The Shadow King

Kingdom of Shadows and Dust #2

by Sherry D. Ficklin

Since the fall of Ankara, King Aldin has worked tirelessly to rebuild the neighboring kingdom—and secure his throne—while maintaining the fragile alliance that ended the war between them. Peace is finally within his grasp when dangers awaken that put his life, and the fate of his nation, at the mercy of his most formidable enemies.

As leader of the Turnskin, Pria never imagined aligning herself with the kingdom responsible for the bloody, generations-old feud with her people. Yet when destiny puts King Aldin's life in her hands, she must push old grudges aside to save them all from foreign invaders determined to conquer their country.

With assassins lurking behind every door and the fate of a vulnerable nation hanging in the balance, the king and the warrior find themselves trapped between fear and forgiveness, between war and redemption. Survival will mean letting old wounds heal for the sake of their people, and making peace with the darkest parts of themselves. But as their reluctant truce grows into much more, other dangers hover on the horizon, waiting to crush them both. Can they overcome their twisted fate and secure the crown? Or will the unexpected bond they are forging ultimately bring about their destruction?

307 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 16, 2021

About the author

Sherry is the author of over a dozen novels for teens and young adults including the best selling Stolen Empire series. She can often be found browsing her local bookstore with a large white hot chocolate in one hand and a towering stack of books in the other. That is, unless she's on deadline at which time she, like the Loch Ness monster, is only seen in blurry photographs.
Sherry also writes contemporary romance under the pen name SJ Noble. You can find her at her official website, www.sherryficklin.com, or stalk her on her Facebook page www.facebook.com/sherry.ficklin.

Reviews

[Wren · Rating 4 out of 5]

The intensity and shocking moments, continues into the second book. Perhaps even my favorite of the two books.

Everyone has come together. Well sort of, anyway. Kings from other kingdoms are at the palace where negotiations are taking place to create peace among everyone. But there is always a few bad eggs in the bunch.... I'll get to that later.

Aldin and Pria are two leaders who are working together to bring peace to both their kingdoms. It was never expected where Pria would have her life on the line to save this King, let alone fall in love with him in the process.

As soon as Pria starts protecting King Aldin, you just know something is going to brew between these two. They love to bicker, it becomes their thing and let's face it, Pria is the best Queen I've seen and can dish it out like no other. Aldin, sweet guy, took his sweet time opening up and letting Pria into his life. He didn't believe he was going to find someone, but he finally gave in and it was the best thing to finally see it happen.

Oh but don't worry, Ava is perfectly happy to see King Aldin happy. You'll enjoy that surprise twist.

Now back to the bad eggs...You have one leader who decided to kidnap King Aldin's sister, safe to say both he and the husband is not thrilled by this. Then comes everyone's favorite bad guy....Aldin's uncle. Man does he cause quite the ruckus.

Once again, this is another must read series by Sherry. If you haven't yet, check out her Stolen Empire series. An absolute favorite of mine.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-4*
Thank you author/publisher for this e arc.
I loved book 1 and was so glad to read book 2.

Synopsis:
"With assassins lurking behind every door and the fate of a vulnerable nation hanging in the balance, the king and the warrior find themselves trapped between fear and forgiveness, between war and redemption. Survival will mean letting old wounds heal for the sake of their people, and making peace with the darkest parts of themselves. But as their reluctant truce grows into much more, other dangers hover on the horizon, waiting to crush them both. "

I liked book 1 a little more, but both are great stories.

I liked the ending too.

[Stephenee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book 2 in the duology and the reader really needs to read book 1 to understand fully what is happening in book 2. It is possible to read this one without book 1, but it is highly recommended that you do read book 1 first. This book shows the reader how much of Sherry's heart and soul is in the book, her emotions pour out through the pages.

This book gives us Pria, leader of the Turnskins and King Aldin, everyone's least favorite person (I mean I liked him, but most don't)...and the fact that Pria has to put aside her dislike to help to keep him alive. Will she be able to keep the assassins at bay? Will she be successful?

This book will keep the reader on the edge of their seat trying to figure out what it going to happen next! The reader will frantically turn the pages of the book trying to see where the book is going while also looking to make sure that the book isn't close to ending. This one is one of those books that leaves the reader with a book hangover and at the same time the reader wants to instantly start reading the book again to see what they missed when they zoomed through the first time.

Don't hesitate to add this one and ALL of her previous books to your TBR list - you will love each and every one! A must read and a must read NOW!

**Review has been done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official. For more information regarding our reviews please visit our Fansite: www.facebook.com/NerdGirl.ng**

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kingdom of Shadows and Dust was one of my favorite books I've read in 2021 and I was beyond excited to receive an ARC for the second book, The Shadow King. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint.

It's very evident Sherry Ficklin pours her heart and soul into her writing. The character development and emotion grabbed me and held tight until the very last page. I did not want the book to end but couldn't have asked for a better ending. King Aldin is a treasure and deserves complete happiness. His vulnerability and romantic side made me melt. I couldn't get enough of him nor the strong leader of the Turnskin, Pria. They both pushed old grudges aside and showed great love towards their people.

If you love reading fantasy with action, romance, shapeshifting, betrayal, and magic this book is for you.

[Sarah Cradit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Electric but believable chemistry between the leads, intoxicating, vibrant world-building, and a seasoned command of language and storytelling... this series has it all. I read the second book before the first, but was able to pick up with no problem. There's enough backstory to keep the pace, without slowing it. Ficklin has such a beautiful, lyrical way of describing things.

Aldin is the new book boyfriend you didn't know you needed. Seriously. I don't like the word swoon, but I swooned nonetheless.

I can't wait for the next book!

[Belinda Clemons · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG This Sequel is so exciting I read it in one sort of I just couldn't put it down. THE Shadow King was fantastic

[Jenny Zimmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG, what a beautiful ending this story had. I am shedding happy tears.

The characters were amazing. I loved how each chapter let us know what was happening between the main character's thoughts and what they were going through. I loved getting to know and fall in love with Aldin and Pria. Both very strong willed and such a beautiful couple.

The storyline was incredible. Ficklin does not disappoint with this story. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and the feelers within this story were extremely strong. This is another great adventure that I love from this author and I highly recommend it!!