If you enjoy books by Danielle Jensen, this book is a fantastic choice for you! Faraine and Vor very much remind me of a couple that she would write. They're both complicated but drawn towards each other and have to work through their own difficulties to make the slow burn catch fire.
I'll always enjoy a romantasy story, and this one was no exception. I do wish that the pacing was a bit faster, but that's my only critique.
If you're wanting an enjoyable but easy to read fantasy book that has good romance and a unique plot, I'd definitely recommend this book.

This slow-burn, dual-POV romance is filled with twists and turns that build to an enthralling ending. Faraine, an exiled princess, has been sequestered in a convent after shaming her family in front of a potential ally. She possesses a god-given power that feels more like a curse than a gift.

Faraine is torn from her convent by her brother, as her sister is on the brink of making a similar mistake that could ruin a crucial alliance for their kingdom. After being attacked by dark fae riders, Faraine is rescued by a mysterious, handsome, and brooding fae man. As she rides close to him on his unearthly mount, she feels a calm and connection she's never experienced before. However, in a twist, he turns out to be the King of Shadows, the ruler of an underground realm, and her sister's suitor.
Ready for the next book!

Bride of the Shadow King is the first book in the series of the same name by Sylvia Mercedes and I grabbed this one on a whim. I was in the mood for something in the fantasy romance genre and I enjoyed it.

Princess Faraine has always lived separately from her family and court due to her illness. She's been a liability to the crown and been relegated to the background while her beautiful, younger sister, Ilsevel, has become the favorite in all things. And when the Shadow King, King Vor, comes to their realm seeking a bride and alliance, no one is surprised that Ilsevel is the one he chooses. With a twist of fate, Vor and Faraine, are bound together but the question is whether Vor can forgive Faraine for the

Overall, I enjoyed this one. I thought the world-building was well done and as a first book in the series, Mercedes laid the groundwork for the magic system and development of the worlds on a broader scale as they all move through them. The chemistry was great as well. This is a slow-burn so be sure to prepare yourself for the initial pull without the immediate satisfaction.

I also thought Mercedes did a solid job in developing these characters. Faraine could have been bitter but she wasn't. She was kind and patient and while I didn't agree with all her choices, I still liked her as a character. Vor was great too. He struggled with his identity and his role as King and I appreciated his relationship with those around him. The side characters truly helped drive this story forward - from Faraine's brother and sisters to Vor's brother and Captain...and so many more.

Like I mentioned, this was a good book one to lay the groundwork for the rest of the series. We get an introduction to the the Trolde Curse, a peak into what Faraine's father is up to, and of course, a little bit of the chemistry between Faraine and Vor to keep us interested in what will happen in book two. This one does end in a place where you will definitely want to pick up the next book so I highly recommend you grab it as soon as you can. I'll be reading through the rest of the series to see what happens with these characters and if you enjoy a fae / fantasy romance, consider picking this series up!

Bride of the Shadow King is an absolute delight. I was hooked from the first page! Faraine's character is so perfectly communicated, I was able to both root for and sympathize with her throughout the machinations of the forces around her. Her struggle to assert her own values and desires within the constructs of her societal role made her interactions with Vor so much more powerful to me.

Vor! The greenest flag of an ml that ever waved, King of my heart. Anyone who loves romance but also cringes at the consistent lack of consent and communication that the genre is often inundated with will fall immediately in love with Vor. The communication, the consent, the pure human DECENCY in every line of his internal monologue was a delight and I cannot get enough.

This book is a full, raving five stars from me and I cannot wait to get the other two books in my hands asap.

Great book. A great blend between fantasy and romance.

Thank you to Netgally and Berkley for allowing me to read this book

<b><i>There’s courage in her eye, unexpected and defiant. She may not be a warrior; that doesn’t mean she’s weak.</i></b>

<i>Bride of the Shadow King</i> takes places in a world where the Fae are ravaging the human lands, and the trolde (troll) people face a rumbling in the dark. Faraine is a character who struggles with a chronic illness due to her powers to read the emotions of others - I thought this was so interesting because rarely do powers cause bad side effects. Vor is the trolde king who is determined to marry a human bride in order to secure help for his kingdom. At first, there is a connection between him and Faraine, but in the end he must marry her sister who has the king's favor in order to secure the alliance. However, after tragedy strikes, Faraine must disguise herself and take her sister's place, unbeknownst to Vor.

