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!

Ruby Dixon is so good at these deeply intricate and sexy tales. Bound to the Shadow Prince is a master class in romantic tension and rich plot development. I love that the romance is focal but the plot stands on its own. Brilliant!

I got to 10% of this before I DNF. Nothing happened and I was so tired. Sorry… Nothing happened so far.

Side note, this makes me very sad. I love Ruby Dixon. Maybe if I kept reading it would get better but I’m done.

#NetGalley #BoundtotheShadowPrince

I think it's easier to start with the things I liked about the book. I liked the slow burn enemies to lovers trope that this novel started with and the general idea that the author wanted to write in this book. The things I don't like is quite longer. The story tended to drag on at times, the plot hole with the all knowing knife that the main character has, it feels like this was an erotica with very little to no plot. I've read erotic novels and fanfiction that had more of a plot than this book. I was expecting more than what I've gotten in this 500+ paged book. Just a warning for people who may be sensitive to topics like infertility and rape of side characters/ almost rape of main character, this novel does have some triggering subjects.

I am a reader of the ice planet barbarian series, they’re always easy to read and the writing is good. I jumped into this book hoping for the same good writing but a different storyline but in all honesty was too similar to those books to really enjoy it. The writing is still great and the premise is good, just too similar to all of her other books I’ve read to really really love it.

☆☆☆.5

“𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘, 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒐𝒎𝒔, 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓.”

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘦-𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.

This book revolves around the story of Princess Candra, of Lios and Prince Nemeth of Darkfell. In order to not anger the gods, two sacrifices must be made from their people to please the gods. The sacrifice? Living in a tower, in complete darkness with only the other person for seven years. If they don’t, they chance angering the gods and dooming their people. Bound to the Shadow Prince is a story filled with tension, lust, love and betrayals.

This book was enchanting and was easy to become immersed in. The author had great world building. Not only that, but the way the author described everything from the characters to the setting made it so easy to picture them in my head. I absolutely loved after After being edged by other romantasy books, it was amazing to finally read a mating ceremony with actual details. It actually made one of my reading dreams come true.

The things I didn’t enjoy were that I felt like I was only really invested in the book for the last 30% or so. Some parts of the book did feel like they dragged a bit and could have been made shorter while others could have been emphasized more.

While I did enjoy Candra and Nemeths love story, something felt like it was missing to me. Maybe that Candras characters feels so.. one dimensional and has no interests outside of lounging around and sex? I’m not sure. I can’t quite put my finger on it. I did however, love how their relationship ended up at the end of the story, and how protective Nemeth was over Candra. The rescue scene in the dungeon? 🤌🏻

𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒔
➝ Enemies to lovers
➝ Forced proximity
➝ Pregnancy

I thoroughly enjoyed this entry into the monster romance genre. My only complaint, and I can’t believe I’m going to say this….is it wasn’t long enough. I loved it but the denouement was so fast that I didn’t have time to savor it!

This book was okay, I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. I did feel like the beginning dragged and Candra was a bit much. I do understand her selfishness due to her upbringing in the book. I did like the idea of her and Nemeth being locked in a tower for 7 years to appease the gods.
This is a very slow burn, enemies to lovers.
There a few plot twist and turns!

This book does have a lot of triggers!

Ruby Dixon is one of those authors that I gravitate toward because her books are just so fun. The plots are outlandish and the characters are other-worldly, but I immediately run to read those stories.

This one has a really interesting premise: in order to appease the gods, one person from each warring kingdom must spend seven years together in a remote castle. Our enemies-to-lovers trope is outlined from the outset!

I really enjoyed the character development in this book between the two main characters, but for me, it felt like the ending fell apart a little. I understand that Dixon is working to set up the plot for the next book in the series, but it felt like revelation after revelation in way too little time.

Despite this, I still thoroughly enjoyed reading!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I had no clue this was a wattpad book. The formatting is that of a high school fan fiction. This book does not live up to the standards of other Ruby Dixon books. I’m so confused by this. I’ve read many Ruby Dixon books and this is not her best work.

Bound to the shadow prince kept me entertained and on the edge of my seat and will definitely be reading more of this authors work!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy.

This story follows Candra, a princess with a blood sickness, and Nemeth, a prince to the shadow monsters.

Candra doesn’t have much character growth. She is flirtatious and entitled. Her character does go through a lot of events but doesn’t seem to change from it.

Nemeth on the other hand does have character growth. He is a little secretive and shy. He loves his war poems and reading. By the end of the book he adapts to the situation and becomes a better version of himself.

The story is intriguing and easy to follow. I did enjoy the time in the tower. It was very slow however. This book is just over 500 pages and feels like it’s more. The slow burn just added on to the slow paced feeling.

The language and prose is inconsistent. The first part of the book seems to follow a prose that is set in their medieval style world, but around the 50% mark it all gets thrown away and modern language comes in which breaks the atmospheric feelings.

The spicy scenes are definitely worth waiting for

I did enjoy reading this

⭐ 3

Thank you Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I was really torn with this one.

What I liked:
-Plus-sized and chronically ill FMC
-The shy, bookish MMC
-The curse itself was an interesting concept within the world. I enjoyed the idea of the tower and the different bloodlines needing to sacrifice a member within for 7 years. It made for an entertaining dynamic between the two.
-The romance was definitely the highlight!

What I didn't like (Some spoilers here):
-This book was way too long and slow at parts.
- It took a major tone shift around the middle-ish. The tower is not the setting the entire book, which is both good and bad because it hardly makes any sense (Why don't they get supply shipments more than once a year? The fact they just forgot to give her enough firewood is ridiculous) but also the setting outside the tower is quite depressing and dull without enough fleshing out to be meaningful.
-There is way too much mentioned SA or attempted SA in this book for me. The use of it throughout the story feels like surface level suffering or just there for a swoop-in save by the MMC. The MMC also makes too many excuses for sexual slavery. That definitely did not endear him to me.
-Dragon Shite. Too much.


Overall, I'd say this is an easy read but I would take the TWs mentioned in other reviews seriously if you're sensitive to the topics. Otherwise, I think you'll find yourself at least entertained by the strange twists and addictingly cliche romance.