Daughter of Darkness: Wielder of Shadows

Daughter of Darkness #1

by Allie Cole

I vowed to avenge my parents, readying myself year after year. And now I'm going to die. I should have heeded my father's warning when I stumbled upon the Fae warrior, but I froze. I remember every horror tale recounting the atrocities committed by these monsters, abducting, torturing, and exploiting humans. My survival instinct was screaming loud inside, yet I couldn't move. His strange crimson gaze fell on me as I contemplated his large double-bladed sword and my last moments on this earth. And just when I thought the last thing I'd ever see would be his deadly stare, his voice resounded in the air, and my heart stopped. "Where did you get that sword?"

___ Wielder of Shadows is the coming-of-age story of a fiery huntress forced to ally herself with the one being she hates and fears the most. Readers who love slow-burn, angsty enemies-to-lovers stories will love this hypnotizing first installment of the Daughter of Darkness series.

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Fantasy Romance, Fae, Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Dark Romance

432 pages, Paperback

First published June 16, 2023

About the author

Allie Cole is an emerging author of upper young adult and new adult fantasy romance novels. Born in France, Allie grew up fascinated by heroes, monsters, and magical worlds, which led to hours spent reading and falling in love with book characters. In 2019, she moved to California to work in Human Resources. After toying with the idea of writing a book for years, she finally picked up a pen and wrote Wielder of Shadows, her debut novel. Allie currently lives in San Francisco with her husband, and aspires to be a full-time fantasy romance author. You can follow Allie on TikTok, Lemon8, and Instagram at @alliecolewrites and @alliecolewritesbooks

Reviews

[Chelsea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wouldn't Recommend

I wanted to love this story. Sadly that's not what happened.

If I'm being honest this story had so many characteristics of these hollow vows, that everything was so predictable. I called pretty much everything that was gonna happen in the 1st couple of pages.

Another issue I had with this book was the characters didn't feel like they had depth. I'm a character driven person and I could not tell you 1 characteristic about any of the characters besides anger. I had literally no feelings towards any of them.

The plot was also very unorganized. We would be in 1 setting or situation in the next second it's completely different. I could never tell how much time passed between situations. The plot of the book was resolved also in like 2 pages at the end. I didn't really like the characters in the plot didn't save it for me at all.

This book has some of my favorite tropes in it, I just did not like the execution. It may be for you but personally it wasn't for me.

[Mikky]

DNF at 11%

I’m dreading reading this so I’m calling it. There’s something about this book and the writing style that isn’t clicking for me. The story is something I usually love, but again something about it is falling flat. Onto the next one ♥️

[Jenna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really hate comparing things to popular/bigger authors but… the coincidences or inspirations from SJM are so blatantly obvious.
Elanor = Elain
Azran “Az” = Azriel
There’s a male character named Mor
Amrynn = Amren
Even Tharrion = Tharion from Crescent City
If they weren’t all in one book I wouldn’t care but this is just…

The dialogue felt clunky and unnatural. Typically I can get lost in a book & get lost in the world. There wasn’t any of that here. It felt slow but at the same time the plot was moving.

It read like a day in my life. “I went here and did this.” “Then the next day I went and did this.” Causing the flow to be very choppy.

I’m also so sick of books being marketed as “adult” but the characters act like petulant children. It’s also cringey when the fmc tries to act “tough” or intimidating…just no.

I didn’t even make it 100 pages in.

Read from Oct 24-25, 2023

[Thais • tata.lifepages • · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: 4.5 stars!

Fans of Throne of Glass will love this spicy NA fae fantasy romance series 😍 the story has a slow burn enemies to lovers that reminded me of Aelin x Rowan in Heir of Fire 🔥 it also has the chosen one trope, hidden identity, rebels, prophecies and fated mates!

