Hunted by the Fae King's Shadow: A Dark Romantasy Standalone

Immortal Hunters #5

by Shaylin Gandhi

Good princesses never do wicked things…

Sariah is the perfect Aethrolian princess: pious, pure, and obedient. She prays to her goddess, keeps herself chaste, and above all, despises the heathen fae.

The Claiming is supposed to be a formality—a two-hundred-year-old tradition that allows the fae king to choose a human bride. Thankfully, he never has. And once he rejects Sariah, she can fulfill her dreams of joining the priestesshood.

But then the unthinkable happens. King Amriel chooses her.

Desperate to escape him, Sariah accepts the king’s alternative to marriage: run the deadly Wildwood, break his curse, and earn her freedom. It should be simple—survive his maze, go home, forget the fae ever existed.

Except the king’s monstrous, beautiful brother is hunting her through the forest. And the deeper Sariah ventures, the more her beliefs begin to crumble. The fae are awakening something inside her, something she was taught to suppress.

As the Wildwood closes in, Sariah must choose: break the curse and return to a life of devotion…or surrender to a desire that could be her ruin.

The Immortal Hunters series is a collection of dark romantasy standalones—each novel can be read in any order, but once the hunt begins, it won’t stop. Full list:

Hunted by the Demon’s Vow by A.N. Caudle
Hunted by the Dragon Shifter by Courtney Whims
Hunted by the Dead King by Mallory Benjamin
Hunted by the Fae Duke by Kris K. Haines
Hunted by the Fae King's Shadow by Shaylin Gandhi

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Fae, Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Fantasy Romance, Dark Romance

414 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 18, 2026

About the author

Shaylin Gandhi first fell in love with love stories when she started stealing grown-up books off her mother’s bookshelf at the age of ten. By twelve, she’d perfected the art of reading under the covers by flashlight, and in high school, she attempted her first novel. She now writes from the mountains of Golden, Colorado, where she lives with her husband and identical twin daughters. When not finagling words onto paper, Shaylin can be found hiking, scheming up ways to earn another passport stamp, or ingesting enough coffee to power a small city.

Reviews

[Andrea]

4.5✨ honestly I loved every second. The yearning was insane. The writing was so beautiful. Obsessed. Perfect dark Romantasy standalone imo

[Honeybadgerreads]

4.5 ⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️
1st person pov
Standalone

For the girly’s who grew up crushing on Jareth from Labyrinth 🥵!

You’ve got a human princess who wants nothing more than to become a priestess, a cursed Fae King, a deadly labyrinth, and a mysterious Shadow hunting her through the forest?! This concept alone pulled me in.

I absolutely loved Sariah’s (FMC) character development. Watching everything she had been taught and believed her entire life slowly unravel was interesting and real. Her journey felt so satisfying, especially as she began questioning the differences between simply existing and actually living.

The Wildwood and its deadly trials gave me major Labyrinth vibes, and I loved how fast paced and immersive the story felt. The tension, and chemistry were SO good, and the dynamic between Sariah, Amriel (MMC), and the Shadow (MMC) kept me completely invested.

I also really enjoyed the contrast between the strict religious human world and the freedom of the fae realm.

My only reason for not giving this a full 5 stars was that I did notice a few plot issues, but they honestly didn’t take away from how much I enjoyed the story.

Tropes + atmosphere:
Labyrinth vibes
Deadly trials
Strict religious elements
Fae vs human
Fated mates
Enemies to lovers (my fave)
Forced proximity
Touch her and 💀
MMC hunt’s FMC
Cursed MMC
HOT goblins

“I’ll catch you. Claim you. Keep you here forever.“

I mean, YES PLEASE! 😆😏

Enemies to lovers, fated mates, deadly trials, a cursed Fae King, Princess, and a man literally hunting her through a magical forest…yeah, this was my jam for sure!

Thank you to Immortal Collections and the author for the gifted physical arc!

