The Shadow Heir

Secrets of the Fae #2

by C.F.E. Black

He’s the prince of shadows, bound to do the will of his court. She’s about to shatter the darkness.
On Zara’s twentieth birthday, she expected to be married to the love of her life, not stolen by the Shadow Prince and hurled into a world where death awaits her at every turn. For one year she will be forced to endure dangerous trials intended to entertain the fae.

Determined to do whatever it takes to survive and return to her home, Zara seeks an escape, but what she never expects is to find herself indebted to the Shadow Prince himself.

As Zara teams up with the one person she never wanted to trust, she quickly realizes that there’s more danger in the fae court than she first knew, and her life isn’t the only one on the line. As her opinion of the fae prince begins to change, Zara must make a choice: trust her enemy or let darkness win.

She has vowed to survive the trials meant to kill her, but who will save her heart from an unexpected love that threatens to break her?

The Shadow Heir is a standalone fantasy romance perfect for readers who enjoy swoony romance without the spice, dual POV forbidden love, and super slow burn enemies to lovers with banter that will make you squeal. It’s based on a gender-swapped version of the Spanish fairytale, “The Prince Fernando" and will delight readers who enjoyed Once Upon a Broken Heart and Prince of the Doomed City.

The Secrets of the Fae series contains standalone fantasy romance novels that can be read in any order. Events in The Shadow Heir take place right after the events in The Starlit Prince, but you can start with either book. Each book promises a hard-won happily ever after.

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Romance, Fae, Enemies To Lovers, Dragons, Closed Door Romance

Kindle Edition

Published September 20, 2024

Reviews

[Paris (parismaereads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Quick Takes:
- 4.5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
- Language 🤐 none
- Spice ❤️‍🔥 kisses only
- Content Considerations 🤔 violence, death
- Reader Age 🎟️ teen+

If you’re looking for a clean romantasy, look no further! The Shadow Heir is a clean fantasy with a romance subplot and I’m here for it 👏🏼 with no language and kisses only it makes a great read for teens and young adults too!

The Shadow Heir has all the best tropes! We are talking enemies to lovers, villain redemptive arc, Spanish fairytale and more. It’s set in a cold, icy shadow realm with powerful fae, ancient curses, and dragons, need I say more?!

Even though it is part of the Secrets of the Fae “series”, it can be read as a standalone. I have not yet read the first book, The Starlit Prince, but plan to read it too👌🏼

[Hannah Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

To start off, this book is absolutely amazing!

I read The Starlit Prince a couple months ago and instantly fell in love with this world of fae. The Shadow Heir brings you back to this world but in a different amazing way. The FMC, Zara, who goes to the beat of her own drum and does not give up is thrown into a dark, shadowy kingdom where she must survive at the hands of the dark, handsome fae heir, Cas. The heir may be there to kill her but of course you can’t help falling in love with him. Let’s just say another fictional crush has been added to my list 🤭

The enemies to lovers trope in this romantasy is wonderfully done and is no spice😆. The growing relationship between Cas and Zara constantly makes you smile, swoon, giggle and say “Oh come on already, admit it.” Also, there are dance scenes which I absolutely love!😍

I could not put this book down! And yes, I did stay up late to finish this book and do not regret it. You will not be disappointed in this beautifully written romantasy by C.F.E. Black. I wish I could go back and read it for the first time again!

[Sharon Loves to Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this standalone romantasy! I enjoyed the first in the series, The Starlit Prince, but despite liking the characters in TSP a bit more, I think I enjoyed this story a little more. For one thing, the romance took longer to develop and felt more authentic. I also found the ending to be more surprising and than TSP. I mean, I knew a certain element, but I didn’t see how it would come about.

CW—non-gratuitous violence, evil fae participating in non-descriptive debauchery, romantic desire moderately described, kissing moderately described.

