Slither

by Nikki Rae

Plunged into darkness after an eerie ritual, Corbin finds herself torn between the reality of her life with her mother and the nights she spends with Six. Even though she wakes alone every morning, the nights they spend together are worth it. Suspicion and unease surround her, drawing Jordan closer and closer while Six disappears deeper into the shadows.
Obsessed, Corbin sketches only him. As his monstrous image becomes clearer, etched in ink and gold, the pair and Jordan are enticed into a sensual world meant to feed him.
Six is reluctantly forthcoming with information about his origins and the mystical connection between the three of them. He has no control and little concern for the human world he affects with his mere presence—even when no one can stop the consequences.
Some cycles repeat for a reason, but is this one worth fulfilling?

341 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 14, 2023

About the author

Nikki Rae is an independent author who lives in New Jersey. She explores human nature through fiction, concentrating on making the imaginary as real as possible. Her genres of choice are mainly dark, scary, romantic tales, but she’ll try anything once. When she is not writing, reading, or thinking, you can find her spending time with animals, drawing in a quiet corner, or studying people. Closely.

Reviews

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Original review

This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Nikki Rae!

Slither is the second book in The Shadow & Ink series and continues the story of Corbin, Six and Jordan

As some of you may know, Nikki Rae is one of my favourite indie authors because I love her dark and unique writing style. I really loved the original The Shadow & Ink books that were published in 2016, and I'm so happy that Nikki Rae decided to rewrite this series. The Shadow & Ink series deserves all the love and attention because this story is so interesting and unique, and you cannot not fall in love with the characters!

Slither continues the story of Shudder, the first book in the series. Corbin is trying to figure everything out about Six, what is he, what does he do, what does he need, ... And Jordan, Corbin's best friend, is there to help her. I really loved Corbin, Six and Jordan, I loved their history, their current relationships and just everything about them! I cannot find the words to describe these three characters, I just know that I loved reading their story, and that it was painful when I read the last page of Slither!

Nikki Rae did such an amazing job with this book. The story and characters are so addictive, you want to know what's going to happen to them and if they get their happily ever after or not... I'm really looking forward to the next book in The Shadow & Ink series, I hope it comes out soon! If you're looking for a unique and dark Paranormal Romance with M/F and F/F, then I highly suggest The Shadow & Ink series!

[Kassidy Gunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

“There is nothing in this world or any other that will keep me from you.”

Rating 4.5/5⭐️
Spice: 3.75/5🌶️

🖤 Thank you Nikki Rae for the ARC! I have been waiting to continue this journey with Corbin, Six, and Jordan since I finished Shudder. 🖤

⚠️ Please make sure to check trigger warnings before reading, as always mental health comes first! This book entails mommy/daddy issues, generational trauma, mentions of SA, mental illness/disorders, 🩸 play, 🔪 play, tentacle play, and more. Tropes include, but not limited to: sapphic friends to lovers, imaginary monster friend, why choose, and ff, mf, mff scenes⚠️

🐍 Slither took me by surprise, idk why. Maybe it’s because of how much time apart it had been since I had read the first book. I still remembered what happened, but until I started reading book two it didn’t feel real, you could say it felt almost “imaginary” 🐍

🐦‍⬛ I love the character development and story development between the three characters. Corbin sticking up for herself, demanding not only what she wants but what she needs. Discovering more about herself and how others can fit in her life not how she fits into theirs. She grew into her own more and more as the book went on, learning new things about herself and the world she lives in & in between. 🕯️ I love Jordan and Corbin’s love for each other. Jordan always sticks up for her “baby bird” especially with Six & that made me love her even more. 🪶 I love that Six finally let his “little crow” see him. And how he fits not only with Corbin but with both Corbin & Jordan together. He’s possessive but he knows the history that links them all together.

🕸️ I really enjoyed reading this book and jumping back into this world with Corbin, Six, and Jordan. I loved finally getting more answers and details pertaining to Six, who/what he is and what he actually looks like. I loved exploring not only the relationships between Corbin and Six, Corbin and Jordan but the relationship between all three of them. I’m left speechless reeling over the ending…so I’m gonna have to sit here and wait for Nikki to put me out of my misery so I can know what happens next.

