A Breathtaking Finale to a Phenomenal Series. The Shadows Rule All delivers a masterful blend of danger, action, and heart-pounding romance, cementing Abigail Owen’s Dominions trilogy as a standout in the fantasy genre. Picking up right where The Stolen Throne left off, this book raises the stakes higher than ever, darker than ever, bloodier than ever, and more intense than its predecessors. I absolutely loved this. From the very first page, I was on edge, fearing for my favourite characters and anxiously wondering how they would survive the chaos. Owen has a ruthless ability to shatter her readers with unexpected deaths and betrayals, and she did just that.

One of the book’s greatest strengths is its world-building. Owen crafts an immersive, vividly detailed realm filled with rich lore, intricate magic, and breathtaking landscapes. Believe me when I say, I truly wanted to live in this world. Beyond that, the character development across the entire trilogy is phenomenal. Meren’s transformation from a hidden princess to a formidable leader is deeply compelling and inspiring. I also adored the way relationships were explored, not just the romantic ones, but the many layers of love and loyalty between various characters. The dynamics between Vos and Tziah, Cain and Meren, Horus and Meren, and even Pella and Meren were beautifully written and emotionally resonant. I especially appreciated getting more of Eidolon’s backstory this time around.

If I had one critique, it would be the pacing. While the book maintains strong momentum, the middle section slows down slightly due to some overly detailed internal monologues (a challenge that the second book also faced). Additionally, a few plot twists felt somewhat predictable, which lessened the suspense in certain moments. However, the ending more than makes up for it. It delivers a satisfying and emotionally charged conclusion while leaving just enough room for interpretation.

Saying goodbye to this world is bittersweet and I will miss it immensely. Abigail Owen has crafted something truly special with this series, and I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review, and to Recorded Books and NetGalley for the advance listening copy.

After the second book syndrome, I didn't have high expectations for the conclusion of this trilogy. However I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed this very much!

I honestly don't know what I wanted from the final book. I think I felt the last books had problems to overcome but those were secondary to the relationships they had. Because they had developed relationships this book didn't seem to focus on them much. I remember reading the 2nd book and loving Pella's character way more than I expected. In this book it felt like she got more of a backseat which made me sad. I think a Pella novella (😁) would be really good following her journey after this book. I liked seeing Reven fall in love again but I didn't love it. I wanted more. I needed Reven POV of remembering moments. Things just felt missing from this final book and fluff in other parts.

Title: The Shadows Rule All by Abigail Owen
Genre: Fantasy
Pub Date: November 10, 2024

Devastating Betrayal
Shadow Magic
Epic Journey
Slow Burn
Amnesia

This book was devastating. I'm so happy they get their HEA, but they had to fight so hard and lose so much for it. I enjoyed the "side quests" and the twists were ✨️incredible✨️ I adore this trilogy and will forever recommend. If you loved The Cruel Prince, the Dominion trilogy is a must-read.

Thank you so much, Entangled Teen and NetGalley, for the digital review copy.

I have loved this series since page 1 of Liars Crown! I feel so deeply for these characters!!

This author has gutted me with this book! I’m not sure if I will ever not think about this book. How the trilogy ended ! If you haven’t read this series. Here’s your sign! It starts of as YA but I feel it’s def more New Adult ! I don’t want to give spoilers but …. My heart is broken I need to grieve the end of this book.

I'm loving this series but the ending of the last book nearly broke me!

So we're back with the twins in the conclusion where we find why Eidolon started on his path, the fight that Meren,Tabra and co have on their hands and we have the delicious shadows!

And shadows of course mean....Reven! (I love him!) Meren and Reven together make my heart sing!

'I realized the other day that you and I are two halves of a whole—light and dark—we balance. Right now, I’m the dark, and you’re my light.'

Poor old Meren is dealing with so much but she is strong and she shoulders it all with grace.

There were twists and turns, secrets, betrayals and some schexy times, woohoo! A great conclusion to the series!

'Even if I didn't know you, I would want to find you.'

Buckle up, The Shadows Rule All, the final book in Abigail Owen's Dominion series is going to take you on an emotional ride.

The Dominion series needs to be read in order to fully comprehend all the characters and events. The Liar's Crown laid the foundation for the series. The story hooked me on the characters and made me care about them. I was invested in them, and their future and wondered just how this series could possibly end with what I hoped would be "the good guys" prevailing.

Throughout the series, the theme has been family (blood and/or found) and friendship. But the series also deals with betrayal. Meren is the series' main heroine. While born a princess, Meren is the secret second twin destined to be a sacrifice. Kept hidden far from the palace in a rundown part of another town, Meren grew up with her aunt. From a child, she was taught to not reveal who she was and that her job and duty was to protect her sister Tabra and the crown. When a situation could potentially be dangerous, Meren would be who people would see, while Tabra would be safely hidden somewhere within the palace without anyone being the wiser, this includes ALL the palace staff. The only people who actually knew of Meren's royal bloodline were her, her sister, her aunt (Omma), and her grandmother, the Queen, who was Omma’s older twin. In fact, secret twins have been a generational occurrence for centuries with no one knowing.