Ela had no choice but to learn to how fend for herself after the murder of her father leaves her completely alone and each day becomes a fight for survival. One day as she is hunting the woods for food, she comes face to face with a fae warrior. Her father warned her about the fae: dangerous and wicked creatures that hate humans. She thought she was as good as dead, but this fae offers her a bargain: answers about her past if she follows him. 👀

I’m obsessed with Azran!! The long-haired blond High Lord has been taking up all my thoughts… 🫠 the story is told in multiple POV so we get a glimpse inside his head also 🖤 he gives total “touch her and I’ll 💀 you” vibes and I’m all here for it. The romance starts off slow, as these two absolutely hate each other and Ela doesn’t know Azran’s true intentions. But once these two start burning for each other… prepare yourselves for a ton of angst, mistrust and betrayal!!! 🔥🔥

Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy for review!

[Ella · Rating 1 out of 5]

i should’ve known i wasn’t going to like this book as soon as it mentioned the love interest was blonde. very bad.

[Tianna Earle · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a rollercoaster. Props to the cover artist and whoever chose the cover texture. Love the flop!!

Definitely needs some work on writing, could probably take out 50% of the book and it'd be the same story.

Pros: Love the fire and banter back and forth. Definitely like a strong female character. Unique take on several issues.

Cons: Everything is told, not shown so the actions usually conflict and it's frustrating. The wolf could be taken out completely and it would be the same story.

Also, very big ICK with the love interest being kinda like an uncle figure. Did not ship, did not enjoy.

Overall, I'm glad I was able to read from a new author and would love to see what Allie writes next!

[Chlo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 ⚡️

Warning : ne pas lire après une série de SJM. Mon avis peut être biaisé par mes lectures précédentes.

En un mot : Death.
Le livre est rythmé par la peur du personnage principal de la mort, avec un plot twist de fin plutôt devinable. Le rythme est extrêmement rapide. Ce qui peut être une bonne chose, mais à mes yeux il ressemblait donc trop à une copie d’ACOTAR moins développée.

World building: B-
On reste en surface, même si l’univers est cool.

Storytelling : B
Le tout est relativement devinable, je n’ai pas vraiment été surprise même si j’ai passé un très bon moment de lecture.

Romance : B+
En somme, la relation d’Ela et Az aurait pu être un peu plus construite mais Savage fait remonter la moyenne ! 🐺

[Samira Abdul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first ARC and I got so lucky with it, because OMG!

Me personally if I could wipe my memory and reread this book. I would.

I think it was really well written and I can’t wait for book two.

If anyone wants to get into fantasy and romance I would recommend picking this book up when you have the chance. Ela must be shared.

[Cecilia Rathbone · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the idea but kinda read like a Wattpad novel

[April Wheeler · Rating 3 out of 5]

a solid romantasy. nothing quite new or unique but I did like the push and pull of the 2 main characters and the drama.

[Hannah Diaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Majorly underwhelming. The little to no character building or development made it difficult to finish, the spice was the only part I enjoyed 🤷🏼‍♀️
The writing style wasn’t for me, its was kind of repetitive and super predictable. Thankfully it was a shorter read, otherwise I would have DNF.

[Esther♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this book had a good concept, but tell me why it ended up being so bad.

Ngl as soon as he was described as having 'long blond hair' it was set up for failure.
'Ela' ultimately just irritated me because why do u think that u know everything when u only found out they existed a few months ago?
Also, who thought the nickname 'little one' was a good idea, like it's bad enough that u were friends with her parents, but it's just starting to look like pedophilia.
Tell me why their relationship literally went from barley speaking to 'my heart shattered into a million pieces' cause I don't remember them having a single proper conversation in this book.

The ending of this just rounded it all up because just why? I feel like the author tried to cram in as much information into this book as possible almost throwing it at ur face, sacrificing the entire storyline. I saw absolutely no character development (though not for the lack of trying), and the 'final battle scene' that they built up through the entire book was just disappointing. They basically rounded up the whole book in about 2 pages.

The whole storytelling was just painful with the whole 'showing not telling' concept completely lost.

Honestly, I really could not care less what happens to them after this book. The only people I'm remotely interested in are Cal and Vesta who we did not see enough of.

[Mien Baert · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this. But ended up dnf’ing, which I hate.

