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Curse of the Fae #1
A Deal with the Shadow King
A dark bet between kings…My father sold me out to the Shadow King. He made a reckless deal to save my mother, and I must pay the price, forced to live in Faerie with king Damian and his sinful court. Now, I must learn to protect myself from the nightmares, dreams, and fantasies that govern this mysterious land. I shall not flee.I shall not give in.I shall endure.If I don’t, my kingdom will fall.The shadow court is in ruins, and its king, too…Nothing will get in the way of my duty, not even a witty, flawless beauty like Penelope Darcy. The rules of the curse are simple.1. We never take off our masks.2. We avoid unnecessary contact with the High Fae.3. We don’t keep secrets from each other.I’ve got to win that wretched bet, even if I have to chop that princess into little pieces and feast on what’s left of her soul to achieve it.This book is a full-length fantasy romance with a happy ending, and though it's part of a series, it stands alone.Beauty and the Beast and Hades and Persephone collide in this enemies-to-lovers, forced-proximity fantasy romance. Sprinkles of grumpy-sunshine thrown in. The mysterious Shadow King is hot as sin, and the secrets of his world will bring any mortals to their knees. Slow-burn. 18+.
358 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 9, 2024
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4961 people want to read
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Anya J. Cosgrove
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 412 reviews
April 5, 2025
I don't know what I was expecting, but this wasn't it.
There's virtually no world building, no character development, no training for a reason that's never explained, no explanation of how or why Nell has magic, nor any description of exactly what her magic is or does. There's no plot.
For all the time I spent in Nell's head, I don't think she's got a single ounce of personality. She's at once prudish (given her 'old world' upbringing this isn't surprising) and totally 100% open to 'new world' things - including kinky (read: orgy) sexual stuff after having basically been living in strict purity culture her whole life. Yeah right. That's believable.
The Shadow King and his curse and whoever or whatever he's fighting make no sense, aren't well explained and by the time things actually began to clear up I'd long ago quit giving a shit.
The relationship fizzled before it ever even got started. Not only because it's confusing as hell who I'm even supposed to like as the MMC but because the MMC and FMC don't spend hardly any time together to even develop a connection.
The jumping back and forth between worlds every 2 weeks was stupid and pointless and wasted time.
The 'old world' 'new world' stuff was dumb. It's hard to stay engaged when one character's babbling on about her precious virginity and wearing corsets and another's got a tramp stamp and wears jeans and uses an ipod.
I connected with exactly zero of the characters.
This book was a bit of a mess. But I tried. I got through it - though I don't know how because this was a big ol' nothing burger for me.
MAYBE that's because apparently this book is set in a world that's already been explored in other series by this author. It's marketed as a new series, though, and not as a spin off where you'd have to read previous books to truly understand what's going on. So I don't know.
I can tell that the author's got talent. The writing itself was decent. I just - based on this single book - am not confident that Cosgrove is a competent storyteller. Maybe that's harsh, but this book just wasn't a very good first impression.
There's virtually no world building, no character development, no training for a reason that's never explained, no explanation of how or why Nell has magic, nor any description of exactly what her magic is or does. There's no plot.
For all the time I spent in Nell's head, I don't think she's got a single ounce of personality. She's at once prudish (given her 'old world' upbringing this isn't surprising) and totally 100% open to 'new world' things - including kinky (read: orgy) sexual stuff after having basically been living in strict purity culture her whole life. Yeah right. That's believable.
The Shadow King and his curse and whoever or whatever he's fighting make no sense, aren't well explained and by the time things actually began to clear up I'd long ago quit giving a shit.
The relationship fizzled before it ever even got started. Not only because it's confusing as hell who I'm even supposed to like as the MMC but because the MMC and FMC don't spend hardly any time together to even develop a connection.
The jumping back and forth between worlds every 2 weeks was stupid and pointless and wasted time.
The 'old world' 'new world' stuff was dumb. It's hard to stay engaged when one character's babbling on about her precious virginity and wearing corsets and another's got a tramp stamp and wears jeans and uses an ipod.
I connected with exactly zero of the characters.
This book was a bit of a mess. But I tried. I got through it - though I don't know how because this was a big ol' nothing burger for me.
MAYBE that's because apparently this book is set in a world that's already been explored in other series by this author. It's marketed as a new series, though, and not as a spin off where you'd have to read previous books to truly understand what's going on. So I don't know.
I can tell that the author's got talent. The writing itself was decent. I just - based on this single book - am not confident that Cosgrove is a competent storyteller. Maybe that's harsh, but this book just wasn't a very good first impression.