[ℛℰ]

4.5⭐️

“You’re anything but a failure, Princess. Anything but. For me, you’re nothing short of a miracle”

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

💜 fated mates
✨ enemies to lovers
💜 fae king x human FMC
✨ touch her and you die
💜 obsessed MMC
✨ curses and obstacles
💜 he needs her to break his curse

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

I loved this book. It was fast paced and the world was easy to understand. I loved both the main characters. The FMC was stubborn not in an annoying way for me at all. I understood her and her situation and was able to empathize with her and that also goes with the MMC. I loooved the king’s shadow so much he was so adorable. I wouldn’t be able to talk much about him unfortunately because I don’t want to spoil anything in this review. If you would like to take my advice go blind in to this book please it would be so much better experience believe me !!! Anyway the side characters were also a good addition to the book. I was almost sad to leave the book and wanted more of the main characters.

[Sarah]

✨ARC Book Review✨

This story is about a cursed fae king who has to marry a royal human, who then has enter the Wildwood and smash an hourglass to release him from his curse.

After meeting the MFC, Sariah, I really just felt bad for her. She’s the oddball out in her family by not having magical abilities. It felt like she lacked acceptance. She ends up becoming quite devout in her religion and plans to commit herself as a priestess. Although I felt her faith gave her a sense of purpose, she also seemed tortured by her perceived failure to be perfect.

I really liked the fae king and his shadow. They each had very different personalities and had an emotional journey of their own. It was fun to see that they embraced everything Sariah thought was sinful. Sis was literally trippin 😅

I enjoyed her multiple attempts to break the curse. Sariah’s character development was very interesting. It was cool to see her start to question her feelings and decide what was right for her.

I really enjoyed the ending. It was emotional and engaging.

[Leanna Streeter]

I loved this book.

The Immortal Hunters series has become an automatic read for me, and Hunted by the Fae King’s Shadow was no exception. From the moment Sariah was hiding and spying on the fae king, I was completely invested in her journey.

One of my favorite things about this book was Sariah herself. She starts the story with a very clear idea of who she is and what her future should look like, but being thrown into the fae world forces her to question everything she has been taught. Watching her grow, challenge her beliefs, and learn to choose for herself made her such a compelling FMC.

I was also obsessed with the maze. Every new challenge, discovery, and twist kept me turning the pages. I never knew what Sariah would encounter next, and the setting gave the story a constant sense of tension and adventure.

And of course, the romance delivered. The chemistry between Sariah and the Shadow was fantastic, the slow burn had me hooked, and when things finally heated up, they really heated up. The spice was excellent and felt well earned after all the tension leading up to it.

I’ve loved every book in the Immortal Hunters series so far, and this one was another winner for me. If you enjoy dark romantasy, fae, slow burn romance, dangerous trials, and strong character growth, I highly recommend picking this one up.

[Lenaslibraryyy]

These types of books are my favourite to read!!!

I could NOT put this book down. It’s very plot-forward, with simple worldbuilding and a small cast of characters, basically everything i enjoy. And did i mention the tension????

Is it perfect? No. But five stars bc i had so much fun

[Hira Khan]

As with all of the Immortal Hunter books, this was such a fun time. I really liked how unique Sariah was. She’s definitely different from most FMCs. She’s determined to become a priestess, but being claimed puts a bit of a damper on those plans. While being tested in the labyrinth and by Amriel (and his very sexy shadow), she starts to realize that the goddess has never really shown up for her and decides to finally indulge in her own desires (had me giggling whenever she gave in, especially with the dessert). Amriel was also really interesting. I don’t want to spoil too much, but I absolutely loved the moment he finally admitted that he cared about her and was worried for her. Swoon. I will never get tired of an ancient fae man being completely down bad for a human.

The labyrinth was probably my favorite part. I’m a big fan of mazes, and I loved never knowing what Sariah would find next. It kept me just as on edge as she was. Also, I absolutely ugly cried for a chapter or two (you know why 😂), but I’m glad this was a standalone because I don’t think I could have sat with those emotions for much longer.

[Melissa Mejia]

I had the pleasure of receiving this as an e-ARC and voluntarily will be giving my honest review. Oh my what did I just read!! This book had me all over the place screaming crying laughing just very emotional!! It had plenty of twist and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat and guessing!! I absolutely loved this book!! Chefs Kiss to Shaylin!!

