I received an e-arc of this in exchange for an honest review.

I had a lot of mixed feelings about this story.
I definitely enjoyed the plot and thought the story was quite different with the Magus(similar to fae) and Turnskins(Werewolves) present throughout the book.

It was a fast paced read, but that may have been just because I read it in one sitting. It features all the things I enjoy in fantasy, royalty, betrayal, love.
I had thought I knew where the end was going and I was slightly disappointed because I really adored Callan and that’s what I wanted.
I wasn’t much of a fan of Aldin, I think he always seemed to try too hard, but he does make a good king.
Whilst the world building was there, it was lacking and I felt I didn’t know too much about any of the countries featured. And I would have loved more backstory on Callan and the Magus.

But overall, I really did enjoy this read. As I mentioned, I read it in one sitting and I definitely recommend this book.
It releases in September!

A story told from the point of view of a princess who wants to be more than just a noble woman. Ava has no desire to be a lady of the court and would rather fight with the army. She is stubborn and has been sheltered from the reality of what is beyond the castle walls, until she discovers for herself what battle is like. Ava loves fiercely, especially her little brother and will protect those she loves as well. Ava meets a Turnskin named Cassan, whom she has a special connection with, but Cassan keeps secrets from Ava. Ava ends up with the enemy king, who is more than he seems, for he wants peace between their kingdoms and begins negotiations. Ava's loyalty is to her brother, who is the heir, and will make sure it remains that way, even if she has to sacrifice herself. Ava's experiences have shown her what she must do in order to keep her people safe, even at her own expense.
I received this novel from net galley and the publisher as an ARC. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Let’s start with the good, once Ava broke free of the restraints of the castle, I really enjoyed her character development, and watching her view of the world crumble and be rebuilt was really interesting, and as a character I thought her growth was considerable, justified and interesting. She is on the strong end of female protagonists which I really enjoy reading.
I enjoyed the general plot/story, but I think they tried to pack too much into one book. I love a fast-paced book, but there were times where I had to go back a few pages to figure what was happening. The book is very dialogue heavy, but there wasn't a lot of travelling description, often the characters started each new chapter at the next location. I found that this took away from my personal experience in the world, but I suppose this is just preference.
One thing that I found really frustrating about this book was also that I was often left with more questions than answers. There are some amazing ideas and concepts in the world-building here, and I wish that these were explored or explained more thoroughly. The first section of the book highlighted Terem as a huge part of Ava's kingdom, I am still unsure, is this a religion? Ava struggled against Terem viciously but later in the book it is barely mentioned. The same goes for the magic systems, the Magus are introduced and it is suggested they are incredibly powerful, but there is little to no information on their gifts. The Turnskins are in a similar boat, we learn a bit more about them as a race, and how they came to be but were a lot of dropped comments that didn't seem connect with what we were being told.
I suppose looking at this it is arguable that Ava is simply an unreliable narrator, and the lack of information stems from her lack of knowledge.
My overall thoughts are that this book was an alright read. I loved the concept of the Turnskins and the Magus, I wish there had been more insight into these races, and a more in-depth look at the magic system. If you like a fantasy book which is more dialogue heavy and creative concepts of a magical world you might enjoy this book!
Not my favourite personally, but not something I regret reading. If this becomes a series I'd read the follow up to see if some of my questions have answers.

2.5 I’m so disappointed because I really thought I’d love this

At the start of the book we are introduced to our protagonist, Ava, who is the princess of the oppressive kingdom of Ankara and is dying for a way out of the path of arranged marriage laid out for her but her father. The book follows Ava’s journey of love, friendship, betrayal and uncovering if everything told by her father has been a lie. The premise of this story parallels From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L Armentrout in several ways except it is just, unfortunately, a lot more boring.

The biggest let down in this book for me was the romance. I really did not appreciate the insta-love better Callan and Ava, I’d hoped we’d left that trope in 2015 but I guess not! Their relationship was so fast paced there was literally nothing to get me to route for them to be together at all, if anything, they just created a general sense of annoyance towards the story. Things started to look up when King Aldin was introduced and while the scenes of Ava in the Taurel Court were my favourite and by far the most interesting, there still felt like something was lacking. I feel like the synopsis promised some mysterious stranger and villain love triangle and just never came through. Instead Aldin was just a slightly misunderstood king and Callan a whiny wolf guy.

