Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

A book with a “shadow daddy”

I admit that (1) I had to Google "shadow daddy" and (2) once I knew the meaning of the term, I groaned and said, "Ugh!" The book title that immediately popped into my head was Fifty Shades of Gray! And I had sworn years ago to never ever pick up that book! It is DEFINITELY NOT in my wheelhouse!

Upon researching a bit further it sounds as if a 'romantasy' may fulfill this prompt. I may have to cheat a bit for this one! 😬

Listopia: A book with a “shadow daddy”

Someone who's read the book, pls confirm this for me bc I'm not that familiar with the term "shadow daddy" lol but I think would count

I'd never heard of a "shadow daddy" and now, after doing some research, I've discovered there is ALSO a "fire daddy." What is going on???

I was planning to read Spark the Flames for this, but when I googled to confirm that it has a "shadow daddy" (seriously I can NOT with this terminology), I learned it actually has a "fire daddy." I'm still penciling this one in as my top choice, to heck with the shadows and fires.

Here is a very long list from two years ago (seriously??? this goofy term has been in use for TWO YEARS???) on reddit listing lots and lots of "shadow daddy" books. I was going to add them to the listopia, but there's too many here, so I'll just include a link, maybe it will help someone.

https://www.reddit.com/r/fantasyroman...

I found one on that reddit list for those of you who don't like explicit smut! The Shadows Between Us

Ugh, that's exactly the type of male character I tend to hate in romantic fantasy. I'll check out that one that you suggested, Nadine.

Here is the Popsugar article about Shadow Daddies:

https://www.popsugar.com/books/shadow...

They lead with Xaden of Fourth Wing, and go on to mention others, including Nahodeth of Jesimin's Inheritance trilogy.


And here is the GR shelf they reference in the article:
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

The Popsugar article leads with this description:

...A morally gray bad boy with a heart of gold, deadly to his enemies but sweet to his lover. He's the type to ask, "Who did this to you?!" He's tall, dark, and handsome. He might be a fae, a god, a vampire, or some other kind of supernatural creature. Most importantly, he has the power to wield shadows

While this is most typically romantasy, if you leave out the shadow wielding, the character type is common in many genres. The first one to come to mind is Gale in The Hunger Games.

Alternately, you can read mythology. I think anything with Hades would fit.

My romance reads are pretty exclusively sapphic, so thinking I might cheat a bit and find something with a shadow mommy instead? >:)

I thought this was going to be a nightmare prompt for me, but it turns out I had two books on my TBR that look like they fit:

Chosen by Death, which despite the English title is actually in German
Belladonna

I may just use any book with a father for this one. As long as he casts a shadow, then it fulfills the literal meaning of this prompt.

Brandon wrote: "I may just use any book with a father for this one. As long as he casts a shadow, then it fulfills the literal meaning of this prompt."

LOL!

There are several well-known books on the list, that I'm sure lots of people here have read, so I'd love a recommendation. I have no problem with smut, but cannot stand "woman wants to be dominated" tropes. So with that in mind, which of these am I better off with?

Fourth Wing
A Court of Thorns and Roses
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Shadow and Bone

Laura Ruth wrote: "There are several well-known books on the list, that I'm sure lots of people here have read, so I'd love a recommendation. I have no problem with smut, but cannot stand "woman wants to be dominated..."


I'd vote for Fourth Wing. Personally, I cannot stand Maas's writing, and I also do not care for Schwab's writing or Bardugo's writing. So this depends on whether you tend to agree with me or not LOL. If you ALWAYS disagree with me, and you love fluffy smut, read Maas. If you've occasionally found yourself thinking "wow she is SO wrong, this book was GREAT!" then you should read Shadow and Bone. If you don't really like YA, read Schwab. If you tend to agree with my take on books, read Fourth Wing.

I think Witch King and/or Queen Demon by Martha Wells might qualify, though I have yet to read them to know for sure.

Ruth wrote: "My romance reads are pretty exclusively sapphic, so thinking I might cheat a bit and find something with a shadow mommy instead? >:)"

Excellent.

Nadine in NY wrote: "I'd vote for Fourth Wing. Personally, I cannot stand Maas's writing, and I also do not care for Schwab's writing or Bardugo's writing. So this depends on whether you tend to agree with me or not LOL."

Thanks, that's helpful. The only one of them I've read before is Bardugo, and I did like Six of Crows.

Acidic Quagga wrote: "
I think Witch King and/or Queen Demon by [author:Martha Wells|873..."