This is enemies to lovers, and I honestly hated the MMC at first. Black had some work to do to make him worthy in my eyes, but she succeeded 🛑🛑spoiler warning🛑🛑in building a believable redemption arc for him since she revealed he had already been doing some good before he met our FMC.🟢🟢End Spoiler🟢🟢 Furthermore, this book spanned a much greater amount of time than TSP, so it felt more believable.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars ✨

Clean Fantasy Romance

“Fear is the greatest form of control.”

The Shadow Heir was a fun ride! I really enjoyed the first in the series (The Starlit Prince) and wasn’t sure how this one would relate, but it did effortlessly. Both are stand-alone although, I would recommend reading them both- in order just my opinion though! Black did a great job keeping me invested throughout the story. The enemies to lovers was believable and I enjoyed the twists and turns throughout the book. If you like books about the fae, trials, dragons, binding curses, and forbidden love- look no further. The best part - it was swoon worthy and squeaky clean!

Content ⚠️
- poisoning, death, mild violence
- kissing

[✨Ruthie · Rating 4 out of 5]

*drumroll* ... And a wonderful 4 stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

🌶️Spice: 2/10 - Only a few kisses, kinda described, but other vulgar things the fae did without explaining them
🧙Characters: 8/10 - Zara and Cas were so cute!!! (And all the others were nice too)
🤓Plot: 8/10 - Nice! Well thought out, and progressed smoothly
🫢Language: 1/10 - one d*mn but in another language, other than that, really nothing

Overall, really nice stand-alone Romantasy, the enemies-to-lovers is well developed without it being too rushed, and a happy ending! 💖

I did feel, though, that the Fae King just... kinda died... like, it was good, but he just died to suddenly I was left reeling

Will be reading more from the author!💜

[Morgan Giesbrecht · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH. MY. GOODNESS. 😍

This was masterful! Don’t get me wrong, The Starlit Prince was incredible, but this standalone sequel was a masterpiece.

In my mind, the best part about this story was its redemption arc of the morally grey MMC—it might actually be one of the best I’ve read for a morally grey character, period. Without giving spoilers, I hated Cas from the beginning and wondered how Black could possible redeem him, but WOW. By the end, I was so impressed by how layered he was as a character and how he was redeemable.

Zara is fire and light and all around wonderful. I love her passion, her zeal, and her kindness.

If you’re looking for a high-stakes, spice free YA romantasy with dragons, shadow fae, and dancing that feels like a mash-up between The Hunger Games and Once Upon a Broken Heart—READ THIS! 😍

Content: no language; kissing only; moderate violence; fae acts of debauchery are hinted at without giving details or being glorified in any way

[Kim Zamolo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it so much, and couldn’t put it down!! If you love fae court drama, hunger games, dragons, and forbidden love tropes, you are in for a real treat! Fantasy romance readers, rejoice! 🤩🙌🏻

Zara and Cas’ romance is true enemies to lovers, and also incredibly sweet (no spice!). The intrigue plot is well done, I loved how it felt like you were unraveling the mysteries with Zara as she explored this new world she found herself in. I loved the Spanish vibes, strong independent and fierce FMC, and a hard exterior but gooey interior MMC.

[thelilcloseddoorbookgal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried so hard to get into this story, and I just couldn’t. It didn’t feel like it had any originality. I read books with cliché elements all the time, but the stories still come to life through the engaging narrative, interesting characters, dialogue, or fresh worldbuilding. This story was stale to me. I do appreciate that it’s a romantasy without spice or strong language, and I see many other people have enjoyed the book. It just didn’t stand out to me in any way.

[BookishVibesClub · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book 🖤 The world and the fae are dark but so much light shines through in sweet and Swoony ways. At first, this book felt dark. He is the one who collects her as payment for a bargain her father made years ago. She is sent into deadly trials as entertainment for the dark fae. But little by little you get to see hope in little moments of protection. And through that protections I just LOVED the slow burn of their forbidden romance bud and grow through fixed proximity and worry for each other. I would say this is definitely a ‘he falls first’ situation and I loved every minute. This is a standalone so you get a complete story and closure.
By the end I was wondering if we had enough pages left for an HEA 🤭 but we did 😍


🖤 Cursed FMC
🖤 Shadow Wielding MMC
🖤 Forbidden Love
🖤 Dangerous Trials
🖤 He takes her
🖤 He protects her
🖤 Caretaking
🖤 He saves her
🖤 She saves him
🖤 Stabby FMC

🫑 No spice | closed door, kisses only
No language

[bookgirlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

FANTASTIC. GIMME FOUR OF THEM RIGHT NOW.