“Good princesses never do wicked things…

Sariah is the perfect Aethrolian princess: pious, pure, and obedient. She prays to her goddess, keeps herself chaste, and above all, despises the heathen fae.

The Claiming is supposed to be a formality—a two-hundred-year-old tradition that allows the fae king to choose a human bride. Thankfully, he never has. And once he rejects Sariah, she can fulfill her dreams of joining the priestesshood.

But then the unthinkable happens. King Amriel chooses her.

Desperate to escape him, Sariah accepts the king’s alternative to marriage: run the deadly Wildwood, break his curse, and earn her freedom. It should be simple—survive his maze, go home, forget the fae ever existed.

Except the king’s monstrous, beautiful brother is hunting her through the forest. And the deeper Sariah ventures, the more her beliefs begin to crumble. The fae are awakening something inside her, something she was taught to suppress.

As the Wildwood closes in, Sariah must choose: break the curse and return to a life of devotion…or surrender to a desire that could be her ruin.

The Immortal Hunters series is a collection of dark romantasy standalones—each novel can be read in any order, but once the hunt begins, it won’t stop. Full list:

Hunted by the Demon’s Vow by A.N. Caudle
Hunted by the Dragon Shifter by Courtney Whims
Hunted by the Dead King by Mallory Benjamin
Hunted by the Fae Duke by Kris K. Haines
Hunted by the Fae King's Shadow by Shaylin Gandhi”

[Lauryn Munro]

ARC Review

Holy character development!!!! I loved that she grew into her own by the end of the book!

It took me a little longer than normal to fully dive into to this read but once I was in, I wasn’t coming out u til I finished the book!

The adventure, the found friendship, the yearning, the duplication iykyk!!!! Absolutely loved it!

[BeeFaith]

I loved this one so much, which is no surprise because I love everything Shaylin Gandhi writes.

My attention was hooked from the start, and when the fae king's Shadow made his first appearance, I found myself fascinated by the dynamics between him and Sariah. I couldn't wait to discover what lay ahead for them and Amirel, the fae king.

Sariah's taught to act and think a certain way, but when she’s taken to the fae lands to fulfill an agreement made 200 years ago, she learns that how she was raised isn’t the only way to live. Not only do others walk different paths, but she has choices on how to live and what to believe, ones she can embrace or deny.

One of the things that had me racing through this book was Sariah's character growth. She goes from believing in black-and-white choices and living life rigidly to opening her eyes to the gray area between the two and understanding why others live differently from her people. It didn't happen all at once, but slowly over time as she spent time in the fae castle, unexpectedly making friends, and running for her life in the forest, trying to conquer trials and smash the hourglass in the labyrinth to break the fae king's curse.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚒𝚟𝚘𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝙷𝙱𝚃𝙵𝙺𝚂 𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚂𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚑 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎’𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚢 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜’ 𝚛𝚞𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚝’𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚕 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎:

𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆, 𝑰'𝒗𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆. 𝑰'𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒃𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒅, 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒅. 𝑻𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉. 𝑭𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒆𝒔, 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒚.
𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒈𝒐𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒆 𝑰 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓. 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒉.
𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒇*𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒆𝒔.

[Leslie Faulkner]

Thank you so much to the author, Shaylin Gandhi, for the eARC!

SHADOWS BELOW! 😭 I devoured this story. I loved all the nods to the Labyrinth movie!

Every 25 years, the Fae King comes to claim a human woman as part of a treaty agreement. He’s never chosen one until now. Sariah is hell-bound to return home no matter the cost, so she can devote herself to her goddess and become a priestess.

Sariah’s character development was incredible to follow. I found myself relating to her in many aspects. Amriel and his Shadow had me literally giggling most of the time, and their growth made me so happy!

I love how the author created such a vividly magical world. I felt like I was right in the labyrinth with Sariah. I also loved the castle and all the nature elements. What I wouldn’t give for a bathtub that always stays full and warm! The plot kept me hooked the entire time. The spice was hot!🥵 I would absolutely reread this!

