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Thorns of the Veiled Heir
Lilyana’s journey begins where the past and magic meet.
Lilyana, a successful archaeologist with a deep love for plants and history, is on the brink of the discovery of a lifetime. Assigned to explore the ancient ruins of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, she’s set to make her mark on the world. But when an unexpected shift pulls her into a hidden realm of fae, shifters, and earth magic, Lilyana must confront secrets about her mother—and the power she never knew she possessed.
With her friends and lover by her side, Lilyana embarks on an adventure full of mystery, danger, and romance, where every step she takes uncovers more about herself, her family, and the magic that binds the world together.
Lilyana, a successful archaeologist with a deep love for plants and history, is on the brink of the discovery of a lifetime. Assigned to explore the ancient ruins of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, she’s set to make her mark on the world. But when an unexpected shift pulls her into a hidden realm of fae, shifters, and earth magic, Lilyana must confront secrets about her mother—and the power she never knew she possessed.
With her friends and lover by her side, Lilyana embarks on an adventure full of mystery, danger, and romance, where every step she takes uncovers more about herself, her family, and the magic that binds the world together.
402 pages, Paperback
Published May 17, 2025
2 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
About the author
Shay Alexander
3 books5 followersI’m Shay Alexander, and I write fantasy for those who crave lush worlds, rich magic, and heroines who don’t waste the whole book denying their power. Mythology, history, and the ethereal weave through my stories, creating adventures where the impossible is just another challenge to conquer.
I’m just beginning—come follow along, and I hope you enjoy the books.
✨ Join the journey!
I’m just beginning—come follow along, and I hope you enjoy the books.
✨ Join the journey!
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 12, 2025
A very solid debut novel!
I absolutely love a good found family and watching it form. I loved our FMC and thought her journey was a great read! This was my second why choose series and it lived up to my expectations. It had a nice slow burn build up!
the only downside for me was that sometimes the pacing felt a little rushed.
I read this book as an ARC provided by the author with the expectation of an honest review. All thoughts are my own <3
I absolutely love a good found family and watching it form. I loved our FMC and thought her journey was a great read! This was my second why choose series and it lived up to my expectations. It had a nice slow burn build up!
the only downside for me was that sometimes the pacing felt a little rushed.
I read this book as an ARC provided by the author with the expectation of an honest review. All thoughts are my own <3
May 17, 2025
Firstly I want to say thankyou for my Arc copy of this story, in exchange for my honest review..
I do have some pros and cons for this book, firstly I’d like to state the parts I enjoyed..
•I adoreeeee the found family trope🤍 and that was so strong in this book, our FMC had such a strong loyal inner circle around her.
•I also loved the whole 2 love interests that shared our FMC, a why choose😍 I was absolutely living for it- and the spice scenes 🫠🫠🫠 they areeeee amazing, even the side characters spicy scenes are.. 👌🏻chefs kiss.
•The world building is beautiful, even down to the detailing of the flowers, I love nothing more than good detailed world building in a Fantasy book, and it was beautifully done here.
•The characters themselves 😍 Elijah has my whole heart, he’s such a golden retriever, Milo didn’t phase me much in the beginning but my godddddd 😏 I love his dominant side, and Caleb and Korinne are just the perfect best friends, and even Sage grew on me, I love her sassy bad b*tch personality.
•Lastly I loved the magic, elemental is my favourite magics, and how we followed our FMC whilst she learnt each one was a nice touch✨
❤️🩹My Cons❤️🩹
Please note- I was an Arc reader which normally means I read a version of the book before its final edits… so grammar and spelling mistakes are expected and I mostly do look over those.. also just because I didn’t like certain parts of the story does not mean others will not… my 3 star read could very well be your 5 star⭐️
•My main issue- was the switch between 1st person to 3rd person within the same paragraphs/ sentences sometimes. It was so confusing, I personally like 1st person and 3rd person but it really needs to be one or the other for the whole book, I personally cannot cope with the switch especially not within 1 sentence.
