The Curse of the Shadow God

The Wicked Kingdom #0.5

by Abbey Fox

A sorceress who cannot have the arranged marriage she wants faces undying emissaries laying claim to her future child.

Violet Elder escapes her wedding night and sets out to find the family she was stolen from as a child. But the Society of Crows is already hunting her, and every moment she spends in the Kingdom is one moment closer to death.

When Gavin Luna catches her in the City of Scoria, undeniable chemistry blurs the line between friend and foe. He’s her enemy, and after being betrayed by everyone she considers a friend, how can she let down her guard to trust him of all people?

But with the Society of Crows on their feet and the Emissaries chasing their every move, they are forced to form an unlikely alliance to escape the kingdom and avoid the fate that binds her to the wicked god of shadows.

Fans of CN Crawford, Sarah J Maas, and Jennifer Armentrout are sure to devour The Curse of the Shadow God by Abbey Fox.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Enemies To Lovers, Ebooks, Adult, Fantasy Romance

370 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 17, 2023

About the author

Abbey Fox loves to write action packed Fantasy Romance stories, with ass-kicking heroines, swoon-worthy heroes and a healthy dose of spice. Sometimes, when she should be crafting new worlds and putting her characters' lives in danger, she is tending to her indoor jungle and painting colorful watercolor pieces instead.



To connect with Abbey, you can follow her in her Instagram account @abbeyfoxauthor or subscribe to her newsletter for all the latest info.

Reviews

[Thais • tata.lifepages • · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a prequel to the Wicked Kingdom series by the same author. It’s a NA fantasy romance with not only a arranged marriage (love this trope!) but also enemies to lovers, a feisty and grumpy FMC and a cinnamon roll MMC ❤️

The Curse of the Shadow God follows the story of Violet, a sorceress from a powerful but cursed bloodline. Violet knows the Shadow God will stop at nothing until he gets the soul that he is owned. For this reason, she has forsaken love, for she could not bare to lose her child to the Shadow God. Problem is, he is not the only one who wants her future child. The Iron Crown forced her marriage to a magical Healer, Gavin, expecting they would produce strong magical offspring. Things would have been easier if Gavin had not been so handsome and kind, making it hard not to picture a future beside him. She has no choice but to flee. Only to be hunted down by her now “husband”. 😱

Gavin is the perfect gentleman. He is as sweet as he is honourable. In total contrast to Violet, who is a fiery and headstrong warrior. When these two clash, sparks fly! The story is told in dual POV so we see what’s going on inside the head of the both of them. Their interactions and the slow burn enemies to lovers romance was my favorite part. But what surprised me the most was how invested I was in the world building, I found myself curious to know more about the curses and the other magical creatures (shifters, fae…).

Now I’m excited to grab the wicked kingdom series to continue their story!

Thanks to the author for gifting me a copy for review

[Maria Elena | pagesofmaria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite being a prequel book, The Curse of The Shadow God had the perfect combination of plot and romance to get me hooked, and now I’m so curious about the main series as well!

I fell in love with Gavin and Violet rather quickly. Gavin is the sort of man I love to fall in love with—kind, caring, selfless. A true gentleman and cinnamon roll! Violet, on the other hand, is very strong-minded and has a strong warrior’s spirit (which fits perfectly with her love of blades!). I knew the one-sided hate Violet felt for him was nothing but a shield to guard her heart, and for good reason. Her history with the Society of Crows and the weight of the Shadow God’s Curse on her were huge obstacles in their relationship, but I loved how they slowly overcame them and opened up to one another. I’m shipping them!

A section of the book I loved particularly was when we finally get to meet Violet’s family. I won’t say much because I don’t want to spoil, but there’s a truly heartbreaking story behind Violet and her family. I would have loved to see more of her and her sister, because I loved their interactions, and similarly I would have liked to know more about the Shadow God’s curse and his powers, especially given the ending. Very curious to find out what kind of role these characters play in the main series!

Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy. All opinions are my own.

[(old.enough.for.fairytales) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this read! It was quick and fast paced, so I flew threw it.

The female main character is Violet, a feisty and sassy sorceress who flees her arranged marriage on her wedding night. When she’s found by Gavin, her betrothed, they’re forced to work together to escape the Society of Crows. I loved their banter and loved watching how they worked together. They might have started off as enemies to lovers, but the romance definitely wasn’t drawn out, which I really appreciated. I liked being able to see their romantic relationship grow!