Here’s why:
- the writing feels very distant: I went there and did this, the next morning I went there and did that.
- the timejumps from action to action are very hectic. I feel like the author had made a list of the events she wanted to happen, en just went trough it like a eurostar train on its way to London. Super fast. Very whatpadd like,
- I have no attachment whatsoever to the characters. Couldn’t even remember their names. Someone died? Couldn’t care less.
- The main character is just annoying and behaves like a 14y/o.
- the main love interest feels like an uncle, did not ship them at all.

So yeah, that’s just my opinion tho.

[Madison Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great debut book!! Props to you Allie :)

Had the pleasure of ARC reading this book and I loved it- I was entertained, never bored, and was intrigued with the story line! Classic fantasy tropes + lovely enemies to lovers / boy being an idiot so gal hates him which we all know and love! Very ACOTAR and From Blood and Ash vibes

Cannot wait for book 2 (STILL UNWELL FROM THE ENDING) 🖤

[MarielleXO]

I made it to 42%… and I still don’t understand what’s going on.

Not digging the relationship and I’m not sure if I even like the FMC .

I am just not getting the story. My brain is not braining.

I might circle back to this but right now the road ends here…

[Jacqueline Buffa · Rating 2 out of 5]

EDIT:: giving it a 1.5 because I am infuriated about the wolf.

okay rounding up bc it’s a solid 2.5.

Yall remember the starving games? The parody of the hunger games? Yeah this is giving that.

This will contain spoilers (and lite SJM spoilers) but I am not letting my friends read this book so continue at your own risk.

But booktokers. Yall really played me with this rec.

And if you know me, you know I am not always looking for the best plot or the best writing, I just want good vibes. You gimme good vibes I give you 5 stars. But this book gave me BAD VIBES.

Here’s the thing. I know not everyone can be SJM. I do. I know that. But can we at least pretend like we aren’t straight up copying her? Like come on. A human woman hanging out in the woods to hunt for herself and she stumbled upon fae? And then those fae end up taking her into their kingdom?

Oh not to mention the fact she is actually a fae but her parents had a concealment spell placed on her BUT WHEN HER POWER FINALLY BREAKS THRU SHE KNOWS SHES FAE? Okay it’s celaena sardothian!

But wait, there’s more! her mate dies on the war field but she gives some sacrifice to bring him back? Slay feyre!

And sure okay these are microtropes that are present in a lot of fantasy. I can admit that. HOWEVER.

Even the names are practically the same.

Azren? Cal? Lord of Bloodshed? Amrynn with her striking silver eyes? Mor? Ela? Vesta?

Until whatever end? I would have loved you for a thousand years?

and here’s another thing. I LOVE a shadow daddy trope. And here we have a shadow mommy. That’s pretty cool. But her sword literally has flames shooting down it when she activates her powers! Okay ataraxia!

And by no means is this a literary masterpiece. I know I couldn’t write a novel, so props for that, but the prose made it so hard to read during the first few chapters.

Honestly I am pretty sure I finished this book out of spite.

The best part about this book is the wolf she tamed and then HE DIED. LIKE ARE YOU JOKING???????

Anyways I am going to read the second book, if not for pure entertainment, to see just how far this goes.

[Synders Jacob-Auger · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, I want to thank Allie for allowing me to arc read this.

If you're someone who loves fantasy, enemies to lovers, fae, slow burn, fated mates then this is the book for you. It's one of my favourites I read this year and I'll be impatiently waiting for the second book.

Without any spoilers this is a story about a girl named Elanor, and the secrets she didn't know existed. They help shape her into who she's meant to be. Along with the mmc Azran who you think is this cold hearted monster but... I'll let you figure it out.

I love the names she chose for her characters and how they reflect well with the characters personalities. The names and plot gives me Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings vibes which is something I absolutely love.

Every chapter leaves you wanting more, excited to see the characters develop, the story world growing and questioning what will happen next. Allie has a a uniqueness to her writing that captivates you and makes you want to keep reading. I valued how descriptive her writing is and that it's pov. Honestly, she's just a phenomenal writer and how is this her first book? You'd think she's been writing forever.