•I felt the plot got lost sometimes, and the story wasn’t flowing naturally from one point to the next, it felt abit rushed and repetitive at times, I did find myself saying… you’ve already said that, multiple times. And I did find myself abit lost and confused at what was actually going on, and even though I love spice, I did find sometimes that was thrown in at random times and took away from the story abit… (but the spice is really well written, so that kind of makes up for it😂👌🏻)
•Lastly I felt the change from a human girl in our world, to all of a sudden being in a fae world and finding out she’s the next fae queen, and her and all her ‘human’ friends are actually all magical beings, and they all kind of just went yeah ok that’s fine😂 was abit crazy! Like i would be freaking out, but they were all so calm and just like right yeah let me rule my kingdom, and that just didn’t flow right for me, I kinda though the FMC should’ve been abit more reserved at first, so it felt abit like the story was being rushed along at that part.
There was a lot of aspects of the story I liked, and it was a good start into Shays Author journey, I look forward to future books from this Author, and wish her the best in her journey✨🥰
I do have some pros and cons for this book, firstly I’d like to state the parts I enjoyed..
•I adoreeeee the found family trope🤍 and that was so strong in this book, our FMC had such a strong loyal inner circle around her.
•I also loved the whole 2 love interests that shared our FMC, a why choose😍 I was absolutely living for it- and the spice scenes 🫠🫠🫠 they areeeee amazing, even the side characters spicy scenes are.. 👌🏻chefs kiss.
•The world building is beautiful, even down to the detailing of the flowers, I love nothing more than good detailed world building in a Fantasy book, and it was beautifully done here.
•The characters themselves 😍 Elijah has my whole heart, he’s such a golden retriever, Milo didn’t phase me much in the beginning but my godddddd 😏 I love his dominant side, and Caleb and Korinne are just the perfect best friends, and even Sage grew on me, I love her sassy bad b*tch personality.
•Lastly I loved the magic, elemental is my favourite magics, and how we followed our FMC whilst she learnt each one was a nice touch✨
❤️🩹My Cons❤️🩹
Please note- I was an Arc reader which normally means I read a version of the book before its final edits… so grammar and spelling mistakes are expected and I mostly do look over those.. also just because I didn’t like certain parts of the story does not mean others will not… my 3 star read could very well be your 5 star⭐️
•My main issue- was the switch between 1st person to 3rd person within the same paragraphs/ sentences sometimes. It was so confusing, I personally like 1st person and 3rd person but it really needs to be one or the other for the whole book, I personally cannot cope with the switch especially not within 1 sentence.
•I felt the plot got lost sometimes, and the story wasn’t flowing naturally from one point to the next, it felt abit rushed and repetitive at times, I did find myself saying… you’ve already said that, multiple times. And I did find myself abit lost and confused at what was actually going on, and even though I love spice, I did find sometimes that was thrown in at random times and took away from the story abit… (but the spice is really well written, so that kind of makes up for it😂👌🏻)
•Lastly I felt the change from a human girl in our world, to all of a sudden being in a fae world and finding out she’s the next fae queen, and her and all her ‘human’ friends are actually all magical beings, and they all kind of just went yeah ok that’s fine😂 was abit crazy! Like i would be freaking out, but they were all so calm and just like right yeah let me rule my kingdom, and that just didn’t flow right for me, I kinda though the FMC should’ve been abit more reserved at first, so it felt abit like the story was being rushed along at that part.
There was a lot of aspects of the story I liked, and it was a good start into Shays Author journey, I look forward to future books from this Author, and wish her the best in her journey✨🥰
May 28, 2025
This is a good debut book for Shay. Fantasy was one of the first genres I got into after starting to read once again and this book reminded me why I love it so much.
The world building was beautiful, providing careful detail to plant life along with providing the backstory of this fantasy world. The use of elemental magic is a rarely used trope in fantasy and always fun to see someone else’s take on it.
Our core three characters - Elijah, Milo, and Lily - were strong characters In their own right; all fiercely loyal and capable as they explored the new world they slipped into. The found family trope is so strong with our heroes and heroines and the assistance of loyal side characters who I can’t wait to explore more. However, I didn’t feel as connected to them as I thought I should’ve been. I struggled with how Lilyana was seemingly okay with being the next fae queen and all her human friends having magical abilities with very little questioning or resistance on their new normal didn’t feel natural; feeling rushed through to get to the next event.
