Ensnared by the Shadow King

Night's Curse #1

by Lola Glass

He thinks I'm his salvation, but I'll be his demise.

Being cursed by the King of Shadows earned me two decades of captivity. Now that I'm free, there's only one option:

Find the king and kill him, for the sake of not only revenge but salvation too.

Though I manage to get into his court, I learn that he's not as killable as I thought. Our souls seem… connected.

And I find myself questioning whether or not I really want to be free of him at all.

Despite the attraction that begins to bloom between us, he and the other fae kings are at war, and my curse remains wildly uncontrollable. When his enemies set their sights on me, one thing becomes clear:

One way or another, I’m going to cost the Shadow King his life.

*This new-adult romantic fantasy is recommended for ages 17+ due to language and sexual content. It's a full-length standalone novel with a happily ever after and a lead-in to the next couple's book.

Genres: Fantasy, Fae, Romance, Fantasy Romance, Paranormal, Romantasy, Fiction

332 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 8, 2022

About the author

Hi, I’m Lola! I’m a book lover with a *slight* romance obsession. My books are all steamy romantic fantasy or paranormal romance, and there is always a happily ever after.

Stop by my Facebook group, Lola's Book Lovers, for updates, giveaways and other fun!

For a full list of my work, check out my website https://www.authorlolaglass.com/

Thanks for reading!
All the love,
Lola Glass <3

Reviews

[gonzo · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was so hard to keep going after the first few chapters. Doria is so whiny and I understand she has been in a dungeon her entire life but she gets pissy over the most trivial things and throws a massive fit then wonder of wonders she gains clarity suddenly because she gets horny. *Insert eye roll* Namir was a decent character and honestly I wish the story would have been told from his pov instead. The ending moved at super speed. I know it’s a series but it was slow paced until the last 5 chapters. Not really my cup of tea.

[Samantha ♡ ( Percy’s Version ) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5⭐️

There wasn’t a lot of action in this book and I still enjoyed it. That never happens especially if it’s a fantasy book because when I look for fantasy I look for action packed fantasy books. This was just chill we were just going through Namir and Dioras’ relationship. I think what made me enjoy it so much was that I really enjoyed their relationship and how they grew so much together. I just wish there was a tiny bit more action because I just feel like I would have liked it a bit more if there was.

[Alaina]

rtc

[Christen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is okay. It's a quick read.

The whole fated mates thing is annoying here. The mates are so rare, but there's literally 3 pairs in this book. And I assume the other books in the series will also be mates. (And the 2 female characters are both pregnant at the end of the book? Eye roll.)

The revenge concept is interesting, I wish more time was spent on that. The insta-love kills it quickly.

The spice is good. There's some tension and build up before the actual spicy scenes. I could have done without the use of "release."

2.5 stars.

[bella · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF for me :( I honestly couldn’t even get through the first five chapters because of how poorly written this book is. It feels like a wattpad written by someone whose never taken a writers class ever and doesn’t understand how to world build. It’s too fast paced. We meet the king who cursed her with power within three chapters and she just waltzed into the castle with no resistance even though she’s wearing all black which is a “peasant color”. The main character talks about everything almost like she wasn’t held captive and cut off from the world. Honestly nothing really makes sense and I couldn’t force myself to finish this.

[Lokiishere · Rating 2 out of 5]

so I’m confused

I didn’t make it past the third chapter before I stopped and checked that this was a Lola Glass book. Initially I thought this is different, then I thought I don’t like this at all. I made it to the sixth chapter before I gave up. This doesn’t feel like the author I’ve come to love reading. I hate to say it but it’s definitely one of my least favorite books by her.

[clara smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m very sad to give this one star but honestly I can’t give it more. I only made it 60% in the book but that was too much.

Usually I can read less than well written books and still like them but I just could not with this one. It had so much potential too!!

There was no character development (I know I didn’t finish the book) but it seemed as if the character development went backwards.

I was excited to read about the main character breaking out of her captivity, some tension between her and the king she was trying to kill, some soft gentle scenes of him comforting her and her working through ptsd and seeing the world.

I got pretty much none of that.

Too soon they realized they were mates and he started calling her Love, literally came out of left field and she didn’t even like when he did it. There were so many things that needed to go slowly but it felt rushed and there seemed to be no chemistry. Not to mention half the time I forgot they were Fae. It felt like humans with magic which maybe if it was that I would’ve liked it better but it was too many human and things that we do today type things that I didn’t like it.