[Amanda Hopwood]

I received an advanced reader copy for my honest review

Hunted by the Fae King’s Shadow is the kind of fae fantasy romance that grabs you by the wrist and drags you straight into the dark woods all danger, tension, and that delicious “should I run or should I want this” energy.

This book delivers sharp banter, a morally gray fae king with secrets, and a heroine who refuses to break even when the world tries to bend her. The atmosphere is lush and eerie, the magic feels alive, and the slow‑burn tension? Chef’s kiss.

I love the idea of a labyrinth while running dole the kings shadow

This whole series has been a fun time !

[Kate groot]

Dang- just another one knocked out of the park. This author has mastered this stand alone series. This in my opinion was probably the 2nd best one. I thought the purity of the FMC would be annoying but they actually made her character development believable instead of instachange or a nun the entire time. I was wondering how they were going to reveal the twist but honestly not much of a twist pretty obvious lol I thought the hourglass was unique and I thought the being able to cheat the sands was a cool thought too. Probably 4.82 ⭐️

[Victoria]

Es ist extrem selten, dass ich Standalone Fantasy-Bücher so gut finde, da sie doch sehr viele Elemente innerhalb weniger Hundert Seiten enthalten müssen. Aber "Hunted by the Fae King's Shadow" war ein extrem schnell lesbares und vor allem aber auch unterhaltendes und spannendes Buch. Ich hab die Chemistry zwischen den MCs geliebt und noch viel begeisterter war ich von der "Trial" Idee mit dem Labyrinth. Eine super Abwechslung zu den gängigeren Fantasy Fae Storys.

[Savannah Shaffer]

I had the pleasure of being an arc reader and I have to admit I wasn’t sure how I felt in the beginning of the book but then I fell in love and I couldn’t set this book down! Shaylin tied this book together so beautifully and it is now one of my favorite books, I look forward to the rest of the world loving it as much as I do!

[Allison]

I was very privileged to beta read this book and it lives rent free in my head. Thank you to the author for letting me read early and as always, all opinions are my own.

I left LOTS of comments like "SCREAMING" and "now I'm crying" and "IS IT WARM IN HERE WHY AM I SO WARM."

This is a fast-paced dark romantasy with open door spice and so many surprises! Sariah is a pious princess who is thrust into the world of the fae when she is claimed by the fae king, Amriel, to break his curse. She has to navigate a world designed to mock her religious upbringing, her dedication to being a priestess, and survive a deadly labyrinth where the king's Shadow, his twin, hunts her by day but is her safety by night when he's in his right mind. She is also the only daughter who hasn't received her magical blessing from their goddess, and her family looks down on her for that. Will she cling to her faith and her family's ideals, or learn to stand on her own in a new place with the temptations of a world at her feet?

I ADORED Sariah and watching her journey from an uptight, pious young woman into a stronger person over the course of the book. She has to battle literal and figurative monsters and learn about herself. She has never been allowed to want anything for herself and it was very healing to see her develop.
Amriel, the fae king, is the epitome of "if villain, why hot." Half the fun was getting to unravel the secrets of his past, as well as those of his Shadow, who is cursed to be a mindless hunter during the day but is a yearning king for Sariah by night.

The twists and turns in this had me guessing every step of the way. I was on the edge of my seat and actively begging Shaylin for more chapters every time I reached the end of a section! I loved every single moment and had so many theories as the story progressed. HIGHLY recommend you don't sleep on this one!

[Kel Bel Bookmonger]

Devoured ♥️♥️ when I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about reading it! This story was a mash up of Alice in Wonderland & Labyrinth and I loved every minute of it! 🥂

[Sevi]

The only reason I didn’t DNF this book was because I thought there was no way it could be this bad, but somehow I stayed and watched the whole train wreck.
The MCs are both absolute cardboard cutouts. They’ve been given two or three backstory things but they feel less thought out than a randomly generated townie in the Sims. The plot was so predictable I knew the twist by the 9% mark and the plot holes were so large the FMC could fall through them just so the MMC could save her and be horny about it. Most of all I’m sick to death of authors going “It’s like Labyrinth!” When they clearly fundamentally misunderstand what makes Labyrinth (and Sarah) interesting. Also another story that just doesn’t use fae to mean anything other than “live a long time and they’re hot.” There was approximately one good scene somewhere near the middle that got my hopes up, but nothing about this story was engaging. It’s the book equivalent of having keys jingled in front of a toddler.

