I was surprised with how much I really enjoyed this book. When you pick up a spicy different species book you don’t always get a book with a plot. This book, however was more of fantasy book with some great spice thrown in.

What I liked:

The princess was witty, and also very self aware. She knows who she is and she doesn’t shy away from her flaws, but rather owns them.

The romance was a slow build. I enjoyed seeing them interact and slowly come together.


The world building was pretty good. It is set in a different world, and while similar land and sea wise, the people and cultures were vast and different.

What I didn’t like.

There were a couple of times where the heroine becomes to up in her head. Thankfully it isn’t overly drawn out.


Overall I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this.

If Ruby’s readers liked her Aspect and Anchor series, I am sure they will like Bound to the Shadow Prince! I loved Candra’s candid, unabashed personality that slowly became tender towards her quiet, studious lover Nemeth. Candra’s inner thoughts were hilarious.

The plot of this book was super interesting, too. I love me some romantasy. Sometimes it moved a little slowly (there were a handful of scenes that I felt like might have been able to be eliminated), but overall, it kept my interest throughout.

I think my least favorite part of the book was actually the sex scenes. While I loved the mating ceremony and following chase scene (who doesn’t love a good chase scene?), Candra’s obsession with Nemeth’s knot got old kind of quickly. However, it was clear very quickly how much the two cared for each other. I enjoyed their genuine affection and acts of sacrifice for the other.

(3.5 stars rounded up for a 4)
First off thank you to Ruby Dixon and W by Wattpad for giving me the opportunity to read and review this ARC!
This premise of this was definitely interesting and I very much got Hunchback of Norte Dame/ Beauty and the Beast vibes from the plot.
The first 1/2 of this had very slow pacing and began to become repetitive (I don’t know how much more I could handle seeing the words dragon shite or knot)
The second half is where the meat and potatoes was though. After I got past the part where Candra and Nemeth left the tower I couldn’t put this down. I loved the good amount of plot twists, and while I had a suspicion about one of them I was still shocked at how crazy the deception and secrets were!
I did enjoy that Candra, the FMC, was unashamedly a spoiled brat, and in her words, a “tart.” Though many may be put off by her attitude and grumpiness, she knows who she is and she knows how to use it to her advantage.
In my opinion if the first half of this book had been trimmed down and more detail had been put into the parts of the uprising in the second half this would have made for a 5 star read.
Overall though this was still an enjoyable fantasy/monster read and I’m glad that I am getting more into Ruby Dixon’s works!

I went into this thinking that this is part of the Aspect and Anchor series but it's not, so I got confused at first.

The plot and the premise was intriguing, world-building is okay and easy to follow along. The characters are enemies thrown together to be the sacrifice for the humanity. As I read the author's note, I did understand the point of it all (Trojan-horse, dealing with war, Helen of Troy) in which our main characters were affected with decisions that were beyond their control and how they handled it as they go along their own journey.

The first half was a bit repetitive considering they were locked in the tower, and their relationship developed in a slow-burn way but I was shocked with how the FMC handled the 'mating' because one moment she was hesitant then the next she instantly decided. I wished we saw more in-depth behind her reasoning or at least took some time to explore the decision.

The second half was when they left the tower due to no supplies and went to their home and they saw the aftermath of war and how it affected everyone. There's no 'winner' in war so I love that part. When they got to Darkfell, I got slapped with the unexpected plot twist upon plot twist so it instantly became page-turner. I wished we saw the uprising and the rebellion.

Overall, I enjoyed it though it took me a while to read this because of how long it was and wished it was shorter or at least a duology in part.

Solid 5-stars!

I don’t really typically love romance novels but there is something about Ruby Dixon’s writing that always sucks me in. This book is no exception. The main character is charming and likable and relatable. The love between her and the love interest is written very well. The plot was intriguing! I love seeing the representation of a chronically ill character that’s still viewed as sexy and her happily ever after doesn’t necessarily mean she’s perfectly healed. It’s refreshing.

Over all a very good book!

The pacing of this was interesting to me in the first third, because it was slower than Dixon's usual, rewarding in the second third, and a little rushed in the last third. Also I could have done with some content warnings--something Dixon does as the best in the business on her self-pub stuff, imo, but was missing here--as there's reference to a murdered baby, which was jarring.

Bound to the Shadow Prince by Ruby Dixon is the first non-Ice Planet Barbarian book I've read.

The main female character is - well, she's a shrew, to be very nice. Candra is sent to live for seven years in a bricked up castle with another person when her younger sister's boat is shipwrecked and all passenger's lost. Her Brother-in-Law decides she is going to be the sacrifice because it has to be someone from her bloodline and her sister, his wife, is very pregnant. If they don't do this, bad luck will engulf them all, so Candra is sent off with a year's worth of supplies and literally bricked into the castle.

Her companion is Nemeth, who is a Fellian, a monster who is grayish, with claws, glowing eyes and who Candra is pretty rude to in the beginning - and a lot of the way through, to be honest. He's better prepared for the long stay and she's not happy about that - especially when looking at his food supply in the beginning.

