I really liked the premise of the book. 2 royal children from opposite kingdoms must stay in a tower for almost a decade to save both their kingdoms and then they fall in love. The falling in love bit happens fairly early on so it's not the main plotline in my opinion.

While I was in love with idea of this book, a large part of the writing seemed unnecessary and there to fill pages. If the author intends to make it a series (which could honestly go either way), then I understand the need for more detail, but even so it seems to be a lot of detail.

TLDR: The book is good but the writing is long.

Really liked this book! It's a longer read then what I've read previously from her, but it honestly could have been longer. I wish it had been split into two books, or a series. It is a 'build up' kind of story, it starts out a little slow, which opens the door to the rest of the story. The only problem with it being one book is that she's so detailed, and creates such a big world with complex characters, that I need more answers still! I loved the story, it developed beautifully. But even when it ended I still have so many questions, because so much happened. Fingers crossed she takes pity on us and does another one, because I need more of this world.

This book gave me Beauty and the Beast vibes. I honestly had a really hard time getting into it, but I do like Ruby Dixon’s writing style and look forward to reading more by her. This follows a girl who is kind of an underdog and has medical issues and I felt myself rooting for her and siding with her the entire time.

Bound to the Shadow Prince is a YA Romantasy read for fans of SJM, JLA and Rebecca Yarros!

The tension and the angst are well executed, plus the couple have the chemistry ✨️ The plot itself is very interesting which made me to binge read everything in one sitting.

It's my first read of Ruby and I'm not disappointed by it! Looking forward to check out more of her works!

I have entered my monster romance era, and this is officially my first monster romance – an AMAZING 5-star read. ❤️ I don't know if it's the combination of tropes or the way Ruby Dixon's writing hooked me, but this book had it all. What better storyline than having a human and a fellian (duh, the name of the race aka the monster) being forced to spend 7 years in a tower together to be spared from the wrath of the Goddess. 🕯️🗡️

You have Candra, who has "cursed blood" and takes medicine daily to survive, obligated to go to the tower to save her people – she doesn't want to, but alas, she has to; there's no other choice. Meanwhile, you have Nemeth, a Fellian trapped with a sickly human, having to survive in the same tower as her for 7 long years.

Did I mention they cannot step outside the tower either?! Screams in forced proximity. 😱

Anyway, as someone who has never read a monster romance, I highly recommend it – it wasn't that heavy for me, and I think it won't be for you too. But now that I've stepped into this world, I WILL CONTINUE hehe. 📚💖

Tropes:
🕯️Forced Proximity
🕯️Monster Romance
🕯️Slow Burn
🕯️Witty Banter
🕯️Dirty Mouth MMC x Flirty FMC
🕯️He falls first

I know I love a book… when I want to keep it a secret. The whole time I was reading this book, it felt like something I wanted to hide and protect because I loved it so much.

This is an epic fantasy romance, with incredible world building, intense and fascinating stakes, and spiiiiiiice.

This book is spellbinding and seductive and so romantic I could puke.

This story follows Princess Candra Vestalin from the Kingdom of Lios. There is a blood curse on her family line, and Candra has this curse. The taint in her blood, the family curse, means she’s useless as a bride because she is barren.

Candra is a bit of a spoiled princess. Because of her curse, she doesn’t have really any responsibilities in the kingdom besides surviving. Because of this, she spends her free time being a bit of a brat. Causing trouble at court, being scandalous, spreading gossip, and being doted on hand and foot.

Every 30 years, the Golden Moon Goddess appears in the sky, and remains there for 7 years. To appease the prickly goddess over some things that happened in the past…. When the Golden Moon rises, a Royal Offering of bloodlines from both the Kingdom of Lios, and the Kingdom of Darkfell, must both be given to the Tower Of Balance. Where they spend 7 years in the tower. Alone. To step foot outside the tower before the 7 years is up… is to anger the goddess once more, and cause complete destruction to the kingdoms.

Lios and Darkfell are at war… I won’t go into the details, but the history of these kingdoms, the gods and goddesses, and the current war raging on are fascinating and the way it plays out in this book is gripping. It’s so interesting and layered. 

Candra’s sister was actually supposed to go into the tower. But unfortunately a terrible accident at sea takes her life… and so Candra is forced to replace her… even though it’s dangerous to keep her alive with her blood curse… and no one else to help her survive. Eventually... she meets the Royal Offering sent from Darkfell… her shadowed companion… Prince Nemeth - of the First House of Darkfell.

