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The Shrouded Queen #1
The Shrouded Queen
In the first book in this romantasy duology inspired by ancient Egyptian mythology, a slave and a princess switch places during an enemy attack, igniting parallel journeys of love and survival.
As a slave to the Ashoran royals, Samira has always known she was expendable. So when the vicious Kaldfolk attack the palace, she is ready to die as a decoy for her princess. But when she’s captured instead, she’s forced to impersonate the princess and survive through brutal trials designed to awaken her divine powers—all under the watch of her dangerously intriguing, shape-shifting captor.
Amunet Khada—now queen of Ashorah—is on the run following the king’s death. With only her guard-with-benefits, Jasim, by her side, she must evade treacherous allies while racing to contact her father—the god of the underworld—before her long-promised powers slip beyond reach.
While Amunet embarks on a quest through the wastelands, Samira learns the true reason for the attack and unlocks secrets in her past that could change everything. And with threats growing on all sides, Samira and Amunet must decide...who can they trust?
As a slave to the Ashoran royals, Samira has always known she was expendable. So when the vicious Kaldfolk attack the palace, she is ready to die as a decoy for her princess. But when she’s captured instead, she’s forced to impersonate the princess and survive through brutal trials designed to awaken her divine powers—all under the watch of her dangerously intriguing, shape-shifting captor.
Amunet Khada—now queen of Ashorah—is on the run following the king’s death. With only her guard-with-benefits, Jasim, by her side, she must evade treacherous allies while racing to contact her father—the god of the underworld—before her long-promised powers slip beyond reach.
While Amunet embarks on a quest through the wastelands, Samira learns the true reason for the attack and unlocks secrets in her past that could change everything. And with threats growing on all sides, Samira and Amunet must decide...who can they trust?
448 pages, Paperback
First published June 16, 2026
About the author
Ashley Tropea
6 books166 followersAshley Tropea comes from an Egyptian-Italian family and has been writing since she was 11. She finished her first novel by the age of 14 and published it online for free, where she received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback, earning a combined 1.5 million reads worldwide.
In addition to her (perhaps unhealthy) obsession with books, she is also a huge tv junkie. She studied writing for tv at Loyola Marymount University where she graduated with a BA in Screenwriting. Her scripts have performed just as well as her novels, placing in numerous screenwriting competitions and regularly ranking in the top 10 on Coverfly's Red List.
With a special place in her heart for fantasies and ball gowns, Ashley intends to spread her love of large worlds, adventure, and romance through her novels and films.
In addition to her (perhaps unhealthy) obsession with books, she is also a huge tv junkie. She studied writing for tv at Loyola Marymount University where she graduated with a BA in Screenwriting. Her scripts have performed just as well as her novels, placing in numerous screenwriting competitions and regularly ranking in the top 10 on Coverfly's Red List.
With a special place in her heart for fantasies and ball gowns, Ashley intends to spread her love of large worlds, adventure, and romance through her novels and films.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 437 reviews
August 5, 2026
2 - 2.5 Stars
You know when you are reading a book and you get to that point where you feel "settled" in the story? Like getting on a theme park attraction...you waited in line, you buckled your seat belt, and the roller coaster car starts ticking up the first incline? You are in it.
Sadly, reading this book made me feel like I was standing in line for almost the entirety. And when I finally got to the part where I was getting on the ride, my seat belt was broken.
I thought the beginning was decent, although the world-building left something to be desired. I really enjoyed Samira's story line. Amunet's? Not so much. In fact, I found myself dreading Amunet's chapters. Samira and the Seven were all I really cared about.
And her and Keir? Such a great slow burn with so much delicious chemistry. Too bad it was never fully realized in a way that felt satisfying.
And don't get me started on the ending. What a letdown. I doubt I will read book two. Too bad as this had so much potential.
You know when you are reading a book and you get to that point where you feel "settled" in the story? Like getting on a theme park attraction...you waited in line, you buckled your seat belt, and the roller coaster car starts ticking up the first incline? You are in it.
Sadly, reading this book made me feel like I was standing in line for almost the entirety. And when I finally got to the part where I was getting on the ride, my seat belt was broken.
I thought the beginning was decent, although the world-building left something to be desired. I really enjoyed Samira's story line. Amunet's? Not so much. In fact, I found myself dreading Amunet's chapters. Samira and the Seven were all I really cared about.
And her and Keir? Such a great slow burn with so much delicious chemistry. Too bad it was never fully realized in a way that felt satisfying.
And don't get me started on the ending. What a letdown. I doubt I will read book two. Too bad as this had so much potential.
January 25, 2026
Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC in exchange for my own opinion.
The problem with stories like this is that they have been done multiple times in different variations. Think A Fate Blooded in Ink for an example. So quite literally, I knew where this story was going and who Samira was by 10% of this book. Now it’s not always a bad thing to know what’s going to happen by the end of the book and it can be enjoyable seeing how the character gets to that point (think the Hobbit) but that only works if the writing and characters are strong. That’s where this book falls flat for me.
