One desperate night. Three forbidden seals. And the ruthless fae exile who will claim her soul...Ava Cole thought rock bottom was losing her mother and being cast out by her father on the same cruel day. Until she followed enchanted lights into the midnight woods—and walked straight into the claws of the Unseelie. Now she's trapped in a prison between realms. Her captor? Serrik—a devastatingly powerful fae outcast with vengeance burning in his veins and eternity to make her suffer. Cold. Merciless. Intoxicating. His touch sears her blood. His golden eyes haunt her dreams. And with each forbidden lesson, each impossible task, Ava finds herself craving the very being who plans to use her as a weapon of magical destruction. In this twisted realm of exiled fae who hunger for her blood and power, Ava's greatest battle isn't the magic she must unleash—it's the treacherous desire threatening to consume her soul. Because in Serrik's deadly web of shadows, the line between enemy and lover vanishes like mist. But through all the twisting mirrors and illusions, one thing becomes clear— She can trust no one but herself.
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“Dreams and memories are much the same in the Web.” And so were fantasies. Serrik felt his control slipping, his essence responding to her proximity in ways he could not entirely govern. Tendrils of his true self reached for her—the spider within him hungering for connection. For her.
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The Web of Shadows series is a stand-alone entry point in the Tir n'Aill and "Shadows" series from Kathryn Ann Kingsley, and takes place after the Maze of Shadows and Deal of Shadows series. No previous reading required! Perfect for fans of dark romantic fantasy / dark romantasy, captivating enemies-to-lovers, and deliciously wicked fae who seduce their prey without ever losing their villainous edge.
PLEASE This story contains heavy references to SPIDERS. If you suffer from arachnophobia or find the subject matter disturbing, there is an "arachnophobia edition" of this series available for purchase. Please search for “Floof of Shadows” or "The Unseelie Arachnophobia Edition."
Kathryn has always been a storyteller. Years of scriptwriting for performances on stage and for tourism in Boston led her to writing romantically dark, fantastical tales, which was an obsession of hers that began once seeing The Phantom of the Opera at a young age.
When she isn’t penning new villainous leads, she works in video game development. There, she has been everything from Creative Director to Chief of Staff, Design Manager, Executive Producer, and Principal Writer for various companies in the industry.
She shares her antique home with three very fluffy animals and one very patient and loving husband.
And it had the same plot premise as Dark Prince 🫠🫠🫠🫠
Not to ruin anything but I remember Mordred’s goal was to destroy magic/elementals and Serrik’s is to destroy the fae world 😅 I mean I like the fmc and the side characters seem cool, I’m just very meh on the recycled plot.
Amazing book, I love the male main character already! I can't wait for the rest of the series.
I'm usually not into fae books, simply because I've read so many of those. But, as usually with this author, I don't mind it anymore here, simply because her focus on Villain Romance makes it so much more interesting. The characters are also really interesting too, and I can't wait to find out more about both of them.
Not to mention that the guy here isn't your usual fae, haha. He's not just a human with some magic and pointy ears. I'm honestly REALLY excited to see how much this will go into Monster Romance territory, which I absolutely love. I wasn't disappointed with the author's Deal of Shadows series at all, which is my favorite fae romance right now, and this one has potential to be even better.
I also love that her fae series are all connected, but the characters meeting each other never feels forced. They're not suddenly all safe and happy with each other, simply because "they're also main characters in another book". Feels very natural and realistic this way.
A SOLID 3.5 STARS! THIS REVIEW IS BASED ON THE ENTIRE TRILOGY.
BITTERSWEET HEA!! Neither my first, nor last ARACHNID romance, though this would be featured in my the TOP 5 spider romances I've read so far. Sadly, we aren't spoilt for choice.
I liked SERRIK. Who wouldn't? A mysterious, good-looking half-fae with a hidden agenda, speaks in riddles and reels you in with his aura of aloofness? Makes you want to get under his skin and see what makes him tick. Beneath the otherworldly handsomeness beats a heart that longed/longs for love and acceptance, though now clouded with rage, hatred and resentment for his own kind who mistreated him unfairly.
To get a better understanding of this world, I'd recommend reading VALROY and ABIGAIL's story - The Unseelie Prince and The Unseelie Duke. Trust me, you'll feel LESS LOST with all the characters' names.
AVA is an unwilling pawn who gets roped into a genocide tug-of-war between two half brothers, bent on destruction. It'll be race against time to save herself, and figure out what the hell is going on.
WEB OF SHADOWS felt like A DREAM WITHIN A DREAM. Sometimes I don't know what's real or not, and poor AVA was being tugged like a puppet on strings. Like her, the omissions and manipulations will leave you frustrated. Who is friend, who is foe?