[Kimberly Nicolle · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, I'd like to thank Allie for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review! ✨ All of this is my own personal opinion and solely based on my preferences of reading material!

In the simplest of terms, this was a great debut novel and I am excited to see where she takes her writing and this story!

The theme and story itself was so great! She had a unique story and felt like she delivered it, plus the ending... didn't see that one coming 👀 And slightly upset with Allie for the 2nd book not already being released after the way she ended book one.

The main characters felt like they fell a little short for me, at least until the last few chapters. And the story felt very rushed in the beginning, just so much happening, and for me (someone who loves a romantic slowburn AND a slowburn plot) this threw me off a bit. But it seemed to steady itself and kept a good pace from just past the middle on!

The world she built was great, the enemies to lovers great, the magic, story, and overall book was really good! Definitely would recommend to any fantasy lovers!

[Lorrie (Clockworkbookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 - I struggled at times due to similarities to other books, most likely a me problem. Otherwise,
enjoyed 'Daughter of Darkness: Weilder of Shadow', and I really look forward to reading book 2.

A favorite quote:
“I’m hiding a monster, too. Everyone is. That’s why I hold on to the light as much as possible. Everyone has darkness inside them, Ela. It’s what the world does to us. Just don’t let it take over, because that’s not who you are.”

[Vivian Cabral · Rating 1 out of 5]

Overall the story was awful. No character development anywhere. Main character is very annoying and seems to think the world revolves around her. It’s enemies to loves but it’s so bland all around. It honestly feels like the author just wanted to write some tacky spicy scenes and forgot she needs to develop some kind of love story. The whole thing is just cringy. Maybe the next book would be better and explain more the actual plot but I won’t be reading it.

[Sam · Rating 1 out of 5]

It… wasn’t great.
I think there are some good bones here, but this was a very straightforward, jumpy kind of writing. The author tells you things instead of showing you; I felt jerked around and confused and wanting for a lot more depth.
Again, there are some good bones, but I’d never recommend it.

[Shane · Rating 1 out of 5]

redundant

The sample was good and had potential but it was downhill from there. The female lead kept doing the same thing as the male character reacted the same way… up till the very end. How disappointing. I can’t even explain it.. the characters were dumb

[S. Bacchante · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnfed after a few paragraphs
(yeah, I despise myself too, move on)

- the writing? Like something I wrote before I ever started taking writing seriously
- what is supposed to hook me? Super vague prologue? Lots of telling? 'dark' FMC?

[Shawna Blacka · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this, and I did enjoy the story but the writing style and spelling errors turned me off.

[FloofyMooseReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in a new adult romantasy series, Daughter of Darkness. A young human woman is forced to ally herself with the one person she hates the most in hopes of bringing peace to the realm. Tropes include self discovery, shadow mommy, touch her and die, enemies to lovers, slowburn, and morally gray characters. Please check the content warnings, as this is a darker fantasy romance with violence and spice.

The Lovely: I loved the characters, main and otherwise, and the relationships. The FMC, Ela, is in so much turmoil over her past and self-identity and that spills over into her relationships in a quite organic way. Her relationship with the MMC does not follow a linear path and twists and turns as new information comes to light. I loved the emotion behind both characters and cried along with them when hearts were broken.

Also Lovely: I also loved the plot and how the story unfolded. While this is a story of self-discovery for Ela, it’s against a backdrop of a plot involving rebels and a realm about to come to war. There’s a heavy theme of dark versus light and what it really means to be dark, along with the power of forgiveness.

The Mundane: I struggled some with some of the non-dialogue narrative - it felt stilted and simplistic at times, especially against the backdrop of realistic dialogue. In addition, at times it seemed like the author reverted to telling the reader what was happening rather than showing us.

