Two royals from warring races are walled up inside a tower to appease the gods. Princess Candra was unprepared to sacrifice her life for her people, but she's the only available choice to enter a remote tower for seven years. At first, she's antagonistic towards her tower-mate Nemeth, but as the months pass they both come to depend on and care for one another. When they discover that the war between their nations may have begun under false pretenses, they must brave the outside world's judgement of their relationship if they hope to save their people. Beware those that underestimate Ruby Dixon's ability to write based on spice and blue barbarians - romantasy readers looking for longer stories will eat this up.

I absolutely love this book. I have read several of this authors books and was thrilled when I was picked to receive an ARC from Net Galley. The imagination to create this world is definitely beyond anything my brain could think up. I liked flow of the book, it just worked for me, however I could see how some might think it is slow. There was drama, action, love, very spicy scenes, plot twist etc. I will say this book could be triggering for some regarding starvation, war etc. My only negative was I had trouble picturing the MMC.

I thoroughly enjoyed my first monster romance ( not my typical genre lol). Knotting is something new for me too. Anyone who enjoys a good, winged, hot shadow daddy will love Nemeth. I loved that this was a stand-alone and not multiple books. The buildup and character growth from start to finish for both Candra & Nemeth was very well done. Lots of very hot spice & there was a good plot too. I swear every time the book seemed to have a dull moment there was a spice scene that made it all worth it. Definitely whet my curiosity for this genre.

4 stars

Bound to The Shadow Prince is Ruby Dixon newest novel, it is a Fantasy romance. It has some of my favorite tropes in it including Enemies to lovers and forced proximity. The writing was good, and the story was entertaining. I was so excited when I got approved to read a copy. This new series is so exciting and different from other books I have read by her. It's got magic, two kingdoms at odds, and ancient curses. I really found the Fellian people to be fascinating, dark and mysterious. I loved Nemeth at the beginning of the story. He was standoffish and growly. As we got to know his character, he turned out to be very attentive and sweet also, but then he took a turn there at the end because of events and choices he made, and I was like what the heck! Candra behaved a bit childish throughout the book when it came to certain things. I got that impression mostly from her inner dialogue she came across that way to me anyway, she was still a character that I did enjoy following. The plot and relationship development in this story were my favorite parts. I did think that it was a little too long, some parts I was ready to move on from what's happening and pick up the pace. Other than that, I had a great time reading this book. It was also very spicy, about a 3 on the scale, loved the fantasy setting, would recommend this book and I am excited for the next in the series.
I received an advance ebook copy, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

I loved it. I have enjoyed every Ruby Dixon book I have read and this one was no exception. I will have a full review post coming soon to IG/TT.

I love Ruby Dixon and the way that she writes. I had high expectations for this book and it didn't disappoint.

This was my first Ruby Dixon book that wasn't ice planet barbarians. It was the same tension I loved when I read IPB, but it had more of a star-crossed lovers, enemies to lovers edge that I really enjoyed.

Something Ruby does really well is characters and character development. The only thing I didn't like was I wanted more out of the plot. The romance was done so well but there wasn't much to this book other than romance.

The book captured and held my attention.great world building and ruby dixon described everything so I pictured it perfectly. I loved how in detail the mating ceremony was. Overall it was a fun read

I really loved Ruby Dixon’s writing but unfortunately I don’t think monster romance is for me so I DNF. Still I just think it’s a matter of tastes rather than quality writing. I thought the author was a talented story teller and could write a compelling prose within her genre.

I feel that I should warn you right off the bat that this is a long read. Ruby has a few other books like this and I felt that I should let you know that it took me a couple of sittings to read this. Now that said if you like fantasy romance this is unique and highly engaging.

Imagine being stuck in a windowless tower for seven years with your enemy? Talk about forcing you to face pretty much everything! The story is told from Candra’s POV which gives us all her fear, despair, and loneliness during the first few months in the tower. I’m going to be honest and say that I was a little worried how she was going to survive all that time in the dark.

Candra is a spoiled princess with a life-threatening illness managed by daily medicine. Never meant to spend the seven years in the tower she is unprepared for being alone in the dark. What I do love about her is that while she was Initially selfish she does change over time into a completely different person. I mean who wouldn’t! While Nemeth appears dangerous and grumpy at first we learn that he is shy, kind, and patient.

This book has some very explicit scenes and is super spicy so be warned! The spice is good and honestly I enjoyed how well developed the characters were. There were just some issues for me. Honestly, was I not such a fan of Ruby Dixon’s I would have rated this much lower.

The whole food situation had me so confused. Like food and water for a whole year gets delivered but they are in a dark, windowless and doorless tower. Where was the storage? I felt like the tower could have been better explained. It just needed a little TLC.

The other thing that bothered me, as I said before was that I thought this was part of a series and not a standalone. The title made me think that it was since it is very similar to other titles in that series. There were also things about this book that seemed like they could have been part of that series but then again maybe not.