It’s worth noting that this is a prequel novel, however you can read this at any point in The Wicked Kingdom series. It goes you the back story on one of the side character couples from the main series. And I love that! When I read series, I’m always so curious to read spin-offs of side characters.

This now has me super curious to read the main series! Thanks to the author for gifting me a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[April Wheeler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the hell out of this! It was action packed, dramatic, a bit spicy and I loved the story and the adventure. I didn't realize this was a prequel and honestly was shocked. I definitely will be reading more from Abbey Fox!

[Abbey Fox]

We are ten days away from release day! Reviews from my advance readers are already coming in! This is a very exciting, nerve racking moment for any author let me tell you! I cannot wait for you all to read this book, pre-order now for $0.99!

[Chiara | wordsbychiara · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE CURSE OF THE SHADOW GOD is a prequel novel to Abbey Fox’s The Wicked Kingdom series, and one I feel sets a perfect tone for this world’s potential—meddling gods and a corrupt government to eradicate. The story in this book is very romance-centric, with a stabby FMC, a cinnamon roll MMC, a hate-to-love dynamic and a sprinkle of mild spice (only a couple scenes, and they focused more on emotions than the act itself). If all that sounds like something you would enjoy, too, then I highly recommend giving this book a try. It releases on March 17!

The plot is strongly reliant on the romance, which I didn’t mind as I’m a very romance-oriented reader. I loved the dynamic between Violet and Gavin. Though the feelings between them develop rather quickly, the author found a good balance between the sweetness, the angst, the banter and Violet’s concerns about letting her feelings for Gavin develop. Sweet boys aren’t usually the ones that make it to my book boyfriend list, but Gavin was impossible not to love! He’s so selfless, to the point where he’s willing to make great sacrifices in order to guarantee Violet’s freedom of choice. Also, he may appear sweet on the surface, but the man hides a secret smexy side, and I loved it! Violet herself was a super interesting character, with a heartbreaking past and a sharp, stabby personality that immediately endeared her to me.

The romance was definitely the thing I was most invested in, but I was also hooked on the whole framework of the world building. I feel like this installment only scratched the surface of the corruption of the Society of Crows and on the workings of the Gods and how they intervene in the lives of the characters in this world. I still have so many questions, and would have loved if these elements had been a bit more fleshed out—especially the Shadow God, who had me in a spell the few times he showed up on page! However, this is a prequel, so I think my curiosity will likely find answers by reading the main series.

Thank you to the author for gifting me an early copy! Opinions are my own.

[Disgusted Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is all over the place. Theres supposed to be people after them but yet they move at such a leisurely pace & have time for all these side quests. The romance between the leads came out of nowhere. The female lead is so unlikable. One minute shes actively trying to run away from her husband & spitting venom at him, next thing you know they are in love… and I know I didn’t skip any damn chapters!

[Mireille (readingwithmrleo) · Rating 3 out of 5]

THE STORY - Violet is on the run. After attacking a member of the Society of Crows during her arranged wedding, she bolts and plans on leaving the Kingdom. But her new husband, Gavin, takes no time to find her. He says he wants to help her, but how can she trust him when all she’s ever known is betrayal. As far as she’s concerned, he’s the enemy, and she must find a way out. But now, they are both chased by the Society of Crows and their best option might have to form an alliance.

MY REVIEW -
What I did enjoy:
The story was quite interesting, the world and all got me captivated.
I really liked Gavin, he was a nice character and I was definitely rooting for him.
I’ll never get over how pretty the cover of this book is!
The Shadow God. I definitely want to know more about him. Love. Him. Really wish he would have been a bigger part of the story since the title was about him.

What I enjoyed less:
I couldn’t really relate to Violet somehow, which always makes me enjoy my read less somehow, but it's a me problem.
At first, it was quite redundant, the story wasn’t going fast enough for me and Violet was always going through the same thoughts which bothered me.
I couldn’t understand why suddenly Violet started trusting Gavin. He did not really do anything different (because he was perfect from the start in my opinion haha) so I couldn't really understand what made her go from - no trust at all - to - I’ll die for you.
The fact that she didn’t kill the bad guy when it would have been so easy to do it... too obvious he would come back... I wanted to shout at her: just kill him already... why create that problem for the future? It was a little frustrating to say the less.

Overall, the read was enjoyable, but I definitely had some disappointments.

Thanks to the author & Equalitybooktours for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

[Isabell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it but I didn't love it. Even though it was fast paced, I didn't care about it that much. I would have preferred more drama between the two MCs but the FMC wrestles only with her trust issues while the MMC is a (admittedly very sweet) constant.
Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy it. But it simply wasn't enough to get me out of my reading slump.