[Tiffany]

I received this as an ARC. Actual rating 2.75/5.

I really liked the premise and plot of Hunted by the Fae King's Shadow, but I felt that the worldbuilding, character development, relationship development, and magic system were all under-explained and underdone. The human characters seem all unreasonably antagonistic to each other, especially towards Sariah without any real support as to why. There was also a bit of confusion with the magic system as we are only really told what skill people (e.g. one sister has farsight, one has foresight) have and what the fae can or cannot do, but again, no real explanation as to the how or why and how the sisters beneficially utilize their skills, aside from spying on Sariah. There is also no explanation of the history behind the Grace and why it was bequeathed to their family. While it's implied that Sariah's family is in some form of leadership role and "princess" is hinted at in the second chapter, no societal structure or supporting culture is shown to us to build up to this. Then, there's the maze in that no being can enter without significant consequences aside from the fae king's mate. However, there is no explanation as to how or why his shadow is limited to it during the day; nor, why he can enter readily at night. Also, the mate bond: apparently there's precedence with a human-fae mate bond, but again, we don't get any explanation on this.

Additionally and without checking into the author's backyard, the first 50% felt as if I was reading a story written by an atheist in a not so subtle attempt to portray organized religion as a hoax. While I'm all for storylines taking creative license to lean towards more of a fantasy and less structured religious aspect, it was almost to the point that the writing was making a mockery of religion and shoving that down our throats. The writing describes the practices and the devout behavior in a manner that makes Sariah's beliefs seem ludicrous, excessive, unreliable, and extreme. Not only that, we read over and over in different variations of how Sariah cannot cut her hair because of her devotion, cannot eat anything but the most basic of foods, how her prayers are never answered, and how her behavior essentially must be giving, peaceful, and fugal. It could be argued that this is done to show her growth; however, the execution of this could have been done better and with less redundancy.

There are strong plot points that are likely inspired by the movie Labyrinth as noted prior to chapter one. However, it seemed to resemble the challenges in the movie too strongly. There's the anti-gravity stairs puzzle, the ledge/ravine, the (bog) of stench, the imaginary (hedge) walls, etcetera. I wouldn't call it a copy and paste, but because there were also generally vague descriptions of the maze, I found myself envisioning the movie scenes instead as I was reading.

This was a potential DNF for me for a significant portion of the book, but as always, I attempt to persevere, which thankfully around 70% it paid off a little bit. At this point, the relationships and story picks up more and naturally, we reach our conclusion at the end of the book.

[Taylen]

ARC review
4⭐️

The story follows Sariah, an obedient and proper princess who is unexpectedly chosen by the Fae King Amriel during a centuries old ritual known as The Claiming. Desperate to escape marriage, she makes a deal with The Fae King: she must run through the deadly Wildwood, break a curse, and earn her freedom.

Tropes:
👑 enemies to lovers
👑 self discovery
👑 forced proximity
👑 trials and a deadly maze

The final book of the Immortal Hunters Collection! These have been so fun and this one followed suite with all the others!
Hunt or Be Hunted. Sariah goes on a journey of self discovery throughout the story. It was fun to see her grow into herself from a religious, coveted, royal princess to a confident, strong woman who puts her happiness first. The Fae Kings character arc from a dangerous, degenerative fae into a devout, hopeless romantic journey was filled with tension and yearning that had my heart racing quite a few times. I know it can be hard to wrap up a fantasy story in a standalone book, but I really felt like Shaylin did a beautiful job. The pace of the story never slowed and she did not leave you feeling incomplete when the story finished.

If you’re looking for fun, easy reading, standalone books with a darker theme of being hunted with spicy male characters in each book this series is perfect for you.