Samira and Amunet are the two main characters in this duel point of view book. Samira is personally the more interesting point of view versus Amunet but they both fall so flat to me as they are very one sided: Amunet dancing around if she’s good or bad and Samira being loyal to Amunet. The side characters are NPCs that don’t hold any value and are just there randomly existing. I kept asking myself if this character wasn’t there, would anything change and honestly nothing would have changed in an impactful way. Out of the handful of side characters we meet, only 3 hold any value.
Usually I am very chill when it comes to writing but when the book takes place in a fantasy setting that takes inspiration from Egypt and Scandinavia countries, you can’t use modern words like twin bed or even quoting what the definition of insanity. It’s jarring and pulls the reader out of the world you are building. Secondly, there is a lot of character inconsistency with Samira and some with Amunet (the princess knowing the definition of insanity and what a twin bed is),but mainly with Samira. Samira shouldn’t know how to swim as we are given no inclination to believe that she can, yet she can. How does she know what a whale and shark are when she comes from a desert? I don’t know, but she does. She’s a slave who’s allowed to eat cow yet she comes from a kingdom where water is rare and sacred. Do you know it takes ALOT of water to raise cattle especially in arid biomes so that means cow meat should be a delicacy not something a slave should be eating. The lack of drinking water and how it’s sacred is an important component in this world and you can see that from Amunets point of view when she is dealing the Princes but besides that, there was no follow through and felt forgettable until the author realized that and then just threw something small in to cover that negligence.
The constant inconsistencies is why I am marking this book 2 stars. Everything (the romance, the character, and the world) just felt shallow and not fully thought out.
The problem with stories like this is that they have been done multiple times in different variations. Think A Fate Blooded in Ink for an example. So quite literally, I knew where this story was going and who Samira was by 10% of this book. Now it’s not always a bad thing to know what’s going to happen by the end of the book and it can be enjoyable seeing how the character gets to that point (think the Hobbit) but that only works if the writing and characters are strong. That’s where this book falls flat for me.
Samira and Amunet are the two main characters in this duel point of view book. Samira is personally the more interesting point of view versus Amunet but they both fall so flat to me as they are very one sided: Amunet dancing around if she’s good or bad and Samira being loyal to Amunet. The side characters are NPCs that don’t hold any value and are just there randomly existing. I kept asking myself if this character wasn’t there, would anything change and honestly nothing would have changed in an impactful way. Out of the handful of side characters we meet, only 3 hold any value.
Usually I am very chill when it comes to writing but when the book takes place in a fantasy setting that takes inspiration from Egypt and Scandinavia countries, you can’t use modern words like twin bed or even quoting what the definition of insanity. It’s jarring and pulls the reader out of the world you are building. Secondly, there is a lot of character inconsistency with Samira and some with Amunet (the princess knowing the definition of insanity and what a twin bed is),but mainly with Samira. Samira shouldn’t know how to swim as we are given no inclination to believe that she can, yet she can. How does she know what a whale and shark are when she comes from a desert? I don’t know, but she does. She’s a slave who’s allowed to eat cow yet she comes from a kingdom where water is rare and sacred. Do you know it takes ALOT of water to raise cattle especially in arid biomes so that means cow meat should be a delicacy not something a slave should be eating. The lack of drinking water and how it’s sacred is an important component in this world and you can see that from Amunets point of view when she is dealing the Princes but besides that, there was no follow through and felt forgettable until the author realized that and then just threw something small in to cover that negligence.
The constant inconsistencies is why I am marking this book 2 stars. Everything (the romance, the character, and the world) just felt shallow and not fully thought out.
October 27, 2025
Ashley’s done it again! This book perfectly blends Egyptian and Norse mythology. It has one of bitchiest female main characters I’ve ever read and I feel like we need that kind of representation today. Like hell yeah - be that bitch! That paired with her sweet-as-honey co-lead and BOOM you’ve got something special in your hands.
Read for the girls, stay for the men they meet (hehehehehe). Action-packed, hot, and leaves you wanting the next book ASAP.
Read for the girls, stay for the men they meet (hehehehehe). Action-packed, hot, and leaves you wanting the next book ASAP.
December 14, 2025
4.5/5
I was very fortunate to receive an ARC of this book releasing in June 2026.
This is such a unique and well written story, it definitely grabbed me and kept me hooked. When I first read the snippet I thought - oh like a fantasy parent trap - but noooo, so much more than that. We are talking one kingdom that is heavily inspired by a magical Egyptian setting with gods - facing their enemy kingdom which is kind of like Viking inspired with runes, magic and bear shifters.