No seriously, this was SO GOOD. I need another book like it. ASAP.

4.5*

[ashley thomas · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF*

[vxmpslibrary [mental health break] · Rating 4 out of 5]

- 4.5 stars

✩♬ ₊˚.🎶 review ⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
Of course C.F.E's writing enchantingly and easily drawns me again to her another book, and I am surprised to see that this didn't disappoint me as I did came with mild expectations.

I thought I really was going into a reading slump and then boom, I found this book, read it and fell in love with it, the pacing was amazingly done for me, and I really really enjoyed reading it with all the twists.

Zara : her fierce personality is really amazing to read about, I love how she cared about other participants, she and her friendship with Ivy? I loved it, she was an amazing lead to follow and since I actually read the first book in secrets of fae series, I knew there HAS to be a book of her. Though it's sad to watch that she looking for her true love didn't really work out as they only wanted a grasp of fortune they would inherit.

Cas : our dark broody mmc, who picks our Zara to go into the Faerie realm when she turns twenty as the bargain suggested, and he also hates almost everyone and is intrigued by her, normal right? Then boom we get to know he's cursed, and now he seeks helps from Zara in exchange for information relating Talia to get to know who's poisoning the mortals which he has to heal.

“I can’t be the king of darkness,” he said, briefly resting his forehead against mine. “Not after loving you and your light.”

I obviously wanted to see Zara and Talia reunited which we didn't get to see and I WAS really hoping so bad that we get to see it but sadly we don't.

There were trials, fae's and dragons and it was all nice.

Alba : Cas's sister, yes I still do love you, and you were an amazing character to read about <33

Overall this was a perfect read for me and I enjoyed it amazingly and would definitely recommend to read this🫶

[Bethany Aich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: this book is standalone, though there are few minor name cameos from book one in the series. They can be read in any order.

I started reading a few pages while I was waking up in the morning. The next thing I knew, I was reading while making breakfast and brushing my hair. I had to put it down halfway through chapter 6 in order to get out the door. Riveting from the first pages, The Shadow Heir is a wild ride, and such a fun enemies-to-lovers book. (And we are talking REAL enemies, not just ones with “Oh, you’re so perfect that I hate you” vibes.)

Romance: I was immersed from the get go, but you won’t find me recommending this to a teen. While it is still within the parameters of “clean,” there is a bit more description when it comes to physical appearance and a bit more heated kissing than I would like. (There is not a lot of kissing, mind you, but what is there is warmer than I prefer.) It is not enough to turn me away from reading the book, and I’ll recommend it to most people I know who read fantasy, but—as I said—not young people.

Violence: well, our MC is definitely grey and is Prince of a wicked fae court. So, yep. I wouldn’t call it gory, but don’t read if you are squeamish.

[Jessica Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

[4.5 stars]
This book is significantly darker than book 1. The MC is enslaved by a fae bargain and forced to entertain a court of reveling fae through deadly trials designed to kill her and her fellow human “entertainers”. The story is dark and intense, but still well written and captivating.

The romance might have been a little sudden in the flip from enemy to lover, and there was one thing at the end that seemed corny to me, but overall the book was quite good.

Content:
Though there is no foul language and the romance is very clean, the book is actually quite dark. Despite not going into excessive detail, the debauchary of the fae court is portrayed quite prominently throughout. There is magic and violence. There is an in-world religion where they worship the sun and stars, but this book starts to imply that religion is false and that there is a single god who answers prayers. I definitely would not call it Christian.