I thought that the world was really cool! I had never read a book with troll people and I loved the concept of the underground world - the descriptions were beautiful. Sylvia Mercedes definitely has a talent for prose and world building! Faraine and Vor are an example of right person, wrong time, and it was cool to see that play out in a fantasy world.

My one gripe with this book was that essentially the whole plot was given away in how the book was pitched for social media. This isn't necessarily a fault of the book itself - but I was definitely frustrated while reading because I thought the events talked about on the author's page would happen much, much sooner in the novel, and that there would be more after that. I found that there was nothing more to the romance or plot that wasn't already given away, and that definitely took away from my reading experience. Of course, this gets in to a whole other discussion of how authors are forced to market their books to keep up with the trends (that may not be a best fit for their work), but alas that is a discussion for another day.

I didn’t like the flaws in the male and female main characters. The Shadow King chose his people’s well-being over his heart. Which makes for a noble leader but a terrible romantic partner. He also allows traitors to sit on his council, which means he’s spineless despite claiming to be merciless. The female basically let’s EVERYONE walk all over her. Her superpower is EMPATHY. :-(

Princess Faraine's gods-gift makes her susceptible to the emotions of others. Following a disastrous incident relating to her powers, her father sends her to live in a convent. Upon being summoned to return home, her party is ambushed. King Vor, also on his way to meet with Faraine's father to arrange a marriage alliance, rescues Faraine from the ambush and accompanies her for the remainder of the journey. Despite Faraine and Vor's growing feelings for each other, Vor is pushed toward selecting Faraine's sister as his bride to ensure the safety of his kingdom. This is a slow-burn fantasy romance with some political intrigue and a mysterious threat, with the romance storyline being the focus of this story. The plot felt rushed and I found the characters to be flat. I didn't quite find the urgency of the arranged marriage to be believable - it actually felt jarring in the wake of major tragic events that were quickly pushed to the background in favor of progressing the romance storyline.

I liked it until I didn't, it's hard to say but about half way through their is a bump in the road that I don't know how overall I feel about it. It was amazing and I was hooked, then when the situation / part happens, I was just turned off as a reader and it was hard to move past it.

So I have mixed feelings about this book. Mostly frustrated.
I think the world building is unique, well-done, and probably the real star of the show for me. I loved the concept of the different types of fae, the war and politics that the different cultures and magic bring to the plot. All so interesting. But I was frustrated that there wasn't more depth or exploration of how the Trolde are different (or similar) to the fae. Or even why the humans misunderstand what troldefolk are (or how the slur of troll has stuck around despite their minimal interactions).
I think that the MMC and FMC are well written and there is a lot of layering and depth to both of their characters. We see A LOT of there internal conflicts and personal baggage. But I was so frustrated that this plotline seemed to barely move. This entire book felt stretched just too far and knowing that there are 2 more books, I don't think that the structure can support the slow movement that we see. I don't think that this series can hold the support of over 1000 pages across 3 books.
A lot of these could boil down to this book being New Adult, which is not a personal favorite genre of mine. I think that there are still people who love the slow burn angsty romantasy books that will really enjoy this. It's not bad, its I personally like many other books in this genre with these tropes a lot more than I could like this one.

Full disclosure I did immediately go to Kindle Unlimited to binge the rest of the series, but I really didn't like the 2nd book and didn't bother to read the 3rd. This is for better or worse I think the best in the series so if you're iffy on this one I personally wish I hadn't read another 400 pages to find out I wasn't feeling it.

This is a beautifully written fantasy with a complex and engaging plot. The world-building is exceptional, and the characters’ journeys are deeply moving. A must-read for romantasy fans!

Two kingdoms in need of an alliance, so what else is there to do but marry the Trolde Shadow King, King Vor, to the lovely human princess Ilsevel... so his kingdoms= will receive magical aide and hers will get the Trolde warriors to help protect her kingdom.
But nothing is ever that simple... especially as Vor finds himself enamored with Ilsevel's elder sister Faraine, who's kept out of court, due to a chronic illness and inability to control her gifts.
Unfortunately when Faraine's sisters are killed enroute to the ceremony there, of course, nothing else to do but disguise Faiaine as Ilsevel and send her in her sister's place. Mourning and afraid, and maybe a little enamored herself, Faraine will do so for the good of her kingdom.
A slow burn of a love story, a new world in revealed in the underground Trolde kingdom, secrets revealed... a very fun read that switches between Vor and Faraine's pov.