After I got used to Candra's grumpiness, I let myself enjoy the story that only Ruby Dixon can like. Why do I keep finding her monster type men so adorable and attractive? Don't know and don't care.

Loved this book and hope there are more to come.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book for an honest opinion.

》ARC Review: Bound to the Shadow Prince《

I had so much fun reading this one! I’ve long been a Ruby Dixon fan, so I had a pretty good feeling about this but I still found myself happily surprised. Yes, this book is long, which may not be everyone’s cup of tea; and after reading Ice Planet Barbarian, I certainly expected a more fast paced, short read. However, due to its length, Dixon worked her magic into world-building and slow romancing. The narrative breathed, allowing its love story to take its time (very well paced!) and allowing intrigue to what was happening outside the tower to constantly heighten tension and anticipation. 4.5✨

》The Leads《

The star of the show, for me, was Candra.

I loved her.

She is the type of character to be spilling thick tears down her cheeks while remaining steadfast that she’s certainly not weeping. She puts up a very strong front, tries to appear nonchalant and nonplussed, but she’s such a softie. She’s got a great big, soft heart. I also love how wickedly forward she is in her seducing and affection towards Nemeth. Speaking of whom! I loved Nemeth almost as much as Candra. I loved how utterly opposite his personality his to Candra. Where she is an extrovert, he’s an introvert. Where she is forward in her flirting, he is subtle. They may be opposite yet they are a perfect fit, one for the other.

》The Romance《

The love story was gorgeous! I was giggling and kicking my feet in total delight when Candra and Nemeth finally crossed that line into something more. He’s like a blushing school boy to Candra’s wicked temptress. Their dynamic was so much fun! The only hiccup I had along the way was how some of Nemeth’s late game arc developed. Nevertheless, that never stopped me from loving this couple.

》The World-Building《

This book did a great job of making the enclosed tower feel initially claustrophobic but then feel like a home. The said, I felt such tension rise, wondering what was happening outside that tower. The narrative cleverly built up that anticipation of discovery. I was itching to leave the tower. I think of all the books I’ve read by Dixon, this one, by far, did the best job with building its world.

》To Sum it Up《

This is easily my favorite Ruby Dixon read. I loved the leads, their romance, and their story.
Thank you NetGalley and Wattpad Books for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Candra and Nemeth are enemies forced to reside together for the good of their respective kingdoms. Neither is who or what they appear to be.

Candra is an abrasive, good time loving princess. Nemeth is a studious, gargoyle academic prince. Both are selected as sacrifices to the gods to avoid the death and destruction of their kingdoms. They clash personalities, but in the end, will they do what they need to save their peoples? And maybe kiss a little along the way?

This book is a stand alone from Ruby’s other series but is so very much worth reading. I’ve read it three times because I love it so much. Did I mention Nemeth has WINGS? Read it now, again, and then again because it’s one of Ruby’s best books!!!

Bound to the Shadow Prince, a monster romance by Ruby Dixon-
My rating is 3.5 stars (rounded up due to the rule of halves!)

I’ve read a few novels by Ruby Dixon, admittedly, all from the Ice Planet Barbarian series and I was looking forward to reading something outside of that world.

Candra is a spoiled princess with a rare blood disease. She’s one of three girls, her older sister is Queen and her younger sister was supposed to be the sacrifice that would spend seven years of her life, locked up in a tower with a royal from the enemy kingdom, to appease the Gods. As Fate would have it, Candra ends up having to the one who enters the tower, having only three days to prepare for this seven year stint. She’s been coddled her entire life, how will she ever survive seven years fending for herself…with a Royal enemy accompanying her? Nemeth is a Fellian (a monster race,) and has spent his entire life preparing for the tower. How will he handle being locked up with a sickly, spoiled princess?

Tropes:
Enemies to Lovers
Forced Proximity
He Falls First
Touch Her and Die
Virgin MMC
Curvy FMC

This novel had an incredibly intriguing plot. I loved how clues and tidbits of information are dropped throughout the story but you don’t fully realize it until the end. Once the plot twist is revealed, you can go back through the story and see things a little bit differently than when you first read them. This is a slowly paced story, a true slow burn romance, for sure. There were times when I felt like the story was dragging on but I stuck with it and eventually the momentum picks up. I didn’t care for Candra, in the beginning. I found her to be a bit insufferable but then again, she WAS a spoiled princess. She really evolved in this story though and experienced tremendous growth towards the end. I feel like Dixon writes wonderful MMC’s and Nemeth is no different. He was a trained scholar and warrior but also a kind and loving man. He really took care of Candra and did his best to keep her safe. I wish there would have been more backstory but there was enough to keep the story interesting. There was mystery and magic and plenty of spice (as there always is in Dixon novels.) The first two thirds of the novel were pretty slow and then the last third felt extremely rushed *shrugs*

Overall I liked this story. I liked how the forced proximity romance developed, the magic made sense and even though the plot twist was a bit predictable, the story felt pretty well rounded.

I received an advance reader copy and am leaving my review voluntarily.

