Shadow and Soul: A Fantasy Romance

by A.R. Colbert

In a realm where shadows wield extraordinary power, one woman's heart may hold the key to saving two kingdoms.

Melynn has always been an outcast in her village, whispered about as the witch in the woods. But when a mysterious stranger appears in her garden, she's thrust into a perilous journey that will challenge everything she thought she knew about magic, love, and her own destiny.

Ryland is a man of secrets, fleeing the dark kingdom of Caligo and its tyrannical ruler. In Melynn's quiet strength, he finds a refuge he never expected. Together, they must face dragons, mythical beasts, and the shadows that threaten to consume them both.

As war looms and ancient prophecies unfold, Melynn and Ryland are forced to confront the darkness within themselves and their lands. Their love could be the salvation of two kingdoms–or the catalyst for their destruction.

"Shadow and Soul" is a spellbinding tale of forbidden romance, political intrigue, and the transformative power of love. Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Leigh Bardugo, this epic fantasy will leave you breathless and craving more.

Dive into a world where shadows come alive and true love can break the strongest curses.

One click now if you

Forbidden loveDragons and other mythical creaturesRewriting fateDark magicFantasy romance without the spice!

Genres: Audiobook, Fantasy, Romance, Fiction

244 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 11, 2024

Reviews

[~Mademoiselle Angie~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to in audio before my sleep and it served very well as a little soothing fairytale to keep your brain busy from serious thoughts untill you dose off.
It's a cute little story, pleasant and with interesting characters, with a bit of everything and yet not too much. Quite interesting world building and all, but I do agree with some previous reviewers that it seems the author has chosen a bit of a cheating - lazier way of finishing the book. Everything just got one way or another resolved without the main character participating much.

[marion :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Je l’ai écouté en audiobook et bon.. ça a le mérite de me divertir quand je fais du crochet, c’était bien mais ça cassait pas trop pattes à un canard..

[Daniela Miron · Rating 1 out of 5]

My plan was to start reading Shadow and Bone because it’s supposed to be really good.

I was surprised to find the audio book on yt and played it without hesitation, thinking it’s the one I had in mind, judged by the cover and the first word in the title (mea culpa).
As you may expect, I was confused and waiting for it to get better while constantly whispering to myself “what the f is this!?”.
After a few hours, I came to my senses and had a look at the player aaaaand, ladies and gents, I’ve been played… I wasn’t listening to Shadow and BONE I was listening to Shadow and something;(.

It wasn’t a complete waste of time, after all, my chores are done.

Would I recommend this book?
No, it’s too schmalzy and cringe 😬

[Sydney Fiore · Rating 2 out of 5]

The romance and characters were poorly developed, but the plot was decent- that’s what kept me until the end. Not a fan of this book.

[Laura Gallegos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Entretenido, pero tiene muchas cosas típicas de los libros de fantasía. No está mal tampoco usarlos, pero en este caso sentí que no tenían ningún extra e hizo que el libro sea muy predecible en todo momento

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite the fact that she never had a thought in that little head of hers, it was a good story.

[Natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Shelves_by_sim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this alot. It was a nice quick fantasy to read in between reads when I didn't have time to start another long book. Writing was good and so was the plot!

[Linn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am confusion ...

[Elle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Preview Thoughts (Chapters 1-4):
Melynn is a tough-skinned young woman burdened by a challenging life, caring for her unpredictable, often non-lucid mother while finding solace in her woodland garden. Ryland, by contrast, is playful, mysterious, and ominously intriguing. With a raven always lurking nearby, it’s clear that his arrival is set to shake up Melynn’s monotonous life—though not without raising obvious “stranger danger” concerns.

Final Review:
Shadow and Soul follows a familiar trajectory seen in YA fantasy: betrayal, misunderstanding, and forced tension. While these elements can create drama, their overuse in the genre begins to feel contrived. The plot hinges on the adventure where the protagonist often finds herself in danger to drive the story forward, but the lack of more innovative narrative tools detracts from the story's potential.