[Tawni Suchy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a TRUE enemies to lovers. There’s no two ways about it. These two despise each other…and I mean Casimiro is out to unalive Zara…but love. The development between these two was packed full of edge of your seat action, nail biting moments, and best of all swoony lines via our beloved heir. “You are the stars. Constant, fixed, ever burning. It is by your light I see…” I mean come on! 🫠 Absolutely stunning book.
If you’re looking for a romantasy…you got a great one in The Shadow Heir. I also loved the nods to our Creator “The First and Last” throughout the pages.

Ratings
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
💋
16+
Small allegorical faith woven through

*I received an advance copy of this book but was not required to leave a review and all opinions are my own.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you CFE Black for the opportunity to read The Shadow Heir prior to the release. I loved this book! This reminded me of The Cruel Prince without all the bullying and spice. Don’t let “no spice” fool you, this book had all the good, romantic feels you want in a romantasy, deadly trials, and dragons.

Tropes:

Enemies to lovers
Shadow daddy
Villain redemption arc
Dragons
Fae with Spanish vibes

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

trial

I think I don’t care for the fae and their superior attitude. Whoever thought half truths weren’t lies were lying to themselves.

[Bryna · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this! The ending was wrapped up too quickly for my liking, (a problem I believe I had with the other novel in the series) but the trials, generational curse, and character dynamics were all engaging.

If I’m being picky, this novel lacked the level of romantic development that was in The Starlit Prince. They went from enemies to love without enough gradual growth.

Overall, not the tightest of plots, but a grand old time spent reading.

[Meagan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I DNF’d this book at 80%, because there was no way the last 20% of the book could make up for how bad the rest of it was.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of the second standalone book in the secrets of the Fae series. First off I devoured this book in 2 days. I was drawn in by Zara and how feisty she is. If you enjoy pet names, villains that are set to unalive our main character turned touch her and ☠️ mixed with suspense this right here is for you. It is a clean romantacy that’s swoon worthy. I am so so sad it over. I just loved the ending and I’m hoping for more from some of the other characters.

[Brianna Gilmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything CFE Black writes is entertaining, heartfelt, and unique. I loved that I could enjoy a fae romance story without fearing explicit content.

[Camille Mosemann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvelous Clean Romantsy! 😍

This book swept me away! I read this in almost one sitting, unable to put down this enticing story of shadows, dragons, and light. Black has once again entwined the sweeping fantasy of the fae lands with the meaningful theme of light shining through the darkness. This is a must read for all fantasy lovers!

Update:
This was so much more fun the second time around! The first time I read it, I devoured it in one day because I had to know what happened. But this time I slowed down and savored the swoony romance and thrilling action that the Shadow Heir is made up of. Cas and Zara have my heart and I wish that they had another story so we could find out how they plan to rebuild the Shadow Court!! 1,000/10 recommend for fans of clean high fae fantasy and dragons!!

[funkelbunt.liest · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Shadow Heir is the first book I’ve read by Catherine Black, but it definitely won’t be the last!

This is the enemies to lovers trope in the most literal sense and I was more than curious to find out how this would play out, since Cas was the one orchestrating Zara’s death.

The fae court was… disgusting, appalling, cruel… all of that and more and I wasn’t so sure if I could like one or more of the faes, since they are all so indifferent towards human lives. It definitely had Hunger Games vibes, even though the human entertainers weren’t fighting against each other.

“I couldn’t hate them any more than I hated them in that moment. Our death was their sport. Our pain was their thrill.”

Zara is a fighter and I loved that she isn’t too easily swayed by Cas’s good looks. But there is something between them from the beginning, when she was still pretty clueless what her fate should look like.

Cas is definitely not as evil as he seemed in the beginning - and wants others to believe he is - but he also changes through Zara. He starts to care for her in a kind of confusing way, since he does not have a solution that could save the human entertainers.

“Stars, Valencia, you could have died.”

This comment seemed almost cruel, if he wouldn’t have been so sincere. So to say Zara was confused, not knowing what to believe or who to trust is kind of an understatement.

But we see glimpses of what Cas is dealing with and there is more going on than “just” deadly games.

