Set in a dystopian world where love is forbidden and survival is a warrior's game, this book follows the journey of Elara and Varek as they embark on a dangerous quest.
The world-building in this book is phenomenal. The author has created a vivid and detailed world that is both intriguing and terrifying. The outer realm, where the majority of the story takes place, is a dangerous and unforgiving place, filled with deadly creatures and treacherous terrain. The inner realm, on the other hand, is a stark contrast, with its strict rules and regulations that govern every aspect of people's lives. It is a world that is both fascinating and terrifying, and the author does an excellent job of bringing it to life.
The characters in this book are well-developed and complex. Elara and Varek are both strong and independent individuals who are forced to work together on their quest. Their relationship starts off as one of necessity, but as they face danger and overcome obstacles together, their feelings for each other start to grow. However, their love is forbidden, and they must constantly fight against their emotions, knowing that their love could lead to their downfall. Their internal struggles and the chemistry between them make for a compelling and emotional read.
As Elara and Varek journey through the outer realm, they face numerous challenges and obstacles that test their strength and determination. The quest for the mythical serum adds an extra layer of intrigue and danger to the story.
This was a great read that combines elements of romance, adventure, and dystopia to create a unique and compelling story.

Fallen Shadows started off great. Lots of tension, mystery, drama, mysterious curse.
And then Elara and Varek. Warriors, lovers, drawn to each other despite knowing that their love can never be.
There was so much going on and I couldn't stop reading but halfway through it all sort of fizzled out. Which is a real shame because I wanted more. I wanted more world building, more character development, more background story.
Overall, it was a good read but it left me slightly unsatisfied.

Firstly, I would like to thank both NetGalley and author for providing me with a free e-copy of this book in exchange of my honest review.

I feel so sad only giving this book two stars, however I feel like the story could’ve been so much more. The story itself, and the premise sounded so intriguing and held so much promise; however, I don’t know how I feel about his execution.

Firstly, we have the two main characters, Elara and Varek, their love from the very start was all consuming. I feel like there could’ve been a first book, which could’ve focused on building their personalities and the relationship between them so that the reader felt more emotionally invested in these characters. Instead, as a reader, I felt thrust upon the story, and expected to accept this all consuming love between the characters, without really knowing how it got to that point and what it was about each other they felt so deeply. Their overall personalities felt a bit lack lustre and non existent apart from their mutual pining.

The sentiments also apply to the story itself. I feel like if there would’ve been a first book focusing more on world building and the magic, which lead up to the events of this book, the story could’ve flourished so much more. I felt that the author of this book whilst writing it had such a clear and fleshed out vision in her head, but sort of forgot that us as a reader don’t get to have the privilege of knowing her creative insight, and just expected us to know the history behind the story leading up to the events that follow.

I can’t help but feel bad whilst writing this, but as I said at the start, this is my honest review. I just wish this book was a sequel where I would have more knowledge of what was actually happening, instead though the writing is very descriptive, I spent most of my time reading this trying to figure out what was actually happening. The role of the elders and the ravenous, the magic at play was so intriguing however whilst reading I could help but have thoughts like “oh another near death experience” “wait what?” “what’s actually going on, how did they end up here” The premise was there, however personally for me it just didn’t hit the spot, but this is just my opinion and I’m sure that there are others out there who will love this story. If the synopsis intrigues you then please read it, you may be pleasantly surprised!

Thank you @netgalley and Flyaway Publishing for the chance to review Fallen Shadows by Raven More. Elara and Varek are two warriors in a secluded castle who are often pitted against each other. Both desire the other, but the warrior way does not permit marriage. Their isolated village battles against Ravenous - beasts who turn people into beats themselves. There are also Elders and creepy Enforcers who keep everyone in line. Great world building and descriptions. I loved the twists. There was spice and an epic quest … so good!

I want to thank the author for giving me the opportunity to read this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was absolutely a wonderful read. This book had it all. You have a society that is ruled by a group that is not merciful. The worst crime here…love…you will be unalived for such atrocity (forbidden love). You have a city that is threatened by monsters and our FMC & MC must find that which will save their city/together.

I absolutely loved these two characters and watching their relationship develop and grow through this entire story. Elara and Varek are a new favorite couple for me. This romantasy is a top on my 2024 list. I cannot wait for what else our author will come out with. I will be recommending this book to all of my book loving friends.