I suggest you read it for yourself and form your own opinion. It is not a bad story at all.

I was very intrigued by the plot of this book, but the story fell flat for me. I understand the FMC is going through a huge change for her and is learning how to do these things, but she is just so insufferable and I cannot stand her. Because of this, it was very hard for me to get through this book and this book is LONG. I don't think it needed to be so long and we didn't need to be in the tower for as long as we did (yes, I know this is the premise of the whole book but it was too much and dragged imo).

Thank you Wattpad for the review copy, my opinions are my own.

This was a fun departure from the Ruby Dixon alien series, and I wasn't disappointed by the change to fantasy. Candra is an admitted flirt and spoiled princess who is one of the last of the Vestalin bloodline and when her sister that was destined to be the sacrifice to the Tower of Balance is killed in a shipwreck, is voluntold to be the new sacrifice. Given only 3 days to get to the Tower, she is NOT HAPPY about this change, especially since she has a chronic illness that she deals with and has to inject a potion daily to prevent her body from killing her from the inside. She has to figure out everything, including how to deal with her Tower mate, Nemeth, the Fellian sacrifice. They are locked into this tower for seven years to appease a very angry goddess.

Nemeth is not quite what Candra expected, she wasn't certain what she was expecting but a large grey winged scholar wasn't it. When two years pass, and there's no delivery of supplies, Nemeth and Candra must work together to find out what's going on, but the world is very changed from when they went into the Tower.

Candra deals with what appears to be a fantasy version of diabetes, but she's also a plus sized main character and very sex positive. Nemeth is a scholar and obsessed with books (man after my own heart), but also he's got secrets. Reminds me of Gargoyles (the TV show), and he's much bigger than Candra.

The story is spicy and fun, just like the Ice Planet series. If you like the IPB series, then give this one a try.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad Webtoon for an advanced reader copy of this book!

Overall, I feel this was about twice as long as it needed to be and dragged along the whole time. The pacing by which the plot was unraveled to the audience felt so slow that I just was not interested by the end and was dragging along to finish. I also feel that somehow the ending was rushed for how insanely long the rest of the book was. I did not like that they made light of slavery and just kind of had a forgive and forget approach by the end. I did enjoy the relationship between the two main characters, but find a naive, out of touch, and spoiled FMC not to be so much my speed. I enjoyed ice planet barbarians, but really found this book lacking a lot of the same charm

This is a book that follows Candromeda and Nemeth as they are from two separate feuding blood lines that are forced to reside in a castle for seven years to appease the gods. With tropes of enemies to lovers and close proximity, this book is an interesting read if you like both. There's also 'monster' love (male character is not human) and knotting which wasn't something I was personally expecting.


The writing style made the book interesting to read, but I feel like the author couldn't decide between more 'medieval' language versus modern day. It wasn't a deal breaker, but sometimes it just felt like it didn't fit. The book felt long, which I guess was okay since I believe it will be a standalone, but I feel like it could have been plotted/paced a little better with more interesting time skips. There were a few interesting twists in the book which kept me wanting to read more.


This was my first book written by Ruby Dixon, and it made me interested to read more of her works.

3.5 stars

While I have read all of this author’s Ice Planet Barbarians series and almost all of her Icehome series, I haven’t read any of her books that don’t involve blue aliens. It was a no-brainer for me to give a different genre from her a try. I’m glad I did. Although the story started slowly for me, once Princess Candra was locked in the tower I was fully invested.

Candra had a bit of a Scarlett O’Hara thing going on. Every time things got tough and she felt like giving up and crying her eyes out, she would tell herself she could cry about it “tomorrow” or “later”. She has basically been told she is useless her whole life. She may be a Princess and have the blood of her nation’s founder running through her veins, but she also has a blood-sickness and is not the firstborn. Since nobody thought she was worth much, she did what she wanted when she wanted. Her actions gave her quite a reputation. She was thought of as loose, frivolous, and spoiled. To be fair, she kind of was those things. She was also loyal, loving, and persistent. Candra grows up in many ways while in the tower. She digs deep and finds things out about herself she didn’t know. She’s one tough cookie.

Nemeth may start out as a scary presence, but it turns out he’s just a big teddy bear. Especially when it comes to Candra. There is a lot of mistrust and preconceived notions on both sides, but these two can’t stay apart forever. The more they talk, the more they wonder about all they learned while growing up.

As much as I loved staying in the bubble of the tower with Candra and Nemeth, it becomes obvious huge changes are going on outside the tower. Eventually, the pair cannot ignore the outside world and have to make some tough decisions. But they decide that whatever is happening, they are committed to being together.