[WyoGal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stopped at 9%; writing needs editing

While the story may be fantastic, I couldn’t get past several issues in the first three chapters. The first problem for me is the unnecessarily flowery language that results in bogging down the momentum of the plot and becomes silly hyperbole. Frozen water that soaks her shirt? Russet colored eyes (makes me think of potatoes) that can be seen across a dimly lit tavern?

Second, the protagonist acts like a ridiculous teenaged girl. I didn’t like girls with irrational mood swings and attitude in middle school, and reading about a petulant woman who hasn’t outgrown that stage is not pleasant. I feel sorry for the poor guy who’s stuck with her.

Third, there are distracting problems in the writing, including incorrect word choices (pronouns, verbs), use of “you”, passive voice, clichés (adrenaline surging through her body—not biologically accurate), abrupt shifts in POV, as well as incomplete and awkward sentence structures.

With so many problems with the writing by the 9% point, I’m not willing to read further as I’m stuck in editor mode and won’t enjoy the story.

[Jillsbooknook · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 -⭐⭐⭐⭐

"You hide behind this mask that's meant to protect you from getting hurt, but it also leaves you alone. You need those who will fight alongside you...For you."

The Curse of the Shadow Gods is a prequel novel in the fantasy romance series, The Wicked Kingdom. Set in the world of Casztian, this novel can be read as a standalone as it follows a set of characters you were introduced to previously and follows their journey prior to meeting them. In this case, we are following Violet and Gavin as they attempt to challenge the powerful and oppressive Society of Crows.

Violet has spent years being followed by the curse of a dark god, one who seeks to claim her soul or the soul of her first born child. When the Society of Crows, an organization that takes children away from their families when they show magical abilities, arranges a marriage she knows she must do something...for the only reason they select these unions is for more magical children to be born. On the night of her wedding day she escapes and the Society of Crows isn't willing to let her go that easily. As she seeks to return to the family she barely knew she is also faced by her husband, Gavin, a man she is undeniably drawn to. Violet must decide quickly where she can lay her trust and with whom...as both kingdom and fate are seeking to take all she knows away from her.

Violet is a strong female character who isn't afraid to confront things. Despite the distance she puts between herself and people there is a loyalty in her I really enjoyed. Seeing her learn who Gavin truly is after desperately yearning but denying herself was so sweet. She also is fierce and ready to fight for what she believes and care for. This balance of fierce and sweet is something I love to see in my female main characters.

Gavin on the other hand enters this story a little naive. Because of his rich background, he was not deprived of connecting with his family and life. He actually looked forward to marrying Violet. He is a compassionate character and a healer. He shows a lot of strength when he gives Violet control and shows a willingness to learn. He doesn't deny her beliefs and fears which made me think of his as the best cinnamon roll.

In terms of spice I would place this book around 2 spicy peppers out of 5 spicy peppers. There are a few scenes and foreplay is involved. The characters don't immediately dive into a physical relationship but there is an immediate attraction to each other (they knew of each other prior to this book in some capacity).

"I've known you'd be the death of me since I got that letter. Might as well make you comfortable before you do it."

In terms of world I felt we got to hear about the dark side of the Society of Crows a little more and some really interesting species that exists in the work. There is an introduction of lore to the small villages we interact with but this book felt a little more localized in the Wicked Kingdom realm. If you have read the two previous books you would have a good understanding but for new readers it may take a moment to catch your bearings.

For story I felt the beginning took some time to wrap my head around but once Gavin and Violet were smoothing things out I fell into this book incredibly quickly. The banter and tension made these character work so well with each other. I liked how we got to see the character personalities in the actions while also getting mystery and intrigue in a growing plot. There was a point where I thought the story was over but it continue in a new line that I thoroughly enjoyed. The story overall was engaging and rounded. There is this lightness in the world despite the dark elements. I also want to note there is attempted SA in this novel so be kind to yourself. The ending leaves me wanting to see more of these characters and I now have the urge to go reread the other books to continue within the world.

Overall, I thought this was a beautiful and enriching story with tension, sweet romance, and fierce characters. This series has consistently delivered and I can't wait to see what comes next!

Thank you to the author and Equality Book Tours for the ARC!

[ManuSeaOfBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first arc and I couldn’t be happier!
But I wanna preface that I will only be giving my true opinion about it.

We start by knowing Violet and we can immediately see that we are facing a strong, determined and courageous woman. But also a woman who was betrayed and deceived and because of that she’s sad, angry and suspicious of everything and everyone.

