The Shadows Rule All is the third and final installment in the Dominions series. After reading the first two books, they were enjoyable, but nothing really grabbed my full attention. However, Abigail Owen really knocked it out of the park with this one. It was non-stop from start to finish and the ending really showed that there was no plot armor.

I mean, really Abigail, <spoiler> you couldn't make Cain happy so you killed him instead? I was really hopeful for a happy ending for the boy that showed loyalty and wanting what was best for Meren but we couldn't have that now could we. Don't even get me started on the others :( </spoiler>. You really said "no one is safe".

The relationship between Meren and Reven kept me on the edge of me seat. It was nice to see the two reunite but of course, it didn't come without it's challenges, on top of everything else going on. Meren was such a good FMC throughout all of the books. She was strong and brave and didn't stop when things got rough, no matter what happened. All of the other characters were great support characters and I'm glad that there was a Happily Every After..... for the most part. It was great to see the ending of this long, adventure.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narration was so good. They did a great job with accurately portraying the emotions of the characters in every scene. I highly recommend this book and can even see myself revisiting this series in the future.

A beautiful and heartbreaking conclusion to this Romantasy. I do think it helped immensely that I read the first two books within a week of reading this one. I was already emotionally invested in the characters and the storyline was fresh for me.

As a whole, this series has a very complex and unique magic system but I also loved our diverse and large the world was. Each book gave us more insight into different dominions so the world just kept getting bigger, matching how the stakes kept growing as well. Even though the storyline focused strongly on our main characters, I loved how strong the side characters were.

This conclusion was action packed and riddled with loss. I don't know how many times I thought "can this woman just not get a break!". The emotional burden she carried throughout the series was heartbreaking. After relatively low character loss in the previous two books, I was shocked by how many we lost in this book - however, it makes sense considering how much fighting/conflict this book has. It is the conclusion after all, so the "big battle" is likely to take lives.

I LOVED the epilogue and even though my heart was breaking, overall I was happy with the way things ended. I do feel like there is some opportunity for side character storylines if the author decides to flush those out in the future!

I was fortunate to get the audiobook for this story and really enjoyed the production. In a good audiobook, the narrators help me connect with the characters and immerse myself into the story without even realizing it. That was executed here wonderfully!

Incredibly dynamic and explosive conclusion to this compelling trilogy written by Bestseller, Abigail Owen. The naarration added that special something extra to an already dynamic story that has captivated me from the beginning--one full of incredible characters and creative and engaging storylines!

Abigail does it again! Yet again another fantastic story to keep me hanging on to her worlds. She is just a fantastic story teller with worlds that keep me so captivated and engaged and narrators that draw me in.

Great trilogy. I loved that the characters didn’t come out of the box ready to handle all of the problems they faced. They made a lot of mistakes and had to pay for those mistakes. The first book starts off a bit slow, but the second and third book have a lot of action and character growth.

Wonderful end to Meren’s story and the events around the Dominions. Even in the third book there were several plot twists and more world building. There was still so much history about the Dominions we didn’t know. The pacing was perfect to keep the story moving forward while not feeling like too much.

I love when a trilogy ends with everything very neatly tied up and at it’s obvious conclusion. This is a great example of that happening.

The narrators were excellent. I enjoyed the duet format.

The conclusion to a long awaited, criminally underrated series; thanks NetGalley for the Audio Arc!

Seeing as this is part 3 in a series, I will only give a vague summary.
At the start of this one, Meren is back at the palace with Eidolon, trying not to get herself killed whilst waiting for Reven to rescue her. However, weeks have passed with no sign of Reven at all. When they finally meet again, nothing is as it was before.

If you liked the previous ones, you'll love this one! The third installment manages to cover everything one could wish for, magical adventures, complicated friendships, the struggle between whats right and what you want, political themes, battles, a strong cast of characters and, of course, a love story that will outlast even death - because this is, in my opinion, a perfect example of romantasy done right. We have a strong focus on the romantic subplot whilst also getting to know the characters in their own and experiencing the love and respect they have for one another. Additionally, this book excels with fantasy elements, even kinda reminding me of the challenges Odysseus had to face on his way home to Itaka (minus the adultery).

(slight spoiler) this book contains a lot of repetition, which did not bug me as much as I expected, but was still kind of unnecessary. At points I even had the slight feeling the author could not let go of these characters and wanted to re-experience her favorite moments between the characters over and over again. While I surprisingly did not mind that much, it still made the book longer than it had to be. That's also pretty much the reason why this book falls in the 4,25-4,5 category for me rather than it being a 5 star.

Still, I enjoyed this series a lot and would recommend it to everyone wanting a creative, new, Oddyssee-esque take on a romantasy with a shadowy male lead and a strong female main character that had flaws and depth.