Many eye-opening things happen on their journey outside of the tower, and that part of the story did drag a bit. The pacing wasn’t consistent throughout this story, and this was one of the slow parts for me. Once they rejoin society (I’m wording this in a way to avoid spoilers) I felt Nemeth’s secret-keeping became too much. Both Nemeth and Candra kept things from each other, which was understandable with the situation they were in. Yet when Nemeth continued to keep things from Candra I got annoyed.

This was a great story. It could have been so much better if the pacing issues were resolved.

Bound to The Shadow Prince was another great read by Ruby Dixon! This book is perfect for readers that like enemies to lovers, knotting, twists and turns, chronic illness representation, size differences, and wingspan.

This was a really good book! It was well thought out, with twists you won't see coming. I had a hunch there was something strange going on early into the book, but I never would have guessed the who, how, and why! In addition to the unexpected plot, we get a true enemies-to-lover romance and plenty of spice! I mean, there is not much to do in a tower for several years after all!

If you are looking for a monster romance that has romance, spice, and twists to keep you on your toes, here you go!!!

I had decent hopes for this going in, the concept sounded neat. But about 35% of the way in my interest was lost on the MFC. She was just too much of all the bad tropes for these kinds of books.

After the death of her sister, Princess Candra is forced to act as sacrifice for her kingdom and stay in a tower for seven years as penance to an angry goddess. The rivalry kingdom must also send a tribute, a shadow daddy named Nemeth, who happens to be Candra's biggest enemy. But when the tower is attacked and new supplies stop being delivered, Candra and Nemeth are forced to choose whether they want to leave the tower and curse their kingdom, or stay without food or medicine and become true sacrifices.

Rating: 5/5
Spice: 2/5

Tropes:
Sacrifice for the Greater Good
Enemies to Lovers
Rival Kingdoms

Triggers:
Chronic Illness
Attempted SA
Murder
Starvation
War
Slavery
Death of Sibling

My Thoughts:
This book is absolutely amazing! This is an original enemies to lovers story that has the characters relying on one another to survive. The author does a great job of representing a chronic illness and
the stress/problem solving that is involved in the day to day of working to survive. The character growth of Princess Candra is very well written and the pacing of the book is solid. I found myself dreading that the book was going to end. Five stars all around.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an advance copy in return for my honest opinion.

Let me start by saying I love Ruby Dixon so I knew going in that this would be a book I would enjoy. It was different from her more scifi romance series. This falls more in the fantasy romance category. The world has three gods one of which the humans and Fellian offended generations ago. To appease the god when her moon is in the sky a descendant from both the humans and Fellians who started the conflict must enter a tower for seven years. Nemeth the Fellian to enter the tower is a prince of his people and has trained to go to the tower since he was young. Candra's sister dies 3 days before someone from her family must enter the tower and she is the replacement. She has no training and can't take care of herself. She also has a blood sickness that will kill her if she doesn't get treatment daily.

Candra and Nemeth spend most of the first year ignoring each other as their families are enemies. Candra is a bit of a spoiled princess and she was very free with herself before the tower. This leads to some tension as she is a tease and loves flirting. Nemeth is more scholarly and he doesn't know what to do. Once they begin working together after Nemeth saves Candra when she runs out of medicine and doesn't have more firewood, they become friends. Yes, the attraction is there but they are friends first and I enjoyed that. The spice was just right as to be expected with a Dixon novel.

For me this is a 4.5 star read. I felt there were times it was a little slow or the tension caused by secrets being kept felt a bit contrived. Overall though this is a strong novel and I'll be recommending it. I will note just because you like Ice Planet Barbarians does not mean you would like this. They are very very different. This feels a lot more like her series Aspect and Anchor so don't go into this thinking it is IPB.

Genre: Fantasy Romance

I loved Ice Planet Barbarians so when I was able to get my hands on this ARC I was so excited. This isn't the typical monster romance you are used to reading from this author.

The FMC is a princess who got blindsided into believing she must go to a tower so a curse wouldn't eat everyone up. She is used to everyone waiting on her hand and foot. She has an all-knowing-knife and wouldn't use it. She also has an illness that requires medicine everyday. She is stuck with the MMC who is grumpy and dangerous.

This is a very explicit book so know this going in. Very spicy!

I do however feel this book is very wordy. I feel like there are unnecessary descriptions and inner dialogue in the book.

Overall I give it a 2.5

What can I say, except I loved Cantra and Nemeth's story. Their story together was full of ups and downs and was put through trials and hardships. I can tell you reading this story was immersing; it really did yank you in. It was a slow-burn romance, but the storyline was written beautifully, the world building included. I really felt like I was there and could clearly picture the places easily within my mind. The storyline also had a bit of mystery splashed in there, with a dash of banter and intrigue. It was a good read, and this Darkfell place seemed interesting enough. The character growth for both MCs was great to witness. I really enjoyed reading this book. Now comes the questions: Do I recommend it? Yes, I do!