The only thing I would have wished for would have been to see more of the other entertainers, to get to know them better and to see them work together. Even though they are all trying to help each other or at least are not standing in each other's ways it always seemed like Zara was the one with a brilliant idea or the one with some sort of trick that saved her from the death threat of the tests. I don’t completely know why she is so special to beat more of the dangers and also to get Cas’s attention or change his mind when nobody before her could, especially considering his way longer lifespan as a fae.

But like I said, there is obvious chemistry between Cas and Zara and I loved how the ice between them melted. I’m not always a fan of nicknames because they often seem cheesy or even belittling, but I have to say I swooned a little every time Cas called Zara “little spark”.

“I’m not afraid of him, Zara. I’m afraid that the light I’ve come to see will go out, and I will be left alone in the dark.”
“What are you talk-”
“You, little spark.” He pushed my chin with his thumb until I met his gaze. “You.”

The ending and solution for everything that was going on was a bit quick and I feel that we could have used a few more details about why and who but I still thought everything was wrapped up nicely and I just want to dive into the Starlit Prince, since I haven’t read the first book of the series yet.

I absolutely recommend this book to lovers of clean romantasy - and a slow burn enemies to lovers trope done well!

As a side note - as a Christian I also appreciated the hints to the one true God, but they are pretty subtle and rare, so I don’t think a non Christian reader would mind them.

* Thank you to the author for letting me read an advanced copy of this book. I leave this review voluntarily and the expressed opinions are my own.

[Lucy Anne Holland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lose yourself in a world of magic and romance as you follow the story of Zara and Cas through a court of shadows and corruption.

First of all, I need to apologize to the author. I received an early copy of this book with the full intention of finishing it before the release date. Unfortunately, life and work became suddenly overwhelming and I had hardly a spare second to read for enjoyment. Despite this, I did enjoy this book. Black’s writing style is one of my favourites among the indie authors I have read. I've only read her first book so for me, it was really exciting to see how she has grown as a writer since publishing that book. She is, without a doubt, a very talented writer, and I'm so thankful that she is sharing this gift through her books.

I haven't read The Starlit Prince, and I think I missed out on a bit of the world-building and whatnot because of that. However, this book can definitely be read on its own. You don't need to read the first book in the series to fully enjoy the story. Black is careful to add enough world-building details to help everything make sense and to pull the reader in. I am very intrigued by this world that she has created and am interested in reading the first book.

In simplicity, this book is a fantasy romance. It gave me flavours of Sara J Maas books, but without the spice and profanity which was much appreciated. If you're into fiery heroines and handsome love interests but want to skip the spice then this book is for you. There is also the obvious and prominent trope of “enemies to lovers”. The main characters really have no reason to like each other at the beginning of the book, and yet a sweet and beautiful relationship grows between them. Personally, I wanted to see a few more quality moments between the two main characters a bit sooner. The enemies part of the trope was pretty strong until about 50% or 60% into the book. Even then, the lovers part was gradual, and when the two characters professed their love, I wasn't quite as convinced as I wanted to be. I think I simply wanted a bit more quality time between the two main characters. Throughout the book, they don't really spend a huge amount of time together. I know that this might not bother some readers, but to me (who is perhaps a little bit too realistic in some cases), I wanted to see a bit more wholesome growth. I did appreciate the other relationships throughout the book. For example, Zara’s relationships with the other humans and Cas’s relationship with his sister. I think I would have liked a bit more description when it came to some of the other characters (especially some of the other entertainers). About 70% through the book, I realized that I didn't really have a clear picture of what some of the other characters looked like.

Overall, I got the sense that the process of writing this book was slightly rushed. Most readers will probably not pick up on this, but I felt that there were just a few small things that could have used some more development.

I look forward to Black’s next book! She really is an indie author to add to your to-read list if you love clean fantasy romance.

[Cara · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read, not as good as book 1.

The Shadow Heir is the second book in the “Secrets of the Fae” series by CFE Black. This story focuses on Zara, who was briefly mentioned in Book 1 as the FMC’s best friend.