April 16, 2025
2 Stars
Well, I finished this so that's saying something. And, I don't hate the premise. Penelope (FMC) is a sheltered princess from Demeter. Her mother became very ill before/while pregnant with Penny (?) and made a deal with the Shadow King (fae) from the Faerie realm. It's a bit of a bet, and the details are fully unknown, but when Penny turns 18 she has to spend half of each year (every 2 weeks) in Faerie to... do things. She has to win this bet for undetermined reasons. But her mom died later on anyway and she still has to do this... task? Her father (the misogynistic king) is mad about this but she has to go anyway. Demeter is a very conservative place, and this Faerie realm is dangerous and sinful, etc.
I feel like this could have been okay, but the execution was terrible. The writing was pretty rough and just lacked so much depth. We are told things, but never shown. It's just very messy. Like I mentioned, this entire story hinges on this bet and we don't get any information on it until the very very end??? Even then it makes no sense and is contradicting itself - there's a note at the end that there's a bonus chapter or something with the bet background if you sign up for the author's newsletter (I'm sorry, but that's crazy this is like a central point to the story).
Damien/One/Two/Three/Four is our MMC. This will kind of be spoilery but also is pretty obvious but yeah that's just one guy and he's split into 4 guys bc reasons. Penny is this very dumb childlike girl who becomes obsessed with One after speaking to him like twice (and he's not even very nice to her///they honestly barely interact). I gasped when she said I love you to him bc it was so cringe. I felt 0 chemistry between the two because their development was non-existent. Also when she loses her virginity it's to 3 of the guys at once (I'm not going to bother explaining more) and that pissed me off a bit bc this was clearly marketed as MF and I feel like that was a weird way to give this a why choose vibe without having it fully be that? Hard to explain but I'm annoyed and purposely avoid why choose type books.
I'm not going to even address the rest of the plot but it was a lot going on and nothing was explored or explained in a way that made sense. This was about 400 pages, which felt way too long. Side characters were either meaningless or just fully disappeared (James, where did you go?). I don't know what else to say - this was quite the book and it's memorable and meaningless at the same time. I moderately enjoyed it, even given all of these flaws, because I just turned off my brain and read. But the nail in the coffin was the MMC constantly calling the FMC kitten - then she meowed during a spicy scene. Straight to jail!
Well, I finished this so that's saying something. And, I don't hate the premise. Penelope (FMC) is a sheltered princess from Demeter. Her mother became very ill before/while pregnant with Penny (?) and made a deal with the Shadow King (fae) from the Faerie realm. It's a bit of a bet, and the details are fully unknown, but when Penny turns 18 she has to spend half of each year (every 2 weeks) in Faerie to... do things. She has to win this bet for undetermined reasons. But her mom died later on anyway and she still has to do this... task? Her father (the misogynistic king) is mad about this but she has to go anyway. Demeter is a very conservative place, and this Faerie realm is dangerous and sinful, etc.
I feel like this could have been okay, but the execution was terrible. The writing was pretty rough and just lacked so much depth. We are told things, but never shown. It's just very messy. Like I mentioned, this entire story hinges on this bet and we don't get any information on it until the very very end??? Even then it makes no sense and is contradicting itself - there's a note at the end that there's a bonus chapter or something with the bet background if you sign up for the author's newsletter (I'm sorry, but that's crazy this is like a central point to the story).
Damien/One/Two/Three/Four is our MMC. This will kind of be spoilery but also is pretty obvious but yeah that's just one guy and he's split into 4 guys bc reasons. Penny is this very dumb childlike girl who becomes obsessed with One after speaking to him like twice (and he's not even very nice to her///they honestly barely interact). I gasped when she said I love you to him bc it was so cringe. I felt 0 chemistry between the two because their development was non-existent. Also when she loses her virginity it's to 3 of the guys at once (I'm not going to bother explaining more) and that pissed me off a bit bc this was clearly marketed as MF and I feel like that was a weird way to give this a why choose vibe without having it fully be that? Hard to explain but I'm annoyed and purposely avoid why choose type books.
I'm not going to even address the rest of the plot but it was a lot going on and nothing was explored or explained in a way that made sense. This was about 400 pages, which felt way too long. Side characters were either meaningless or just fully disappeared (James, where did you go?). I don't know what else to say - this was quite the book and it's memorable and meaningless at the same time. I moderately enjoyed it, even given all of these flaws, because I just turned off my brain and read. But the nail in the coffin was the MMC constantly calling the FMC kitten - then she meowed during a spicy scene. Straight to jail!