That’s not even mentioning the mate bond and the ick I got out of the crazy possessiveness. I’m all for a protective man but he was not it. He couldn’t even let her out of his sight and I could not deal with it.

Also the main girls magic power is a wolf that takes over her and tries to kill people. Again, SO much potential but it was so bad and giving wattpad werewolve stories.

I’ve heard some of her other books are better so read those instead of this.

[☾All of Meg☀ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Namir was the best thing about this book and the main reason I read the entire thing.

So many elements of the plot have me very confused and bewildered, idk if I just wasn’t paying enough attention but a lot of things just didn’t seem to actually add up when I actually sit back and think about it.. will I read book 2? Idk maybe 🤷🏼‍♀️

[✧☽ karis ☾✧ · Rating 2 out of 5]

(TL;DR at end)
.
Okay, so, I had an okay time with this. The writing is okay, the FMC is compelling, the MMC is there, the setting is interesting, and the supportive characters are great, *but* —and this might come across as dang picky but *you don’t understand* —using the word “drawled” a million times has destroyed the experience for me. 😭
I liked it the first couple of times because it’s evocative, but by the end I was wondering why everyone was drawling at each other. Why is everyone so sarcastic? 😭
The 🌶️ language was pretty awkward tbh.. like how someone would describe spice if they’ve only read Victorian novels.
.
TL;DR
My curiosity was enough to get me to the end, but I hate the word “drawled” now, and I never want to read the sentence “his er3ction slipped inside me” ever again. 🤪

[Tyffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

We stan a shadow king

3.5/4

This was such a fun enemies-to-lovers story!! And I think Glass did a really awesome job not only handling PTSD in a romance novel, where pacing tends to be a bit faster between love interests. I don't think I've seen anyone do such an awesome job making consent important and sexy at the same time hahaha

[Lesly Sarabia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me gustó más de lo que esperaba.
El libro es bastante cursi, poco desarrollado y algo cringy, sin embargo, a mí no me importó en lo absoluto, vi una historia sobre mates y dije "sí, lo necesito" y heme aquí.
Si buscas un libro tranquilo y corto sobre faes, mates y un romance (insta-love) bonito, entonces seguramente disfrutas esta historia.

[adrie rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

it’s like they couldn’t hit the minimum word count so they just kept going

[Hillary · Rating 5 out of 5]

enjoyable

If a book isnt ineresting enough for me to want to binge read the whole thing in one go...I dont want it. I spent my day reading this book and doing nothing else. A day well spent. I only leave reveiws if I enjoy something. A little gesture to show my gratitude towards the author for being a compotent storyteller. Ill sacrifice a minuite of my time to write this reveiw when I could be reading the second book in this series already. So in my oppinion, this book is wothy of your precious time so indulge and feel comfort in the assurance that you'll most likely find this book at the very least, enjoyable. .. pardon my poor spelling and grammar, I cant summon the energy needed to care about such trifles.

[Arabella Auberon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diora is such a wonderful character, and Namir was perfect for her. Strong, but gentle, showing her kindness and compassion but not being scared away with her rough edges. Diora is exactly the kind of female character I adore, because even though she’s walked through the fires of hell, she has not become a monster because of it. The fact that she was so scared of her “monster” was proof that she had not become what she feared.
This story is so well written and detailed that it’s easy to get lost in it. I would have liked to learn more about Namir and the childhood he shared with his brothers, but I’m hoping I’ll get that as the series progresses. I am so enchanted by this story, I can’t wait for the next one to come out!

5 ⭐️s= Perfect story, exciting, engrossing, well developed complex characters, solid plot with few to no holes, descriptive environments and place settings, great mystery elements, realistic dialogue, believable reactions and behaviors, loved this story so much I’d buy it.

4 ⭐️s= Great story, highly entertaining and enjoyable, exciting storyline, well developed characters and settings, a few discrepancies but nothing that can’t be overlooked. Believable actions and reactions, realistic dialogue, a book I would consider buying.

3 ⭐️s= Good but not great story, noticeable discrepancies, grammatical and or spelling errors, undeveloped characters or unbelievable behaviors but still readable. Nothing majorly wrong with the story, just not interesting enough for me to continue. Would not buy the book.

2 ⭐️s= Not offended by the story, but not interested enough to finish. Unbelievable characters, poor writing, many mistakes, big holes or discrepancies, many spelling or grammatical errors, characters not believable, unlikeable or TSTL.

