Bound to the Shadow Prince is a great addition to the Ruby-realm for book collectors! A different twist on the maiden-in-castle story, where this time the male love interest is also trapped with her. Fans will love the characters revealing secrets in the dark twisted tower together.

I'm really mixed on this one- parts of it really worked for me, and others just did not. I do like it as a fantasy romance, and I like it more than the Ice Planet Barbarians. My issue with it is that it continues the same issues I saw with that series re: the weird fantasy race stuff.

What I liked: chronically ill heroine is cool, I always like forced proximity in romance, so the premise works for me as well. I enjoyed the dynamic between the two MCs, and I liked Candra and Nemeth as friends and lovers.

What really seemed underutilized for me was the world-building and the post-tower stuff. The pacing totally fell apart at that point, which kind of took me out of the story.

The biggest issue I hd was the fantasy race stuff, which feels so underdeveloped. It's part of the world-building issue, since we know so little about the actual societies out protagonists come from. We get some creation stories re: the gods and out characters' relationship to them, but not a lot beyond that. Certain characters make sense re: motivation, but so many of the twists in the book feel unearned and frankly contrived. I liked that Candra's "cursed blood" was due to her mixed ancestry, but I was waiting for the reveal that she in fact, did not need medicine, or that the whole thing was a contrivance to keep the line small and her politically powerless, but I was disappointed that the solution was just "she's a mule."

I didn't hate the ending but I also wasn't a fan. The wrath of the gods just being something you wait out felt like an anticlimax to me, and while I saw the twist villain coming, I just didn't buy the ending as working out in the long run. I can't tell if this is the first in a series, but that would make more sense to me if the world was going to be fleshed out more.

The reason this is three stars when I had so many issues with it is that Dixon really is just a spell-binding writer. This book convinced me of her potential so much more than any other I have read of hers, I think she has the talent to write truly inspired works. I just think this book needed another few drafts before it was done. In the spirit of similar books being published, it's far too long and a tad disjointed, but it has some serious magic, and it pulled me in hard. I will not be giving up on Dixon, though this book didn't hit for me as I'd hoped.

I love Ruby Dixon. She is like the Colleen Hoover of knotty/demon/supernatural romance. This plot was unique, exciting and oh so steamy 🤤. We love a good winged shadow daddy and a sassy princess 💯. Although the relationship between the main protagonist didn’t have much depth besides 🌶️🌶️ inter-species 🍆, the world building was substantial and it was actually a really great standalone book. I wasn’t blow away, but I enjoyed my time and it was a good read and I will definitely read her other books as well!

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was so intrigued by this books blurb with Candra and Nemeth being locked inside the tower for seven years but the story took shape in a way I didn’t expect. The twists and turns had me flying through this book and I loved it more and more each chapter.

I thoroughly enjoyed Candra’s character and her growth throughout the story. She is constantly undermined and belittled but consistently is one of the strongest characters. Every Romantasy novel has a strong female character but Candra’s strength was subtle but undeniable.

If you love fantasy, romance, spice, twists and turns, and revenge, this one is for you!

This is such a fun read! You really feel transported to Candra’s world; feeling everything she feels.

Ruby Dixon books are always just such a guilty pleasure read for me. I was so very excited to get this arc and it didn’t disappoint. This as such an easy bingeable book. I love the characters and the growth that we saw with Candra. The relationship development and spice were so good.

It’s been to long since I had a book in my hands that I couldn’t put down. This book was so good! After hitting the half way mark I didn’t do anything but read! I was up til 3am finishing it. Then I found so much regret because it was over.

Ruby Dixon is one of my favorite authors. I love how there are so many layers to her characters linking them to the reader. Also she has a magical ability to create a world yet have it filled to the brim with glorious smut! With her books I truly can have my cake and eat it to.

After being tossed into a tower the pampered princess Candra gets a true reality check as she is closed off from the world and surrounded by darkness. But she’s not alone someone is lurking in the shadows. This book is about self discovery we are all stronger than we think.