“Violet had always found it easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.”

And then we have Gavin, that emanates Golden retriever energy as I like to call it! He’s a sweet, gentleman, kind and reliable type of man which makes it impossible not to fall for him.

“Gavin would always be the voice of reason.”

And this book was all about learning to trust others, learning to lean on others and have faith that there’s still good people in the world. And despite the awful and monstrous things they all saw the thing that really stood out the most for me was the good this book was trying to transmit.

Violet is not a perfect character, she has her flaws, but don’t we all ? And it was interesting to accompany her in this personal journey of hers.

“It was time to be strong and not fall apart, to forgive herself for all her wrongdoings. Because she'd tried her best, and learned so much.”

The benter between these two was immaculate! It really made me laugh and fall in love with them. Gavin, despite being all cute also had a lot of 🌶️ in him. And then together was fiery.

“You never cease to amaze me, wife.”

Also I just wanna say that I fell deeply in love with Mios so I NEED a book just for him! Please ? This man, this lion, just stole my whole heart! Let me just tell you, if you have a Mios as your friend ? You have LITERALLY everything 🫶🏼

And I loved Thalea too and I’m curious to see her again and what the future holds for her.

Rating: 3,25 💫

Thank you Abbey Fox for sending me a copy (arc) of your book, It’s was an absolute pleasure!

[Reading Trolls · Rating 3 out of 5]

Попаднах на тази книжка случайно и я прочетох на английски. Оказа се едно приятно четиво. Историята се развива в Кралство, където децата с магични способности се взимат в служба на Желязната корона. В сюжета присъстват много вълшебни елементи и създания, което придава още по-голям чар на разказа. Аби Фокс определено има талант и въображение. Успяла е да изгради един интригуващ свят на проклятия, оплетени семейни връзки и загадки, които ти се иска да разнищих. Определено ми беше интересно да прочета за Бога на сенките и ми се искаше да има по значима роля в историята.

Действието се развива бързо, но няма как да е по друг начин предвид обема на книгата. Няма да откриеш от спиращите дъха обрати, но има достатъчно напрегнати моменти, които задържат интереса при четене. Героите се сблъскват с доста изненади по пътя си и не липсват изненади.

Героите, които изгражда Аби Фокс са много различни по характер. Гавин е надарен с магията да лекува. Той е аристократ, галантен и внимателен. Гавин е почтен и никога не отказва помощ на нуждаещите се. Вайлет е родена в семейство на рибари. Отделена е от близките си много малка и не познава домашният уют. Тя е буйна, импулсивна и опасна. Те са двата полюса на магнит, които се привличат.

Аби Фокс успя да ме изненада с обратът в историята. Определено намирам потенциал в светът, който е изградила. Липсваше ми малко напрежението между двамата герои. Може би трябваше да се забави с “щастливият им край”. Но както казах, книгата не е обемиста, а се случиха доста неща за тези скромни 370 страници. По темпо на развитие бих я определила като сходна на книгите на Холи Блек “Вълшебният народ”. Смятам да дам шанс и на другите две книги от поредицата. Оценката, която дадох на книгата е 3 звезди, но съм положително настроена за авторката.

[Victoria Seidel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Curse of a Shadow God is the prequel novel to Abbey Fox’s The Wicked Kingdom Series, and provides even more insight into the Kingdom of Casztian’s unique magical hierarchy and corrupt political system. A steamy slow burn enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance with a stabby FMC and cinnamon roll MMC, Violet and Gavin do not disappoint!

The Wicked Kingdom Series as a whole is riveting and Abbey Fox does an incredible job developing her world and characters leaving the reading wanting more so when she announced a prequel with our favorite side characters, reading was a no brainer.
Violet and Gavin make their debut with their supporting role in The Cure of the Crow giving us a peek at their feisty relationship.

In the Curse of the Shadow God we get even more of Violet’s sharp tongue and Gavin’s soft heart. The moment I began reading I fell in love with these two all over again. Their dynamic and banter provide the perfect balance of angsty suspense and spicy romance. Typically, a cinnamon roll MMC isn’t for me, but despite Gavin’s soft exterior he has a hidden sexiness that gives him quite the edge and had me swooning. We also are given more information on the Society of Crows and the illusive Shadow God himself. This not only helped to piece together a few linger questions I had from the rest of this series but also has me longing for the third and final installment of The Wicked Kingdom series that will be released later this year!