Princess Amunet is the gods chosen, daughter of the god of the underworld, she is revered and soon due to inherit her powers - see, in times of trouble, the gods send their children to earth to help, giving them pieces of their powers. Samira is a servant to the princess, taken from her home 16 years previous, she has only known servitude. But it was not an easy life, as the princess was quite cruel. One night, an enemy kingdom comes and end up attacking - planning to capture the princess. Amunet, wanting to escape, dresses her maid Samira in her clothing and tells her to impersonate her to give her time to get away. So as Amunet is running away with her trusted guard with benefits Jasim, Samira is captured and brought back to their kingdom. Where she must keep up the ruse, or be found out and “ended”. Amunet on the run, now Queen after the passing of the king in the battle, must find new allies and strength, and how to contact her father who now no longer communicates with her.
Dual POV from Samira and Amunet - I found it a little hard with Amunet cause I just straight out do not like her. But I give the writer props for showing how multidimensional she is and giving her layers.
I was very fortunate to receive an ARC of this book releasing in June 2026.
This is such a unique and well written story, it definitely grabbed me and kept me hooked. When I first read the snippet I thought - oh like a fantasy parent trap - but noooo, so much more than that. We are talking one kingdom that is heavily inspired by a magical Egyptian setting with gods - facing their enemy kingdom which is kind of like Viking inspired with runes, magic and bear shifters.
Princess Amunet is the gods chosen, daughter of the god of the underworld, she is revered and soon due to inherit her powers - see, in times of trouble, the gods send their children to earth to help, giving them pieces of their powers. Samira is a servant to the princess, taken from her home 16 years previous, she has only known servitude. But it was not an easy life, as the princess was quite cruel. One night, an enemy kingdom comes and end up attacking - planning to capture the princess. Amunet, wanting to escape, dresses her maid Samira in her clothing and tells her to impersonate her to give her time to get away. So as Amunet is running away with her trusted guard with benefits Jasim, Samira is captured and brought back to their kingdom. Where she must keep up the ruse, or be found out and “ended”. Amunet on the run, now Queen after the passing of the king in the battle, must find new allies and strength, and how to contact her father who now no longer communicates with her.
Dual POV from Samira and Amunet - I found it a little hard with Amunet cause I just straight out do not like her. But I give the writer props for showing how multidimensional she is and giving her layers.
January 24, 2026
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.
This book follows Samira and Amunet after King Zaid is murdered following an invasion of the Kaldfolk.
This was an interesting story and I did enjoy the Egyptian themes, imagery, and mythology. But I did keep getting thrown off as the author tends to use modern sayings/verbiage while trying to convey a setting that is not modern.
The imagery was very bleak, I had a hard time picturing much of this world as I felt the descriptions were very mild and lackluster.
Most of the characters felt a little flat. Like Samira spends the entire book acting like a doormat to everyone only to, in the end, do a complete 180. Amunet is a roller coaster of “I’m a good person, I’m an evil person”. Most of the Kaldfolk feel like they’re merely NPCs: there just to fill in space and really don’t add much to the overall story.
The twist at the end I could see coming from very early in the book as it was obvious what the entire story was building towards. Wish there had either been less buildup, or a twist that wasn’t seen coming.
Overall, it was a good story, unique concept, and original imagery with the Egyptian influences.
This book follows Samira and Amunet after King Zaid is murdered following an invasion of the Kaldfolk.
This was an interesting story and I did enjoy the Egyptian themes, imagery, and mythology. But I did keep getting thrown off as the author tends to use modern sayings/verbiage while trying to convey a setting that is not modern.
The imagery was very bleak, I had a hard time picturing much of this world as I felt the descriptions were very mild and lackluster.
Most of the characters felt a little flat. Like Samira spends the entire book acting like a doormat to everyone only to, in the end, do a complete 180. Amunet is a roller coaster of “I’m a good person, I’m an evil person”. Most of the Kaldfolk feel like they’re merely NPCs: there just to fill in space and really don’t add much to the overall story.
The twist at the end I could see coming from very early in the book as it was obvious what the entire story was building towards. Wish there had either been less buildup, or a twist that wasn’t seen coming.
Overall, it was a good story, unique concept, and original imagery with the Egyptian influences.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2026
Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I came into this excited because the summary sounded original and interesting. It didn't take long though to realize that there were MANY issues that kept this book from rising from an "okay" book to a fantastic book.
The writing was clunky and very stilted. It felt like certain sentences were written at different times, and then later, they were cut and pasted and placed into different places in other paragraphs as they were revising things - but it completely took away from any semblance of a flow, or of a natural dialogue. It was difficult to stay in the story every time that happened....and there were many times that I felt this occur.
This is only my opinion, but I think if Ms. Tropea had seriously cut down the amount of POV's from
Amunet Khada, the new queen of Ashorah, the storyline would have benefitted immensely. She was an AWFUL, self-absorbed, and just mean woman and I completely disliked having to read any of her POV's. Most of her story could have been narrowed down to just a small number of POV's and it wouldn't have hurt the story in any way.