This book feels like a guilty pleasure. It feels too good, too intriguing, too spicy, and too loving to be true.

Ruby Dixon is the master at suspense, high stakes, and spice.

There’s a chase. You guys. I love a chase oh my gosh. Is it my favorite trope? Possibly.

When I found out this book has knotting. I blacked out. The only reason I came to… was for the sole purpose of continuing this story. I was not *wink wink* expecting it. And it did. Not. Disappoint.

This book is long. It really is an epic fantasy romance. And for me it could have been double the length and I still would have felt like there wasn’t enough. I wanted this story to keep going. I wanted to stay in this world.

You won’t be able to put this book down.

I honestly think this is a great intro to fantasy romance if you’re ok with spice. Because even though it’s so detailed and layered, it’s incredibly easy to follow.

This story almost plays out like a mystery/thriller. There were moments I was scared. And totally shocking twists and realizations play out that have you screaming.

Seeing Candra grow up and come into her own was really nice. seeing her have to take are of herself, mature, and make smart choices was so fun to witness. This is character growth at its finest.

This is really and emotional and layered story dealing with trauma, loss, and being thrust into a life by everyone else’s choices and actions BUT your own. And then taking charge of your own path.

This epic fantasy romance has my heart. Ruby Dixon’s books always make me feel strong, confident, and inspired. After finishing this book I was mystified. This is a love story that will make you feel enchanted and take your breath away. The passion, intrigue, and high stakes will stay with me for a long time to come.

I read this book in about 24 hours and I couldn't put it down! Was it the best book I ever read? No, but it was one of the most entertaining books I've read this year. I've read a handful of Ruby Dixon's other books, but I will say, this one had me hooked from the beginning. It had enemies to lovers, secrets on secrets, and of course spice! I can't wait to read more!

Ruby Dixon weaves the fates of enemies together in this spicy retelling of Maid Maleen. The royal bloodlines of two kingdoms must sacrifice one to a tower on a remote island for seven years to appease a ruthless Goddess. For the survival of both kingdoms, they must stay in the tower for the entire time. This story was fast paced and the chemistry between the main characters was palpable! If you’re looking for a great tale stacked with romance this is your next read!

I actually liked this better than ice planet barbarians. I thought the characters were more fleshed out and I just really liked the premise of the whole thing! The universe she has built is really intriguing and I hope she does more stories in this world! Obviously super spicy, as usual for her books.

Thank you to both NetGalley & the publisher for sending me an eARC of "Bound to the Shadow Price" by Ruby Dixon, in exchange for my honest review!

3.5 total stars, rounded down.
This was quite the experience! I absolutely loved that this story originated on WattPad, and was then fleshed out.

What intrigued me the most was the forced proximity / enemies-to-lovers trope - and I was not disappointed. There was plenty of tension between the characters (romantic and otherwise) - making for an immensely long slow-burn. LONG to the point of dragging at some points, hence the 3.5-star review from me.

I LOVED the IPB series by this author - and the way it's written is very similar. I still liked IPB more though.

3 stars for Bound to the Shadow Prince!

I enjoyed that this book was a standalone and I felt I got a well rounded, fully thought out story arc with a satisfying ending. I found the beginning did drag a little bit but once I got to the first 25% of the book I was hooked and I finished the rest of the book within 24 hours. I liked the main characters and Candra was a nice change of pace from the super capable, hyper independent heroines that most fantasy books have. She wasn't a damsel by any means but I just really liked that she seemed like a normal person thrust into a impossible situation suddenly . This was a enjoyable read and while it didn't necessarily blow me away I enjoyed my time in this world and would absolutely recommend it to friends!

Wonderful fantasy romance with excellent spice. I adore the 2 main leads and was very invested in their relationship. I was on the edge of my seat towards the end, but was a tiny bit disappointed. The ending felt a tad bit thrown together and hurried to me. The writing and characters ultimately made up for it though.
I adore Ruby Dixon and this was a great read.

Absolutely not for me. I'm sorry, I am not the intended audience for this book.

I tried! It sounded so good... but I'm sorry!

In order to protect her kingdom from the wrath of a vengeful goddess, Princess Candra must remain locked inside a tower for seven years. Seven long years without a friend—or a lover—by her side. And shut inside the tower with her? A Fellian, the enemy of her people, a fearsome warrior race complete with wings and claws and fangs. Nemeth is terrifying, cruel, and disturbingly magnetic. Candra should kill him for his supplies, but she’s desperate for his company…and his touch.