Violet and Gavin’s story is releasing March 17th! Make sure to grab a copy!

*Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do really like the Wicked Kingdom world that Abbey Fox has built. I’ve enjoyed all 3 books. This one is a prequel to the series (but a full length novel) and it’s also really strong from a story perspective. It kept my interest pretty much throughout and had very little wasted narrative or dialogue.

One thing that kept pulling me out of the story, however was a consistent misuse of subjective vs objective pronouns that were pretty glaringly incorrect:

“Alas, Violet and him agreed on something.”

“keeping watch while Gavin and her stepped inside.”

“She swatted at her mare, but the beast was as stubborn as herself.”

There were many other, maybe less glaring, grammatical errors as well.

I definitely didn’t notice this in the first couple books and I’m fairly sure I would have. I’m guessing perhaps this book missed an additional level of editing that the other 2 didn’t.

It didn’t ruin the story and I typically hate when reviewers are overly pedantic in their critiques, and I do give much more leeway with self-published authors, but this is pretty basic elementary school grammar. And as mentioned, it really did keep pulling me out of the story.

The 3rd book in the regular series is coming out next year. I’m sure I’ll pick it up since it’s on KU and I’m interested in learning how the main story wraps up. I just hope this next book gets a bit more thorough scrubbing.

3 stars

[Caitlyn (delightful.reading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this!

The Curse of the Shadow God is my first foray into Abbey Fox's Wicked Kingdom series. This novel was a great series introduction!

Violet is a runaway bride. Forced into an arranged marriage, she escapes; only to be found by her husband, Gavin. The duo join forces and become reluctant allies while they are dodging the kingdom's forces that want them to pay for their alleged crimes. Violet is also hiding from another foe: the Shadow God who wants her or her firstborn child.

I really enjoyed Violet and Gavin! Violet is the type to stab first, asked questions later; while Gavin's default is to think and trust first. I liked how they slowly begin to trust each other over the course of the novel. Also, their reluctant alliance is great!

There's also a cast of side characters that make the story interesting! I definitely need to check out the other books written in this world.

All in all, The Curse of the Shadow God is a fantastic fantasy romance. This was the perfect blend of humor, darkness, romance, and magic for me!

Many thanks to Abbey Fox for the eARC of The Curse of the Shadow God! I really appreciate it!

[Allyson Lang · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise is interesting enough. Violet (also in formal settings known as Cora) is taken from her family as a child because she can use magic. Gavin is from a wealthy family and gets placed with a league of magic wielders called Crows where he is a healer. They are told they must marry and produce magical offspring, who will inevitably be confiscated by the state. Violet however is under some generational curse because one of her ancestors previously asked a god to save someone in her bloodline and so any child of hers is owed to the god Dargan. At their wedding Violet stabs an evil commander lady and escapes. The story actually begins when he catches up to her in a mountainous town and she injures herself, needing him to heal her. She is impulsive, rude and to be honest not very smart. But she does stab a rapist with a poker and does stab someone else to death, so she has some redeeming qualities.

[Kate DW · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never thought I’d have a book boyfriend called Gavin but move over boys, it’s happened.
This book is fun and wildly romantic, with a new spin on the arranged marriage trope, and an interesting magic system. Oh, and Enemies to Lovers as a standard, naturally.
Violet is stubborn and feisty and so very easy to relate to.
Gavin is immune to her tactics to push him away and fully knows how to handle her.
Every tough girl needs a partner who says stuff like “So be mean, Violet, and let’s settle the rest in the bedroom.”
👏 Yes, Sir!
I want more from these characters and that ending has left me desperate to tumble deeper into this world.
I am absolutely ready for Lion shifter and Shadow God romantasy.
More, please.

[Stormy · Rating 5 out of 5]

When family is everything....

And it's the one thing you can not have. Violet is a woman hunted by both a Shadow God and a vengeful group of Crows. After being ripped away from family at a young age and betrayed by those she thought she could trust. Violet is someone who doesn't get close to anyone. When her marriage is arranged to the handsome Gavin Luna, she battles between her distrust and growing desire. Gavin, who has loved Violet from afar, knows that he has his work cut out for him. No one gets close to Violet and survives, but he is willing to try.
When they finally come together, they are more than a match made in heaven. They are a force to be reckoned with.
You will LOVE this story's many twists and turns that will keep you at the edge of your seat.

[C.K. Sorens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have thoroughly enjoyed Abbey Fox's Wicked Kingdom series and was so excited when she announced the release of a prequel.