Black did a great job creating very likable characters. I liked the FMC and MMC, as well as the different side characters (Ivy, Ariana, Alba). I would have loved to have known what happened to those characters in the end.

While she creates likable characters, her villains on the other hand are easy to hate. The fae in this series, both books 1 & 2, are just horrible. They’re so incredibly power hungry and spend their immortality finding fulfillment in sex, torture of others, gluttony, etc.

Casimir - “All I wanted before I died was to find something worth dying for.” He looked up at me now. “We feed ourselves with pleasure, with entertainment, with anything that can shock us from our numb, endless existence. Magic has its charms, but even its thrill dulls over time. You were right—what you said about us, about me. All this time, I’ve been searching for someone who could wake me up. I was numb, unable to feel the world around me or the life inside me, until I met you.”

Allow me to give a content warning with a little context:
Zara is brought to the Shadow court after her father struck a deal with the fae Shadow king. Zara gets to choose either a lifetime of servitude or 1 year as an “entertainer” for the fae. However, entertainers never make it to the year mark, as they always die in the mortal trials. The servants are treated horribly and live in horrible conditions. While the entertainers are given some luxuries, but they are used by the fae. The fae will help them survive the next mortal trial, but at a steep cost… and it’s implied that the cost is often paid by being a spy for the fae or through sexual favors. Black never goes into detail, but it’s definitely implied. This isn’t necessary a pro or con of the book, it just took me by surprise as it was so much darker than Book 1.

The slow burn romance in this book was fine. I wish I had seen more of the MMC, Casimir’s, feelings develop for Zara throughout the story. They felt a bit sudden at the end. And all of the sudden, Casimir is saying all of these poetic things to Zara about how she’s the light he’s drawn to - which is nice, but just felt out of character compared to the rest of his POV.

Black does a really great job with world building and describing the settings and scenery in her book.

I did like the final battle of Book 2 more than I did in Book 1. It still could have been a bit more drawn out and developed, but I enjoyed this book’s conclusion better.

While I did genuinely enjoy this book and it had so much potential, I just don’t think it’s one of CFE’s best.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: heated kisses
Language: none
Content: implied sexual assault of side characters, violence, enslavement

Book 1 could be appropriate for teens, but not sure about book 2.

[Liv Hamilton- livs.littlebookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

🌑I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I will first preface though that this is a dark fantasy(not dark romance, there’s no toxic relationship here) and so as such it has some very dark themes and multiple mentions of death. However I love C.F.E. Black’s books because they show a dark and broken world full of evil, but that good and love still conquer all in the end. It’s a big struggle to get there for Zara and Cas but they never stop fighting and in the end it pays. I love how it shows even when our lives and world are dark, if we just keep choosing the light and the right thing, although we still mess up, good still conquers in the end.

🔥I read the first one in this series(The Starlit Prince) and so it was great to see more world building added on to what that book already gives us. In addition, if you read this one and The Starlit Prince before reading C.F.E. Black’s newest book, Flame Theory, it add a little world building and details that give a small level of insight to things happening in Flame Theory, although not necessary. Although The Shadow Heir and The Starlit Prince happen many (hundreds?) of years before Flame theory, they are set in the same world. Or if you’re like me and read Flame theory first then you’ll just be surprised and happily figuring out the details along the way.😂