May 10, 2024
A mesmerising dark fantasy romance, that's a creative mix of beauty & beast, Hades & Persephone and Acotar.
When Penelope is forced to travel to Fae for 2 weeks every month from a cryptic deal her father made to the Shadow King, she has no idea what's in store for her.
She's been taught to fear the Fae, expect monsters, trust noone, always be on guard and avoid their sinful ways, but she didn't expect to be entranced by the mysterious Lords of Nightmares, Dreams and Fantasies, or for the Shadow King to court her.
The Kingdom golds many secrets and Nell is determined to discover them all, including why she feels so drawn to the Fae.
Slow burn and steamy fantasy romance, fantastic twists, hidden villain, morally grey/ shadow daddy, curses and magic.
This is a fantastic read and standalone in an interconnected series with more to come.
🖤"I could do a lot worse. I would gladly tie you to my bed and make you forget about your home, your family, and your beliefs"
🖤"Because I'd die to have you"
🖤"I knew you'd give in...Kiss me, Pet. Show me how much you want me"
🖤"No nightmare, dream, or fantasy could ever keep us apart. He's the One"
When Penelope is forced to travel to Fae for 2 weeks every month from a cryptic deal her father made to the Shadow King, she has no idea what's in store for her.
She's been taught to fear the Fae, expect monsters, trust noone, always be on guard and avoid their sinful ways, but she didn't expect to be entranced by the mysterious Lords of Nightmares, Dreams and Fantasies, or for the Shadow King to court her.
The Kingdom golds many secrets and Nell is determined to discover them all, including why she feels so drawn to the Fae.
Slow burn and steamy fantasy romance, fantastic twists, hidden villain, morally grey/ shadow daddy, curses and magic.
This is a fantastic read and standalone in an interconnected series with more to come.
🖤"I could do a lot worse. I would gladly tie you to my bed and make you forget about your home, your family, and your beliefs"
🖤"Because I'd die to have you"
🖤"I knew you'd give in...Kiss me, Pet. Show me how much you want me"
🖤"No nightmare, dream, or fantasy could ever keep us apart. He's the One"
April 2, 2025
Literally took me days to finish cause it was so boring. Mainly got it on audible cause I love Anthony Palmini’s voice but this? don’t even waste your time.
I read somewhere it was 5/10 for spice more like 0.5/10
Storyline was all over the place and I was confused half the time
I read somewhere it was 5/10 for spice more like 0.5/10
Storyline was all over the place and I was confused half the time
September 15, 2024
2024 Reads #483/250
4.25🌟
4.25🌟
June 24, 2025
Kitten
My Shadow King ❤️
This romantasy was freaking amazing. With all the magic and that twist towards the end. I almost died from it. And when he released her I screamed🥴🥴😭😭😭. This was so good. I felt bad for Mara. Lori is a badass. In overall so happy I came across this book.
My Shadow King ❤️
This romantasy was freaking amazing. With all the magic and that twist towards the end. I almost died from it. And when he released her I screamed🥴🥴😭😭😭. This was so good. I felt bad for Mara. Lori is a badass. In overall so happy I came across this book.
August 14, 2025
This book was better written than other big books out there. The world was interesting I love the idea of inter dimensional travel. The fact the these characters travel to our actual world then to the past and to fae real and other dimensions was interesting.In addition these characters had the ability to enter dreams which is also something that I love to see in books.
But what I enjoy the most about this book was that the author kept me guessing what was going to happen I was not sure what was going with the MMC I was questioning if it was a why choose because there is a foursome scene 😳.
I do feel that the love story needed more work I was not completely sold in their mutual love. The book doesn’t have a cliffhanger so if you want to stop reading by the end of the book the ending is satisfying enough.
The narration was amazing I love the voices of both narrators.
But what I enjoy the most about this book was that the author kept me guessing what was going to happen I was not sure what was going with the MMC I was questioning if it was a why choose because there is a foursome scene 😳.
I do feel that the love story needed more work I was not completely sold in their mutual love. The book doesn’t have a cliffhanger so if you want to stop reading by the end of the book the ending is satisfying enough.
The narration was amazing I love the voices of both narrators.
December 28, 2024
The storyline wasn’t properly explained - I have so many questions?! And whilst I usually love a dual POV book, I didn’t like that the chapter titles offered no indication of whose POV the chapter was going to be about; after picking up on the context you can figure it out but it was a little confusing at times.
January 1, 2026
I was expecting more than I should have I suppose. The book fell short, it was ok nothing special.