1 ⭐️= Offensive, extremely poor writing, horrible characters, victimization, gaslighting, blatant abuse, unnecessary violence, child endangerment, or any other highly objectionable behaviors by Main characters. Would never buy this book, and do not recommend it to anyone.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jess Rose · Rating 1 out of 5]

SKIMMED.

Normally, I don't star-rate a book I have labeled as "skimmed" because I think its unfair to the author if I missed sections and judged it on my incomplete perceptible of their book. However, I needed to make an exception with this book.

I have never read anything by Lola Glass and based on this book, which is a recent release, I'm not sure I can. I felt like this author fell into that horrible trap of "telling the reader instead of showing the reader." Everything felt like it was being TOLD to me so EVERYTHING (characters, romance, back stories & language) fell flat. The characters had potential, but took forever to change before BAM! a new leaf suddenly turned over. The romance was too possessive-mate-bonding that was so extreme it was ridiculous. And the back stories weren't really flushed out properly even though they played a vital role in how the characters behaved.

My other biggest gripe was the LANGUAGE! I got the feel like it was set in a medieval-ish bartering world...yet the language was modern. The word choice and phrases just didn't flow right. They felt very out of place in the world. Then there was the constant "F-bomb" that was so commonly used I quickly lost track of how many times it was written in a single chapter much less the whole book. If characters are going to be swearing so much, it needs to have some reason and variety instead of everyone using the SAME CUSS WORD for EVERY occasion. This made the writing style feel juvenile by trying to be modernly hip and totally missing the mark.

Overall, I skimmed the book because it had a lot of good potential...but unfortunately I couldn't tolerate the juvenile writing style. I don't know if I can continue in this series... but I DO want to give this author another shot to see if her other works are better written.

[Allison Ripley-Duggan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it!

It was so enticing that I couldn’t put it down, this book grabbed my interest from the very first page. I had to know what happened next. The story is well written with a very good storyline. This series has three books. This new-adult romantic fantasy is recommended for ages 17+ due to language and sexual content. Each book in this series is steamy connected standalones and follows a different couple with their own happily ever after, and the stories can be read in any order (but recommended to read them in order for best understanding) for they each end with a lead-in to the next couple's book. This is the first standalone book in the Night’s Curse series. This a story about a woman named Diori and a man named Namir, who is the Shadow King. He thinks she will be his salvation, but she’ll be his demise. Being cursed by the King of Shadows earned her two decades of captivity, but now that she’s free, there's only one option, at that is to find the king and kill him, for the sake of not only revenge, but salvation too. Though she manages to get into his court, she learns that he's not as killable as she thought, for their souls seem connected and she finds herself questioning whether or not she really wants to be free of him at all. Despite the attraction that begins to bloom between them, he and the other fae kings are at war, and her curse remains wildly uncontrollable. When his enemies set their sights on her, one thing becomes clear and that is one way or another, she’s going to cost the Shadow King his life. So with all that and more this story pulls you in and holds you tight. I can’t wait to read the next story in the series. I highly recommend to everyone.

[BookFiend · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 83% when our FMC decided she had to have sex right now, likely pregnancy be dammed. She literally justifies it by saying the gestational time is 2 years so they'll have time to get to know one another when not five pages before she wondered if she wanted to continue the relationship. The worldbuilding around this point also made no sense. Okay, so first we have birth control not working for fated mates. You're saying the magical fae haven't at least figured out condoms or the pull out method? THEN we find out that only fated mates can reproduce. Okay, then why is there even a concept like birth control since literally no one else needs it? And also, you've set up fated mates as this super rare phenomenon and point out most people avoid bonding with their fated mates if they even find them. How is the population not decimated if they are the only ones that can reproduce? At the very least, there should be large concentrated family groups making up most of the population since just a few people are having all of the children. Now the fae are almost immortal, which can explain why the population hadn't dwindled, but you have to include an explanation somehow or you just take your readers out of the story while they try to create the plot for you.. All in all, not a winner and a bummer to end the year on a low point.

[Laura Moylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

2 Fae women, and a baby girl Fae with no magic were chosen by the Fae King’s 3 sons,to take on the excess magics that were released upon their father-King’s death. While the three Princes were senseless, the magicked Fae females were stolen and imprisoned for 21 years. Many horrible things happen to them during those years.

Once they freed themselves from their prison, they wish for full freedom. Each is to take on the Prince for which they received his magic. They think that death of the Princes, now each a King, is how to gain their freedom.