They're a decent way to cheat it. Shaddow Daddies (I hate that term, and I only just learned it) are romantic leads, that's not what is going on in that series. Though it definitely has the who hurt you and I can fix him vibes.

Damnit, I've been avoiding this type of character for years. They are so toxic.

For those interested in going down the more classic route, I think Heathcliffe of Wuthering Heights fame might be the original.

Bluebelle-the-Inquisitive (Catherine) wrote: "Acidic Quagga wrote: "
I think Witch King and/or Queen Demon by [a..."

I'm 100% going with these, then. I don't really read a lot of romantic books to begin with, and I'm not crazy about stories about toxic relationships, perhaps excepting escape and recovery stories. Even then, I can only stomach so much.

Ruth wrote: "My romance reads are pretty exclusively sapphic, so thinking I might cheat a bit and find something with a shadow mommy instead? >:)"

Yeah, I'm taking the same liberty with this one.

Laura Ruth wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "I'd vote for Fourth Wing. Personally, I cannot stand Maas's writing, and I also do not care for Schwab's writing or Bardugo's writing. So this depends on whether you tend to ag..."



Shadow & Bone is probably right up your alley then!!

Bluebelle-the-Inquisitive (Catherine) wrote: "Damnit, I've been avoiding this type of character for years. They are so toxic.

For those interested in going down the more classic route, I think Heathcliffe of Wuthering Heights..."



LOL Heathcliff was all "who hurt you? I will hurt them, and then I'll hurt you, and then I'll hurt myself, and then I'll spend the rest of my life hurting every one else I can find!!" (To be clear, I loved Wuthering Heights, so I dont' mean anything bad by this.)

I put this in the speculation thread, but since people are also saying they're not big on romantasy here: the PS article uses Nahadoth from The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms as an example. I adore that book (the whole trilogy really) but it's solidly fantasy. I don't remember specifically if there are any explicit scenes, but there certainly aren't many - I wouldn't consider it a "spicy" book at all.
So if you like the fantasy but not the spice of romantasy, and haven't read it, that would be my rec!

Nadine in NY wrote: "Shadow & Bone is probably right up your alley then!"

I was checking the descriptions on Amazon, and realized I'd already seen the TV series. But there's a prequel, Demon in the Wood, about the "shadow daddy" character, that appears to fit my main requirement (no "woman wants to be dominated" tropes). And it's a graphic novel, so I can knock this one out quickly.

Nadine in NY wrote: "I'd vote for Fourth Wing. Personally, I cannot stand Maas's writing, and I also do not care for Schwab's writing or Bardugo's writing. So this depends on whether you tend to agree with me or not LOL. If you ALWAYS disagree with me, and you love fluffy smut, read Maas. If you've occasionally found yourself thinking "wow she is SO wrong, this book was GREAT!" then you should read Shadow and Bone. If you don't really like YA, read Schwab. If you tend to agree with my take on books, read Fourth Wing.
"

Love this choose your own 'Nadine' adventure!! 😁

Dea wrote: "The Popsugar article leads with this description:

...A morally gray bad boy with a heart of gold, deadly to his enemies but sweet to his lover. He's the type to ask, "Who did this to you?!" He's t..."

Hmmm....Maybe The Nightmare Before Kissmas? It ships the princes of Christmas and Halloween. There is a fair bit of smut, but everything else is so wholesome and fun.

I've never heard that term before either. Apart from the Fourth Wing series, the only other male character in fantasy I've read in recent past that seems to fit would be Nathaniel Thorn in Sorcery of Thorns.

I wonder if Daddy-Long-Legs would fit here - doesn't the MC actually name him from his shadow. And the whole premise is a bit dubious these days.

LeahS wrote: "I wonder if Daddy-Long-Legs would fit here - doesn't the MC actually name him from his shadow. And the whole premise is a bit dubious these days."

That's the title that first popped into my head when I heard the term and hadn't read the description.

Amanda wrote: "Someone who's read the book, pls confirm this for me bc I'm not that familiar with the term "shadow daddy" lol but I think would count"

I have read this book and yes it would 100% work for this prompt.

Michele wrote: "LeahS wrote: "I wonder if Daddy-Long-Legs would fit here - doesn't the MC actually name him from his shadow. And the whole premise is a bit dubious these days."

That's the title tha..."


A great idea!

A Curse of Shadows and Ice by Catharina Maura perfectly fits the description of ''A morally gray bad boy with a heart of gold, deadly to his enemies but sweet to his lover. He's the type to ask, "Who did this to you?!" He's tall, dark, and handsome. He might be a fae, a god, a vampire, or some other kind of supernatural creature. Most importantly, he has the power to wield shadows."