May 29, 2024
Wow!! This book was so enchanting! The spicy scenes were *chef’s kiss* 🌶️🥵 Nell grows so much as a FMC and it was amazing to see how co did at she becomes in who she is. Now present the morally gray MMC the Shadow King and One (two and three 😉) whose motives are questionable and keep you guessing on what’s going on throughout the book. Highly recommend if you love Magic, fantasy, and some shadow daddy vibes ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
July 13, 2025
Good concept, poor execution, unfortunately.
June 15, 2025
Well, I thought I was gonna like this a lot more. The beginning is pretty good and the ending is great but the middle fell flat. It’s the same scenario over and over again but just retold differently.
A young human princess taken to the Fae world because of a contract her father created to save her mother. But the Faye world is considered taboo and disgusting by the humans so anyone that goes to the Fae world is considered tainted.
Our FMC has a navigate her world and the Fae world, and not ruin her reputation for her future.
Like I said, the middle is the same scenario just retold differently but over and over.
MMC: I like you, but I can’t have feelings for you so I’m gonna push you away and disappear for weeks. Oh look I’m back but you have to stay away from me.
FMC: but no, I love you more now because you pushed me away and now you’re mysterious and ever so more alluring Fae!
MMC: you belong to the Fae king.
FMC: No, I don’t belong to the Fae King. I belong to you, even though you don’t want me and keep pushing me away!
MMC: but I do want you, but you belong to the Fae king…
And so on…
With that said, I still did not find our FMC annoying. She was just sweet and young, confused and trying to figure things out. On the flipside of that coin, I was annoyed as hell at our MMC! I just wanted to brain dust him upside the head.
The sexual intention is really palatable, and that was really fun! Had me gritting in my teeth on the edge of my seat. There is some spice to the end and it’s a good time.
I would’ve really liked there to be a little bit more substance to the main plot. Maybe a side quest or maybe puzzles she had to figure out. There is a puzzle and it is mysterious, but you figure it out right away and there’s only one big one.
Also like I said, the ending is awesome! Dang, I wish the middle of the book really match the ending! The beginning was really a good time as well!
I love the dual POV and I really like the idea of this book! Will I be continuing the series? Yes! It’s not on top of my TBR but I will be continuing the series because now I’m curious. The ending is left. Open to more possibilities in this world, and I have to see it through. This is a standalone so you will have closure. Will I recommend this book? Yes, it’s still a good time and hopefully the second one’s even better!
There was one twist at the end I didn’t see coming that was really interesting and I like how that pulled together. Like I said the beginning and ending were great!
3.75/5🌟
3/5🌶️
Enjoy my Bookish Friend and remember if you like/love a book talk about it!
A young human princess taken to the Fae world because of a contract her father created to save her mother. But the Faye world is considered taboo and disgusting by the humans so anyone that goes to the Fae world is considered tainted.
Our FMC has a navigate her world and the Fae world, and not ruin her reputation for her future.
Like I said, the middle is the same scenario just retold differently but over and over.
MMC: I like you, but I can’t have feelings for you so I’m gonna push you away and disappear for weeks. Oh look I’m back but you have to stay away from me.
FMC: but no, I love you more now because you pushed me away and now you’re mysterious and ever so more alluring Fae!
MMC: you belong to the Fae king.
FMC: No, I don’t belong to the Fae King. I belong to you, even though you don’t want me and keep pushing me away!
MMC: but I do want you, but you belong to the Fae king…
And so on…
With that said, I still did not find our FMC annoying. She was just sweet and young, confused and trying to figure things out. On the flipside of that coin, I was annoyed as hell at our MMC! I just wanted to brain dust him upside the head.
The sexual intention is really palatable, and that was really fun! Had me gritting in my teeth on the edge of my seat. There is some spice to the end and it’s a good time.
I would’ve really liked there to be a little bit more substance to the main plot. Maybe a side quest or maybe puzzles she had to figure out. There is a puzzle and it is mysterious, but you figure it out right away and there’s only one big one.
Also like I said, the ending is awesome! Dang, I wish the middle of the book really match the ending! The beginning was really a good time as well!
I love the dual POV and I really like the idea of this book! Will I be continuing the series? Yes! It’s not on top of my TBR but I will be continuing the series because now I’m curious. The ending is left. Open to more possibilities in this world, and I have to see it through. This is a standalone so you will have closure. Will I recommend this book? Yes, it’s still a good time and hopefully the second one’s even better!
There was one twist at the end I didn’t see coming that was really interesting and I like how that pulled together. Like I said the beginning and ending were great!