Diora is the first to reach her King. Namir has wondered where his Salvation has gone all these years. He didn’t know that the women (& baby) had been kidnapped or why. He only knows that with her help, he can regain the magic and deal with the one brother he truly hates. Mayhem ensues from there.

I totally enjoyed this book. It is different from any other Fae book I’ve read. Considering I’ve read hundreds of books about the Fae, that is saying something. I really enjoyed it and can’t wait to read more from this author.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jace · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF 54%
I wanted to like this book. The idea was really cool, even for someone who doesn't typically like fae books.
But the characters just got to be too much for me.
Namir's Sweet gentleness was cute at first and then somehow just annoying as he didn't evolve at all into anything. Diore's mood swings good old really quick, and there's so many inconsistencies that it became impossible to believe that she grew up in a cell chained to a wall.
She has all of the slang and mannerisms of a normal person, with slight holes like reading and writing, or not knowing what shampoo and conditioner are.

The world building is pretty much non existent. Based on the language and the electricity and running water, it's pretty much just modern day earth they're living in, minus living in a castle

The magic and the purpose and uses of it are barely touched on

So with the lack of world building, the lack of anything actually happening, the lack of romance (yes yes, even slow burns can keep you intrigued if written properly) and finally the constant mood swings, glaring, smirking, melting all within a few seconds I decided to throw the towel in for this one.

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feelings about this book. I believe that ultimately I liked it. On a really basic fae romance HEA level..

Here are the things I despised: *****Spoilers Ahead*****

FMC is incredibly annoying, immature, overreactive, and dare I say- intolerable.

Her long standing beef with a guardsman who had zero obligation to be loyal to her secrets was a huge random drag. What was that??

It seems her focus toward dishonestly is the only true source of conflict throughout the entire book. She’s basically the sole cause of every problem.

The ‘rags to riches’ troupe is difficult to read when the fmc is ungrateful, whining, and running away the entire time.

Her power through the book is unclear as well, which was confusing to read. At one point she believes she can Usurp the King and become Queen herself; Yet a chapter in his POV says that he’ll refrain from tearing through her magic…

What was not concluded in the end: The Kings brothers, the fmc’s original captors, the girls who she escaped captivity with.

So truly just your average, steamy fae romance.

[Vic · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 60%

Ive never read an enemies to lovers that dissolved and turned to love as instantly as this.

SPOILERS AHEAD:

Diora: "He literally ruined my life when i was a TODDLER and ive been kept in a cage because of his power for the last 21 yrs. so i VOW to kill him to finally get my freedom"
*within 30min of meeting*
"Lol nvm. He is actually so handsome and sweet and a beloved king"

2 ish weeks later

Namir; "we are mates and i want to f her so bad BUT idk what HORROR she has been though her whole life. She likely doesnt even know what Sx is. I wont press her"
5min later.
"Let me pleasure you"

Disconnected plot, if we can call it plot.
Writing would have fit Urban fantasy but not Medieval ish Court Fae Land fantasy
Absolutely feels like the book starts at what should be a middle.
Characters are TDTL.
While at the same time, as previously mentioned,forget their own motivations quickly which makes for a convoluted and confusing read. Ex: FMCs revenge plot lasted all of 10-ish pages, if that.

[Nikki Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diora and her friends Vena and Akari have spent the last 20 years imprisoned and being tortured while fae try to claim the magic that was given to each of them when the throne was split into 3. When they escaped they decided to kill the kings of the 3 lands so that they could get their lives back. This is the story of Diora and what happened when she went after the King whose magic she was given, Namir. This book sends you on a real rollercoaster of a ride as you see the relationship develop between Diora and Namir, at the same time watching the pair of them grow as people while Diora tries to battle the emotions she is now feeling, yet determined to keep her freedom and escape from the monster she feels inside her. I couldn't put this book down and read it in one sitting. You will not want to stop turning the pages. A magical book in more ways than one and I can't wait for the next one in the series.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved this!

I absolutely loved Lola’s Mate Hunt series, her writing is my favorite, so I decided to try this series out. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever read or normally read, but I really enjoyed it.

Namir is the sweetest, I loved his easy going personality and how he was with Doria. They were the perfect complements to each other.

Doria was hardened by life but I loved the way Namir brought out the happiness in her.

The book started off a little confusing and felt a little rushed in explaining everything that it was hard for me to keep up. But it was explained more as time went on. I loved the build up of their relationship and the steamy parts were great! It’s a really interesting story and I’m really looking forward to the next two books!