🌑Content:
•Format: Ebook
•Pov: Dual
•Genre: Dark Fantasy & Romance
•Romance Level: 2– FMC thinks of MMC abs, multiple passionate kisses(not descriptive), FMC sits on MMC’s lap(not kissing or sexual)
•Swearing Level: just in world swears
•Violence Level: PG-13—FMC stabs MMC in the beginning, general fantasy violence, on page killings(not gory but mentions of blood)— this is a dark book( many on page killings or mentions of death, not super descriptive though)
•Other Notes: FMC and other male character exchange a few kisses, hugs, he kisses her on the neck, etc. (lighter stuff); MMC is shirtless briefly, cleavage is mentioned, mention of “embraces”(those words, not described), a side character alludes to the fact that they are asked to “entertain” in an inappropriate way(not sex, but sexual—it’s not gone into detail),
•Triggers: FMC alludes to being taken advantage of sexually and physically in the past, unwanted forceful male attention(he doesn’t succeed in anything), mention of dead bodies(not gory), abusive parent, servitude(they’re not treated well), blood and injuries(not gory), attempted assault(does not go far at all), gambling, death of a loved one(past)
•Age rating: 16+ (as I said before this is a dark fantasy and as such it has some darker themes, but it is about light and love winning even through the darkness. Although that road is often tough)

[Justine · Rating 5 out of 5]

so who was gonna tell me that Cas is literally Jacks from once upon a broken heart?! like:
both princes. both evil (at first). both cursed. and both with veryyy similar nicknames for their girl. “little fox” and “little spark” LIKE COME ON IT’S TOO PERFECT , how was i not gonna fall for him?! and it’s also just one reason i love this book!! 🖤🐉🪽🔥

. • ☆ . ° .• ♡
this is true enemies to lovers fantasy (romantasy?) ! the hatred was pure hatred, they were true enemies, and the slow burn was actually a slow burn. no one does slow burn enemies to lovers like a fantasy book it’s just not possible !! 👏🏼 you can’t get that kind of hatred and angst in a 21st century office romcom lol.
the world building was great, the magic and world is fascinating. the Wild Hunt, Shadow Court and Nightsong, plus the Trials; all of it was so interesting! didn’t know what to expect of the trials but safe to say it exceeded anything i could have thought of! we get some EPIC battle scenes, not to mention um dragons and hellhounds?! the shadow fae are actually really cool creatures, I love that they have wings and can detach their shadows from themselves.

I loved our fmc, Zara:) her strength and determination, the way she never gave up and how much she cared about people. I do wish we got a little more backstory for her though, in the very beginning they made it seem like she had been assaulted but then never brought it up again.
Our mmc, Casimiro the Shadow Prince, I loveee🤭 he tries to kill her at first, designs the trials to do so. but when we get that first “where is she” moment after she gets hurt 👀 and then “no one touches her” had me kicking my feet ! mwauh, Cas you no longer wanna kill her just admit it <3 and we can’t forget the fact he spent his entire 151 years trying to save his sister 🫶🏼

the beginning felt different than the rest of the story. I think it definitely got better about halfway in. they also purposefully kept dropping little hints but never fully explaining anything til the end, and I think they could’ve given us some answers sooner so it wasn’t quite so much all at once. but at the same time it kept me on the edge of my seat wanting answers so they did good:)

❗️no harsh language.
🌶️clean romance
❗️TW: death and alludes to sexual affairs/possibly rape, sexual arrangements in return for help or one of the forms of “entertainment” . but nothing is specified or detailed

[Jessica Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my word this book. *stares in shock* This was such a consuming read, I couldn’t put it down for the life of me. I loved this book so much!! The best part was the world and the Spanish influence was so well incorporated into the story, it felt so real.
Finishing this book feels like waking up from a dream you really don’t want to wake up from. The start was slow but it was worth the wait, the world, the characters, the relationships, everything was so entrancing.
My only complaint is that I wanted more Cas. Which probably is connected to the fact that I thought to much information on him and what was happening to him and Alba was withheld for to long. It is very much so a mystery for awhile. I also just wanted to know more about his motives because I found it hard to figure out why he was doing what he was doing *me trying to keep this spoiler free* and root for him. He was just so much of a mystery himself, even being inside his head was trying to decode everything he thought and felt. It was all very tangled up and I think he himself really didnt know what was going on either.
Zara on the other hand, I loved her a mc, she was so fierce and protective of the people she cared about. The ending suited her so well I was squealing by the time I turned the last page because all the trauma was worth it!! (I definitely did not cry) She was also so smart and the way she had been betrayed so many times but still chose to be kind and loving, especially in her situation. She deserves the world.
The secondary characters, like Alba and Ivy, whom I both love for they are both so sweet, are all also extremely fleshed out and have their own motives as well as feelings. (I’ve had a hard time finding books like that recently) I would love to see what happened to all the mortals in the court and their stories of how they got there.
The world building had me in absolute awe. The magic and the history behind it all felt really thought out and it was all so interesting. I could read a whole book on the myth alone, much less how the shadow court was formed.
In a sentence, this was an enchanting, beautiful book that I will be recommending for a long time. Please just give it a chance and read it, it is so worth it!!