3.75/5🌟
3/5🌶️
Enjoy my Bookish Friend and remember if you like/love a book talk about it!
April 27, 2024
4.5 ⭐️ 1 🌶️
A Deal with the Shadow King kept me gripped throughout the whole book. The book follows Penny, a Princess from Demeter located in the Old Kingdom, who must live in the Faerie Realm due to a bargain made by her father to save her mother's life when she was pregnant with her. Once she arrives in Faerie she learns that what she had been taught about the Shadow Court is not what she had been told and that a curse has affected the court and a villain who wants revenge will try and shatter her world all over again.
The book gave me the magic vibes within a more fairytale setting with a night court vibe.
This is book 1 in the Curse of the Fae series. Recommend to check trigger warnings before reading.
*loosely based on Beauty and the Beast
*unique curse idea
*Strong Independent FMC
*Morally grey MMC/ Shadow MMC
*great supporting characters
*unexpected villain
*slow burn
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A Deal with the Shadow King kept me gripped throughout the whole book. The book follows Penny, a Princess from Demeter located in the Old Kingdom, who must live in the Faerie Realm due to a bargain made by her father to save her mother's life when she was pregnant with her. Once she arrives in Faerie she learns that what she had been taught about the Shadow Court is not what she had been told and that a curse has affected the court and a villain who wants revenge will try and shatter her world all over again.
The book gave me the magic vibes within a more fairytale setting with a night court vibe.
This is book 1 in the Curse of the Fae series. Recommend to check trigger warnings before reading.
*loosely based on Beauty and the Beast
*unique curse idea
*Strong Independent FMC
*Morally grey MMC/ Shadow MMC
*great supporting characters
*unexpected villain
*slow burn
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
August 26, 2025
This had me entertained in the middle but there was zero world building, character development, or sense in some of the plot twists they were just throwing one after another at the end. I was hoping for sooo much more since this is a series but I won’t be continuing!
October 2, 2025
Story: 4★
Performances:4★
Performances:4★
January 3, 2026
Would have liked more action
April 29, 2025
The writing was a hot mess in some places but I realllllly enjoyed the story
January 20, 2026
I went into this complerely blind and had no clue what to expect. This book had me up down and all around in the absolute best way! I did guess part of it, but there was a huge plot twist that had me absolutely reeling. Both the MMC and FMC were absolutely amazing!
April 26, 2025
2.5⭐️
There’s a curse that’s causing the Shadow Kingdom to lose its power. So the Shadow King starts looking for magic in other kingdoms and worlds. He makes a deal with a distant kingdom, and to save his own realm, a father sends his daughter to live ever 15 days in the fae kingdom until she manages to lose her magic.
I finished the book, but I didn’t fully understand the curse, the magic system, or why the girl was so important. I found it all very confusing.
What I understood is that the Shadow King is responsible for taking care of the courts (Nightmare, Dreams, and Fantasy). Since he feels like he can’t handle it all alone, he decides to split his soul into four physical forms: one becomes King Damian and the others are One, Two, and Three.
And here’s where it gets weird.
I actually love “why choose” books, but this one felt way too strange.
She falls in love with One, but because the “brothers” (who are actually the same person, and she doesn’t knows it) are cursed, only Three — who rules over the Fantasy court — can have sex.
The only way for One to be with her would be if they were all together.
And the girl, who is a virgin, agrees because she really wants to be with One.
Even though they are technically the same person, I didn’t like this type of “why choose” dynamic.
I found the scene really strange.
To me, it was unnecessary and kind of killed the emotion of the couple.
In the end, the book wasn’t bad, but it also wasn’t good.
I’ll definitely read the next books though!
There’s a curse that’s causing the Shadow Kingdom to lose its power. So the Shadow King starts looking for magic in other kingdoms and worlds. He makes a deal with a distant kingdom, and to save his own realm, a father sends his daughter to live ever 15 days in the fae kingdom until she manages to lose her magic.
I finished the book, but I didn’t fully understand the curse, the magic system, or why the girl was so important. I found it all very confusing.
What I understood is that the Shadow King is responsible for taking care of the courts (Nightmare, Dreams, and Fantasy). Since he feels like he can’t handle it all alone, he decides to split his soul into four physical forms: one becomes King Damian and the others are One, Two, and Three.
And here’s where it gets weird.
I actually love “why choose” books, but this one felt way too strange.
She falls in love with One, but because the “brothers” (who are actually the same person, and she doesn’t knows it) are cursed, only Three — who rules over the Fantasy court — can have sex.