I loved the concept of this story, but it fell flat for me for a few reasons. The first part of the story, the part where they're in the tower, felt drawn out and much of it was unnecessary for the story. In general, I can overlook that in some fantasy. So much of it just didn't add to the story.

My biggest issue was with Candra's character. She felt very one-dimensional, and her 'growth' toward the end of the book felt false. It felt like she was just going along with whatever the other characters (Nemeth and his sister) wanted to do. I like Ruby Dixon and will continue to read her, but this just didn't work for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

Ruby Dixon does it again with her incredible talent of balancing Spice and romance, creating a heart-pounding story of survival in a war-torn world.

The plot was really intriguing because I wasn't really sure what to expect going into this book. It kept subverting my expectations of what came next and that's what made it so enjoyable to read. You become invested in the characters and their love but she keeps you suspended in tension, if they will last in the outside world. (Although, it was sometimes hard to find Nemeth as attractive as the M,C because sometimes I would picture a chicken.)

I always love and appreciate how Ruby Dixon's romances aren't made through grand gestures and flowery words, but through how her characters take care of each other through simple everyday chores.

This is the nobility fantasy version of Ice Planet Barbarians.

Thank you NetGalley or sending this eARC for review consideration.

I wanted to read this book because the premise of being locked in a tower with an enemy seemed like a good one.

I found it slow, maybe because time passing in a tower with no light would feel extremely slow but when the romance did start up it was raunchy. It made me feel a bit ill to be honest.

I loved this story. Candra was a bit of a wimp and Nemeth was very strong, but they worked together well. I liked that Candra had to find her strength as they traveled.

2.5 ⭐️

Two sacrifices from rivaling kingdoms must enter a tower for 7 years in order to appease their gods. Should they leave, or anyone else should enter, their world will face famine and destruction. Thus, Candra and Nemeth are thrust upon each other. Will they be able to coexist peacefully for 7 years? Or will they fight over resources while locked away?

This was an interesting read. I really enjoyed Candra and Nemeth’s time in the tower. Dixon did a phenomenal job depicting how truly terrifying and boring it is to exist locked away from the real world. I loved watching Candra and Nemeth’s growing interactions with each other. They were very sweet in the beginning.

Things that didn’t work for me: the outside world plot. I felt like we needed more lore leading up to their time in the tower. You’re unsure of the political and world landscape before you’re taken out of it entirely. It felt like you got thrown through a loop once you reach the third act of the book. Dixon spent too much time on the mundane things and not enough time on world building in my opinion.

I felt like this book was more about the superficial romance of Candra and Nemeth than it was about the very serious things going on around them. I wish Dixon just dove in a little bit more and added more depth to the story and characters.

Overall, not a bad read! I had no complaints about the editing or writing style. It was just missing that little piece for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Wattpad for the ARC 💖

4⭐️ 4.5🌶️

To be fair the spice I did to myself not realizing until about 60% through the book that a tag said Erotica. My bad. I normally try to stay away from that as it’s not my cup of tea. So I skipped a few, several pages.

I really enjoyed the plot of the book though and I thank Ruby Dixon, Wattpad Books and NetGalley for letting me read this. Honestly, the story was so original for an enemies to lovers/close proximity. I was engulfed by the universe and I often forgot I was reading.

The love between the Main Characters felt real and solidly built. I adored them. I also enjoyed the growth of Candra and her way she viewed the world but was still unabashedly still herself at all times.

If you enjoy a lot of smexy time you could very well enjoy this book.

Bound to the Shadow Prince by Ruby Dixon is a dark, epic romantasy with nods to both folklore and Greek mythology. We begin with Princess Chandra, a spoiled charmer who unexpectedly finds herself being sent to a tower for 7 years as tribute to the gods when the original tribute, her younger sister, is killed in a shipwreck. The catch: she must stay the 7 years cohabitating with Prince Nemeth, a Fellian, the enemy of humans. As the two grow closer and puzzle out the source of their peoples' timeless feud, signs appear that the outside world has changed during their time in the tower. It may be up to them, unlikely lovers, to unite their people and put an end to a bloody war.

While I had expected a short, steamy romantasy, this book provides so much more. I was at the edge of my seat at each twist and turn. While some readers may feel like the book drags at parts, I loved getting to really know Candra and see her development. I will warn that the book explores some extremely dark topics, but it was done well and highlighted how dire circumstances were for our main characters.

Overall, one of my favorite reads of the year so far! I would love it if this becomes a series so we can see what happens with our main characters and the fickle gods next!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Wattpad Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!