it didn't need to. I think that my expectations of this being a Rapunzel retelling is really what made me dislike the book because for the most part I usually love Ruby's writing.


Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this advanced e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

Unique, exciting read! I have read about 1 million books at this point in my life and I can genuinely say I have never read anything like this. Yes, there are moments in the book that remind me of some of Ruby Dixon‘s other work, and there are elements of fairytales in the story, but combined this is a completely unique reading experience. I really enjoyed the romance, and the plot, but the ending felt a bit rushed and slightly anticlimactic after all of that build up. Although the twist at the end caught me by complete surprise (at least part of it) and that rarely happens. The only reason this book is not receiving 5 stars is due to the format of the book itself which needs a lot of work. Am I giving this book such a raving review because it was a great masterpiece that will withstand centuries… no. BUT it surprised me, brought me joy, had a cute romance and left me wanting more. In my book that’s a 5 star read. I look forward to reading more by this author and maybe (if she writes them) in this series.

Thank you so much NetGalley for this ARC! What an adventure. Just like all of Ruby Dixon’s work, I think this was a very fun read. She always finds a way to make book character interactions captivating and that was consistent with Nemeth and Candra’s relationship. With that being said - I felt this book went on for much longer than it should have. I am usually okay with a lengthy read but the storyline felt a little more dragged out than necessary for what it was about. For that reason alone, I would say this isn’t my favorite book out of the “Bound to” series - though I still think Dixon’s writing keeps you invested until the end!

Thank you for allowing me to read this book. I enjoyed the characters and their arcs, and found the plot interesting. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Not going to lie….this book was a bit of a disappointment. The tower portion of the book drags on and on and on. And then on for a little bit longer. I feel like I read half of the book before anyone else was introduced and even then I don’t know what I learned from all that time. I never really connected with Candra, and I know that this is fantasy, but everything about the windowless / doorless tower is so unbelievable. Nemeth is a typical MC that is angry at girl until he falls in love with her. He just falls flat for me (though I did like that he was inexperienced). And I also can’t quite understand what he is supposed to look like?? And I think the biggest issue for me was WHY was the knife not used more? There were parts that I did like….the tension building up to them becoming intimate was fantastic and I wanted more of that. Unfortunately, this book was just not for me.