The only way for One to be with her would be if they were all together.
And the girl, who is a virgin, agrees because she really wants to be with One.
Even though they are technically the same person, I didn’t like this type of “why choose” dynamic.
I found the scene really strange.
To me, it was unnecessary and kind of killed the emotion of the couple.
In the end, the book wasn’t bad, but it also wasn’t good.
I’ll definitely read the next books though!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2025
Honestly, this book was just okay for me. A lot of the plot felt confusing, and for most of the story I struggled to keep track of who was who. The “spicy” scene with One, Two, and Three threw me off a bit, especially with some of the word choices. It pulled me out of the moment more than it added to the story.
The “new world vs. old world” conflict also did not hit as strongly as I hoped it would. The pacing dragged in the beginning, and it took a long time before the story really started to pick up. Even once it did, the trials felt rushed and too easily resolved. It did not feel like the main character had to truly work for her victories.
The romance had potential but fell short, especially toward the end where it felt rushed instead of developed. The book had some interesting ideas and moments, but it never fully landed for me. Overall, I was just not impressed with this book.
The “new world vs. old world” conflict also did not hit as strongly as I hoped it would. The pacing dragged in the beginning, and it took a long time before the story really started to pick up. Even once it did, the trials felt rushed and too easily resolved. It did not feel like the main character had to truly work for her victories.
The romance had potential but fell short, especially toward the end where it felt rushed instead of developed. The book had some interesting ideas and moments, but it never fully landed for me. Overall, I was just not impressed with this book.
April 22, 2025
DNF @ 45%
Just couldn’t get into it.
It was reminiscent of so many other books but without the interesting parts. It started out with a Hades x Persephone vibe for which I was really excited.
However, the banter was severely lacking. FMC was naive and sheltered to the point that you felt bad for her. Romance was suddenly introduced without any buildup. Characters were flat. Book was overall choppy and disjointed.
The mirror travel was the only unique aspect.
Just couldn’t get into it.
It was reminiscent of so many other books but without the interesting parts. It started out with a Hades x Persephone vibe for which I was really excited.
However, the banter was severely lacking. FMC was naive and sheltered to the point that you felt bad for her. Romance was suddenly introduced without any buildup. Characters were flat. Book was overall choppy and disjointed.
The mirror travel was the only unique aspect.
September 22, 2024
Maddening and Mesmerising!!
What a roller coaster of a story, filled with twists and turns, needing to read between the lines to see the hidden truths, loved this book and the growth in all, the characters, while shocking you with surprises, can’t wait to read more about them all!!
What a roller coaster of a story, filled with twists and turns, needing to read between the lines to see the hidden truths, loved this book and the growth in all, the characters, while shocking you with surprises, can’t wait to read more about them all!!
July 22, 2025
I showed up for [the few chapters read by] Anthony Palmini, I stayed for [the few chapters read by] Anthony Palmini, and two of these stars are for Anthony Palmini.
November 2, 2025
Great Fae Romance
Pretty good book! I enjoyed the storyline, it is fairly unique. There's been a million Fae books and this felt different, although slightly predictable. And the characters are good.
Pretty good book! I enjoyed the storyline, it is fairly unique. There's been a million Fae books and this felt different, although slightly predictable. And the characters are good.
November 29, 2024
✅ cringy
✅ girl sold like a worthless dog
✅ girl is virgin boy is not
✅ young adult
✅ not like other girls / too stupid to live / women are so emotional and act on anger but men are stoic and calm
✅ girl sold like a worthless dog
✅ girl is virgin boy is not
✅ young adult
✅ not like other girls / too stupid to live / women are so emotional and act on anger but men are stoic and calm
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2025
Nell’s parents made a deal with the Fae Shadow King to save her mother before Nell was even born. Once Nell turns eighteen, she is forced to spend a year in Farie as part of that bargain. Because the deal must remain secret, she is allowed to travel back and forth between the two realms. Nell comes from the realm of Demeter, a very religious and conservative society. Her task is to endure her time at the Shadow Court without falling for the king and his sinful ways while also staying alive, as the Shadow Court is a dangerous place hunted by nightmares.
The pacing is slow to medium. While the writing itself is decent, the story unfortunately lacks depth and substance. At times, it felt more like reading a promising script than a fully developed novel. I missed stronger worldbuilding and character development, and many story elements remain vague. The book introduces a number of interesting ideas but rarely commits to exploring them, leaving a lot of unrealized potential and far too much to the reader’s imagination.
