Did not get to this prior to publishing but was able to after. Overall not a bad story. I enjoyed it

This was entertaining overall and I am going to jump into Blood and Steel to see Wilder's story.

The beginning was sort of an info dump from Drue about her life so far and the battle against the shadow wraiths, but then when we met Talemir, it felt like we were missing information about him. The pacing was sort of up and down and the insta-lust wasn't my favorite, but I liked the fighting scenes and would like to see more of the wraiths and their powers.

The audiobook features dual narrators for the main characters and I thought they did a good job diving into the story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the copy.

Star rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice rating: 🌶🌶🌶🌶

I read the ebook of Slaying the Shifter Prince earlier in the year, and absolutely loved it, but...

Oh. My. Goodness! This audiobook! The narrators sounded so similar to how I had imagined them, and I couldn't get enough! The dual narration was fabulous, and I loved the F narration for Drue's POV, and M narration for Talemir's POV. Each time I needed to pause this book, all I could think about was how long it would be until I could get back to listening. Also, can I just say, the male narrator's voice for Talemir is just 🥵😏🤤; it's deep and gravelly and just perfect!


💢 TWs: experienced trauma, brief moment of suicide ideation, implied sexual harassment, death, violence, consensual sexual scenes

☆ I recieved an ALC of the book from the author, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own honest opinions. ☆

3 stars out of 5. The audio book narrators did a good job with this novel - for me a narrator and make or break the book. I liked that this was a standalone novel but there were definite gaps in the plot - which is often the pro/con of a stand-alone fantasy. I wish we had learned more about the shadow magic - okay he can cause darkness and whip around tendrils and teleport - how and what else? Give me some more world building. Also we never answered what was happening with the metal source. This is primarily a smut romance novel set in the backdrop of fantasy. I’m primarily a fantasy reader who enjoys some romance too, so maybe I’m not the primary audience for this book.

This fantasy romance novel blends the allure of enemies-to-lovers and magic in a world teetering on the brink of destruction. Drue Emmerson, a noblewoman turned vengeful ranger, seeks to eradicate shadow wraiths responsible for her family's demise. Talemir Starling, a celebrated half-wraith warrior, battles his monstrous lineage while hiding his identity, especially from Drue, who's sworn to exterminate his kind. Their paths intertwine when Drue's quest aligns with Talemir's desperate attempt to prove his humanity. As they grapple with their missions and the forbidden attraction between them, they face myriad dangers, unveiling a deeper conspiracy. Despite the romance feeling a tad rushed, the vivid characters and intricate plot more than made up for it. The richly woven world and the moral complexities they navigated resonated with me, making this a memorable addition to my fantasy romance collection. It's a tale of passion, peril, and the power of unexpected alliances that I enjoyed.

I really enjoyed Slaying the Shadow Prince. The main characters had chemistry and the side characters were well rounded too.

This was a typical fantasy romance with all the good tropes. The hot spring scene was my favourite. The banter and the spice were top-notch.

The only reason I'm not giving it higher was because it wasn't anything special. It stuck to the typical formula: sort of but not enemies having to travel together then they inevitably fall in love.

But it was a fun read.

Book: Slaying the Shadow Prince
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Publication Date: 12/12/2023

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

The narrators did a great job on this! The beginning of the book really grabs you!

Shadow daddy meets shadow slayer? Yes please.

Tropes
Forced proximity
her falls first
enemies to lovers
secrets

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book.

This was a quick and easy read. I loved both the main romantic relationship and all of the friendships. The romance was definitely the main part of the story, but the actual world and plot were interesting and easy to follow.

I original thought this was A Stand alone fantasy romance till I read blood & steel and noticed it is actually a prequel
Either way I love it
No, word vomit or fillers just to the point. Stabby women and shadow welding men.
Honestly all I need. 🖤

If I didn't know this was the same author as The Oremere Chronicles I would have never guessed.

Good world building and character development. Story has a lot of action and keeps you engaged. Narrators are very good.

“Love didn’t happen once, she realized, it happened every day in little moments, in the quiet gaps between grand words and the lingering touches in the hopes it promised in the dark. Love was something that breathed and expanded. That was made and remade, again and again, reforged only to become stronger.”

“Slaying the Shadow Prince” by Helen Scheuerer is a story about Dreu and Talemir. Drue, a ranger who wants revenge against all Wraiths who have destroyed the life she had known. Talemir, a distinguished warrior, is living with the secret of being half-wraith. On a mission to stop who has been tampering with the forge that makes the only weapons that can kill a wraith he finds himself having to team up with Dreu to uncover what has been making it harder and harder for them to be killed.

I really liked this book. The bickering was fun, I liked the main characters and the side characters. The world building and story plot was descriptive and explained well enough to enjoy the story but didn’t feel overly complicated for me which makes this a good book that is a stand-alone or side book. The romance was not too fast and was the perfect amount of slow burn, and I always love a book where the MMC falls first. It has a strong FMC and Shadow Daddy MMC with touch her and you die vibes. I have not read the other series, Blood and Steel, and still was really happy I read this book so it could be read alone. 4 out of 5 stars.

-Forbidden Romance
-He Falls First
-Multi POV
-Wraiths
-Slow burn
-Enemies To Lovers
-Found Family
-Touch Her and You Die
-Winged MMC
-Shadow Daddy
-Forced Proximity
-Strong FMC

3.75 Stars
A great companion book for the Blood & Steel series!

Drue Emmerson was driven by a singular purpose - to avenge her family's death by slaying as many shadow wraiths as she could. Her quest for vengeance brought her to the edge of her limits, until one day, she found herself in the clutches of the very creatures she had sworn to destroy.