[Ashley | AshleyTReads]

I should have finished this one weeks ago, but I loved it so much it was hard for me to pick up and complete the story. I would take a series of this book.

Shaylin is so great at creating chemistry between characters - longing, pining, intense emotions - it’s all there.

Synopsis: A woman on the brink of swearing herself to her goddess gets picked by a fae king to complete a timed labyrinth trial and break a centuries old curse.

The Fae do things differently than sweet Sariah and her family. It’s definitely an adjustment curve when she winds up in the faery land.

🔥 Spice - 3🌶️. There are 3 open door scenes, but not until after the 70% mark.

🤬 Language - I should remove this from my reviews bc I never can remember the extent of the language. I think there’s foul language? 😅🙈

I truly recommend this one. I’m working on Shaylin’s backlog, but I already cannot wait to see what she publishes next! I wish books were easier for authors to write, because a quarterly Shaylin Gandhi novel would be fantastic 😍

I did receive an ARC for this one, but I would have given this story 5 stars regardless!

[GheridenTheBookBard]

⭐ 4.75 out of 5 stars

This was like Beauty and the Beast getting tangled up with a twisted Labyrinth vibe where things get dark and nothing feels stable.

Sariah is taken from the life she planned for and thrown into the fae lands, where she's trying to make sense of it all while everything keeps changing around her. The dynamic between her, Amriel, and the Shadow is what had me most invested, especially with how complicated and emotionally messy everything gets.

The worldbuilding has that uneasy fae energy where the rules don't fully hold and the Wildwood feels like it's watching more than it's just existing. It gives everything a slightly off balance feeling that kept me guessing.

The pacing kept things moving. Every answer opened up something else, so it never felt like I could settle too long in one place before things shifted again.

Overall, I had a really good time with this one. Dark, twisty, a little chaotic, and a solid fae read with a lot going on under the surface.

[Alli M || allisreadingbooks]

Thank you to the author for an early review copy!

I loved loved loved HBTFKS!!!

The FMC Sariah grew up in a pious kingdom afraid of the neighboring Fae kingdom.

The MMCs are a cursed Fae King and his Shadow.

The world Shaylin created is so rich and beautiful, the FMC goes on an amazing journey of self discovery when the Fae King claims her and brings her to the Fae kingdom, and the love story is so beautiful!

An easy 5 stars, I never wanted to put my kindle down when I was reading this!!!

[Brimstone]

AHHH! I absolutely loved this book. The Labyrinth is one of my top 10 movies and if I had a change to tame a goblin? Sold 🙌✨️
The Fae King and his Shadow stole the show. Haunted by the curse of the past. Tormented to be 2 halves of a whole. Broken by a belief system. Mended by the mates bond. Shaylin took me for a ride through time and spit me out in the dark woods. I def will be reading more from her soon 🫡

[jordyn]

3.75 ⭐️
ARC Review-
What I enjoyed the most in this book was the yearning between the characters and the setting. I also liked the FMC’s growth and her finding herself outside of her family’s expectations and beliefs. That being said, while some things were really unique, others I couldn’t really get behind because they felt more surface level. Overall, it was not my favorite but I’m glad I got the chance to read it.

[Heather]

Woah!

What a hidden GEM!!! I read this because if a tiktok that caught my attention and I have NO REGRETS. I completely immersed myself anf finished this in less that 72 hours. I ABSORBED this book and loved every minute.

[Audra Whitehurse]

Wow. Just wow. This book blew me out of the water!! What I thought would be a low-key fated mates Romantasy with some spice turned out to be a thought provoking, slow-burn, that had me kicking my feet squealing 🤭🤭 Truly impressed and I plan to recommend this to anyone that will listen 🖤

[Liz Falbo]

Addicting!! Devoured this one. Shaylin could write a grocery store list and I would read it

[Judilini]

Tengo que dejar de leer libros ingleses que me salen en tiktok porque me engañan macho.

La idea no estaba mal del todo pero no sé si es que yo no sé inglés o que está escrito pachuru pero xd

[Megan Preston]

I’m embarrassed I read this