I really appreciate Raven More for letting me read and review “Fallen Shadows.” While i did not totally enjoy this book, i do think there is a lot of room for improvement. Below are links of my reviews where I flush out the details of how I think this book could be improved, and some problems I had with the story. While I think the writing itself is very good, without a fully fleshed out plot and multi-faceted characters, you will not hold your reader’s attention.

Thank you to NetGalley and Raven More for an ARC of this book!
This book (and possible series?) definitely has potential. I have to be honest that a lot of the world building felt like info-dumps and a bit rushed which was confusing at times. I did enjoy the FMC and her grit/determination which made it easy to root for her. Overall, this was an enjoyable read but has room for improvement in terms of world building.
3⭐️

Sadly I had to DNF this book. I received it as an ARC so I really wanted to finish it. I was confused from the start of the book. I felt like I started in the middle of a story and not the beginning. It has great premise but it just wasn't for me.

This was an in-between book. Half of the book was good and half were just mid. I did enjoy the world building but there were parts of the story/plot that just lost me.

hank you Netgalley and Raven More for the eArc!

The wonderful thing about this book was that it’s very poetic. The way certain words were used over plain English may turn away some readers, however, I really enjoyed it as it’s a different type of style.

While the storyline was about two warriors, a seemingly impossible mission, monsters, duty, loyalty, and magic, I would say that this was heavily rooted in romance. You are essentially faced with the forbidden romance aspect immediately within a few chapters.

I’m that type of reader, where I like my romance to simmer, and build up. I enjoy world building, banter between the characters, and action (in this case fighting monsters), before the romance. The romance part is like a reward.

The romance in this book contains an agonizing want from both main characters, there is some spice, but it’s the tension and drawn out misunderstanding between the characters that takes the spotlight.

But if you stick with the book, you will be rewarded with a twist that I didn’t even expect!!

I would recommend this book for those that love romance first, and fantasy elements second. There’s not a lot of world-building in this book, but the duel POV really helps drive the story along. It’s packed with dialogue, and I would venture far enough to say that this reads almost like a play/ movie script.

This book has a lot of good pieces- a will they, won’t they type of love, a dangerous enemy, and forces beyond their control. However, the pieces don’t connect in ways that make a lot of sense. It makes it tough to stay in the story. It does feel a little more telling than showing of events and feelings in the book. Overall, it was an okay book.

I got this book as an arc through NetGalley. The cover is stunning, and sounded super interesting! Unfortunately there’s just… so much going on and not a whole lot going on? The first fourth of the book was super intriguing and had great promise. Around the halfway I was confused what the heck was happening. I was thinking about DNFing, but a character said something where I had to find out if it was true or not.. even though it didn’t make sense. The last half of the book was very rushed. The spelling of the MMC interchanged randomly and that was confusing. This wasn’t my cup of tea, and I’m so sad.

I love books written about warriors. This book from the description was tailor made for me. I did not like how insta love it was and it made me cringe at times. I loved the concept but it didn’t deliver. My expectations might have been a bit high though.

Thank you to Net Galley and Flyaway publishing for an ARC of Fallen shadows. I have to be completely honest and I DNF this book at 25%. If you are a fan of the insta love trope then I think you’d like this but for me I needed a bit more character building. The first 10% had me hooked in as the story started quickly but then I found the plot line was a bit sporadic and I found it a bit confusing. I’m hoping one day I can return to this again to find out the fate of the mfc and mmc.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Overview:
This is a story about a forbidden romance between two warriors set in a world where the entire population is under control of a group of people called the “Elders”.

The Elders have granted the people safety from the danger of the Ravenous Curse that lurks beyond the walls of the kingdom via the use of amulets they all must wear. The Elders are ruthless and tyrannical in their ruling of the people - everyone must obey order and no one can question their decisions. Any resistance is met with death.

The story follows Elara and Varek, both warriors under the command of the Elders. Forbidden to love but destined to want only the other, they find themselves unable to stay away. When Elara’s brother falls ill, Varek can’t stop himself from going against the Elders and helping Elara. Things quickly go awry and Elara must push Varek away for the safety of both him and her brother.

When the Ravenous Curse pushes its way through the kingdom barriers, in an attempt to make an example out of them, Elara and Varek are sent on a mission to collect sap from The Life Tree to help their injured people. Their mission enlightens them on what truly lurks beyond the safety of their walls. They find themselves faced with the decision to run or return to their people and share what they’ve learned - if they live long enough to do so.

