Bride of the Shadow King

“It is my belief that no thing of beauty should ever be caged, princess.

Both humans and Troldes are in danger, for mostly unknown reasons, and hope to secure a future with an alliance, through a marriage between a Human princess and a Trolde king.

The romance starts quite early in the book, and from that point, it is full of pinning until the end. It might appear to be a bit insta love, but both characters POV help understand the relationship development, and make you root for them.

I really enjoyed the secondary characters, and appreciate their contribute to the story pace and dynamics.

I loved that the world building happens organically, and we discover everything along with the characters, never feeling overwhelmed with information.

There's a part of the story that is not making much sense to me, or at least I'm not convinced of it, but I'll have to wait and see.

Personally, this amount of angst, with no pay-off, leaves me quite anxious. I get very impatient, and just want to grab the characters heads and force them to speak and work their issues immediately.
I tend to favor a happy ending on the first book, instead of a slow burn romance throughout the series. In any case, I enjoyed the story and found the setting original and beautiful.

I am curious enough to discover more of this world and continue the series.

If you like Fae, slow burn and Romantasies full of angst, this book is for you. It is also a good fit for people who enjoyed The bridge kingdom.

3.5 ✨

I would like to thanks Daphne Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.