The switch between 1st and 3rd person in the same paragraphs/ sentences took me out of the reading as I worked to remember whose POV I was reading from in that chapter. Additionally, the plot didn’t feel like it flowed as natural as it could from one point to the next and I felt lost in what was going on. Even though I am a fan of spice (really well written), it did feel oddly placed at times.
There are a lot of aspects and parts here that I truly liked in this debut novel. Shay’s attention to detail painted a beautiful picture of the world, both mundane and magical. The main characters are established and I look forward to learning more about them I can’t wait for the next book from this author. Thank you very much for trusting me to ARC read your first novel!
The world building was beautiful, providing careful detail to plant life along with providing the backstory of this fantasy world. The use of elemental magic is a rarely used trope in fantasy and always fun to see someone else’s take on it.
Our core three characters - Elijah, Milo, and Lily - were strong characters In their own right; all fiercely loyal and capable as they explored the new world they slipped into. The found family trope is so strong with our heroes and heroines and the assistance of loyal side characters who I can’t wait to explore more. However, I didn’t feel as connected to them as I thought I should’ve been. I struggled with how Lilyana was seemingly okay with being the next fae queen and all her human friends having magical abilities with very little questioning or resistance on their new normal didn’t feel natural; feeling rushed through to get to the next event.
The switch between 1st and 3rd person in the same paragraphs/ sentences took me out of the reading as I worked to remember whose POV I was reading from in that chapter. Additionally, the plot didn’t feel like it flowed as natural as it could from one point to the next and I felt lost in what was going on. Even though I am a fan of spice (really well written), it did feel oddly placed at times.
There are a lot of aspects and parts here that I truly liked in this debut novel. Shay’s attention to detail painted a beautiful picture of the world, both mundane and magical. The main characters are established and I look forward to learning more about them I can’t wait for the next book from this author. Thank you very much for trusting me to ARC read your first novel!
April 21, 2025
Book Review: Emotional, traumatic, inspirational and a journey of self discovery.
I received this book as an advanced reader copy I received from author Shay Alexander and here are my honest thoughts.
Our FMC Lilyana is one heck of a character. She is just an ordinary person thrusted into a complex life she never knew she was destined to be a part of.
This story was a journey of self discovery in so many ways. I loved watching the growth of Lilyana. This book was very well written. The characters are relatable in so many ways. This book contains action, mystery, intrigue, love, trauma and so much more. I will say that you want to be sure to review the triggers before reading. This book packs a bunch of them but Alexander wrote them in a way that really makes you emotional and makes you truly think about what is happening at that moment in time. You truly dont know whether you should scream or grab a box of tissue.
There is spice but it is a slow burn in the beginning. I always love a slow burn. I love the tension and attraction that slowly builds. It makes that ultimate "connection" even better.
This was a well developed story and I feel like Alexander wrote in a way that sucks the reader in. She doesnt uae senseless fillers to expand the story. Everything written plays an important part in the overall story. The beginning was just as great as the ending.
I received this book as an advanced reader copy I received from author Shay Alexander and here are my honest thoughts.
Our FMC Lilyana is one heck of a character. She is just an ordinary person thrusted into a complex life she never knew she was destined to be a part of.
This story was a journey of self discovery in so many ways. I loved watching the growth of Lilyana. This book was very well written. The characters are relatable in so many ways. This book contains action, mystery, intrigue, love, trauma and so much more. I will say that you want to be sure to review the triggers before reading. This book packs a bunch of them but Alexander wrote them in a way that really makes you emotional and makes you truly think about what is happening at that moment in time. You truly dont know whether you should scream or grab a box of tissue.
There is spice but it is a slow burn in the beginning. I always love a slow burn. I love the tension and attraction that slowly builds. It makes that ultimate "connection" even better.
This was a well developed story and I feel like Alexander wrote in a way that sucks the reader in. She doesnt uae senseless fillers to expand the story. Everything written plays an important part in the overall story. The beginning was just as great as the ending.
