Loved this one! A very well constructed new world, with a lot of fantasy elements! The writing is captivating and I loved Aldin and Ava relationship! Cant wait to read the next one

Sherry D. Ficklin is the author of more than a dozen novels. Kingdom of Shadows and Dust was published in 2021. It is the 3rd book I completed reading in 2024.

Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence, I categorize this novel as R.

Ava is the Princess of Ankara. She is 16 years old and the only daughter of King Brandr. Her little brother Cassian is the heir, but his health is poor, and he will likely be an ineffective leader. Ava has always been everything the other women of Ankara are not. She is outspoken and craves the life of adventure left only to the men.

She seizes the opportunity to flee with her childhood friend Sir Bridger. He is leading an army unit north to confront the forces of the Shadow King. Bridger’s unit has an unexpected encounter with the enemy. Most of them are killed or captured. Ava escapes with the help of Callen.

Callen is a Turnskin. He had seen Ava before the battle and had fallen for her. They can transform themselves from human to wolf. They had been potent allies to Ankara in the past but have now fallen out of favor. Ava befriends Callen and his people. She and Callen are bound to one another. When the Shadow King threatens to attack the Turnskin people, Ava surrenders to Aldin, the Shadow King.

Aldin is attracted to Ava and proposes that they marry to end the war between their nations and bring peace. Ava reluctantly agrees as that decision is the best for her people.

Ava finds herself torn between three men. Sir Bridger is the boy she grew up with and who will do anything for her. As a Turnskin, Callen is bound for life to Ava. Aldin is taken by her. With their marriage the war will end, and their nations merged. Ava is attracted to all three in different ways.

I enjoyed the 7.5 hours I spent reading this 410-page young adult fantasy romance. I expected far more fantasy than romance when I began this novel. I was disappointed with the result. The plot has great potential, but the fantasy aspects are not well developed. I give this novel a rating of 3.4 (rounded to 3) out of 5.

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Interesting story line, but I would have none without the love triangle. It gave me Twilight vibes. The times Ava spent with Callen and his people were great, but after she went home - I could have done without it.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

This was a fun, quick read that I quite enjoyed. I liked how Ava refused to accept her lot in life and wanted to fight, I like the slow build of the romance between her and Magnus, and I really look forward to the sequel. This was fun read.

Full review to be posted soonish.

I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

The first half of this book was wonderful, great pacing, really interesting and loved the characters, but around the halfway point it slowed right down , it felt a bit off paced after that . A nice read, would be 4 stars if pacing had been better but still an enjoyable read

I love Sherry's writing and can't get enough. But I'll admit, this one was a little hard for me to get into.



Ava is the only daughter, which means she is basically stuck inside all day and always with a veil on. Yeah, that's going to get old really fast. If she happens to sneak around and learn/practice using weapons....well who's gonna tell on the princess right?



Ava likes to spend time visiting her brother and not really any time with her step-mum. They don't really see eye to eye on everything, but she is nice to Ava and they both try, but it'll never really be the relationship they hope for.



Then one night, everything changes quickly. Ava plans to free a young boy and after that she even runs off with the army to fight. Thing start to pick up the pace and Ava is saved by a wolf. Not only can she hear the thoughts from the wolf, but it's actually a shapeshifter. But that's not all, they are soulmates. Yup, these were pages that just had me glued and trying to figure out how all this works and I just loved it all.



The ending isn't what I saw coming and it really pulled the book together even more. If I wasn't already hooked before, I sure as heck was now. I can't wait to dive into the next book!

Loved the world-building in this book! I really thought this was a good start to the story. There were just a few that made this a 3-star read for me:

-I love a good love story, however, the insta-love in this book did not give me the angst or build-up that I crave from a fantasy such as this one
-The book dropped off around the half-way point, it was on its way to becoming a 5-star read but suddenly became boring and stagnant
-Pacing was choppy

This novel seemed promising because I love the author’s fairytale retellings. However, I could not connect with the main character. The romance felt forced and was instant love. Therefore, it had potential but was not executed well. Still, I recommend this fans of Sarah J. Maas, Laura Sebastian, and Melanie Karsak!

DNF 70%
Sadly this was dissapointing, had somewhat high hopes. But the story and the characters were meh...i was waiting to get interested...but it never happend.

Fantasy romance, especially involving royalty, is my jam! I expected a little better pacing from such an accomplished author, but the rest of the plot, characters, and energy of the book made up for it and I ended up loving this one. Can't wait for the next installment!

Book started strong in the vein of other female-led action YA like Throne of Glass or Graceling, ended weakly. The romantic relationship feels undercooked and a little trop-y.

Normally I love a good fated mates/ instant love connection kind of story, but I feel like the book lacked a little conviction and ‘oomph’. The cover and description drew me in, the book had great potential but there was nothing that grabbed my attention.

I definitely would recommend this book for readers who want something to read specifically of the shifter genre, but I wouldn’t recommend this book if someone was looking for my favourite read.

I thought at the beginning this was gonna be a four star read as the beginning was so good but then the middle kinda mid-lined and then the ending was kinda confusing it felt like it didn’t fit. The characters were enjoyable to read able and I liked all their different personalities I just wish some things were different with the plot as a whole. I just feel small tweaks would have made such a difference. I would definitely recommend it though as I feel others would love this book.

i loved this how beautiful is the cover too! I love anything to do with fantasy and i fell in love with these characters! thank you for this arc

I love a good bada** female character and this story delivers. I am a huge shifter fan of all kinds but wolves are my favorite. This one is action packed and I could not put it down. Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Insta-love really isn't my thing, I find it cringey and it takes away any real tension or dramatic. I had to admit defeat not long after it!

Overall enjoyed this book, the characters were interesting and it definitely kept my interest! The world building was also done nicely!

Thanks to netgalley, author and publishers for providing a copy. I have reviewed honestly.

Kingdom of Shadow and Dust was a hit and miss for me. To start with, the writing style just wasn't for me. I can be picky with writing styles so I have no doubt lots of people will disagree with me on this, but it just felt like it lacked conviction and passion. The world building was decent, but not spectacular. I found the characters to be predictable and unexceptional. The general idea of the story was amazing, and I wish could have enjoyed it more. I still encourage readers to give this one a try, because our tastes will always differ.