Melynn’s character is courageous and tenacious, but her transformation from a quiet girl in the woods to someone encouraging anarchy in the kingdom strains believability. As a non-magical, physically weak protagonist, her ambitions to upend the political system of Calico feel implausible. This leap in logic might work for younger readers, but for those with a more developed understanding of politics and magic for that matter, it’s a hard sell.

The romance between Melynn and Ryland also suffers from the classic "fast love" trope. While their bond is central to the story, it lacks depth and realism, raising concerns about the messages it sends to young readers about love and relationships. Their foretold heartbreak feels inevitable but lacks the emotional weight to make it compelling.

Despite its flaws, Shadow and Soul may appeal to its target audience of 12- to 18-year-olds who enjoy adventurous tales of self-discovery. However, for older readers or those seeking more nuanced storytelling, this book falls short.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2/5)
Spice Level: 🌶️ 0/5
The romance is chaste, which is suitable for the intended YA audience. While Shadow and Soul has moments of intrigue and adventure, its lack of depth in its storytelling makes it an underwhelming start to the Fateborne Trilogy.

[Zoey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very juvenile fantasy read. It was sweet, entertaining & interesting enough to keep going until I finished but it felt very surface level. The characters, the story line, the development- it all just felt too easy. The immediate head over heels, trust with your life kind of love developing within what felt like minutes was just a bit too cheesy for me. Overall, I enjoyed it but it definitely won’t be a very memorable read or one that I suggest to my adult peers. This felt very much like a book I would’ve consumed in middle school and raved over but as an adult, it wasn’t there for me.

[CatLand · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't understand why this book is only 3 stars. It was such a nice read!! I loved the characters and storytelling. I am hopeful there will be another book to go more in depth into the world itself. I overall loved it and recommend this book if you are looking for a more fantasy romance without a lot of spice.

[Camille Piette · Rating 1 out of 5]

Badly written too quick to childish too unrealistic (l know it’s fantasy but you know what I mean) couldn’t finish it even as an audiobook.

[Michelle Baumann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great story for kids I would rate this excellent for 10 - 14 year olds.

[Mss Sunrise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5/5.

.

This story follows an isolated witch whose mother gets sick and needs a special medicine from another kingdom. She meets a mysterious man in the forest who seems to run away from a group of shadows. The two establish a friendship and partnership of some sort that grows to something more. Only the man might be hiding something more than he is perceived as.


.


Thoughts and feelings:

🍁I really enjoyed this book. I listened to it on audio, and the narrator's cool. It kinda gave me Caraval vibes. It felt whimsical and magical and predictable, but not so much. I was pulled into right away, and that felt amazing because I've been struggling with reading recently. Maybe the writing style wasn't that flowery and was just straight to the point with a bit of descriptions here and there, but I didn't mind it tbh.

🍁I loved seeing the two protagonists go on a journey of some sort, him in the hope of protecting his kingdom and others from his father's wrath and her in the hope of saving her mother. I loved seeing them communicate and be honest and vulnerable at times. I loved seeing them trust each other even when all clues seemed to push them not to.

🍁I also loved how short, yet action-packed and fast, the book reads. It took me a couple of hours to finish it, and it felt like I've gone all nine yards, lol 😆

🍁Having said that, I didn't give the book a higher rating because things escalated too fast, imo between the two characters. I was also a bit confused a few times in the book regarding some magical elements. Finally, while I really truly enjoyed the story, it didn't strike me as a 5 star read or even 4, especially if I compare it to other similar vibe books 😅

P.S. I WILL CHECK OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR BECAUSE SHE DEFINITELY PULLED ME OUT OF A READING SLUMP.

[JonneVR · Rating 2 out of 5]

GENERAL:
Overall, I enjoyed the storyline and the characters but the poor writing distracted me frequently. I don’t want to be cruel, I do think that this story has a lot of potential.

