Shadowed Obsession: Foundations

Blood of the Sovereign #2

by Harper Lynn

I try to ignore her. It’s impossible. Serving in the palace, Jaelyn and I crossed paths, sharing fleeting moments—brief glances, stolen smiles.

But not my secrets.

She clings to a moment of kindness I once showed her, a cursory gesture that seems to bind her to me. Now, she watches me, a silent shadow trailing my every move. They call it obsession.

I call it a distraction.

The Council’s oppressive grip tightens around Nelahs, and I vow to break free. I’ll never forget the day I discovered my true calling—to seize power at any cost.

Or the first time I saw fear in her eyes.

I am the prince driven by dark ambitions and relentless desires, projecting kindness to those around me, masking my true intentions. Jaelyn doesn’t know the depths of my cravings or the lengths I’ll go to achieve my goals.

The palace is nothing but power plays and hidden agendas, but one truth remains.

I will navigate it with ruthless precision.

Let Jaelyn think I’m hers like all the others.

The power will be mine.

Pick up "Shadowed Obsession," the prequel to the "Blood of the Sovereign" series, and step into a world where ambition blurs with obsession, and power is the ultimate prize.

Genres: Ebooks

107 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 20, 2024

Reviews

[Sarah Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay so 100% I think people should read this book first before the even read the first book. Cuz this one made more sense and had more of a background for the first book.

This one explains more about Jaelyn obsession that she has in the first book with the prince. And it honestly goes a little bit more into her background too, you get to understand more of the reasons why she acts like she does in the beginning of the first book.

Honestly, I thought this was a lot better than the first one, I felt like the author took the reviews that she first got and improved her writing a lot. I feel like this book is a lot more easy to read and flows better. I was able to read it within an hour because of how good it was.

I'm probably going to give this author a try again for the rest of the series. Because like I said, I think she's done a lot better from her first book. She took the critiques and made sure that this book was a lot better and made more sense.

Now do I still think the main female character is a little too much, yes I do. After that last chapter it still makes me irk with her. I don't know it's just irritating I guess is what I can say to about it. So this book at least goes more into depth about her obsession with him and why it was like that in the first book.

[Megan Barnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting quick read. Maybe if I had read the first book before the prequel, something’s would make more sense.

That being said. It was intriguing trying to figure out what exactly was going on, how the political system was setup. It was different from others I have read.

I don’t love the main characters. Maybe that was the intention as backstory for the first book? Maybe the characters are supposed to be the kind you love to hate. Jaelyn is definitely a stalker and very obsessed with the Prince and all bad one two very small encounters. She only gets progressively worse as the story continues. It made me cringe so bad. And the Prince…well, I can’t say much there without spoiling it I’m assuming unless you read the first book.

Overall it was an intriguing read. I’m definitely curious as to what happens in the future and if the Prince’s plans work out as he hoped. And what exactly happens to Jaelyn, as obsessed as she is, I have a feeling she was in store for some very unfortunate pain or usage.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shadowed Obsession sets up two of the characters for the Blood of the Sovereign series. First character is Jaelyn a palace servant who comes to believe that the prince needs her. The second is Asher the crown prince with a secret who may also be a little more than just morally grey. We are introduced by name to a third character who will have an impact on the story; a knight that the other servant women find attractive. This story revolves around Jaelyn spying on the prince because she thinks he needs her help with things. She has developed a crush on him that soon turns unto an obsession. We learn at some point that the prince may not be the guy Jaelyn thinks he is but she seems to not see what is going on. The plot sets you up for what seems to be an interesting story but as a complete novella I was left wanting a little more. I like the character development and I definitely had strong feelings for them by the end of the book. i enjoyed the book - it only took a day to read. Overall, I would recommend this book to someone looking for a book with young adult vibes.

[Rachel Wehr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting short read. I was somewhat lost as I haven't read the first book yet, but after reading some of these reviews on intend to. I felt the writing was very good. I'm not sure what's going to happen to Jaelyn, but I hope she snaps out of it. I found myself very annoyed with her line of thinking, but I'm guessing it will be more revealed in the first book what is going on. I hope there's some character development and she's redeemable. I don't know if that will be the path Asher will take. Time will tell.