This issue extends to the characters as well. They felt rather shallow, and I didn’t sense any real chemistry between the FMC and MMC. Their relationship leans heavily towards insta-love, and I was caving more yearning, tension and emotional growth. As a result, the declarations of love fell completely flat for me, when they should have been a highlight.
Additionally, the story is set in a nightmare-coded realm called “The Dreaming”, which totally reminded me of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman. That parallel was hard to ignore. I also strongly disliked the FMC’s nickname – “kitten” – though I’ll admit that may just be personal preference.
On a positive note, the audiobook narration was excellent. Anthony Palmini did a great job, and I absolutely loved Lilly Drake’s voice.
Overall, this was a mediocre read for me. It left a lot to be desired and felt much more like a YA or NA story than an adult fantasy romance.
Story: 2.5 ⭐️
Spice: 1 🌶
The pacing is slow to medium. While the writing itself is decent, the story unfortunately lacks depth and substance. At times, it felt more like reading a promising script than a fully developed novel. I missed stronger worldbuilding and character development, and many story elements remain vague. The book introduces a number of interesting ideas but rarely commits to exploring them, leaving a lot of unrealized potential and far too much to the reader’s imagination.
This issue extends to the characters as well. They felt rather shallow, and I didn’t sense any real chemistry between the FMC and MMC. Their relationship leans heavily towards insta-love, and I was caving more yearning, tension and emotional growth. As a result, the declarations of love fell completely flat for me, when they should have been a highlight.
Additionally, the story is set in a nightmare-coded realm called “The Dreaming”, which totally reminded me of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman. That parallel was hard to ignore. I also strongly disliked the FMC’s nickname – “kitten” – though I’ll admit that may just be personal preference.
On a positive note, the audiobook narration was excellent. Anthony Palmini did a great job, and I absolutely loved Lilly Drake’s voice.
Overall, this was a mediocre read for me. It left a lot to be desired and felt much more like a YA or NA story than an adult fantasy romance.
Story: 2.5 ⭐️
Spice: 1 🌶
June 3, 2025
A Deal With the Shadow King had more lyrical prose than some of the other Romantasy I've come across. I enjoyed the references to traditional folk tropes (Don't eat Fae food, Fae can't lie, knowledge of names holds power, etc.) Particularly the effort put into writing the Fae's inability to lie pays off: there are plenty of half-truths, misdirections, and strategically unanswered questions that made me want to scrutinize everything.
Unfortunately, a lot of this falls away by the third act.
It lacked the world-building and descriptions of place needed to keep me from feeling like I was missing something, which could have been avoided by just setting the table for the reader, a little bit more.
There's UNEXPECTED MODERNITY. This might have been my mistake for not learning more about the plot before I started in, but the story includes sections that take place in a high fantasy fairy realm, as well as a low-fantasy contemporary earth, and low-fantasy kingdom. Some characters that are native to present-day earth are staying in the fairy realm, and use modern slang and have modern accouterments. There are also scenes that take place in real places, like present-day New York City. There's an attempt to show the MC's confusion about these things, but it's not as entertaining as it could have been. The MC is frustratingly contrary.
The breadcrumbs of world-building that are included are delightful, and I wish they were more frequent. There's a disappointing part where the Fairy seasons and holiday festivals are being described as the MC reads about them, and after they're each named and loosely themed, the story just moves on to say "So mamy exotic customs and intriguing details keep me awake until the wee hours of the night, my curiosity only growing as I uncover more details about these magical, eerie lands." But what about me - the reader? I wanna be kept up until the wee hours reading about these customs and eerie lands! That's why I'm here!! D:
It gets a little spicy around the 60% mark, but it's more fantasy than romance, altogether. People do frequently have "their bottom lip tucked between their teeth" though, as consolation, I suppose. Honestly, 1 out of 5 on spice. It's not that creative, I guess. For example: "Damien fucks like the entire world is on fire, and we're the only two people left in it." Meh, a bit tired. And please show, don't tell.
The MC is a princess from a fairly puritanical society, so she clutches her pearls a little bit about what she percieves as wanton or too-casual conversations. This does add a little interest though, as other characters scrutinize the norms and gender roles of her home kingdom, which adds to her own uncertainties on those issues. At one point the MC almost learns that men can have sex with each other, but is like, no way... that can't happen.
Overall, I just wasn't interested in what was happening, by the end. I considered not finishing this book several times throughout, but I have the clinical inability to DNF a book, even at my own peril.
Exclamations include:
"By the Spindle"
"By the Mother"
"By the crops"
"Holy horses"
Unfortunately, a lot of this falls away by the third act.