Eidolon Calix I, the king of Tyndra, has been the primary villain of the series. He is an evil man who has the ability to never die and in essence, reincarnate himself by shedding his shadows. In fact, he’s been doing this for close to a thousand years. Reven Shadowraith was once one of Eidolon’s shadows, who managed to escape. Reven is everything good that Eidolon once was. In an attempt to protect the future Queen of Aryd from Eidolon, Reven kidnaps her. Unfortunately, or fortunately, for him, Reven kidnaps the wrong princess. He gets Meren instead of Tabra, which sets off an incredible chain of events. Throughout the series, Reven, Meren, and their friends and allies work together in an attempt to stop Eidolon from destroying their world.

I find it hard to think of the right words to say when talking about The Shadows Rule All. I found the story to be intense and gripping. It’s a true page-turner, and the line, “Just one more chapter.” doesn’t apply at all. Abigail has written a story that is sad, yet fulfilling. She rips your heart out of your chest, yet gives you just a little hope, and manages to put you back together again. The Dominion series will forever be one of my favorite series, and I know I will go back and re-read it.

~ Favorite Quotes ~

“Love should be a choice every single time.”

“There is a right way and a wrong way to do something.”

“I’ll always choose you.”

“Regret can be a palpable thing when someone feels it enough.”

“I’ve learned that sometimes no is the only time.”

I am so happy to be back in this world! This series is so good and I loved this final book! There were so many wonderful moments and so many sad ones! I was not expecting to be so emotional!

This was a very satisfying conclusion to the Dominions trilogy. It was intense and fast-paced and reunited us with all our favorite characters. Meren is truly such a strong FMC and her dive is perseverance is something for other FMCs to strive for.

The Shadows Rule All by Abigail Owen, is the third and final installment in the author's Dominions series. This book begins 1,000 years ago and tells the story of how and why Eiddon Calix went down the dark side after a pair of twins betrayed him and his trust, and captured the Goddesses in amulets.

Meanwhile, the worlds are crumbling with the loss of the goddesses, and Meren and her allies, including her twin sister, face the difficult challenge of trying to locate the final amulet with the goddess Wilderness trapped inside. They are racing against time since the Celestial Alignment is rapidly approaching when all of the goddesses must be released. Eidolon is still a threat, and now Meren carries Reven's shadows inside her, and they are the most evil and broken parts of Eidolon's soul.

Throughout the book, Meren struggles to keep the shadows under control. Readers are introduced to more Devourers--the goddesses’ former consorts turned monsters--that are scarier, bloodthirsty, and violent. In addition, the author adds even more twists, and another goddess--Allusion, who becomes the ultimate help in their perilous quest to defeat Eidolon and release the goddesses. One of Meren's other challenges is her heart, and the fact that Reven has lost his memories.

The side characters also play a bigger and stronger role: Tabra, Cain, Pella, Tziah, Vos, Hakkan, Horus, and even Reven, eventually. You must be prepared for anything. The author doesn't spare your feelings if one of the lovable main characters falls in battle. She doesn't spare your feelings by making this book darker than the previous installments. Absolutely a five star read, Abigail always delivers!

*The Shadows Rule All* delivers an epic, high-stakes finale to Abigail Owen’s *Dominions* series. Packed with emotional turmoil, shadowy power struggles, and heart-pounding action, this breathtaking conclusion is a must-read for fans of YA fantasy. A fierce heroine, a desperate fight for hope, and an unforgettable ending—this book has it all!

The Shadows Rule All, by Abigail Owen, is the third and final installment in the author's Dominions series. There’s no way you can read this one on its own. You must read the other books to get to this one to fully enjoy the series. This book begins 1,000 years ago and tells the story of how and why Eiddon Calix went down the dark side after a pair of twins betrayed him and his trust, and captured the Goddesses in amulets.

Meanwhile, the worlds are crumbling with the loss of the goddesses, and Meren and her allies, including her twin sister, face the difficult challenge of trying to locate the final amulet with the goddess Wilderness trapped inside. They are racing against time since the Celestial Alignment is rapidly approaching when all of the goddesses must be released. Eidolon is still a threat, and now Meren carries Reven's shadows inside her, and they are the most evil and broken parts of Eidolon's soul.