I didn't take off any stars for it, but I feel the synopsis of this book is very misleading. I thought it was going to be more of a love story than it was, but that might have just been me!

[Lauren Sexton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shadowed Obsession is the prequel to Crown Burning in the Blood of the Sovereign series. SO is a very short/quick read & should definitely be read BEFORE CB.

While I definitely enjoyed CB & the fantasy world Harper Lynn created, I did have a few hang ups.. 1. I felt like there was no backstory to Jaelyn & why she was so obsessed with the prince & 2. Lynn’s writing style sometimes went overboard with descriptors. I truly believe Lynn listened to her readers when writing SO! This book is the perfect prequel & sets you up for CB and Jaelyn’s story!

Thank you, Harper Lynn for this book & for the opportunity to read the ARC! Definitely a fan & can’t wait for not the next book!

Genre: YA fantasy. 🌶️ No spice.

[Joy Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a shorter read, but overall, I really enjoyed reading it! Full of intrigue and I really enjoyed seeing the story from both the MMC and the FMC perspective.

For an obsession like this story was talking about, the FMC really needed to realized that she was not going to rise in ranks just because a prince looked at her once. The prince (MMC) started to feel uncomfortable, but instead of doing anything about it, since he had the power, he left the serving girl (FMC) alone and looked at her obsession as nothing more than a passing nuisance.

[Erin M. Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

This prequel was a little weird, but decent and well written. I think the MMC, Asher might be a Gemini with that dual personality. One minute he’s charming and sincere, the next he is an a$$ and cruel. The MFC Jaelyn, without realizing it has brainwashed herself into believing that Prince Asher is the kindest person and that he is under a lot of stress.
I received a complimentary ARC from the author for a fair and honest review.

[Bethany L Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this short prequel we meet a cast of characters and get an intising peek at the world of Nelahs with a unique power system that is the beginning of turmoil. If you want a taste for some heavy political intrigue and to dip your toes into the "before it all" vibe of this world, be warned its griping. I am very excited to find out what happens next.

[Rania Laham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This prequel was short and sweet, giving a background to book 1. And regardless of how the blurb appears, it is not exactly a love story. Rather it is the background story giving insight to the Nelah’s power system and an introduction to the characters. Now that I have read this, I feel I very much need to go and read the 1st book in the series!!

[Wildborne Fantasy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started off with lots of world building, even though the book is only 87 pages long. I would have been more interested if there was tension between the main characters, but I didn’t see the chemistry. I also didn’t like the main characters. This reads as a prequel, so maybe the first book is better.

[Tabitha Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a great addition to the series. I fell in love with the world building in Crown Building and this put everything in depth more. It’s exactly what I needed before the next book comes out!
I loved how this book had more than one POV, it kept it interesting.

[Amanda Dixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love when there is dual POV throughout the books! It makes the story so much fun to see both sides. This is a very interesting prequel and I had not read the first one before this so it was at times just a little confusing but overall I enjoyed reading this book.

[Lindsay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cringe

I usually like when the MCs are obsessed, but this one made me feel icky. The conversations didn't seem like something real people would say. If the author was trying to showcase a character with mental illness, she succeeded.

[Rachel Stratton · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was nice to have more of a background on what preceded crown burning's adventure. It added more depth to the series, & I am excited for book 3.

[Heather Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! To fall in love with a prince when you first see him. This book has adventure and love. Amazing book by an incredible author!

[Angie Burnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is well written and the world well developed, but it just wasn’t for me.

[Frankie Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I’m curious to see where this goes! A little face paced and also it seemed to jump I got confused a couple of times but still a great book!

[Jenn (loves_a_good_book) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good quick read that provides more background to Crown Burning from Prince Asher’s POV. I liked how you got more information on what started Jaelyn’s obsession and how the magic and politics work. It was interesting to find out what Asher was truly like.

I am looking forward to jumping back and continuing Jaelyn’s and Tate’s story

[Heather Huggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

After finishing Crown Burning I always wondered what happened with Jaelyn and the prince. Did they have a relationship? Was it all in Jaelyn's head? Or was there something deeper going on? Did you use her? So many questions. Well, now I know. I'm ready for the next book Passion's Rising coming July 25, 2024.