My thoughts:

The story was compelling and the world dynamic was really interesting. I was sucked in from the beginning which isn’t common for me when it comes to fantasy books. But after that initial 10-15%, the story and character development fizzled out a bit.

A lot of Elara and Vareks initial love story is either implied or told rather than shown. The story immediately jumps into their desperation for each other but there’s very little explanation as to why. I found it a little difficult to believe their dynamic without the context that was needed. It would have felt more genuine if we either had backstory developed in the beginning or their love built gradually throughout the story.

The language and dialogue took a bit to get used to. Because it’s very insta-lovey, some parts felt cringy. I actually like a good insta-love, obsession style romance, if it is developed properly.

Overall, it was fairly enjoyable and a good start to a new series of an upcoming author.

*I am grateful to have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own

I have some conflicting thoughts on this book. I was very sucked into the romance and story of the novel and wanted to know what would happen next, I found myself gasping at reveals and wanting to continue reading.

I also enjoyed the dual first person POV. It made it feel like I simultaneously knew everything that was going on and nothing. There are sections where the two characters are operating around different truths and it filled me with the anxiety of not knowing who to trust and who had the more accurate information.

I personally struggle with this style of writing, and am drawn to a more plain English as I then seem to watch the movie in my head. However I can see that the descriptions were beautiful and if a reader enjoys more complex language and descriptions and an older way of speaking this may be perfect, it just wasn’t to my personal taste.

I can definitely see a different reader enjoying this book so I am giving it three stars but it’s not a book I would see myself personally recommending.

The main issue I had with the book though it that at the end I found myself wishing it had an extra chapter just dedicated to the final battle, it felt skipped over just to get to the relationships conclusions.

I think the story and characters were interesting and really wanted to enjoy this read but ultimately struggled through it. Even though it wasn’t for me I could see myself picking up another one of Raven More’s books.

3 stars: I don't usually DNF books that I'm reviewing but I really felt that I couldn't keep reading it without starting to dislike the book, and I want to give it a fair review. While I've had to DNF this at 40%, I do think there is an audience who would really enjoy it - it's just not my cup of tea.

The old language definitely added to the atmosphere but I found it went too far, making the book difficult to read at times. Again, this may be enjoyed more by other readers, but it made it difficult for me to process what was happening and I often had to go back and reread scenes to understand them, especially when action was taking place. I also would have liked a little more background on the characters and why they're risking so much to be together, as this seemed like a choice neither of them would have made at the start of the book. It could also have done with some more worldbuilding at the beginning of the book, as it was difficult to understand what was going on at the start.

I’m about 40% of the way done and I’m gonna have to DNF this for now. I really wanted to love this and the story itself isn’t bad but I’m finding it hard to keep up with the lack of character and world building as to why they love each other. I’m on page 125 and have no idea why. Then enters Torin and he has some interest in Elara relating to his past love. I’m not sure if this is gonna turn into a why choose trope type situation. I love a touch her and die moment but the renaissance era “unhand her” type writing just doesn’t hit the same. It’s just not for me, as I read it I find myself wanting to read other books vs being captivated by this story in itself. I don’t dislike it but I also don’t find myself enjoying it either.

This was an ok book. Some parts were very interesting, other parts were very cringy for me. The concept of the elders having ultimate control over everything was very intriguing to me and fed into the forbidden love between Elara and Varek.

The storyline gave me slight "The outsider" vibes mixed with one dark window.

The World building and character development wasn't the best, but it wasn't the most I've read. The writing style and "old" language was not my up of tea and not something I would typically head.

I really hate doing this, but I have to be brutally honest. I DNF'd at approximately 50%. I really hate doing this and very rarely do, but I just could not engage with this book.

The world building was essentially non-existent meaning that from the very beginning it was almost impossible to actually connect with or engage with the story. The prose felt very flat, there wasn't really any emotion or depth from the characters. Even though it is told through their perspective it felt very much as if you were being told what was happening as opposed to experiencing. The same can be said for the scenes with attempted spice, it felt flat, no passion or emotion.

This story is very much insta love from basically the first page with little to no explanation as to why or how the characters actually developed these feelings. This leaves it very difficult to actually get behind the relationship or the love story.

There seemed to be a lot of explanation lacking also. Much the same as the world building. We were being told things but there was no explanation as to why things were a certain way, or how that came to be.

For these reason I really struggled through the 50% I did read and was unable to persevere any further.