Samira, on the other hand, actually had the more interesting story arc and I WAS interested in seeing things from her POV. You could feel her emotions - her fears of messing up, and her intelligence that she had never ever had the opportunity to even explore due to her station as the Princess/Queens treatment of all of the slaves that served her. She began to watch and quickly learn the behaviors that she needed to do better with to be able to stay alive.
Part of the issues that I had was that the other characters were mainly one dimensional. To be fair, the main characters were a bit more developed, but the secondary characters could have well been NPC's. There was no growth with ANY of them, and they came across as almost a cardboard cutout that just happened to be placed with the rest of the gang for whatever was happening. None of them were able to break through the barrier and make them ANY different from any of the other secondary characters.
Then there was the story arc. It was extremely obvious what the twist was going to be at the end, and I was not surprised when I discovered that it was exactly what I thought it was going to be - and completely what happened.
I'm not sure if this was a debut book but there were definitely some good bones to base the story around. All of these issues could be fixed in her next books.
One thing I did want to mention was that I wasn't really a fan of the narrators in the audio version - Soneela Nankani and Rasha Zamamiri. They were first time narrators to me. It might have been that the dialogue wasn't necessarily as choppy as it was written and it MAY have been the narrator's portrayal and performance. That I am not sure about and am willing to give the benefit of the doubt.
As of now, I will not be continuing on with this duology.
The writing was clunky and very stilted. It felt like certain sentences were written at different times, and then later, they were cut and pasted and placed into different places in other paragraphs as they were revising things - but it completely took away from any semblance of a flow, or of a natural dialogue. It was difficult to stay in the story every time that happened....and there were many times that I felt this occur.
This is only my opinion, but I think if Ms. Tropea had seriously cut down the amount of POV's from
Amunet Khada, the new queen of Ashorah, the storyline would have benefitted immensely. She was an AWFUL, self-absorbed, and just mean woman and I completely disliked having to read any of her POV's. Most of her story could have been narrowed down to just a small number of POV's and it wouldn't have hurt the story in any way.
Samira, on the other hand, actually had the more interesting story arc and I WAS interested in seeing things from her POV. You could feel her emotions - her fears of messing up, and her intelligence that she had never ever had the opportunity to even explore due to her station as the Princess/Queens treatment of all of the slaves that served her. She began to watch and quickly learn the behaviors that she needed to do better with to be able to stay alive.
Part of the issues that I had was that the other characters were mainly one dimensional. To be fair, the main characters were a bit more developed, but the secondary characters could have well been NPC's. There was no growth with ANY of them, and they came across as almost a cardboard cutout that just happened to be placed with the rest of the gang for whatever was happening. None of them were able to break through the barrier and make them ANY different from any of the other secondary characters.
Then there was the story arc. It was extremely obvious what the twist was going to be at the end, and I was not surprised when I discovered that it was exactly what I thought it was going to be - and completely what happened.
I'm not sure if this was a debut book but there were definitely some good bones to base the story around. All of these issues could be fixed in her next books.
One thing I did want to mention was that I wasn't really a fan of the narrators in the audio version - Soneela Nankani and Rasha Zamamiri. They were first time narrators to me. It might have been that the dialogue wasn't necessarily as choppy as it was written and it MAY have been the narrator's portrayal and performance. That I am not sure about and am willing to give the benefit of the doubt.
As of now, I will not be continuing on with this duology.
Did Not Finish
June 28, 2026DID NOT FINISH: 23%
I don't like any of these characters, everything is miserable, I'm bored.
There are two narrators to cover the slave and the queen's perspective as they do their extreme version of the prince and the pauper, and unfortunately I don't like either of them. I had the audio on 2x speed and I tried listening to it only when I was multitasking and barely paying attention and it was STILL aggravating me. I'm annoyed by these people and this plot.
If you're the princess in a royal palace, wouldn't you want your slaves to look presentable? Why would you want them to be emaciated and covered in grime and filth if they're going to be serving you up close all day?
There's potential with the Egyptian inspired setting and the pagan religion, but it's far too little to make up for the queen being a horrible person and the slave being an empty vessel. I bet it turns out that the slave is actually the daughter of the death god or whatever after her slow burn romance with her captor. The queen's bodyguard deserves better, bet he dies. Whatever. I do not care at all.
Content Warnings:
Graphic: Physical abuse, Slavery, Blood
Moderate: Death, Self harm, Violence, Injury/Injury detail
I don't like any of these characters, everything is miserable, I'm bored.
There are two narrators to cover the slave and the queen's perspective as they do their extreme version of the prince and the pauper, and unfortunately I don't like either of them. I had the audio on 2x speed and I tried listening to it only when I was multitasking and barely paying attention and it was STILL aggravating me. I'm annoyed by these people and this plot.
