This definitely was a "Slytherin" romance, so if murderous heroines and actual bad-boy romances are your thing, you'll have a lot of fun reading this book! The protagonist is comfortable with her body and sex which was very refreshing. Even though she's not a good person, I was happy to see some sex-positive rep.

The prose could be a bit clunky at times but if you look past that, you'll be left with a fun book and a wild ride.

This book is so wickedly delicious that I devoured it in two days. I absolutely loved the two main characters, who are unabashedly devious and wicked. The plot was very entertaining, although a little weak on the world building and the ending was rushed and arguably unsatisfying. But overall a wonderful book to spend a weekend with. It is too bad it comes out after Valentines Day, as it would be a wonderful choice.

Alessandra is a very strong female character who takes no shite from anyone, including the King. She is quite calculating, cunning and at times cruel, but to her own surprise she is able to form healthy friendships with others she meets at court. She even offers very good advice to some of them which ends up making them stronger. She is also unabashedly sexually free, and doesn’t let her past stop her from her goals. It was wonderful watching her with the King who is definitely her equal. Even though I knew that she was probably going to fall in love with him, it was still fun to watch it unfold and to listen to her try to convince herself that she wasn’t falling for him.

Kallias, the Shadow King, was also just as cunning and cruel, but also pretty ruthless. He gave no mercy to any one that he felt wronged him. He was most definitely a tyrant, but given the fact that people were trying to kill him, I almost couldn’t blame him. I don’t want to spoil things by explaining why he is called the Shadow King, but it was the most interesting thing about him and was pretty integral to the plot.

The world building was a bit of a mess. It was a strange mix of modern and medieval like trappings. For example, they rode horses, drove carriages and carried swords, but the palace had electricity and the guards carried guns. The women still wore dresses that covered most of their bodies, but also wore pants under them. Also, while same sex relationships were accepted, there was an emphasis that women should be virgins when they got married, which it seemed like people kind of ignored at the same time? But this was a story that was more about the characters and their relationships, so that these issues sort of took a back seat and just became interesting points in the story.

The plot was marvelous up until the end, which was kind of weak. While I wasn’t all that surprised who was behind the plots to kill Kallias, the reason made no sense and was very weak. Can’t say more than that without giving it away. Perhaps this will be fixed in the final product, one can only hope. The writing style certainly made up for any shortcomings in the world building and the plot. The author’s descriptions of what people were wearing and eating were marvelous. The dialogue was also quite well done and at times quite witty.

Overall a great story with interesting characters and plot. It is a shame that this is a stand alone as I think it would make a wonderful series. This is the first book by this author that I have read, but I will be picking up her other books soon.

I'm a big fan of YA and this did not disappoint. While some of the characters could have been more original, I really didn't see the twist coming. I knew what the end result would be from the beginning, but the story was engaging enough to see it through how it came to me. I would recommend this to my teens who enjoy Victoria Aveyard.

Just such a fun read. While it seemed to forget the whole dark murderous girl plot pretty fast the characters were so compelling that it honestly didn't matter. I just enjoyed the ride.

ADD THIS TO YOUR TBR NOW!

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First: This is a standalone! You know how I love stand-alone YA fantasy/romance/not contemporary books. They are rare, but I feel so much less stressed out when I’m enjoying a good standalone and I know that I don’t have to commit to a series or forget all of what I’m reading next year when I’m reading the sequel. Standalone books are amazing.

In the dedication, the author calls this book a Slytherin romance. As a Slytherin, I can say it totally was and it hit me right in the feels in all of the best ways. It was dark, full of ambitious characters, but also full of great friendships and the characters weren’t evil, just mysterious and driven to succeed.

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I absolutely loved this book. Alessandra was such a fierce and unique main character. Despite her ambitions, she wasn’t extremely arrogant or hard to like. She was nice, friendly, and refused to fit into molds that society or other people made for her. Her friendships at court were genuine and I loved see female friendships in a YA fantasy that weren’t layered with jealousy or backstabbing.

The Shadow King was a great character, especially if you like dark and mysterious love interests. I feel like this was made for us Darkling fans but without the whole I guess Alina should just be evil conflict. The whole set up for Alessandra and the Shadow King kind of reminded me a little of The Wrath and the Dawn mixed with a little of Shadow and Bone. But best of all was a genuine respect for one another, friendship, and despite Alessandra’s ultimate goal of taking the king out herself, I loved that she was basically protecting him like “ONLY I CAN KILL HIM! Y’all other assassins can GTFO.”

I cannot gush enough about this book! I loved it! I’m sad that it’s over, but I’m still so totally happy that it wasn’t a series because now I can just reread it or think about what will happen next without commitment and drawn out plots being shoved in my face. I absolutely recommend this book and had such a fun time reading it. I don’t give out 5 stars very often, but I could not help myself this time. I will DEFINITELY be rereading this one

So I enjoyed aspects of this one, mostly the bad people doing bad things but together vibe. Tricia's writing overall has improved since her first novel. As a sucker for a bad boy I enjoyed that aspect very much though I feel the magic system could have been better explained instead of just doing whatever was needed to isolate the Shadow King. Overall, I thought it was a fun romance romp and I enjoyed the moment of AH I WAS RIGHT at the end. I'm looking forward to more of Tricia's work.

ow, I was happily surprised by this one! I’ve had issues in the past with this author’s writing but the premise of this one sounded good enough to try again. I’m so glad I did! These characters are unapologetically ambitious, confident, and always true to themselves, even if their methods and goals are selfish. I had so much fun watching these characters dance literally and figuratively around each other as everyone fought for what they wanted: power. These descriptions of the clothes were gorgeous and I could see the court life so well. Read this if you enjoy court politics, tension filled romance, scheming, and the best Slytherin vibes ever. I could put down this story and the twist ending surprised me. Highly recommend you read this when it comes out!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings are my own.

Tricia hinted at this novel back in 2019 when Words & Whimsy had the pleasure of chatting with her. I knew then and there I needed it. I was so excited to get this ARC. I was even more excited when I read the first line:
"They've never found the body of the first and only boy who broke my heart.
And they never will."

Omg, guys. That first line, for me, ranks up there with the first line for Nevernight. I was instantly pulled in and wanted to put everything on hold to read this book, Work, sleep, cleaning. I didn't want any of it. I just had to know about Alessandra's journey.

Alessandra's goal in simple. Make the king fall in love with her, like so many men have done. Marry the king. Kill the king and take the country as her own. Simple, right? It was, at first. Until these nasty things called feelings got involved.

I loved seeing how Alessandra and Kallias' story and relationship progressed. I love an enemies to lovers story and this delivered! There were even sexy bits! There were twists and turns right up until the end.

5/5 stars for this murder-y Slytherin love story.

The first sentence of The Shadow Between Us is, “They’ve never found the body of the first and only boy who broke my heart. And they never will.” From there, readers are introduced to Tricia Levenseller’s Alessandra. Alessandra is cunning, cruel and calculated. She’s not what I’d call likeable, but she’s infinitely interesting. No one is more surprised that Alessandra herself that her ability to care for others evolves over time.

While I never came to fully like Levenseller’s main character I appreciated her. The same can be said for the Shadow King who is ruthless in his own right. He actually became the more sympathetic of the two characters. The two are a good match that have to be exactly who they are for the book to work.

And The Shadows Between Us does work. Levenseller is a fantastic world builder, and her descriptions of fashion and food are particularly vivid.

I wouldn’t recommend The Shadows Between Us for younger YA, but readers 14 and up will certainly enjoy it. As will adult readers. I was a huge fan of Levenseller’s Daughter of the Pirate King, and I can’t wait to see what else she has to offer.

(link goes live 2/11/20)

If this is a standalone, bravo; if it's the start to a series, that's ok too. Alessandra's rather cold-hearted plans for her future and her willingness to buck societal norms make her a strong, sexually free woman who could be a good(ish) role model for female readers. That she's intelligent and not interested in hiding it as well as comfortable in her own skin is a huge point in her favor. Kallais' ability to see through her behavior to the friendship/partnership they could have is a plus as well. However, all the balls, the over-the-top plotting between characters and the rushed ending all made me want an editor to step in.

eARC provided by publisher.

Wow. I had no idea how much I needed a YA fantasy filled with court intrigue and romance to fill the void left by Sarah Maas and her Court of Thorns and Roses series, but this really did it for me.

When I started the book and Alessandra was plotting a way to get close to the Shadow King to later kill him, I wasn't sure how much I'd be able to relate to her and her "questionable morals" (per Tricia Levenseller). The way the Shadow King (aka Kallias) initially kept her and everyone else at a distance also made me question how well I'd be able to relate to him. Ultimately, however, both characters kept their unapologetically rebellious and devious streaks while also getting me (and likely other readers) to fall in love with them. The development of their relationship had an unexpected depth and tenderness amidst the murder plots, and I really enjoyed the other friendships (like Hestia and Rhoda) that kept Alessandra grounded throughout the story.

Also, if you're worried about waiting for the next book, this one is a standalone--binge away!

The Shadows Between Us is being advertised as a Slytherin romance and I can't really think of a better description for it. However, I kind of want to say it's Slytherin-lite, as I think it could have gone even darker for its two main leads. I really enjoyed the overall court setting and the characters of this book, including the leads and side characters. They were easily my favorite part. The pacing of the book, meanwhile, was a bit uneven, but the book really stuck the landing. As I mentioned before, the main thing I wanted more out of the book was taking the two leads even farther. A lot of problems are easily solved and the internal conflict for Alessandra is dissolved fairly easily. I would like to have seen even more build up before the resolution. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and with a few tweaks, this could have been a five star read instead of a four. I'm curious if this will be part of a series, because we really didn't see the world and there's a lot of avenues it can go (especially if it explores what it truly means to be human).

Alessandra has a plan. She is going to meet the Shadow King, marry him and then take his kingdom after killing him. Alessandra has no problem catching the King’s attention, but he only wants to pretend to court her to get everyone off his back. He knows that there are people who want him dead and he isn’t one to trust others. Now Alessandra is trying to keep the king alive, at least long enough for him to make her his queen first. Will Alessandra get her greatest wish? Will she lose her heart along the way?

The Shadows Between Us is a stand-alone fantasy that was everything the description promised. We had court intrigue, backstabbing ex-lovers, a family curse and a budding romance. Levenseller has created a strong female protagonist and readers are hard-pressed to decide if they like her or hate her. In a world full of trilogies and series, I was thoroughly invested in this one and done novel. I couldn’t wait to get to the end and all fantasy fans should add it to their to-read list.

“They’ve never found the body of the first and only boy who broke my heart.

And they never will.”

After reading those first two sentences, I was hooked. This book has you rooting for Alessandra to achieve her goals at any means necessary. Men do whatever they want without any repercussions, why can’t a woman? Alessandra is extremely cunning. Every time something arises that could potentially ruin her plans, she is swift and ruthless to put it out. I mean her heart was broken, wouldn’t you be ruthless as well if you could?

Part way through you start to ship Alessandra and the Shadow King all the while wondering how can all the issues be resolved and these two still be together? If he touches her he loses his ability to control his shadows around her. Who killed the kings parents? Who is trying to kill him now? Is Alessandra’s past going to ruin everything she worked so hard for? Will these two actually end up together?

So many questions and I wasn’t 100% sure how Tricia Levenseller was going end it cause after after almost every chapter, I had new questions.

I devoured this book 2 days, I have not done that in a while. If you go in without hoping for a true Slytherin romance I don’t think you’ll be disappointed like others were when they were all onboard for that. I wasn’t aware it was even thought as that until 30% of the way through but by that point I was already hooked and had to know how it would end.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller was such an amazing story! I loved the court intrigue and the politics and the struggle that the main character goes through.

I really enjoyed this one! I loved her writing in her previous books so I had a feeling that I would. When I saw the cover and read the synopsis, I couldn’t do enough to get my hands of this book, friends. I am such a fan of books with a heroine who’s cunning and goes after what she wants.

Alessandra was my kind of girl. She’s killed, isn’t afraid of her sexuality in a world that wants her to be, and was so vindictive. I couldn’t help but admire her. She made a plan and went after what she wanted. Reading about her around the court was really entertaining. The king, Kallias, was such a great character. If he touches someone, he loses the ability to call on his shadows. So he lives a very lonely life by not letting people get close to him. Also, someone in the court murdered his parents so he’s wary of everyone. My heart went out to him because touch is something that a normal person would take for granted.

The relationship between Alessandra and Kallias really made this book for me. I loved the friendship that they created and how their relationship progressed. This such a slow burn and even though it was killing me, I couldn’t get enough of it! They way they fed off each other’s cunningness really made me love this couple so much.

Besides the couple, I loved the vibes at court and also learning about the powers of the king. We got a look at how his powers worked and how they were passed down.

I will say that this didn’t have an epilogue or look at the future after everything is solved. Also, I do feel that some of the pages could have spent on the actual mystery of who was trying to kill the king instead of dressmaking and other everyday things.

