The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
I was legitimately going to give this book a three star rating, but damn, the romance part really got me. I know, I'm a sucker. I mean, honestly this is about the villains. Yes, the hero is a villain (sort of) and the heroine is a villain (sort of). The heroine Alessandra, has a Cruella de Vil (but without the puppy killing) or the wicked stepsister vibe. Maybe a little like real life Lucrezia Borgia. Some of their actions really bothered me. For instance, they throw this guy in prison and forget about him (for robbing from the rich and feeding the poor). In my mind, the guy was kind of a bore, but he was helping people. The King orders the deaths of people like it isn't a big deal. I like a possessive hero who will kill when the heroine is threatened, but he was really cold blooded about it. I'm glad he didn't order the peasants' deaths, but he comes off as a power mad dude who is bent on conquering other countries. I realize whether those villainous traits is up to interpretation, but I found it cringeworthy. I think that if the author wanted us to believe it was the influence of the Shadows, she didn't really make that clear, so it feels cringey.
One thing I really did like was that Alessandra is not an innocent sweet type. She's been around the block a lot. She's slept with dozens of men (and she was only 18), in her own words. I'm always torn about that a little. I like to think I'm enlightened, but still I am not pro-sleeping with a lot of people for lots of reasons. However, I do like that it has a good message about not judging women for who they sleep with (or don't). Also, it speaks about how our patriarchal society makes women so competitive with each other when it's not really necessary. Especially when no one judges men for doing worse. I liked her unapologetic nature and how she doesn't let what others think about her drive her. I also appreciated how goal-driven she is, although I didn't like some of her methods. It was so cool that she made her own clothing and everyone was following her fashion because she chose to stand out, and the King noticed her. And she was a badass.
I was confused about the setting. I wasn't sure if the writer was going from a Renaissance Italy kind of vibe or early 20th century. I felt like she needed to choose which one she was going for. I realize that this was a made up kingdom and world, but it just got weird when one part of the book seemed fairly modern and the other part had them going to a tavern, and they ride in carriages. It's not a major thing by any stretch, but It did stand out to me.
The fantasy aspect was very subtle. I mean, basically it was the fact that the King could manifest shadows. I would have liked a little more fantasy in the book. However, I thought that was interesting. I feel like it was not well-explained how the touch thing worked. I finally worked out what I thought was the mechanism. I think the story would have benefitted from a few more touches of magic to make the world-building a little more solid.
The romance was far and away the best part of this story. Quite frankly, I think this should be labeled as a paranormal romance. I loved how the relationship between Alessandra and the Shadow King builds so beautifully. I really enjoyed how they spent time together and talked a lot. Part of it was because they couldn't touch, but that was such a different dynamic for Alessandra as so many of her interactions (I hesitate to call them relationships) were physical. In this case, the not touching gave them time to build their feelings and that unconsummated tension really came through. Also, the King clearly respected Alessandra and valued her. She had gotten so little of that in her life. Alessandra's walls were coming down and she was finding it harder to remember she wanted to woo and marry the king so she could take his thrown. I really believed in their love for each other. And wow, the chemistry was so good between them. There aren't any on scene love scenes, but the author manages to keep things hot enough that I didn't even miss them.
The sucker punch of the mystery was very well done. I figured that things weren't going to be as easy as it seemed. While I had a feeling about what was going on, it wasn't a gimme. I like my mysteries to keep me guessing and wondering, and this fulfilled that for me.
I'm glad I hung in there with this book. I was turned off by the beginning, and honestly, I didn't like the narrator's voice for Alessandra at all. She wasn't a bad narrator, but I would have liked a deeper, more sultry narrator for Alessandra. I think it would have been more in keeping with her personality. However, I think the narrator did a good job with the male characters.
Yeah, if you are looking for a romance with morally questionable lead characters, you'll probably like this book. While I rooted for their romance, I was still queasy about some of their life choices (like ordering the deaths of people so casually).
One thing I really did like was that Alessandra is not an innocent sweet type. She's been around the block a lot. She's slept with dozens of men (and she was only 18), in her own words. I'm always torn about that a little. I like to think I'm enlightened, but still I am not pro-sleeping with a lot of people for lots of reasons. However, I do like that it has a good message about not judging women for who they sleep with (or don't). Also, it speaks about how our patriarchal society makes women so competitive with each other when it's not really necessary. Especially when no one judges men for doing worse. I liked her unapologetic nature and how she doesn't let what others think about her drive her. I also appreciated how goal-driven she is, although I didn't like some of her methods. It was so cool that she made her own clothing and everyone was following her fashion because she chose to stand out, and the King noticed her. And she was a badass.
I was confused about the setting. I wasn't sure if the writer was going from a Renaissance Italy kind of vibe or early 20th century. I felt like she needed to choose which one she was going for. I realize that this was a made up kingdom and world, but it just got weird when one part of the book seemed fairly modern and the other part had them going to a tavern, and they ride in carriages. It's not a major thing by any stretch, but It did stand out to me.
The fantasy aspect was very subtle. I mean, basically it was the fact that the King could manifest shadows. I would have liked a little more fantasy in the book. However, I thought that was interesting. I feel like it was not well-explained how the touch thing worked. I finally worked out what I thought was the mechanism. I think the story would have benefitted from a few more touches of magic to make the world-building a little more solid.
The romance was far and away the best part of this story. Quite frankly, I think this should be labeled as a paranormal romance. I loved how the relationship between Alessandra and the Shadow King builds so beautifully. I really enjoyed how they spent time together and talked a lot. Part of it was because they couldn't touch, but that was such a different dynamic for Alessandra as so many of her interactions (I hesitate to call them relationships) were physical. In this case, the not touching gave them time to build their feelings and that unconsummated tension really came through. Also, the King clearly respected Alessandra and valued her. She had gotten so little of that in her life. Alessandra's walls were coming down and she was finding it harder to remember she wanted to woo and marry the king so she could take his thrown. I really believed in their love for each other. And wow, the chemistry was so good between them. There aren't any on scene love scenes, but the author manages to keep things hot enough that I didn't even miss them.
The sucker punch of the mystery was very well done. I figured that things weren't going to be as easy as it seemed. While I had a feeling about what was going on, it wasn't a gimme. I like my mysteries to keep me guessing and wondering, and this fulfilled that for me.
I'm glad I hung in there with this book. I was turned off by the beginning, and honestly, I didn't like the narrator's voice for Alessandra at all. She wasn't a bad narrator, but I would have liked a deeper, more sultry narrator for Alessandra. I think it would have been more in keeping with her personality. However, I think the narrator did a good job with the male characters.
Yeah, if you are looking for a romance with morally questionable lead characters, you'll probably like this book. While I rooted for their romance, I was still queasy about some of their life choices (like ordering the deaths of people so casually).
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