If you're the princess in a royal palace, wouldn't you want your slaves to look presentable? Why would you want them to be emaciated and covered in grime and filth if they're going to be serving you up close all day?
There's potential with the Egyptian inspired setting and the pagan religion, but it's far too little to make up for the queen being a horrible person and the slave being an empty vessel. I bet it turns out that the slave is actually the daughter of the death god or whatever after her slow burn romance with her captor. The queen's bodyguard deserves better, bet he dies. Whatever. I do not care at all.
Content Warnings:
Graphic: Physical abuse, Slavery, Blood
Moderate: Death, Self harm, Violence, Injury/Injury detail
June 15, 2026
Started strong then lost me. Ending was disappointing 🥴
February 19, 2026
This was absolutely bizarre
July 26, 2026
Guys guess what… I did it! I FINALLY FINISHED THIS STUPID BOOK. I kid you not it took me THREE WHOLE WEEKS to read this because it was SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO BORING. Ugh I should’ve dnf’d it I know. In fact, I only had 70 pages left and I was seriously considering dnfing it. I hate dnfing and I hardly ever do it especially not when I’ve already read so much of the book. But alas, kudos to my mental stamina because I did it. I finished this dumb book. I can’t wait to read something else. Literally anything else.
I’m actually shocked this was a BOTM pick. It wasn’t like other BOTM picks I didn’t like where I read it and I think, “hmm this book was not for me.” Nope it was more “hmm did this book have an editor?” Or possibly “did they accidentally publish the first draft without realizing it?” But seriously, I’m no snob about writing quality but holy cow the writing struggled. The sentences on their own were fine, but there was no flow. They just sat next to each other. It was clunky and disjointed. I know this is a debut, which makes me feel bad but it was so amateurish that it was genuinely hard to get through. I’m really surprised it was a pick and I guess I should’ve picked something else instead of spending three weeks reading one book and now writing a two star review that I feel bad about because I really wanted to like this book but I just didn’t have it in me.
I’m also not an editor but they should’ve consulted me anyways. I would’ve done it for free too (lmk if anyone wants my free unfiltered non-expert thoughts). Here’s what I would’ve said, “cut Amunet’s POV.” That’s it bro. It bogged down the whole book because it was COMPLETELY POINTLESS! Literally it’s just Amunet, who is incredibly cruel and unlikeable, and her zero-personality guard traveling the whole time. Not a single interesting or important thing happens to her ever. She’s only semi important for one scene at the end and the only background info the reader needs is how she got there and that could’ve been done in one chapter with her POV. Seriously, if her chapters were cut I guarantee I would’ve gotten through this book quicker than three weeks. And absolutely nothing would’ve been lost. Except maybe I would’ve hated the book and Amunet less so sounds like there was a lot to gain.
I could handle Samira’s POV. Was she an interesting character? Not even a little bit. In fact, I think Bella Swan might have had more personality. But at least Samira’s story had plot. I could read about her being a complete loser because at least pretending to be a magical kidnapped queen in an enemy kingdom is interesting. But her boyfriend turns into a bear and is obsessed with her “scent.” Is this Twilight fan-fic? Genuine question. There were times I was reading this and Keir would be going on about Samira’s scent and I really wondered if this was supposed to be Twilight. I mean we have a main girl with negative personality who could be easily replaced with cardboard, love interest who is obsessed with the way she smells, and turns into a monster. Sounds like Twilight to me. Also, did I mention there’s a bit of a love triangle?
I also feel frustrated because getting through this book was so much effort, but I didn’t even feel relieved! The ending was so frustrating because basically the entire book was pointless. There was a “huge” reveal that I called from the summary, but that’s it. There wasn’t actually any progress made. It was like 438 pages of set up. I will not be reading book two so I guess I’ll never know what the point of all that set up was, but set up is not very interesting. If you have to, make it 100 pages, maybe 150 and then make something happen!
The two good things I have to say about this book are 1) yay Samira (the only character that exists for me) did not get together with any guy so at least that was one good thing about the incredibly slow pacing of this set up book. 2) I actually liked that when Samira got kidnapped she was quiet and did everything the scary bears said. Every piece of fiction ever has the character be as defiant as possible in those situations but that’s a good way to get yourself shot (except in this case it would be a ripped out throat), and I liked that this book didn’t do that. Also because Samira had grown up a slave her whole life so I’m pretty sure she doesn’t even know how to be defiant like that (even though she was pretending to be Amunet who 100% would’ve done that) so then I would’ve been mad that she was acting out of character.