Rating: 4/5 Stars 2/5 Flames

Recommendation: I was interested in this book based on the tropes and darker themes. One of my requirements for a “good” book is that it makes me feel and wow did this hit me emotionally. I may have messaged the author around the 45% mark to tell her that her book made me cry (which she graciously replied to). I can’t wait to read the next book, which is due to release late spring or early summer 2024. If you like new adult romantasy with an intriguing plot and complex characters, I think you would like this book.

[Gabrielle Perna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, my lord!! I want to thank Allie for giving me the opportunity to read her ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This story most follows the journey of Elanor. Ela thinks that she is an ordinary orphaned human, whose father died long ago in the forest and has been forced to take care of herself. One day she happened to go hunting and comes upon a Fae man name Azran. He recognizes her by her sword and tells her that he has answers for her, but she must come find him. This encounter leads her into discovering a whole new world and learning to understand the Fae. Ela embarks on a journey of self-discovery and learning to let others into her life. This journey leads her to discover that she was a Fae all along and was hidden by her parents to avoid being used for a prophecy.

This book has allll the tropes you are looking for:
-enemies to loves
-fated mates
-who did this to you
-do not touch her or you will die
-only likes you
-slow burn
-bad ass FMC
-FMC obsessed with revenge
-MMC who would burn the world for her

I finished this book in one sitting, it was paced very well but I felt that a lot of the writing fell flat for me. I really enjoyed the book but critically it had too many similarities to other big fantasy books I have read. I was frustrated by her two MCs most of the time and wishing they would stop being so hardheaded. Ela was a bad ass whose ass I wanted to kick most of the time because she was so stubborn and cold. I felt that sometimes Ela was very complex and sometimes I feel like she repeated the same actions over and over and never learning. But it also isn't like Az was any better. This would have been five stars for me if the no communication trope was not in there as I despise it. Nonetheless I was completely enthralled by this novel and will 100000% pick up the next book.

[Zoe Sitton · Rating 4 out of 5]

so many thoughts to share - total honesty

first, i’ve seen a lot of hate surrounding similarities to that of SJM books. while, yes, i was a little thrown off by that at the beginning… as a lover of SJM, i have to say this - SJM didn’t create those names, she just made them popular.

moving on :)

in the first chapter or two, i was bit a worried because i really wanted to love this book, but the writing seemed a bit underdeveloped. BUT, as i kept going, i was happy to find it just got better and better and better. & i get it! it can’t be easy to jump right into a book with knock your socks off writing. plus, i’m pretty sure english is allie’s second language!!!!!! so MAJOR props to her for not only doing the damn thing and writing a book (with her second on preorder hehe) but also writing it in English.

now for the story itself, this is such an action packed, feisty, enemies to lovers, romantasy. i love the FMC’s powers - specifically the shadows. we also get multiple perspectives! so we actually get to see the big, tough, scary MMC being a total simp <3

always a fan of a whimsical, protective pet (ily4ever savage)

the cliffhanger! ah! allie straight up blessed me though, so i get to arc read prince of bloodshed - beyond excited to jump right back into Ela & Az’s story :,-)

[Lacey Lehotzky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first want to say that I could never imagine writing a book in my second language. That feat alone impresses the hell out of me, and Allie delivered an entertaining and interesting story along the way.

Ela is strong and stubborn, fierce and emotional, everything I love in an FMC. Azran is just as stubborn, and his secretive nature drives Ela crazy. Makes for some delicious tension between the two!

I can’t wait for book 2, and I hope to learn more about this mysterious power the two of them wield!

[Grace Willows · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is my new favorite read! I am emotionally broken from this book and the cliffhanger ending. Everyone needs to read this amazing book! The writing is absolutely phenomenal!

If you like Sarah J Maas or Jennifer Armentrout then this book is definitely for you!

I absolutely love the FMC! She has fiery personality and is very relatable! The MMC is a dream! He definitely deserves to be on everyones book boyfriend list!

[Mercedes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC and it is a definite 4.5

Debut novel! Way to go Allie!

You have enemies to lovers, found family, fated mates, slow burn, a MFC set on revenge and a MMC who will burn the world for her.

Ending leaves off on a cliffhanger and I don’t know how I will survive until the next book comes out!