Just when all seemed lost, Talemir Starling, a renowned warrior, and his companions came to her aid. He fought with the ferocity of a lion. But as she stood in awe of the warrior's prowess, she sensed something was off about him. It was then that Drue discovered the truth - Talemir was part wraith. Now faced with a dilemma, she must choose between seeking revenge or sparing the life of the warrior who had just saved her life.

Talemir's story was great - I was hooked from the first page! The only thing that left me wanting more was the romance, which felt a bit rushed. Nonetheless, the captivating plot made it a truly unforgettable read.

Even though this is a standalone novel, I highly recommend reading this with the Blood and Steel series. This book provides more depth and insight into Hawthorne and Malik's history.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Helen Scheuerer, and Dreamscape Media for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

Super spicy but with great angst and tension build up. I liked the fantasy storyline and the character depth overall.

I cannot form the correct words to describe how amazing this book is! I have read it both physically and listened to the audio! The audio is PERFECTION! Chefs kiss!

This book is so action packed with a heaping side of spice. I absolutely adored all the subtle hints to the rest of the Thezmar world. Two words, BABY WILDER! The relationship between Drue and Talemir was entertaining to read and I loved how they butted heads before realizing that even with their differences They were madly in love with eachother.

I was kind of surprised when I read this book because I did not know beforehand that it was- well, I'm guessing it is - a prequel to Ms. Scheuerer's new series - Blood & Steel The Legends of Thezmarr. Luckily, I had been awarded the ARC for that first book (B&S) and had already read it (it was really good) I was REALLY surprised to see some of the same characters in this book. But, the events in this book occur BEFORE Blood and Steel (hence prequel...sorry, my brain just caught up....) anyway, it does explain some things.

While I REALLY liked the first book (B&S), this book felt like it was missing a lot of the depth that we get in Blood and Steel with the world building and the character development of the MC's and the secondary characters. At first, for some reason, I thought it was a novella or short story, but it wasn't. But, with that being said, there was a lot of info that wasn't really necessary and could have been cut out to make a more streamlined story so maybe it should have been a novella.

Anyway, this book tells the story of two of the War Swords of Thezmarr, but the focus is on the couple Drue and Talemir. The situation with Talemir is unusual and for some reason Drue is drawn to him. We get to find out WHY Talemir is not there for B&S and it definitely helps with the back story.

All in all it was helpful - but out of all of the books I have read from Ms. Scheuerer, this is probably the weakest. Still good- just not as good as I have come to expect.

* fantasy romance
* shadow powers/winged MMC
* enemies to lovers
* he falls first
* dual POV

Overall I enjoyed this fantasy romance! The first 20% really drew me in - I enjoyed the plot and build up of the relationship, but I feel like I started to lose interest by 40% and onward. I can't really pinpoint why, but I think the spice started to overtake the plot development, and I had a hard time staying engaged! The narrator was great though and overall, was an easy read!

3.5 stars
While Slaying the Shadow Prince contains many popular tropes and story beats, I really enjoyed the author's voice, so the overall story felt fresh. Although the enemies-to-lovers romance felt a little bit rushed, I liked both Drue and Talemir individually, so even when their romance was a bit forced, I still had a fun time with it. I was a little confused by the world building at first, but once I got into it I really liked it and the magic system/monsters. Overall, I'm excited to continue this series!

4/5 Stars

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for providing me with the ALC.

I don’t read a lot of audiobooks but I do love them and this one was so much fun. Both of the narrators did an amazing job with their characters and made them each feel unique enough that I could keep track of who was who. The story was really well done, I loved that it felt complete but also I can tell there is a spin off after the end of the book to continue dealing with the conflict that started in this book. I loved the romance and I also loved the themes of accepting yourself and others with their differences.

In this world there is darkness taking over and attacking, all rules that were originally created have gone out the window for the most part. Drue was a noblewoman before everything happened but now she wants vengeance for her family that was taken from her and is ready to defend what is left of the kingdom she loves. Talemir is a warsword, some of the fiercest warriors in the kingdom but he has a secret that is slowly eating away at him, he is half wraith, the thing he is fighting against. But when Talemir is sent to figure out what is weakening the weapons to kill the wraiths but instead meets a woman, Drue, that he can’t resist his feelings for.

I adored the romance in this book between Drue and Talemir and I also loved how they learned to accept each other’s differences and help each other accept them. Talemir struggles a lot with the fact he is half-wraith, only like 2 people knew about this until he met Drue who had a way to sense wraiths and instantly attacked him. This was a great enemies to lovers romance where at first Drue at least really hated Talemir because most of her family was killed by wraiths and we see them grow from there. I feel like there is a lot more to this world and I am curious about what the author has written in this world.

I recommend this as it was an amazing audiobook with great narrators and a good story.

Shadow daddy meets shadow slayer and the friction sparks! This romantasy story features two broken people who help one another heal and seek a better future. I loved the chemistry between Drue, the FMC, and Talemir, the MMC, but I also really enjoyed the side characters and their relationships. I felt like the story lulled a bit around the half way mark, but it picked up again and I loved the ending. Overall, a great read for romantasy fans!

In terms of the audiobook, it wasn't as immersive as other stories I've listened to. I think the pacing was a little off in places, which took me out of the narrative. I did like all of the voices used, and overall enjoyed it.

I enjoyed this so much more than i thought i would. I was expecting this to be a solid three stars but it surprised me by giving a lot more substance than i was anticipating and i quickly fell in love with all the characters and their dynamics. The narrator did an amazing job making me feel the emotions and the authors writing flowed so well.