Now I’m off to read something good. Hopefully… *skips to the bookshelf humming jingle bells*
I’m actually shocked this was a BOTM pick. It wasn’t like other BOTM picks I didn’t like where I read it and I think, “hmm this book was not for me.” Nope it was more “hmm did this book have an editor?” Or possibly “did they accidentally publish the first draft without realizing it?” But seriously, I’m no snob about writing quality but holy cow the writing struggled. The sentences on their own were fine, but there was no flow. They just sat next to each other. It was clunky and disjointed. I know this is a debut, which makes me feel bad but it was so amateurish that it was genuinely hard to get through. I’m really surprised it was a pick and I guess I should’ve picked something else instead of spending three weeks reading one book and now writing a two star review that I feel bad about because I really wanted to like this book but I just didn’t have it in me.
I’m also not an editor but they should’ve consulted me anyways. I would’ve done it for free too (lmk if anyone wants my free unfiltered non-expert thoughts). Here’s what I would’ve said, “cut Amunet’s POV.” That’s it bro. It bogged down the whole book because it was COMPLETELY POINTLESS! Literally it’s just Amunet, who is incredibly cruel and unlikeable, and her zero-personality guard traveling the whole time. Not a single interesting or important thing happens to her ever. She’s only semi important for one scene at the end and the only background info the reader needs is how she got there and that could’ve been done in one chapter with her POV. Seriously, if her chapters were cut I guarantee I would’ve gotten through this book quicker than three weeks. And absolutely nothing would’ve been lost. Except maybe I would’ve hated the book and Amunet less so sounds like there was a lot to gain.
I could handle Samira’s POV. Was she an interesting character? Not even a little bit. In fact, I think Bella Swan might have had more personality. But at least Samira’s story had plot. I could read about her being a complete loser because at least pretending to be a magical kidnapped queen in an enemy kingdom is interesting. But her boyfriend turns into a bear and is obsessed with her “scent.” Is this Twilight fan-fic? Genuine question. There were times I was reading this and Keir would be going on about Samira’s scent and I really wondered if this was supposed to be Twilight. I mean we have a main girl with negative personality who could be easily replaced with cardboard, love interest who is obsessed with the way she smells, and turns into a monster. Sounds like Twilight to me. Also, did I mention there’s a bit of a love triangle?
I also feel frustrated because getting through this book was so much effort, but I didn’t even feel relieved! The ending was so frustrating because basically the entire book was pointless. There was a “huge” reveal that I called from the summary, but that’s it. There wasn’t actually any progress made. It was like 438 pages of set up. I will not be reading book two so I guess I’ll never know what the point of all that set up was, but set up is not very interesting. If you have to, make it 100 pages, maybe 150 and then make something happen!
The two good things I have to say about this book are 1) yay Samira (the only character that exists for me) did not get together with any guy so at least that was one good thing about the incredibly slow pacing of this set up book. 2) I actually liked that when Samira got kidnapped she was quiet and did everything the scary bears said. Every piece of fiction ever has the character be as defiant as possible in those situations but that’s a good way to get yourself shot (except in this case it would be a ripped out throat), and I liked that this book didn’t do that. Also because Samira had grown up a slave her whole life so I’m pretty sure she doesn’t even know how to be defiant like that (even though she was pretending to be Amunet who 100% would’ve done that) so then I would’ve been mad that she was acting out of character.
Now I’m off to read something good. Hopefully… *skips to the bookshelf humming jingle bells*
July 13, 2026
The Shrouded Queen is a perfect blend of divine power, its action packed, and an intriguing story where a slave and a princess switch roles during an attack.
Ashley did a fantastic job adding in Egyptian and Norse mythology inspo that really lives up to its hype! You can definitely tell she looked into these details thoroughly as it feels atmospheric and vivid while reading. I also had the chance to listen to the audiobook which was fantastic! Made the immersive reading more fun!
The chemistry and slow burn tension definitely keeps you invested and wanting more! It was hard to put down and I did enjoy the shape-shifting details with our captor as it adds a nice touch to this story and showing you what survival looks like.
Cannot wait for the 2nd book! Thank you Gallery books for the eARC! 🩵
Ashley did a fantastic job adding in Egyptian and Norse mythology inspo that really lives up to its hype! You can definitely tell she looked into these details thoroughly as it feels atmospheric and vivid while reading. I also had the chance to listen to the audiobook which was fantastic! Made the immersive reading more fun!
The chemistry and slow burn tension definitely keeps you invested and wanting more! It was hard to put down and I did enjoy the shape-shifting details with our captor as it adds a nice touch to this story and showing you what survival looks like.
Cannot wait for the 2nd book! Thank you Gallery books for the eARC! 🩵
July 14, 2026
So much fun! Samira's innocent unshakeable faith in Amunit as the gods chosen was SO adorable at first, and eventually pissed me off to some serious unprecedented levels 🤣 but my girl's got claws! Can't wait for the rest of the story to unfold.
Want to Read
June 1, 2026Pre Read:
June BOTM early Release! This sounds super interesting! Love a hidden identity plotline!
June BOTM early Release! This sounds super interesting! Love a hidden identity plotline!