If you’re new to Ruby Dixon this is a great starting point! She has written so many fantasy books that feed your soul all while giving you that scorching energy we sometimes need!

* I was in the middle of reading this when I lost access to it so my review will be for what I read*

I really enjoyed reading this book and wanted to know how it ended. I love the forbidden love of it! It's worth the read so far

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. I loveee Ruby Dixon's previous works, and while I still really enjoyed this, it wasn't the same level as I felt with the IPB series. This one had less of a plot, which I still prefer to be present in my spicy books. It was good, but just maybe not something I would pick up for reread because of this. 3.5 stars rounded to 4. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

This book was really well written. I personally like the way Ruby Dixon writes but her books are on the smaller side and I am always left wanting more. This book was that. It was long and had intrigue. There were parts that I was like yeah that’s what I expected and then others where I was gripped in the story totally turned for a loop. I was such a fan of the fmc cursing the same curse word over and over but her development was on point. There was so much that happened that I just wasn’t expecting. I got half through and was like okay something is going to happen we are only half way where is the plot twist and it definitely did not disappoint. I despise being left wondering and this book was not that, it finished off all the things I wanted to know and then some. I can’t wait to read this book again and o definitely plan on recommending it to people that like these types of books. If you like IPB from Ruby I personally think you will also love this book.

2.75/5 stars! So I love me some Ruby Dixon, but this story did not quite hit. It felt like Rapunzel but with no plot development. It works as purely smut, but lacked some of the endearing storylines that other Ruby books such as Bad Guy and Worse Guy.

I love Dixon’s books, she excels at world building. It gives the story so much more depth. This was one of her darker books, though. The stakes felt a little too high, and it took me out of the enjoyment. Still an interesting read. Her love scenes are frequent and perfectly written.

Monster romances are not typically my vibe but Ruby Dixon made this a really fun and enjoyable read. The FMC is hilarious, although I wish there were more sunshine/grumpy moments between them. I did think some parts moved way too fast and others too slow, but overall an undaunting romance read that was pretty steamy and unique.

Knot-hing is better than a lovely romance about a grey-winged monster. It is a forced proximity trope of two royals from enemy civilizations. While it was decent, there were times where you don’t really care what is happening in the story until you’re halfway through it. I still think it is a good read.

Thank you NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a review.

Locked away in a magic tower at the vengeful behest of a nameless goddess, Princess Candra hates isolated her life. She always envisioned herself spending the rest of her days flirting and flitting around her sister's court as the chronically ill and infinitely capricious sister to the queen. But when she is called to serve her kingdom and sacrifice herself to spend 7 lonely years locked in the tower with no one but the prince to their rival kingdom, her entire life changes in an instant. The tower is a far departure from her luxurious life. It has no food other what she is early gifted by her kingdom, no windows, no light, nor warm water. Despite technically having a companion in the tower, she and the prince remain at odds in their shared purgatory while the world beyond the tower is at war. She wonders what kingdom will be like after the seven years of isolation are through and if here will be anything left of the things and people she loved at all.

This book includes:
- a dark and moody tower filled with old books
- a mysterious and brooding rival
- meddlesome gods
- secrets and distrust
- vengeful royals, each with their own twisted agenda
- a scourge upon the land and a plague amongst its people
- royal heirs and precious bloodlines

Having been a fan of Ruby Dixon's Ice Planet Barbarian series, I was eager to read "Bound to the Shadow Prince" and dip into her version of romantasy. I was not disappointed. This book is a real page turner, full of twists, familial love, romantic love, peace, war, and even some betrayal and heartbreak. Candra is a brat, but I found her to be endlessly entertaining and even a bit relatable in her petulance (oops). The idea of two people being forced to sacrifice 7 years of their lives to live alone in a dark tower is so interesting and I loved getting to see it through the perspective of an unwilling participant. Nemeth's elusiveness also made him to be very interesting character.