It lacked the world-building and descriptions of place needed to keep me from feeling like I was missing something, which could have been avoided by just setting the table for the reader, a little bit more.
There's UNEXPECTED MODERNITY. This might have been my mistake for not learning more about the plot before I started in, but the story includes sections that take place in a high fantasy fairy realm, as well as a low-fantasy contemporary earth, and low-fantasy kingdom. Some characters that are native to present-day earth are staying in the fairy realm, and use modern slang and have modern accouterments. There are also scenes that take place in real places, like present-day New York City. There's an attempt to show the MC's confusion about these things, but it's not as entertaining as it could have been. The MC is frustratingly contrary.
The breadcrumbs of world-building that are included are delightful, and I wish they were more frequent. There's a disappointing part where the Fairy seasons and holiday festivals are being described as the MC reads about them, and after they're each named and loosely themed, the story just moves on to say "So mamy exotic customs and intriguing details keep me awake until the wee hours of the night, my curiosity only growing as I uncover more details about these magical, eerie lands." But what about me - the reader? I wanna be kept up until the wee hours reading about these customs and eerie lands! That's why I'm here!! D:
It gets a little spicy around the 60% mark, but it's more fantasy than romance, altogether. People do frequently have "their bottom lip tucked between their teeth" though, as consolation, I suppose. Honestly, 1 out of 5 on spice. It's not that creative, I guess. For example: "Damien fucks like the entire world is on fire, and we're the only two people left in it." Meh, a bit tired. And please show, don't tell.
The MC is a princess from a fairly puritanical society, so she clutches her pearls a little bit about what she percieves as wanton or too-casual conversations. This does add a little interest though, as other characters scrutinize the norms and gender roles of her home kingdom, which adds to her own uncertainties on those issues. At one point the MC almost learns that men can have sex with each other, but is like, no way... that can't happen.
Overall, I just wasn't interested in what was happening, by the end. I considered not finishing this book several times throughout, but I have the clinical inability to DNF a book, even at my own peril.
Exclamations include:
"By the Spindle"
"By the Mother"
"By the crops"
"Holy horses"
July 7, 2025
3 ⭐️
3 stars is definitely a very generous rating for this book. it wasnt too boring, started pretty fast paced and i liked where it was going. but then the one, two, three thing happened and i was all confused bc i thought her main love interest was the king but i mean it makes sense at the end. this book was more than i expected, which wasnt much, but yea i prob wouldve gotten into a reading slump if i didnt take a break from this book every 3 mins.
3 stars is definitely a very generous rating for this book. it wasnt too boring, started pretty fast paced and i liked where it was going. but then the one, two, three thing happened and i was all confused bc i thought her main love interest was the king but i mean it makes sense at the end. this book was more than i expected, which wasnt much, but yea i prob wouldve gotten into a reading slump if i didnt take a break from this book every 3 mins.
January 15, 2026
I went into this book completely blind so I didn't have many expectations, but it kind of blew my mind! I'm obsessed with the MMC and honestly the FMC is amazing as well, no insufferable main characters. The setting is very dark academia vibes, I love the magic system. It started off giving me acotar (book 1) vibes but very quickly it was it's own story, and an incredible one at that.. It has me hooked and I can't wait to read the next one to figure out what happens next! Highly recommend!
May 14, 2024
A Deal With The Shadow King
Curse of the Fae
Anya Cosgrove
Stars:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️
Time to read: 4.5 hours
HFN
**My review may contain spoilers!!!!!
**Read Trigger Warnings!!!!
Tropes/Genres/tags:
Fae
Fantasy
V1rgin heroine
Slow burn
Enemies to l0vers
Forced proximity
Beauty and The Beast
Hades and Persephone
Mild OW drama
Penelope Darcy, 18, Princess
Damian Morpheus Sombra, King of The Shadow Court
I loved this book! I cannot wait for the next one to come out! It’s a slow burn enemies to l0vers romance with a lot of mystery and drama.
Curse of the Fae
Anya Cosgrove
Stars:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️
Time to read: 4.5 hours
HFN
**My review may contain spoilers!!!!!
**Read Trigger Warnings!!!!
Tropes/Genres/tags:
Fae
Fantasy
V1rgin heroine
Slow burn
Enemies to l0vers
Forced proximity
Beauty and The Beast
Hades and Persephone
Mild OW drama
Penelope Darcy, 18, Princess
Damian Morpheus Sombra, King of The Shadow Court
I loved this book! I cannot wait for the next one to come out! It’s a slow burn enemies to l0vers romance with a lot of mystery and drama.
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