I felt compelled to read this book because of its cover. As I read the story, I had a difficult time getting invested in the characters. Fantasy isn't my usual genre, so that's probably why. I wanted to give this author a try. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I’d give this a 3.5-4 ⭐️

I really liked the plot, the environment, and the overall premise of the story. The MMC was very likable. The magic system made sense. There were twists, betrayal, secrets, plots, friendship, love, and spice.

The FMC was a bit insufferable at times, but I believe that was the point. I wouldn’t expect a princess who no one expected anything else from other than to do what they say to act otherwise. Given her condition too. She did grow in the story and I feel that’s important.


Where I feel like this fell a bit flat, there were many times the story seemed to drag on. I was SO excited when they emerged from the tower to find what happened within the kingdoms, but it took so long to gain any viable info even when they crossed paths with others. They also had this super useful knife that I feel like the squandered. Okay yes, the spicy-esque questions were good, it made me laugh and didn’t blame the princess for dwelling. But there were countless other questions she could have had answered if she had dared to ask instead.

Overall, I did enjoy reading this book.

Themes/Tropes:
Enemies to lovers
Forced proximity
Virgin MMC
Curvy FMC


Thank you NetGalley and Wattpad Webtoon for the digital arc!

I am absolutely feral for anything Ruby Dixon. So not only did this book hit all the right Ruby notes but it introduced an entirely different world for her readers. Candra is an amazing MFC and her tenacity and humor in a less than ideal situation were a perfect addition to this. Add in cinnamon roll Nameth and you have a match in Ruby heaven. It was so good!

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. I absolutely love the author so I knew typically where the stories go etc but the first 40% of this book had me hooked. I couldn’t go to sleep I had to keep reading. Once it got to the point where they left the castle the story just went meh for me. I finished to know the outcome but didn’t keep the hold on me that she built up in the castle. It was too predictable with an easy to guess HEA.

3.5 stars.

Overall 3/5
Steam 5/5

Review: I am a huge Ruby Dixon fan and I’d liken this book to be similar to the aspect and anchor world in many respects, although it is inspired by the fairy tale of Maid Maleen. It is steamy just as is her fabulous style and shows beautiful character development and transformations. Unlike some other reviewers I actually enjoyed how the FMC is written because it makes the transformation that much stark, but also believable, because Dixon doesn’t let you down in that department. The shadow prince is such a cinnamon roll hero!
So what’s the reason for a low rating? I felt the story dragged a lot. It could have been tightened and told in half the pages. I felt myself skipping passages after about halfway through the book. So the overall pace of the book was a huge letdown for me and were it not for the fact that I was reading a book by a loved author I might have ditched it midway through because it was so exceedingly slow.

I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a fun escape- but it was long. So, so long. The world building was easy to swallow, and the main characters were interesting. It's Trojan-horse inspired, which was different (but well executed).

Enemies-to-lovers with a twist- this was another enjoyable book by Ruby Dixon. It's a wonderful standalone, and the story wraps up nicely.

I’ll admit this isn’t my favorite from Ruby Dixon, but I still enjoyed it. There were definitely parts where it dragged and I skimmed, but this was a long book - it didn’t need to be. The heroine wasn’t my cup of tea either. She just rubbed me the wrong way. I really liked the hero though. He was a sweet bookworm who knew how to push the heroine’s buttons. 3.5 stars

“I would rather you be yourself. Pay no mind to me. I am just a blushing, bookish sort and not the type to go toe to toe with a court lady.” “So you are blushing?” I tease. “Excellent!”

Bookish and shy MMC monster...sassy and flirty FMC...sign me up! I loved the progression of Nemeth and Candra's relationship from enemies-friends-lovers. Only thing I had a hard time with this book was the all the world building and war parts. Which not to say that I didn't like them there was just a lot of it for me personally. I always love everything Ruby puts out though, this series reminded me of the Aspect and Anchor series which I adore. Will definitely be recommending this book to all fantasy romance lovers!

I throughly enjoyed this novel. Bound to the Shadow Prince features Nemeth and Candra, two members of different royal families. Nemeth is a Fellian, a somewhat gargoyle like species (horns/wings/grey) and Candra is a regular ol’ human. Because of reasons (gods/the moon/a curse) the two opposing species each have to send a member of their royal line to a tower to live for seven years.

Nemeth is trained for the tower and has been preparing all his life for it. Candra… not so much. She learns three days before the curse is set to start that she will be the royal ‘sacrifice.’ Once both Nemeth and Candra are within the tower, they are locked in and a wall is built in front of the door. From there, a fun forced proximity romance story develops.

I am such a fan of Ruby Dixon’s writing style - I find it throughly entertaining. Perhaps because this, too, was a serial (like Ice Planet Barbarians before it.) I loved both characters, although Candra took slightly longer to grow on me, but she got there with her inner dialogue about when she was allowed to cry. I also loved Nemeth, a giant nerdy almost monk.

Minor spoiler: <spoiler> I’m totally down for more traditionally published knotting stories. I wrote in my notes about this book: “make 2024 the year of the knot” </spoiler>

I received this book as an ARC through Netgalley and read all 500 pages in less than 24 hours (and could have finished earlier if it wasn’t work work!)

Leaving five stars. The formatting of the kindle version was broken, so I did not read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad for the ARC.