While I enjoy a good monster romance, I didn't feel captivated by Serrik or Ava's relationship/chemistry. I could appreciate the third book when they were together, that was cute, but how they came to be didn't leave me anything memorable to go by. Their attraction felt "forced" in the sense that after so many centuries, Serrik conveniently has feelings for this particular human. It wasn't insta-love, but the build up wasn't natural either. IF ANYTHING, the entire plot and the villain in this story VALROY would generate more interest.
OVERALL the ending was a nice closure to the interlaced series. The plot was interesting, and it's nice to see old characters, however the romance didn't rock my socks off. I didn't have butterflies or squealed my lungs out from excitement.
Got the physical copy early so I'm able to review.
I am so pumped for The Unseelie Court/War. I feel like everything has been leading up to this!
When it comes to KAK's male leads they're on a spectrum of unhinged feral monster and stoic but obsessive gentlemen. Serrik is definitely a gentleman holding back his monster, but he's 100% done with the fae's bullshit. He's weirdly more honest than Valroy and Izael staongely enough
Ava has to be the most relatable FMCs I've seen because of how she's dealt with being in the web, the Fae's bullshittery, and just trying to get through her crazy adventure despite everyone lying to her at every turn. She's definitely more clever than Abigail but more vulnerable and tired than Alex.
I love Serrik's and Ava's dynamic, especially with how Ava speaks without a filter and Serrik just rolls with it despite him being kinda confused. The yearning is stellar as always! But Serrik definitely deserves a punch in the face from Ava. All the other FMCs got to do it, so fair is fair.
I'm absolutely invested in what will happen to Ava and what The Web has in store and what The Morrigan has been planning.
It emotionally pains me to give this such a low rating but I had to. This author is one of my favourites. Ever. She's the definition of a villain romance author.
And while her Fae books are not my among my top picks, I still read and enjoyed them. Especially the 'Deal of Shadows' Series. This one is set into the same world and has another villainous, murderous Fae that didn't expect his plans to include an obsessive fascination with human woman. So the plot and romance were not that surprising.
I did like Ava ans Serrik. She's so sarcastic and funny. And I didn't expect him to be so emotionally damaged and tormented, but it worked. At least he had a reason to want to kill everyone.
The side characters were interesting, but not reliable so I had a hard time getting attached to them because I don't know when they'll turn evil and betray Ava.
The Web was freaky and creative, but also confusing. The whole quest jumped around too much and was hard to follow.
There are too many players in the game. Too many people with secret agendas and evil plans. The suspense and endless possibilities were a bit too much.
The ending seemed promising and I hope like hell the next book is better because I don't want to DNF this series. It would seem like a crime. Hopefully the change of scenery and cameos from old characters will turn out great.
The Unseelie Exile is short, sharp, and wickedly addictive. It sucked me right back into Kathryn Ann Kingsley’s twisted fae world, and I loved every venom-laced moment. A open world Prison woven into the fabric of fae lore, expands in a thrilling way.
Ava, a girl who’s lost everything, gives you someone you want to root for! The pacing felt a bit rushed at times, especially with how quickly the characters seemed to fall for each other, but Serrik’s inner thoughts? Whew, Hot Damn. The way he obsesses over Ava, that mix of predator and possession, scratched something in my brain. The book handled my arachnophobia surprisingly well, despite being very spider-centric, it didn’t scare me off, but if you are worried there is an arachnophobia safe version.
What really made my heart race were the reference to Valroy and Abigail, their story owns a piece of my soul. And that Ending !!!! Book two needed Now 🦋 Little Butterfly
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★.5/5 (Rounded Up) Spice: ♥︎/5
Thank you, Kathryn Ann Kingsley for the eArc Opportunity! I am reviewing this honestly and voluntarily.
SO. GOOD. I loved this book! I really enjoyed that we get to see more of the trickster side of the fae. I feel that this book definitely put poor Ava (MFC) a bit through the wringer, but her strong backbone, the bountiful amount of sass and her quick wit helped to get her through. I very much enjoyed Ava and was super glad that she was a tough well thought out character who is a quick study with the way of the fae. I’m also very curious how Ibin and Nos are going to come into play after certain things are set in motion. Serrik (MMC) is a very interesting character and I like how he is different, he definitely has some mystery surrounding him. I really hope we get to learn more about him in the next book 🤞🏼and I can’t wait to see what his plans for Ava will be. Kathryn did a great job with the character building.
While this first book wasn’t super spicy, I enjoyed the slow then shift into medium burn. I would have never thought of a place such as the web, but it was super interesting! The Unseelie Exile was very well written and was easy to follow along with (no confusing parts). I also just want to say I really loved all of the attitude and sass/bantering that happened through this book 🤌🏼. Once I started reading this book pulled me right in, and I devoured it. Realllly looking forward to the next book in this series! (Especially after that ending). Super grateful for having the chance to receive an ARC copy!