[Belinda Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humans are caught in a deadly game orchestrated by a mysterious fae court, where survival is anything but guaranteed, and betrayal lurks around every corner. 🏹

Zara was such an exciting character! Fierce, strong, and relentless in her mission, she was definitely someone I enjoyed following throughout the story. While some of her decisions had me questioning her thought process 🤔, especially given the high stakes, she still held her ground as a character worth rooting for.

Cas, on the other hand, was a mystery—there was so much surrounding him and his court. He was trying his best to stand apart from his father’s legacy and the brutal system he was born into. While he didn’t always succeed, I appreciated his effort.

The court itself was bizarre, though—the way they treated humans and orchestrated the survival games didn’t quite make sense to me. The premise of hunting humans and the whole dealmaking system felt confusing, especially when it came to how Zara was brought into the fold. Her father’s deal didn’t line up with how others made theirs, leaving me puzzled by the end. 😕

However, the enemies to lovers romance? I’m always here for it! ❤️ The tension between Zara and Cas was palpable. The way they hated each other, fought against their attraction, and tried so hard to resist their feelings kept me on the edge. I just wish there had been a more defined moment when they truly fell for each other—something felt like it was missing in that transition. Still, the chemistry was there and the romantic tension was solid.

The ending wrapped everything up nicely, though it felt a little rushed. But overall, I was satisfied with how things turned out and appreciated the way the story tied together by the conclusion.

Perfect for fans of:
🏹 Enemies to Lovers
🏰 Court Politics
🐉 Magical Creatures & Dragons
🌿 Fae Lore
🎯 Hunger GamesStyle Matches to the Death
😈 Shadow Daddy
🖤 Villain Redemption Arc

If you’re looking for a high stakes fantasy with a sizzling romance and plenty of court intrigue, this is for you! A big thank you to the author for the opportunity to read this ARC!

[Safari Spell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual is 3.5 ⭐️

I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about this author’s writing that hits me right in the gut. I spent a good deal of this book positively sobbing like a nerd, and I’m telling you, what a freaking ride!

Zara carried this book entirely. I’m not saying Cas wasn’t at least kind of interesting, but Zara was the tits. She’s the perfect FMC: strong, soft in the right way, and smart. She tried and failed, but gained respect along the way. The meeting between her and Cas was excellent!

This is well paced, which is hard when you’ve got a lot of action, but I never felt overwhelmed with too much going on. This is giving Gladiator with fae courts. I don’t know if that’s typical of the genre since I don’t read a lot of fae books.

My only real issue with this novel is the love interest. I get why Cas was so cold and unfeeling for so long, but dude…this is a romantasy, and there was practically no romance until like 70%. Booooo.

I was super antsy by the 40% mark when he hadn’t softened any or really had a flicker of tenderness towards Zara. I kept thinking maybe I was wrong about what type of novel I was reading. He was almost too apathetic for too long, and that turned me off of him.

His attraction/affection for her didn’t feel organic to me since he was so cold the whole book until I don’t know, it was time to suddenly become the love interest? That was a pretty big jump with very little foreshadowing, so I think that definitely could’ve been better.

Felipe was interesting, but he disappeared halfway through and didn’t really show back up much. The side characters were fairly complex, which added a lot to the story. The whole “coup” plot line was anti-climactic and honestly could’ve been left out.

Generally speaking though, I was thinking about this book a lot when I wasn’t reading it, and it’s obvious Black is an exceptional author.