May 23, 2025
I really enjoyed this book. Having main characters that were archeologists and plant lovers and scientists who then have that tied in to secrets and secret realms and powers was a really fun thing to read. I loved how the Hanging Gardens were hidden beyond the Veil from humans, I thought that was super cool. I really liked this twist on Fae lore and witches too. I thought the story line was good, the slow burn and banter was very good, and the relationships between the characters. It did feel sometimes like the spicy scenes weren’t necessarily needed (they were well written but the book would’ve been just as good had they been skipped). I also thought the guys accepted their powers a bit too easily, but maybe deep down they always thought something. I liked how the world was built and described, I liked how Lily learned about her world and her powers and a bit about her mom as well. Shay does a wonderful job connecting the reader to the world, magic, and the characters, you feel their emotions, you care for them, you root them on. I am so glad I got to read this as an ARC.
May 5, 2025
3.5 Stars, rounding up to 4 for Goodreads.
The characters are fun and have distinct personalities, and the setting and how it’s described is unique and beautiful. Elijah is a sweetie, and my favorite character. I enjoy how Lily doesn’t do the “damsel in distress” but she’s not strong because she’s engaging in masculine activities (such as sword fighting).
There’s a lot of spice, which is great if it’s your kind of thing (it’s not mine) and I found the first person POV difficult to get into as it didn’t feel as immersive as I would personally like.
Overall, this is a fun story with magic, fae, romance, and adventure.
The characters are fun and have distinct personalities, and the setting and how it’s described is unique and beautiful. Elijah is a sweetie, and my favorite character. I enjoy how Lily doesn’t do the “damsel in distress” but she’s not strong because she’s engaging in masculine activities (such as sword fighting).
There’s a lot of spice, which is great if it’s your kind of thing (it’s not mine) and I found the first person POV difficult to get into as it didn’t feel as immersive as I would personally like.
Overall, this is a fun story with magic, fae, romance, and adventure.
May 19, 2025
I received this book as an ARC from the author and this is my honest review! The world building is perfect the character building is on point. This book just sucks you right in then it’s all you can think about. The author has a way she writes that just sucks you in and is absolutely perfection! Lilyana in the FMC who is just an ordinary girl who gets thrown into a whole new world! The spice is there and is a slow burn. I loved the found family, the love triangle,the elemental magic,secret heir & hidden identities! I look forward to reading more of Shay’s work!
July 4, 2025
This story has an interesting plot and I was invested in seeing where it was going, however I found the relationships between the main characters as well as the FMC's reactions to finding out some of the main plot points unrealistic or rushed. I struggled to stay engaged but stuck it out to the end becasue like I said I did think the storyline was interesting enough that I wanted to know how it ended.
April 26, 2025
ARC
26% completion DNF
Was not the book for me
26% completion DNF
Was not the book for me
April 28, 2025
Magic, Fae, the wonders of the world, secrets, love, and much much more. I loved this story so much. I have read, and it still gets me every time. Won't say much because I don't wanna give spoilers, but the men in this book are cheft kisses every single one. The females are total bad a** and they don't give up for nothing. From beginning to end, it keeps you on the edge of your seat, and you get so into it that you just wanna jump in and be part of the action. Would I recommend it? 1000000% yesssss! Go add to your tbr now.
May 19, 2025
Wow—this book completely pulled me in. Thorns of the Veiled Heir is one of those reads that sneaks up on you and suddenly you realize you’ve been holding your breath for half the chapter. Shay Alexander has a way with words that makes the whole story feel like a dream you don’t want to wake up from—moody, mysterious, and full of tension. What really stood out to me is how real the characters feel. They’re not just moving through a fantasy plot—they’re dealing with emotions, doubts, and hard choices that hit close to home. And the pacing? Perfectly balanced. It’s a slow burn, yes, but every scene adds something. There’s no filler, and you can tell the author through every moment.
December 29, 2025
Ugh, I hate that this is my first ARC read and also my first DNF... I'm sorry, but I just couldn't with this. I started skimming in chapter 7 😬 the plot is so rushed in the beginning, I don't know anything about any of the characters, and was just not feeling it. I wanted to give this a shot because it has a lot of the tropes I like, but the writing read juvenile to me, and none of the character's emotions felt real. idk what it was but it wasn't doing it for me. Not to mention the editing errors and the back and forth between first and third person WITHIN the same page was really confusing. It went from "I said... " to "Lily glanced..", etc.
I think this book has potential based on some of the other reviews, but it just wasn't for me.
I think this book has potential based on some of the other reviews, but it just wasn't for me.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews