I enjoyed this book a lot. The writing was a bit basic; the descriptions and dialogue were short and often felt forced, especially in the beginning, and yet this was a very relaxing read. Each scene of the story was quick and to the point and while I found Ava annoying in the beginning, I quickly grew immersed in her story. Ava’s love for her family, friends and people was truly her best quality. I liked how the author chose to deal with the love triangle, but I admit I was expecting a different ending. I guess the way it ended was more romantic overall. I just thought the highlight of this story was Ava’s commitment to her kingdom and brother, and not the romantic sub-plot. A few more years of angst and duty would have made this story more meaningful, in my opinion.

I cannot even begin to tell you how much I loved this book!! I don’t read a lot of fantasy but I’m really glad I gave this a try. The whole book played like a movie in my mind while I was reading. The writing was smooth. There were a lot of characters but I never had any trouble keeping up with the story or the plot.

Princess Ava is such a strong and amazing character. She is also very funny and will not back down to anyone. This is a character that any female can look up to and also identify with. I love strong female characters. Ava wasn’t ever a victim or a damsel in distress. Ava is a fighter and knows what she is going after.

I really enjoyed how all the characters interacted with each other. The bickering and the batter was really enjoyable to read. At no time was I ever bored with a conversation or an interaction.

Now, I do get tired of reading story’s that have love triangles in them. However, at no time did this book cause me to roll my eyes. The story line never felt tired or played out. I can’t say that about a lot of books that have love triangles in them. This story was felt fresh and fun. I’m actually a little sad I finished the story. I can’t wait to read it again!

I received a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review
This is not what I was expecting at all. I was pretty disappointed.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Kingdom of Shadows and Dust by Sherry D. Ficklin is an amazing YA fantasy debut. It reminded me a lot of From Blood and Ash by Jennifer Armentrout, and I'm sure fans of that series will enjoy reading this book. The story revolves around Ava, the royal princess of Ankara. Although her father the King wants to marry her off to secure a political alliance, Ava does not want to conform to gender roles. She fights in battles and rescues children who are falsely imprisoned. She is the definition of Girl Power.

A large part of the plot involves a love triangle. Although some readers may be turned off by that cliche, I thought it was well done. There is no "insta-love" here. Ava falls gradually in love with Callan, a Turnskin, the author's term for werewolf. Soon afterward, she is "imprisoned" by the Shadow King, Aldrin, the King of a neighboring country. However, Aldrin turns out to be a decent fellow, and I enjoyed the witty banter between him and Ava. Ava will be forced to choose between the two young men. While one match will help her country and secure an alliance, she's formed a close bond with the other one. Overall, this story is part love story, part fantasy, part action adventure, and part court intrigue. Fans of From Blood and Ash and similar YA Fantasy books should definitely check out Kingdom of Shadows and Dust when it comes out.

This book had so much potential, and I was super excited to read it. Unfortunately it didn’t quite live up to the cover and blurb, and the plot sort of dragged a bit, but nonetheless it was an okay read to just pass time with.

This was an okay read but one I will probably not read again. The plot was fun but predictable and I kinda lost interest in it.

I wanted so much to like this one. It had everything I look for in YA fantasy: strong female characters, wars, and dark and swoony devils.

Unfortunately, about halfway through I began to realize that I just was not connecting to Ava or any of the characters. I wanted so much to like and fall for the Shadow King but I came to really just not like any character in this, they all just made me angry.

Overall, I did not enjoy this, but there is an audience out there for this.