Thank you NetGalley and RBMedia for the ARC of this audiobook for my honest review

The plot was very unique and well thought out, however I hadn’t read the first 2 books of the series so it did take me a bit to understand what was happening and once I did there was just a lot of stuff to get ready for the finale where because I didn’t care all that much for the characters having not followed them through the first two books I was bored. But that finale was amazing so I’d say if you read the first 2 books this book is well worth it. That was a tense finale even for me and I cried at the deaths even though I hadn’t followed these characters through the first books, so I can’t imagine how much I would be crying if I did. I’d recommend.

I'll be publishing my review on Goodreads and StoryGraph 30th December and on Tik tok most likely will add to a monthly wrap up post with review the beginning of January

Abigail Owen does it again!!!!!
Seriously, if Abigail Owen writes it. I will read it. Hands down.
This book was phenomenal and had me addicted from chapter one to the very end. Definitely something I’ll listen to or read again. I’m just in love with the style of writing and how effortlessly everything flows.

I really enjoyed this trilogy! This book is the final installment of the trilogy - it is well written and there were parts that ripped my heart out. While I enjoyed the series, this book just wasn’t my favorite of them overall - I think the side quests got to me when I just wanted more of Meren and Reven. I did love seeing the characters grow and the dynamics of the group adapt. I wonder what else we could have had insight to with multiple POVs...
This series was my first Abigail Owen series and I’m so excited to read more of them. The narrator did a great job on delivering the story.
Thank you for the advance audiobook! It took me a bit to get around to the review because life and needing to listen to/read the first two books of the series. I’m so glad I came across this book on NetGalley or else I’m not sure when I would have found the series otherwise!

In the thrilling conclusion to the Domionions trilogy by Abigail Owen, the hidden princess must confront the ageless king and the Shadowraith she loves to save her kingdom. This captivating upper YA fantasy wraps up a sprawling tale of romance and rebellion.

I was very excited to listen to this audiobook and conclude this trilogy. I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books. In book 3, the main characters (Reven and Meren) face seemingly insurmountable odds in this action-packed conclusion to the trilogy. The story keeps readers on edge as the characters navigate one impossible situation after another, with plenty of heart-pounding moments that put beloved characters in jeopardy. Meren’s journey stands out as she evolves into the leader her world desperately needs, providing a satisfying arc that ties together the series’ overarching themes.

The narrators’ exceptional abilities enhances the experience, bringing the characters to life with distinct voices and well-placed emotion. Their performances complement each other beautifully, making it easy to stay immersed in the story for hours. This thrilling finale provides a fitting end to the trilogy, and it’s clear the author has more incredible tales to tell. Fans of epic, character-driven fantasy should read this series in order to fully appreciate its depth and progression.

A special thanks to NetGalley, the author Abigail Owen, and the publisher for providing me with an audiobook ARC.

This is a perfect book/series for anyone who’s into fantasy and romance. I enjoyed this even with the emotional damage I experienced lol I would recommend this to anyone who’s into both genres fantasy and romance Oh. My. Goodness. This finale is EVERYTHING! The Shadows Rule All brings the Dominions trilogy to an electrifying close, and I am absolutely obsessed! The hidden princess, the swoony (but dangerous!) Shadowraith, and the ageless king make for a nonstop, heart-pounding adventure that had me reading way past my bedtime. The romance? Sizzling. The twists? Mind-blowing. The drama? 10/10 perfection!

Abigail Owen’s world-building is stunning, and every character leaps off the page. Seriously, this is the kind of story you’ll think about long after you’ve finished. If you haven’t started this series yet, RUN and grab The Liar’s Crown. Trust me, you’ll want to devour all three books in order!

Five enthusiastic star

I was drawn to this because of the beautiful cover, it was also a really great story nonetheless! I really enjoyed the characters banter and the plot. Great job!

Beautiful story! I love fantasy and it’s not often I’m blown away by a fantasy novel. But this one has such a unique magic system and is such a beautiful story! Highly recommend!

Wow the emotions I experienced 🥲 The Shadows Rule All was the perfect ending to the Dominions series. You have to read the first two books in the series before this one or else the plot won't make sense to you.

The series started with Meren, the twin sister to Queen Tabra of Aryd, being kidnapped by the shadowraith Reven. Although they butt heads when they first meet, Meren and Reven work together along with their new found family to defeat the evil King Eidolon. They also have to work through their feelings for each other that keep on growing, and the connection that forms between them.

This book has all of the components of a romantic fantasy book that I love: strong FMC, morally gray MMC, fated mates, forced proximity, touch her and die, good vs. evil, epic battles, found family. We also get to learn about the minor characters and their stories, which really makes them all stand out.