All that being said, I did really enjoy Ava as a character and also that her lifelong friendship with Bridger was a completely platonic one which is not often seen. As well as that, as I mentioned before, the scenes of Ava being kidnapped and held in the Taurel Court and slowly unravelling the truth while forming friendships really did pique my interest and if the whole book had kept me at that level of intrigue, this would probably have been a 5 star read.

ARC from NetGalley

I found this cover kind of misleading. It makes it seem like a traditional paranormal romance, but it's really more proper fantasy with castles and kings and then there's also a wolf shifter.

I didn't dislike this book, but eh. It was a bit hard to get into. I found myself really disappointed by the ending. For starters, I'm not the biggest fan of the true mate trope, particularly when there isn't any build-up. It's like oh hey were are destined, and that is the entire reason we are attracted to each other. It's kind of hard to get on board with that. There's nothing/no one to root for. You don't really get to know the characters before they are immediately in love with each other so I have no investment in their relationship. I found myself rooting for the other guy, and I thought things were going in a particular direction only to have it torn away at the very end, and maybe some people were stoked about that, but I found it very meh.

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review! all thoughts and opinions are my own.

i enjoyed this book, because it had all the elements i like: royalty, romance, and magic.

i never really liked the main character, ava's romantic relationship with callan. the romance never felt real, i felt that it was insta-love and forced. there was no reason for them to be together except for the bond that they shared, and they instantly fell in love after ava learned about it.

the worldbuilding wasn't that great either, because all i know of ava's country is that she's the princess, and she's at war with another kingdom. i can't tell you anything of aldin's country either, because they're just described at the country that ava is fighting against. personally, i did like aldin and the banter he and ava shared. i felt that their romance and connection was much more natural, and i had hoped that ava would end up with aldin.

the ending was odd and very deus ex machina with the entire castle falling, as well as her best friend, bridger, surviving the battle.

some things that i did enjoy was her relationship with her younger brother, which i thought was really sweet. i also liked how her best friend that was a boy wasn't in love with her, which was refreshing. i liked how ava was strong and did things for her younger brother and her country. she wasn't perfect, and i liked how she wasn't just one-dimensional. the whole story flowed smoothly and was an easy read altogether.

nevertheless, i really did enjoy the read despite its flaws and predictability. it was an interesting fantasy to read, and i would recommend!

I loved the book and can’t wait to find out what happens next in the story. It is a fast read and the characters have their own personalities and it comes across well.

"Kingdom of Shadows and Dust" is a YA fantasy about Ava; a princess who does not want to conform to her role as a woman. After freeing a Turnskin (werewolf) child who was wrongfully and cruelly sentenced, Ava runs away to the warfront, disguised as a soldier. She manages to escape death with the help of Callan, another Turnskin who has a strange mental connection to her. Sadly, her time with him is cut short as she is forced to give herself up to her kingdom's enemy in order to save his tribe.

I am typically not the biggest fan of the 'werewolf's mate' trope, because the man involved is often overly obnoxious and protective. Callan broke that stereotype; he was sweet and quiet, if a bit aggressive at times. I enjoyed his dynamic with Ava, and the fact that he respected her choices even if they broke his heart. Their relationship was a bit rushed in my opinion, but I think that the fast pace was the result of the 'soulmates' trope, which I can understand even though it's not my personal preference. I actually liked Aldin more as a match for Ava, because I thought their development was more complete. I also liked how little drama was involved in the love triangle: how every person involved in it had respect for the others. It was a nice refresher after all the angsty possessive love triangles you typically see in YA.

I did have a few issues with this book. The plot was kind of all over the place, and there wasn't really a clear line guiding the story. It seemed more like a journal than a novel, with no particular direction. Everything played out exactly the way I thought it would. Additionally, the writing itself was almost movie script-like when it came to the dialogue, infused with no real emotion or substance. The descriptions were good, but the dialogue was very matter-of-fact. I struggled to see the individual voice of each character, they all sounded very similar. As for the world building, it was not very engaging or original and the magic that existed only seemed to appear when it was convenient for the plot.

To me, this novel was just a very standard YA fantasy with good characters but little else to offer. I might recommend it to my audience if I get asked for recommendations with the werewolf trope or the soulmate trope, but I will not be including it in my typical book recommendation videos.