July 17, 2026
You know what, this was fun. The allusions to ancient Egypt, the drama, the Kaldfolk were all the drivers for me. I got frustrated at how meek Samira would be at times and felt that the ending felt rushed in a way, but still enjoyed it overall!
November 21, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the eArc for this book!
I really enjoyed this! The lore and tie-ins with Egyptian mythology were extremely interesting and compelling. I loved how different Samira and Amunet were from each other, and the character development both went through over the course of the book. There were a few phrases that felt somewhat out of place and modern for the setting - things like "twin-sized bed," Amunet's inner monologue asking "Why the fuck we're still here," someone asking "Where the fuck was I?" but overall, this was a great read and I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment!
I really enjoyed this! The lore and tie-ins with Egyptian mythology were extremely interesting and compelling. I loved how different Samira and Amunet were from each other, and the character development both went through over the course of the book. There were a few phrases that felt somewhat out of place and modern for the setting - things like "twin-sized bed," Amunet's inner monologue asking "Why the fuck we're still here," someone asking "Where the fuck was I?" but overall, this was a great read and I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment!
June 25, 2026
I had such high hopes for this book. I was sorely disappointed. It was just ok. Good in some parts but dragged on in others. It has taken me over a week to read and I do not like when a book does that. If it held my attention and kept me wanting to get back to it that would be different. This one was just not what I had hoped for.
Two girls. One a princess and the other her slave. A mean cruel princess at that.
Amunet Khada is a princess. When the kingdom is overrun and her father is killed she becomes queen. I tried to like Amunet a few times but she was just not likable.
Samira is Amunet's slave. Amunet has been very cruel to her. Samira seems to think it's ok for her princess to treat her this way. Food and water are both very scarce and a slave can be killed if caught stealing either. Seems they go a long time without either.
When the kingdom is overrun Amunet leaves Samira to stand in her place. To be taken.
Now you get to see what happens to each of these girls. What all they go through and how they survive. Or don't survive....
This was a well written story. It could have been a very good one for me. It was just to slow. A very slow burn. At least for me. It is part love story. A shifter story. A princess/queen/imposter story. There is a lot going on. Fairly easy to follow but when things happened at the end I was caught off guard. I still don't get it. Who was the man. Why was Samira taken.
I really didn't enjoy this one. It was a BOTM choice too.
Thank you Gallery Books for this ARC.
Two girls. One a princess and the other her slave. A mean cruel princess at that.
Amunet Khada is a princess. When the kingdom is overrun and her father is killed she becomes queen. I tried to like Amunet a few times but she was just not likable.
Samira is Amunet's slave. Amunet has been very cruel to her. Samira seems to think it's ok for her princess to treat her this way. Food and water are both very scarce and a slave can be killed if caught stealing either. Seems they go a long time without either.
When the kingdom is overrun Amunet leaves Samira to stand in her place. To be taken.
Now you get to see what happens to each of these girls. What all they go through and how they survive. Or don't survive....
This was a well written story. It could have been a very good one for me. It was just to slow. A very slow burn. At least for me. It is part love story. A shifter story. A princess/queen/imposter story. There is a lot going on. Fairly easy to follow but when things happened at the end I was caught off guard. I still don't get it. Who was the man. Why was Samira taken.
I really didn't enjoy this one. It was a BOTM choice too.
Thank you Gallery Books for this ARC.
July 13, 2026
surprisingly good
If I could do a 4.5 I would. I couldn’t put it down, the switching of characters was well done.
If I could do a 4.5 I would. I couldn’t put it down, the switching of characters was well done.
August 2, 2026
Where is the sequel? That ending...very unsatisfied
May 9, 2026
I love anything about Egyptian history so I was intrigued to try this dual POV about a queen and her slave making their way in a harsh world, but this one didn't quite work for me.
Normally I am fine with multiple POVs because I'm used to them in fantasy, but in this case I found the storyline of Queen Amunet detracted from the main plot. I was expecting an unlikable character but we open with her waterboarding her servant for drinking from a forbidden pool when she can't even keep her servants fed, then she leaves her enslaved maid for dead as a decoy when the palace is attacked by bear shifters. And she can't even remember her maid's name at the end of the book.
She was cruel, arrogant and capricious, and a very flat and boring character. And don't get me started on her love story. I am glad this was not a master/slave romance because that was not clear from the synopsis. She instead had a situationship with her devoted guard, treating him cruelly at every turn, even at one point intending to sacrifice him to her god. She was selfish, spoiled and entitled. She treated Jasim with such emotional whiplash that I was begging for them to break up. And this is called a romantic duology and not a romance, but still, I am tired of so-called romances where the love interest is killed at the end, even in a duology. Jasim deserved better.
I did appreciate how this book didn't romanticize ancient Egypt and showed its casual cruelty instead of sanitizing it.