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝕯𝖔𝖈𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖘 𝖜𝖔𝖚𝖑𝖉 𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖊 𝖋𝖗𝖔𝖒 𝖆𝖑𝖑 𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖈𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖙𝖗𝖞 𝖙𝖔 𝖘𝖈𝖗𝖆𝖙𝖈𝖍 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖎𝖗 𝖍𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖘 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖕𝖔𝖓𝖉𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖌𝖎𝖗𝖑 𝖜𝖍𝖔 𝖇𝖊𝖑𝖎𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖉 𝖘𝖍𝖊’𝖉 𝖇𝖗𝖔𝖚𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖍𝖊𝖗 𝖎𝖒𝖆𝖌𝖎𝖓𝖆𝖗𝖞 𝖋𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖓𝖉 𝖙𝖔 𝖑𝖎𝖋𝖊.

Thank you to Nikki for the opportunity to read and review Slither! This is book two of The Shadow & Ink series. You will need to read Shudder first. 🖤

I absolutely loved this book. We continue right after the events that happened at the end of Shudder with Corbin and Six. I loved all the details and answers that it gives you, and I loved the dive into the story of our three characters; Six, Corbin and Jordan. Honestly, they might be one of my favorite trios. I just loved their characters: the good, the bad, the questionable. And I love where this story went. I don’t want to give too much away, but it was amazing how Nikki worked it all around. I was completely engulfed in it.

“𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝖆𝖗𝖊 𝖒𝖞 𝖇𝖊𝖌𝖎𝖓𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖒𝖞 𝖊𝖓𝖉𝖎𝖓𝖌. 𝕴𝖋 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊 𝖎𝖘 𝖓𝖔 𝖞𝖔𝖚, 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊 𝖎𝖘 𝖓𝖔 𝖒𝖊.”

I loved Corbin and Jordan’s love for each other, and I loved watching it unfold even more in Slither. Watching the past unfold and how Six fits in with the two of them was such a beautiful experience for me. The dive into where Six comes from and who he is. Jordan and Six getting closer. Six and Corbin. Corbin realizing who she also is, where everyone fits with her, the dive into a deeper view into the turbulent relationship with her mother. All of it. And I was completely baffled by the ending. I suppose it’s safe to say that I can’t wait for the third book. Can’t wait to see what Nikki has for that!

“𝖂𝖊 𝖈𝖔𝖚𝖑𝖉 𝖈𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖊 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖉𝖊𝖘𝖙𝖗𝖔𝖞 𝖘𝖔 𝖒𝖚𝖈𝖍, 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖗𝖊𝖊 𝖔𝖋 𝖚𝖘 𝖎𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖉𝖆𝖗𝖐.”

There’s so much I want to say, but I truly don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll leave some little deets.

🖤 Sapphic bestie lovers. Mommy issues. Daddy issues. Shadow daddy. Did my imaginary friend turn real? Spice, spice, spice. Meant to be. Tentacles. Fluids. Mental disorders. Creepy crawlies. Slithery friends. Lots of play in all kinds of ways. 🖤

So, if you haven’t… Jump into Shudder, then run right into Slither. It’s available now in KU.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[P · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You are my beginning and my ending. If there is no you, there is no me.”

That ending has me flabbergasted. I liked being back in this world. So much suspense it kept me on my toes i couldn't ever guess what was gonna happen next.. Poor Corbin has gone through so much I hate her parents. This one felt more darker and more steamy and I liked that... it's a true dark PNR.


ARC Provided for a review all opinions are my own.


Tropes: (short list): Enemies to lovers, sapphic best friends to lovers, why choose, monster imaginary friend, artist meets creation, some horror elements, slow burn, shadow play, size difference, fated mates; mf, mff, ff scenes.

Trigger Warnings: mentions of SA, generational trauma, hallucinations, mental disorders, "Mommy" issues, Daddy issues, kn!fe play, bl00d play, tent@cle play, depictions of depression, squ!rting, su!cide/blood pacts, creepy crawlies like snakes & insects.

[Corinna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The part where I started to feel for Six was when Corbin did a drawing of him, and he wants to know if this is how she sees him with his horns and all. Six is scared to lose her if he shows his true form to her. Corbin has known his true form all along she just needs to remember. Remember and put all the pieces together and it will all make sense.

[Victoria · Rating 2 out of 5]

I will say the plot was a bit better in book 2. it wasn't as hard to follow. I liked the development she gave the characters. then the last few pages that I felt came out of left field. I was honestly about to give my average 3 stars until then. I felt like the story line was pretty much complete and then the author dropped a cliff hanger...