Also I didn’t notice it anywhere but I may have missed it, there should be a TW. FMC talks about post traumas that may be triggering for some.

[Ra Ra · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I liked
- Namir ❤️
- The overall plot
- Pacing

What I didn’t like
- confusing action sequences
- confusing magic
- confusing world structure
- Doria’s inability to have proportional reaction to any issue

I didn’t DISLIKE Doria as a character. She is broken and fearful after 21 years of imprisonment and torture. However, when she is scared or hurt… her go-to solution is to camp out in the woods for a week? She does this TWICE? It was frustrating to read about a character that is, allegedly, dedicated to her mission but then spends so little of her time trying to understand the circumstances of her imprisonment.

In fact, I still don’t understand exactly what went down between the three kings. All of the magic sounds very same-y and indistinct.

Typically, I really enjoy Lola’s writing because it’s fun and easy. But this one, while still enjoyable, had a lot more weaknesses than I was used to seeing in a Lola Glass book.

[Victoria Golby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another fantastically written story by Lola Glass and I couldn’t put it down.

This story starts in the middle of the action. Diora, Akari and Vena have spent the last 21 years in chains and at the start have just escaped their tormentors. They were forced to take on the King's sons separate magics, then then kept captive while others tried to use that magic or extract it from them. Their plan is to each kill the King who's magic they have (so they can truly feel free); and the story follows the youngest of the three, Diora, who finds things aren't quite that easy when she meets hers, Namir the Shadow King; who is nothing like she’d expected. Some brilliant twists and lovely action throughout, I can’t wait for the second book in this series.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Piros OlaSz · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautiful cover good enough story

3,5 rounded 4 —> I loved the cover so I needed the book.
The base if the story is also great and gives ideas about the two next stories while keeping this as standalone. I liked the plot of being imprisonned for life than go kill the king who gave the one thing the heroine’s (Diora) torturers wanted. I really like the King’s personality and how he acted . I enjoyed that at the beggining there were a lot of dialogue too instead of a lot of inward thinking or description.
However it still had some part where I felt that this was so much repetition that I even rolled my eyes a time or two. But once Diora is over her “breakdown” the story doesnt stop there and I enjoyed the Jesh and Lav’s part very much and the peek we had to their travel.
Not immediately but I do see myself reading book2 :D

[Tima · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a new world for this author and the world building is very interesting. I found the magical premises interesting and the characters engaging. I enjoyed the lead characters, Diora and Namir, as well as secondary couple, Lavee and Jesh. I appreciated the challenges that both lead characters faced as they attempted to build a relationship and how the issue of trust was a huge obstacle for Diora, given her history.

This story is mainly female lead POV, with a couple of male lead POV chapters that were, in my opinion, absolutely essential. Whilst I prefer a more balanced split, I could appreciate what the author is doing. The story is well written and I enjoyed it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Rachael]

Cover Blurb:
He thinks I’m his salvation, but I’ll be his demise.
Being cursed by the King of Shadows earned me two decades of captivity. Now that I’m free, there’s only one option:
Find the king and kill him, for the sake of not only revenge but salvation too.
Though I manage to get into his court, I learn that he’s not as killable as I thought. Our souls seem… connected.
And I find myself questioning whether or not I really want to be free of him at all.
Despite the attraction that begins to bloom between us, he and the other fae kings are at war, and my curse remains wildly uncontrollable. When his enemies set their sights on me, one thing becomes clear:
One way or another, I’m going to cost the Shadow King his life.

[BookWormKH26 · Rating 4 out of 5]

a good quick read

I enjoyed this story. Namir is a great character. He is different from many of the other lead male characters Lola has written. He is funny and so optimistic. Diora is a bit rougher. I don’t dislike her at all but she’s a tough character. I struggled with the believability in the details of this one. Chained since birth is a lot and it just brings around so many questions. She shouldn’t even really know what a kitchen is or how to walk really. She should tire easily as well. So, if you can set aside all that and just focus on the story as it’s presented, it’s a good story. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
It’s not a bad book, but I kept getting taken out of the story by implausibilities. Little phrases and gestures that the characters would do didn’t fit the world that was created to me. Also the main character was supposedly raised in captivity also while being tortured for her magic, but while that drove a few little plot points here and there, it didn’t really mean anything to the story except it made her a selfish butthole to everyone else and gave her an excuse to act however she wanted and pretend she had every right too. It didn’t make sense to me that the king would love her except that he had to because of the fated mates bond.