Throughout the book, Meren struggles to keep the shadows under control. Readers are introduced to more Devourers--the goddesses’ former consorts turned monsters--that are scarier, bloodthirsty, and violent. In addition, the author adds even more twists, and another goddess--Allusion, who becomes the ultimate help in their perilous quest to defeat Eidolon and release the goddesses. One of Meren's other challenges is her heart, and the fact that Reven has lost his memories.

The side characters also play a bigger and stronger role: Tabra, Cain, Pella, Tziah, Vos, Hakkan, Horus, and even Reven, eventually. You must be prepared for anything. The author doesn't spare your feelings if one of the lovable main characters falls in battle. She doesn't spare your feelings by making this book darker than the previous installments.

4 1/2 stars

This book was a perfect completion to this trilogy. It had a great deal of action and there was a lot of back and forth where you couldn't exactly tell how the storyline was going to resolve itself. It had a very well thought out plot and creative characters. I enjoyed this entire series.

In this book, Meren and Raven have a difficult time being together. They have struggles that often lead them to deal with things separately. For this reason, I was anxious that they wouldn't end up together in the end. There were so many odds stacked against them that it was often difficult to see how it would work out. But the characters in this book are hardy and dedicated to one another and they pull together and make it happen. They devise a plan to rid themselves of the enemy and it takes a toll on them all but they will succeed.

Well done Ms. Owen. I loved this book - - actually the entire trilogy and will miss the storyline and characters.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: I also listened to the audiobook and it was well done too. The narration was very fitting for the characters and kept me involved in the storyline. 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the ebook and audiobook.

It was so good returning to The Dominions series and Reven, Meren and all of their friends and foes.
While Shadows Rule All begins with Meren and Reven still separated by the unfortunate events of the last book, their journey back to one another was everything I needed. Shadows had all the markings of a great end to the trilogy: heartbreak, action, intrigue, renewed love, loyalty, friendship, and sacrifice. I could go on and on with all the emotions that I felt reading the end of the series. The way Meren truly came into her own and stepped out of the shadows to stand by her sister's side as ruler was one of my favorite character arcs. Reven finding himself again after being stripped of all his memories was a heart wrenching journey, but one I am happy to have experienced. And all of the other characters and trials and tribulations they all went through to get to the resolution was absolutely brilliant (heart breaking at times, but brilliant).
This is a series I will definitely revisit again in the future.

Thank you to Entangled for the review copy. My opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this final book in the trilogy and highly recommend reading this series. It's got shadow magic, goddesses, twins switching places, daring rescues, nations in trouble, allies and betrayals, missing memories, and everyone is fighting each other.

Highly recommend binge reading the entire series!

Whew - what a ride! I’ll be sending my therapy bill over ASAP. Reven and Meren have my heart. I would have loved more of Revens POV for sure!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4.5 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well, I've had the amazing pleasure of reviewing each book in this trilogy and it has been an awesome ride. Having never read anything by the author before, I came into this series with no expectations and was blown away anyways.

In this last book, the feels were truly felt. The action kept on actioning. The plot kept on thickening. Basically, it was a true "going out with a bang" type of finish. Though I'm still recovering cause we got to the end but there's a cost of course.

If you've yet to dive into this series, please do so. It's fun, dark, and full of heart.

(4.5/5 stars)

The Shadows Rule All is the final book in the YA fantasy romance Dominions trilogy by Abigail Owen.

Oops I inhaled this in practically one sitting on a day where I was feeling under the weather. The same thing happened to me with the first two volumes in the trilogy. I really enjoyed the world-building and magic system in this series!

Though I'm still mad about some of the deaths in this one, I think it was a great final volume to the trilogy. If you're into books with secret twins, a shadowy love interest, and a lot of adventure, you should absolutely pick up this series.

I read the first two books of this series and was so excited to have the opportunity to read the last one - it did not disappoint. It was exciting and perfect and the absolute best wrap up of the series. I don’t know what I had been expecting for the ending but it could not have been better than what Abigail has written in this book. Everything was handled so well and there was such a good balance between humour and dark. As always the characters and relationships were seamless and I will miss them now that this has finished - a reread looks to be in my future.

The finale is finally here! And Owen definitely does not hold back.

The buildup seemed to have taken forever but then a reminder that not much time has passed.
I really enjoyed getting more Tabera in this book and seeing her powers and status. The first book Tabera was absent, the second she was dying so I liked seeing this side of her. The betrayals ran deep and events hit hard!

The pacing of this book went really fast and so much lore was introduced. I kept having to go back and reread because I wanted to make sure I was absorbing everything.

I missed Marin in this book though. She wasn't her sarcastic funny self but emotionally deadpan (for reasons). However, it made me realize how much she actually made the books enjoyable. Not saying I didn't enjoy it, but you could tell something was missing.

The ending of this trilogy was explosive and if you've made it this far - be sure to strap in because it's a bumpy road to the finish line.