Two stars because KAK has written many engaging stories and cultivated sweeping (for me, anyway) romances out of despicable beginnings (Valroy and Simon's stories to be exact... and Mordecai and Izael of course❤️🥰 ), but you committed the cardinal sin: you bored me 😭... and with an unseelie/fairy tale start, no less. Combine that with a severe lack of interaction between the leads (beyond the spider feeding bit... yeah, it goes there), where there's euphemism of Serrick's being inside her, I honestly don't remember much about this guy. He's out to get the book that's under Ava's control, and giving it to the Unseelie creates genocide... we've seen the plot before, right? I really tried, guys. But all this made me want to do is re-read the Unseelie Duke and Maze of Shadows. I'm not yucking anyone's yum. I really do love the way KAK writes... just not this time 'round...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Returning to Tir n’Naill is like coming home. And this unhinged saga is the perfect mix of familiar and unexpected. I’m a literal human fly supplicant trapped in Kingsley’s web of fae yearning, monsterous creations, and twisted love and desire.
Serrick will leave you confused and aroused and afraid, he’s that delicious. Ava is another fantastic character that I can relate with and grapples realistically with the dilemmas she encounters. New side characters and terrifying monsters are as lovable and terrifying as ever. Returning characters are perfectly integrated into the story so that long time readers will love it, but new readers don’t have to start with the Maze of Shadows to follow along (though definitely they will want to go read that saga).
This is a must read for all the book goblins out there who like their romance dark, scary, and monstrously sexy.
She is lured into a trap. The hero is a fae, with a human form and spider form. He is trying to escape a prison after 1,800 years. She is tricked into binding herself to a magic grimoire and to the hero. Now the magic is changing her.
Spoilers.
She is supposed to find 3 keys to unlock his prison. She found one key so far and broke the seal. She found the 2nd key but the Unseelie King stole it. She goes with that king to get some answers.
The hero saved her memories of her mother. The first key trial was going to take every memory. She begged him for help. So he gave up his only memory of his mother. Morrigan locked him in the prison. He made the prison trying to trap her. She trapped him instead.
Zero steam so far. He had fantasies about tying her up in his web and being with her in his spider form. She is attracted to him.
I swear Valroy always popping up lol same ol' Valroy trying to murder everything. I am surprised we haven't seen the queen yet she's always stealing the girls away to persuade them into doing 'x' thing.
I do enjoy Serrik's character and I cannot wait for the spice to begin 😈 This is the slow burn part of the romance and this book was all plot. Which I don't mind at all because it's super interesting. Also - I swear if Bit gets hurt or dies I will riot! She was so excited when Ava said she was her friend 🥰🤗. I can't wait for the next book.
I'd anticipated that I would've LOVED this one; on paper this is straight up my alley (and I am a sucker for Kat's stories), but I do think the retelling of the same predictable storyline just made it a bit boring at certain parts of the book.. Sometimes I got total deja vu of already having read that exact scene or dialogue before. I'm still excited to see where book 2 takes us.
Other than that, I love the world she's created and it's always such a joy to revisit it and all the wacky characters.
I'm always so happy to have Kathryn Kingsley books hit my eReader and this one didn't disappoint. This story follows Ava as she's down on her luck and nabbed by a Fae exile into a prison. The twists and turns in this book keep you on your toes. I adored the banter between Ava the FMC and Serrik the MMC. So much great convo and tension. Can't wait until book 2 is written!
We’ve flipped the script. More plot than spice, but the plot was cool so I won’t complain (much, I am yearning for the KAK spice 😆) All the more reason to jump into the next book! Bitty is the cutest and my new fav next to Puck.
As a DnD nerd, the Lost City was SO cool, and definitely gives my DM heart some inspo.
The moment this book came out i just knew i had to get it, and ive never been more thankful for my impulsive book buying actions!
This was sooo good i have book two next to as we speak i just started it and i cannot stop readin! The betrayal the characters the secrets and that ending it was absolute perfection!!
Tropes 🕸️Trapped 🕷️Secrets 🕸️A Quest 🕷️Morally Black MMC 🕸️Badass FMC
Kathryn Ann Kingsley does it again with her Unseelie Fae World! I have read her other series within this realm and loved seeing the connection. Ava is one tough determined badass FMC and Serrik makes you feel warm and fuzzy in a venomous way! Highly recommend.
As per usual Ms. Kingsley cooked, ate, and cleaned the kitchen after. This was a fantastic continuation set in a world I have grown to love, with a charming new “villain” and one of my favorite protagonists yet. Onto book two!
Couldn't stop reading it! The world was so interesting and I had to know what would happen next! Love the characters, I am interested in their developing relationship.
I’m convinced that Kathryn Ann Kingsley must be the true Unseelie Queen. What a joy to step inside the haunting and evocative world of Tir n’Aill once again.
It was a good continuation to the story.The characters are charismatic and fun so its easy to enjoy their journey.I cant wait to see what happens next.