I liked Samira's arc the best. She was a compelling character, a slave who took back her own power and found a place with the Kadfolk, a clan of bear shifters. Her romance with her watcher, Keir, was lovely and a proper slow burn. I loved the two of them together. I might possibly read the second book because I loved her story so much, but I hated Amunet so much that I probably won't.
I also guessed the twist at the end early on; too predictable.
So sadly this one wasn't for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Normally I am fine with multiple POVs because I'm used to them in fantasy, but in this case I found the storyline of Queen Amunet detracted from the main plot. I was expecting an unlikable character but we open with her waterboarding her servant for drinking from a forbidden pool when she can't even keep her servants fed, then she leaves her enslaved maid for dead as a decoy when the palace is attacked by bear shifters. And she can't even remember her maid's name at the end of the book.
She was cruel, arrogant and capricious, and a very flat and boring character. And don't get me started on her love story. I am glad this was not a master/slave romance because that was not clear from the synopsis. She instead had a situationship with her devoted guard, treating him cruelly at every turn, even at one point intending to sacrifice him to her god. She was selfish, spoiled and entitled. She treated Jasim with such emotional whiplash that I was begging for them to break up. And this is called a romantic duology and not a romance, but still, I am tired of so-called romances where the love interest is killed at the end, even in a duology. Jasim deserved better.
I did appreciate how this book didn't romanticize ancient Egypt and showed its casual cruelty instead of sanitizing it.
I liked Samira's arc the best. She was a compelling character, a slave who took back her own power and found a place with the Kadfolk, a clan of bear shifters. Her romance with her watcher, Keir, was lovely and a proper slow burn. I loved the two of them together. I might possibly read the second book because I loved her story so much, but I hated Amunet so much that I probably won't.
I also guessed the twist at the end early on; too predictable.
So sadly this one wasn't for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2026
Should’ve just DNF’d this. I wonder if there will be a second book because of the ending, but even then I won’t be reading it.
I had to slog through this and expected some major payoff. Nope, nothing of the sort.
I had to slog through this and expected some major payoff. Nope, nothing of the sort.
June 24, 2026
Not sure both POVs were necessary or really even added value
October 27, 2025
Cannot state how excited I am for this. GET HYPED Y’ALL!!! We will all be frothing at the mouth when this comes out and I don’t think we are ready. Will be purchasing this book the second it’s available and you should too! You won’t regret it 😤
March 11, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Ashley Tropea for an ARC copy.
This book is creative and surprising. I loved following the path of the two female main characters, one a princess and one a slave. They are brought up in the same palace but when it is attacked one day they are forced to leave. The two women’s goals begin in sync but each decision could change the fate of everything and themselves along the way.
Some things that I loved:
•The world was a fresh mix of historical & mythological
•The magic was unique and interesting
•It was not predictable
•The cliffhanger at the end left me wanting more.
This book is creative and surprising. I loved following the path of the two female main characters, one a princess and one a slave. They are brought up in the same palace but when it is attacked one day they are forced to leave. The two women’s goals begin in sync but each decision could change the fate of everything and themselves along the way.
Some things that I loved:
•The world was a fresh mix of historical & mythological
•The magic was unique and interesting
•It was not predictable
•The cliffhanger at the end left me wanting more.
October 27, 2025
What. A. Read.
I’m constantly impressed by Ashley’s storytelling skills, and The Shrouded Queen is no exception. She crafted an incredibly refreshing world with bold and nuanced characters you’ll easily become obsessed with. Cannot wait to see where she takes this story!
I’ll be first in line on June 16th to get my copy, and so should you!
I’m constantly impressed by Ashley’s storytelling skills, and The Shrouded Queen is no exception. She crafted an incredibly refreshing world with bold and nuanced characters you’ll easily become obsessed with. Cannot wait to see where she takes this story!
I’ll be first in line on June 16th to get my copy, and so should you!
July 30, 2026
Deployed every romantasy trope available with middling success. Stayed on the beach for seven hours reading this, so thank you for the killer tan!
August 1, 2026
definitely more of a setting the scenes book, ended on a plot twist / cliffhanger
August 6, 2026
I read this in a few days because it was hard to put down. Interesting story and characters although the ending felt abrupt and the story incomplete. Needs a sequel, I hope she’s working on it
June 15, 2026
this book isn’t even released yet but i already need book 2
June 26, 2026
I really enjoyed this fantasy and its blend of Nordic vibes with Egyptian mythology. The dual POVs were a lot of fun, but Samira's was definitely my favourite. Watching her go from a slave to becoming the queen's decoy made her story so interesting to follow. I liked Amunet's POV too as the Gods-Chosen Princess, but I found myself more invested in Samira's journey.
And of course it ends on a cliffhanger, but I'm really looking forward to seeing how the duology wraps it all up.
4.25⭐
And of course it ends on a cliffhanger, but I'm really looking forward to seeing how the duology wraps it all up.
4.25⭐
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