SPECIFIC:
It felt weird to me that towards the end of the book, the main character wasn’t included during the main event of the book (killing the evil king). Are we just supposed to trust that Ryland and his sister are not lying? They only knew each other for a week or something, and he gave up the throne for her? Then she felt like she couldn’t say anything else besides ‘YES’ to him? Overal this book is a compilation of a girl who reads to much into anything, it still feels like Ryland used her and the relationship or feelings don’t feel genuine.

FINAL:
Don’t get me wrong, I love this type of storylines and fantasy worlds, I just think this book has so much potential and could have been so much better.

[Leslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full of often confusing inconsistencies (like moving from a harvest festival to the soft air of a spring morning in 24 hours).... traipse along as an isolated and persecuted forest girl runs off with a complete stranger in a quest to a hostile, foreign land in search of a magical potion to cure her mother's dementia. Oh yah.. this guy controls shadows (where have we seen that before?), turns into a raven (law of conservation of mass be damned) and just happens to be the prince and heir to the evil crown…. But really, he’s a good guy who just wants to help.

What annoyed me the most was the disconnect between the characters and their diction. For example, the forest rag-a-muffin commanding “release me” instead of shouting something ordinary like “let me go” or “get the fuck off!”

[Christie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook during my workday. The best way to describe it is immature. And I think that’s being kind.

Cons——

• Predictable and superficial plot. Nothing exciting happens. At no point did I get excited or even actually interested. In fact, I knew from the first 15 minutes this was just going to be background distraction for my work (so not a complete loss).

• Lacks character depth that would in any way make you care for the characters. They were boring. In no way did I believe they were actually in love though there is a “happy ending.”

• Whoever read the audio version sounds like it could have been AI or someone lacking tone -the voice was annoying to me and in no way complemented the story. I know that sounds harsh, but I’m REALLY weird about audio stimulation.


Pros————-

• It ended relatively quickly. Just under 6 hours of audio, which is a very short book.

• Clean. I would say a black pepper on the spicy chart. For those not interested in smut, this would work.

• …….Could have been worse???


I think this is supposed to be the first book in a series. If that’s the case, I have zero interest in continuing the series. This sounds like a harsh review and I hate that, but these are my honest reflections. It’s a no for me.

[Claudia Torkan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fuuuha... čakala som romantasy, dostala som slabší putovný YA odvar o tom, ako sa do seba obaja zamilovala po 2 kapitolách a on, čo uteká zo svojej zeme, sa do nej bez mihnutia vráti, aby tejto cudzej babe pomohol prinavrátiť mame pamäť. Nuž... buď je len taký samaritán, alebo na tom niečo nedávalo zmysel. A, bohužiaľ, nedalo mi to do konca.

[Al · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay so I liked the story. I listened to the audiobook will I was working and it did its job of entertaining me. I was really for it I loved the magic man and I would like one. But it kinda fell off at the end for me but ya know still a fun listen

[Jennie Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this 3 1/2 if I could. It was a nice story with likable characters. A sweet romance mixed with shadow magic and a royal family power struggle. I think the reason I didn't love it was because it's very YA which isn't a bad thing just not at the level I typically read.

[Ashley Rockholt · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars! I’m honestly so confused on why this book is rated so low. It’s written well, the plot is great, and the audio is recorded great.

What lengths would you go to save your mother from suffering full dementia?

[Mari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the story and the characters are nice.

[Karen Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was fine. I like a little more mystery and suspense. It was boring at times.

[Mia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found it to be anticlimactic.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful story of love and lost and kingdoms and loyalty :)

[wineomatic · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book. I know a trilogy will come after this and I hope there is more world building and explanation about the religion. I found a some of the prose to be repetitive.

[Lilly Rock · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I enjoyed the book I felt the ending was a bit lack luster.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute short story

[Natalie Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty typical romance but the action was fast paced. Likeable characters. Not super suspenseful but overall was a delight.