This book has not disappointed. Violet has been torn from her family and betrayed ever since. Gavin has been pampered due to his family connections and has a strong sense of justice.

Where Violet is ready to take on all comers, Gavin teaches her there are moments where trust gets you through, and that there are people in the world worthy of it.

I absolutely love the fantasy world Abbey created, and what a fun side stop as she finishes the third novel in the Wicked Kingdom trilogy!

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am so honored to have been given a change to get an ARC copy of this prequel to The Curse of the Crow, which I read last summer.

Violet, I want to completely love you but you are a little wishy washy to me. I mean, I like you but I am not in love with you. Do I get why you did the things you did to get us to the end of the book- yes. Do I like it all? No. I am glad that you stopped being so stubborn and let Gavin in though. He is so good and you would be dumb otherwise.

Gavin, my man. You are too good. I think his character had the most growth in this story. He went through a lot to get to the end point of this story. He is less alpha than most MMC I have read recently, but I like it. He seems more “normal” to be a fantasy character and I am not mad at it. He also gets MUCH hotter once they finally give into each other.

Personally, I wanna know more about Mios! Royal lion shifter…. yes please!

I was on the edge of my seat at times wondering what was going to happen to our characters. I also enjoyed the backstory of our characters and the even the ending, as tragic as it was. The spice in this book is fairly tame; not super descriptive but still good.

[Noor! · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to abbey fox for giving this ARC, and this doesn’t influence my review. This book had an appealing cover, was mostly FMC POV, some MMC. The FMC was feisty which we love. The plot was great, and this was a great prequel. I loved the romance! I was skeptical of the MMC, but I realized that he wasn’t that much of a cinnamon roll😏
Tropes: chase scene😌, tries to kill him, arranged marriage, girl falls first, hate to love, guy falls first, one bedroom, training together, cinnamon roll MMC

[N Bookstagram · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a big fan of The Wicked Kingdom series, it was delicious to delve into Gavin and Violets back story.

Brilliant for fans of the series but also equally at home as a stand alone or an introduction this book is sublimely sexy and full of adventure and intrigue.

Put together one feisty, powerful female lead and a handsome, strong, healer of a man and you know you’re going to watch a beautiful relationship blossom.

I found this the spiciest of the authors work, partly due to the slow burn between the characters.

Just a great read, a definite recommendation from me

[allyson :)]

DNF @ 22%.


Unfortunately I could not get into this book no matter how badly I wanted to 😭. I was so excited to read this based on my understanding of the premise but it just didn’t seem to sit right with me. The pacing was a little off for me and knowing that this book was a prequel to the actual series (and that I couldn’t get into the prequel) I won’t be reading the series.

But fear not… if you are a romantasy fan who loves high stakes, secret societies, and an enemies to lovers romance then this book may be for you!

[Geraldine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read this author’s other two books, which are set in the same world as this book, I was really looking forward to reading Violet and Gavin’s story. And I wasn’t disappointed in what was delivered! This is a really good book, a real adventure romp full of bad guys, sword fights, magic and romance.

It was great fun read.

I was lucky enough to receive an arc in exchange for my honest review.

[CLorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Story

While Gavin and Violet's story connects to other stories, it is able to be read as a standalone. Gavin and Violet have escaped from the Crows after their wedding and met up together. Violet is suspicious but soon finds her new husband is as nice as he is handsome. With many forces after them they find allies even as they run from their foes. I really enjoyed the world this author created and look forward to reading her other books.

[Alex (HEABookNerd)]

DNF @ 64%

I tried so hard to keep going with THE CURSE OF THE SHADOW GOD but I think I need to call it. The world-building was confusing at first but it did get a bit better as the book went on. However, the writing felt very young even though the content wasn't and I really struggled with Violet. She does grow in the book but wow was it rough for the first half. The mood swings, the anger, the irrational choices...it was frustrating to read.

Content: attempted rape (not from MMC)

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the beginning but then it got boring and there were too many plot holes. The world building was also not developed enough and although it's a prequel I felt that I had to read the other books to understand a few things. I liked the main couple but I wish I had seen more character and romance development.

[Batwoman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abbey Fox has done it again! I’m in love with this book. Violet was full of sass and magic. I loved being on this adventure with her. Hooked right into this very unique world and very fun characters. I would very highly recommend this book to all fantasy lovers. I can’t wait for next book!

[Gabrielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the world building and relationship when it finally happened but it was far too slow of a slow burn for novella esp!! She was sooo annoying for majority of book and the fact we barely got his POV was criminal!