I have such mixed feelings about this book I am not sure where to start.

I definitely loved the story and I think it's got so much grasp, I was really invested and I found Ava a super relatable character, we all struggle with choices and we all doubt ourselves a lot.
But something about the writing and the pace of the book wasn't right. It felt really rushed at times and, even though I already know this is going to be a series, it just feels like even the first book was not explored enough. Some of the scenes, the love stories, it just felt rushed to me.
I think the characters are nice, but almost everyone is good except for the couple of evil characters and it would have been amazing to see some morally grey characters around, maybe some development in them.
I also think the world building could be explored some more, the world sounds amazing and with great opportunity to explore the Magus areas, Sandoval, Aldin's kingdom, etc!
There are a few grammar errors and the writing (in my humble opinion) could be improved in some sections.

Despite all of this, I'd still struggle to give it less than 3/3.5 stars because I actually did enjoy the story A LOT, and I read this in two days! I am already looking forward to the next book tbh.

short review due to disabilities
fun read, flowed well and kept me interested. Typical YA story-telling but still fresh. Credit to the author. Enjoyed this one

This was an enjoyable read that has everything a YA fantasy novel needs - fun, escapism, good, solid story, and the ability to switch off from the real world.
The writing was solid. There were a few patchy areas where the prose sounded stilted, but overall nothing too cringeworthy.
A strong female lead that doesn't constantly simper over the boys is refreshing, and I enjoyed her relationship with her best friend.
a solid 4 stars

I really enjoyed this book. I found it to be interesting, albeit a little predictable. I loved that she had a best friend of the opposite sex that was not a love interest... that was refreshing.

This story did have some twists and turns that were unexpected. There was a good flow to the story with lots of different types of people (species, etc...) lots of action and and a sweet romance. (Although I have some mixed feelings on how that all resolved)

I am definitely interested in how this story progresses.

Rather than bury the lede I'm going to say it right up front: this was really not a very good book.

First, the writing was frequently clunky. Consider the following passage from early in Chapter 3:

"I don't want to live in a world where women--noble or otherwise--are subjugated to men. I want to be free to choose my own path, like you."
She turns to face me. "You are so like your mother."
I prop my head on my arm. "Tell me about her again."

Let's be clear here, the protagonist, Ava, is not a child. I don't recall her age being specified, but while she may be young, she's definitely an adult. She's old enough to disguise herself and go to war, get married, plot to subvert the king's will, and serve as regent after her father's death. That's not a child, but coming from an adult that's an absurd conversation.

Second, for someone as "rah rah girl power" as the passage above exemplifies, Ava largely lacks agency throughout this book. Aside from a pair of decisions made in quick succession early in the book, most of the story does not involve her doing things but rather things happening to her. Even at the end of the book she's saved from having to go through with a difficult choice by a fairly ridiculous <deus ex machina (there's an earthquake and the castle collapses).

Finally, there's an absurdly forced love interest (iterally forced: they're somehow magically bonded telepathically for no clear reason), and other than the way it's forced, the writing doesn't make it feel like there's much of a connection. I honestly was disappointed when Ava went off to live with Callan and the Turnskins, because not only did I never really buy in to that relationship but she completely gave up on her brother and on her duty to her nation and people, which had been repeatedly emphasized as the two most important things to her.

Two stars might be a bit generous, but it wasn't enough of a disaster to merit just one star, so here we are; in a more granular system it might be 1-1/2 stars (or perhaps 3 out of 10).

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.

I really enjoyed this book, it had enough twists and turns to keep me reading and in fact I found it difficult to put down.
I will definitely be looking for more books by this author.

I'm a fan of anything fantasy, so as soon as I saw this book, I knew I had to give it a try.
First off, I love the cover. It gives me badass female character vibes. I was looking forward to reading this book because it has everything that I like:
A strong female lead ✔️
A prince ✔️
An interesting plot ✔️
Romance ✔️
This book starts with Princess Ava, our main character, trying to find a way to help her people. She wants to be a knight and protect her kingdom from the upcoming war against the shadow king. But her father has a different idea. He wants to marry her off to gain allies. Ava, if course hates this plan. She wants to change the customs of her kingdom, but she can't do this alone. She might find an ally in an unexpected place.

I really liked the world building and the overall plot of this book. Would recommend this to anyone looking for a fantasy world to get lost in!

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.