I recommend this book to fans of the Awakened Fates series and lovers of Ice Planet Barbarians looking for a bit more of a fantasy twist. This book is a great addition for any TBR in need of a bit of romantasy. I am excited to see if this book will turn into a series of linked stand alones, i feel like there is still so much of this world to explore.

I received this ebook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Ruby Dixon, and Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group for the opportunity to review this book. This review has been posted to GoodReads - check out my profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/62314863

Oh my God! Not what I was expecting at all. And the last 15% of the book i got the best whiplash of my life!
Candra is a princess who is born with a blood illness, if she goes without her medicine she dies but thankfully she has servants and a nurse to care for her. That is until one of her sisters dies as she is preparing to go to the tower, where she was meant to spend the next 7 years to appease the goddess. candra now has to take her place, 7 years stuck in the tower with the enemy, a Fellian named Nemeth. Quickly things dont go as planned. And Candra and Nemeth make a leap of faith for how they will learn to survive together.

SO SO good. About 70% through I was starting to question what was happening and as soon as it slowed down it spead right back up and I was not ready for what happened. I love guessing how books will end, and I can say that I was very much shocked by a lot of the ending. The characters are so well written and each is diverse. There are character archs and the story progresses at a great speed. I honestly wish that it were longer or it could have been 2 books, but Im glad I got to see such a great happy ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this ARC!

Oh. My. God. Where do I begin?? This book had me in a chokehold and I loved every second of it. I signed up for what I thought was straight up monster smut (if you know Ruby's books, then you know) and instead I got an amazing romance filled with plot twists I never saw coming. I devoured this book and need more.

Our FMC, Candra, is a stubborn spoiled princess who gets locked in a tower with our monster prince, Nemeth. I am a sucker for the enemies to lover's trope and this did not disappoint. The relationship growth mixed with that SPICE, nothing but perfection. The sheer determination of our two characters to survive against all odds had me gripping the edge of my seat. I yelled, I cried, I laughed, and I might have needed a few cold showers.
I've already told everyone I know that this book is a must read and I will not stop until they've read it in July.

Ruby has truly done it again and never seizes to amaze me.

This was a book of two halves for me. I found the first half to be too slow and I struggled to get through it. It felt like certain points and conversations were repeated, sometimes within only a couple of pages of each other.

I thought the second half was really fun. The plot moved much quicker and this was where a lot of character development came through. And where it felt like the first half dragged on, the 2nd half and especially ending felt incredibly rushed. Would have loved for the politics, infighting and scheming to be more fleshed out.
I enjoyed having flawed main characters. And was so refreshing to have a FMC that was not a sassy assassin and an MMC that was broody with no character. Thought the spicy scenes were fun.

Overall, I think this book would really benefit with some changes to the pacing issues; but is an enjoyable spicy romantasy!

Princess Chandra is locked into a tower as a spoilt, soft and curvy femme with a backbone of steel. Warrior Prince Nemeth, locked in with her, is not human and outwardly not soft in the slightest. When they are forced to make a huge choice, one that could end with both of them dead either way, they face a world outside the tower that they no longer understand or recognize.

I picked up this book having missed the smut warnings, and was pleasantly surprised that it was written so well. I typically avoid pure smut novels because they become repetitive and predictable. Candra and Nemeth's story is not predictable, other than the enemies-to-lovers trope. The overarching weaves a web of court intrigue, misguided assumptions about other countries/races, and two-but-really-one religions. I wanted to know what would happen between the pair, and what was going on in the outside world too! Ruby Dixon writes a beautiful, gritty story and I could hardly put the book down.

I received this book as an advanced reader copy through NetGally. It does not affect my review in any way.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a shameless, knows-what-she-wants MC and a storyline that is actually more interesting than the smutty parts!

This was my first book by this author. The description was initially what drew me in. It didn’t take long for me to fall in love with the words inside this book!