Overall, even though it didn’t have an epilogue I really enjoyed it!

The Shadows Between Us is the most Slytherin love story ever. Both main characters are terrible people, stopping at nothing to get what they want but also protecting those fiercely that they love and care for. It actually slightly reminded me of Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge, but with a much better female MC.

After years of living in her perfect sisters shadow, Alessandra has a plan of her own to be seen and gain power for herself. She will catch the Shadow Kings’ eye, woo him into loving her like she’s done to every guy before, and then kill him and take the power of the kingdom for herself. Not the typical hate to love troupe you typically see in these kinds of stories. She didn’t know the king or have any feelings towards him period. He was just a means to an end, a way to finally achieve power and make the changes to it that she wants. Turns out the king isn’t too good of a person either and he enjoys how cunning and ambitious Alessandra truly is.

The book opens up with a murder and Alessandra laying out this scheme she has to become Queen and I was impressed. She’s devious, but also quite charming and very smart. After years of lovers she knows just how to play guys to get what she wants. I knew she was a morally grey character but I caught myself admiring her tactics and ideas throughout the book. If Kallias weren’t just as morally jaded as her I don’t think she would have been able to set foot in the palace.

Kallias is the bad boy we all want. Think the Darkling but more respectful towards women and shrouded in shadows. He was sexy and a tad power hungry. People that didn’t do their jobs right were killed without an eye being blinked by anyone. He was good to those at court, but don’t cross him. He could hold his own against Alessandra, just as smart and cunning, and they made a formidable team.
I was enraptured by the interactions between Kallias and Alessandra. Between the witty banter and her calling him out on his shit, it was refreshing.

What I found slightly funny though was the references to Alessandra’s perfect sister and her father’s failing estate. In any other story, that sister would be the MC and saving the family land by being sold to the highest bidder would have been main plots. This is a story of the forgotten sister, the “Trollop” or black sheep. Instead we get a story of an empowered female who owns her body and uses it and her mind to get what she wants. The non-shaming and gender equality was refreshing. Plus did I mention the hot bad boy covered in shadows that respect women? Yummy.

My only complaint is the world-building. There was talk of conquered kingdoms that Kallias now ruled, but it was mentioned in passing. No clue where these kingdoms were but honestly it really didn’t matter and that didn’t bug me. It would have been nice to know more but at the same time it might’ve taken away from Kallias and Alessandra’s story which I wouldn’t have wanted.

So I lied and I actually have one more complaint; why isn’t this book a duology?! I thought for sure when reading it that there was going to be at least a second book. Then all of a sudden everything I needed and wanted to know was all wrapped up! I need more. It was so well written and it’s not every day that you get not just one but TWO morally grey characters that are main characters or the main focus of the story. It was such a fresh and new idea. I devoured it in one sitting and I regret putting off reading it for so long. I mean, any book that starts off with a quote from Damon Salvatore is bound to be a damn good book.

A book by Tricia Levenseller is always a treat but she really has outdone herself with this book! Alessandra is never going to fall in love again. Kallias the Shadow King keeps his distance when it comes to anyone. He is not to be touched. His shadows are a blessing but also a curse. He has lost those once close to him. Alessandra has a plan and that was to woo the king into loving her, kill him, and become the ruler. But the Shadow King might very well change her plans. They become friends and fake a relationship to get the Council off Kallias’s back. Their friendship is riddled with challenges. Alessandra is bold and empowers the women around her. She wants things to change. She doesn’t want men to have all power.
I had high expectations for this book and Tricia Levenseller delivered! I fell in love with all the characters and their flaws. Five stars for The Shadow King!!!

This book was just not for me. I tried really, really hard, but the main character's attitude kept getting in the way. I think the author wanted to portray her as self-assured and confident, but to me she just came across as arrogant, rude, and self-absorbed. In the opening sentences the reader finds she has quite nonchalantly killed someone in the past so perhaps her conceited behavior shouldn't be a shock, but I just found the way she was written terribly off-putting instead of intriguing. I just could not get past her superior and pretentious attitude and it took away from the rest of the story.

Two words...Slytherin romance kinda sums up this book perfectly.
Both MC were ruthless and instantly in love. Take that and add in an underdeveloped world building, plot holes, and a predictable ending then this book is it.
I felt a bit disappointed after reading and just was glad I completed it.

Big Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book!