The narration of this audiobook was very good. The audio was smooth, easy to listen to, and I appreciated there being two different narrators for the characters.
Samara Naeymi and Luis Moreno were phenomenal as always.

Big thank you to NetGalley, Recorded Books, and Abigail Owen for letting me listen to this audio book. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it!

My review is also posted on TikTok 😊: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTYrm5c65/

This series, these books are everything. They have everything that a romantasy girlie could as for. You want a shadow daddy? I give you Reven, well, he’s a little young for me to call shadow daddy but you get the point. If he was older I might even love him more than Rhysand, I said what I said.

Meren is so relatable, she just wants to be accepted and known for who she is and not for the life that was decided for her. She has grown into such a strong and courageous leader and it has been a pleasure to read her journey.

This story is filled with so many twists and turns and heart wrenching moments, but I wouldn’t change a moment of it.

Luis Moreno and Samara Naeymi delivered an outstanding performance in narrating this book. Their ability to bring the story to life through distinct character voices and the perfect balance of emotion was truly impressive. The chemistry between their voices was seamless, and I found myself completely engrossed, able to listen for hours without hesitation. I'm confident their skillful narration significantly enhanced my overall enjoyment of the story.

The Shadows Rule All by Abigail Owen

4 stars

Thankful to Netgalley and the author for the audiobook ARC copy :)

Had to go and pick up book one and two on audio on my own to get through those before I could get to this one, so I'm a little behind on reviewing this but I'm so glad I was approved for this ARC copy.

I loved this trilogy. It was really a beautiful and fun romantasy series from start to finish.

I liked the lore that this book started out with, felt like it really explained some much needed questions that I had as a reader going into this book. I loved the relationship between Maren and everyone else, and Reven and Maren will forever be one of my favorite book couples.

This series is YA but I personally felt even book 1 was a little on the older side of YA and each additional book felt more adult, which was nice. Especially this one. The spicy scenes were nice without being too spicy/inappropriate for YA.

I'm sad that this series is now over, but I did think that maybe a trilogy was one book tooooooooo many for this series at some points. There were points where the story just felt like it was dragging a bit. However, it ended up being great by the end, and I can forgive those slow parts.

This isn't my favorite series ever, but I definitely really enjoyed it and I loved this bow out to the series. It was a great final book and I again am so happy that I found this series purely from getting approved for the ARC copy. It's definitely a great series to read if you love some of the bigger more mainstream Romantasy series, it definitely felt familiar (yet unique still) to some of my other favorites, so that made it more enjoyable as well.

Anyway, thank you again to the author and to Netgalley for the ARC copy in exchange for this review. I'm so happy I got to read this series because of you! I will be reading other books from this author because of this series and I can't recommend this series enough.

The long wait is finally over! Now can we get this made into a movie? Perfect combination of fantasy and romance. Strong main characters that battle good over evil. Love the narrators that truly brought this epic tale to life. One must read/ listen to the previous books or it will not make sense.
Thank #NetGalley and RBMedia for this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Owens closed out the Dominions Trilogy in style with The Shadows Rule All. The complicated relationship of Meren and Reven was handled beautifully so that we got the romance we wanted without it overwhelming the plot. We had the loose ends of the goddesses being contained (how and why) tied up, maybe not a tightly as I could have wanted, but enough that the plot was served without being unwieldy. Emotions get even high and destroyed with some of the events at the end of the book-one event in particular I am very unhappy with and think the author may have been trying to make sure we all visit our therapists with that one. Our audiobook narrators, Samara Naeymi and Luis Moreno, kept us fully engaged and brought the characters to life.

Seriously this series is one of my absolute new favorites and I cannot recommend it enough. Eidolon is one of the craziest but also coolest bad guys I’ve met.

this is the second book Ive read by Abigail Owens and again i am not even a little bit disappointed i can not wait to read what's next! I think this will be a very well enjoyed book by many!! fantastic!!!

I’m crying. I’m literally shaking and crying. I had to pause the ending just to make sure I read what I actually did.

This was beautiful. Stunning. Everything I want in a final book. Epic battles? ✔️ reuniting? ✔️ maybe save the world? ✔️

Seriously this series is one of my absolute new favorites and I cannot recommend it enough. Eidolon is one of the craziest but also coolest bad guys I’ve met.

Meren and Reven are 🤌🏻🤌🏻 watching them lose their love and then have to find it again was heart breaking. I wanted to hug Meren and tell her it would all be ok, hopefully. This book took me on such a roller coaster ride of emotions, but in the best way possible.

The background we FINALLY get on Eidolon in book 3 changes everything. It made me want to go back and read books 1 and 2 because it shed so much light on him.

I’m sad the series is over 😢 but Abigail Owen’s will not disappoint you in this book. Please read it!!