Does Kylo Ren qualify? If so, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker or another book from that era would be a good choice, even though romance is more a subplot than the main one.

There is something about this prompt that just has this "What up fellow youths" energy to it that is so cringey. Like Popsugar, please, I am a grown adult.

This is pretty far outside my wheelhouse so I'll likely just read the next book in the Lore Olympus: Volume One series, because Hades has to be pretty much the original "shadow daddy". Gonna go wash out my mouth with soap...

I have a sneaky suspicion that Adam Hauptman in the Mercedes Thompson series would qualify for this prompt, but I really do not want to read one of my beloved books for it. I like Adam and the care he takes of his mate, Mercedes; but, he can be a very scary dude. Still, maybe the partnership they have, which is less dominant-submissive than equal partners, would disqualify him.

Jackie wrote: "There is something about this prompt that just has this "What up fellow youths" energy to it that is so cringey. Like Popsugar, please, I am a grown adult.

This is pretty far outside my wheelhous..."

I agree!

I'm probably going to skip this one myself.

I think these would work for this, at least loosely if nothing else. I really don’t like romantasy so I’m hoping to find something similar to these.
The Familiar
The Bear and the Nightingale
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

I'm going to read by Mike Carey

Ellen wrote: "I'm going to read by Mike Carey"



fr Lucifer is the OG Shadow Daddy

So this trope is (has always been) a big NOPE! for me. That said, this tiktok may convince me to read it... https://www.tiktok.com/@scottdhenry/v...

Cyndy wrote: "So this trope is (has always been) a big NOPE! for me. That said, this tiktok may convince me to read it... https://www.tiktok.com/@scottdhenry/v..."



that is hysterical. I have no idea who that guy is but I love him!

I also loved Fourth Wing. (It didn't hurt that one of the dragon riders was a Nadine!!) For sure the second and third books got a bit bloated, but that's not going to stop me from continuing this series!!!

Nadine in NY wrote: "Cyndy wrote: "So this trope is (has always been) a big NOPE! for me. That said, this tiktok may convince me to read it... https://www.tiktok.com/@scottdhenry/v..."

that is h..."

LOL, I love him too! I was over romance after reading two or three harlequins at my grandma's house one summer. Grandma loved them and her soaps! I started following him on FB, because of his Menards obsession and sixth grade boy humor based on the store name! Later I learned that he was on Tough as Nails and won his season. This was the first time he's talked about books of any kind - as far as I know - and it was to make fun of romantasy - and then he's dying and obsessed! He has another tiktok when he is finishing the book, but it's a spoiler, I think.

If you don't like this genre and just want to read something short to get if over with, I found Court of Shadows by C.N. Crawford. It has less than 250 pages.

This print screams romantasy to me and that’s a genre that’s pretty low on my favourites list. I’m considering Book Boyfriend by Emily Wibberley for this one.
From the description it sounds like the MMC cosplays as a “Shadow Daddy” from their favourite Romantasy series

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

I believe the Autopsy of a Fairytale series by Nicole Scarano will work.

The first characters that my husband thought of when I explained "shadow daddy" were Spike and Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There are a plethora of comics if anyone wants a quick and (probably) low spice option. And there are Buffyverse novels if you're looking for a non-comic.

L Y N N wrote: "A book with a “shadow daddy”

I admit that (1) I had to Google "shadow daddy" and (2) once I knew the meaning of the term, I groaned and said, "Ugh!" The book title that immediately popped into my ..."

For anyone that groans at the idea of reading a Dark Romance, I would recommend Daddy-Long-Legs which has a character that is a mysterious benefactor, a "daddy" that hides in the shadows.

I don't care at all for Dark Romance, so I'm probably going to use the next installment of CM Nascosta's Wheel of the Year Series for this prompt.

I am reading Wuthering Heights

Bluebelle-the-Inquisitive (Catherine) wrote: "Damnit, I've been avoiding this type of character for years. They are so toxic.

For those interested in going down the more classic route, I think Heathcliffe of Wuthering Heights..."
Ooohh...yes!!

Kristy wrote: "L Y N N wrote: "A book with a “shadow daddy”

I admit that (1) I had to Google "shadow daddy" and (2) once I knew the meaning of the term, I groaned and said, "Ugh!" The book title that immediately...

For anyone that groans at the idea of reading a Dark Romance, I would recommend Daddy-Long-Legs which has a character that is a mysterious benefactor, a "daddy" that hides in the shadows."
Ooohhh, yes, I've already read it, but that would be a good one for those of us who are definitely looking for a kinder version!