This was an interesting story. I enjoyed the Irish folklore aspect of it and the plot was interesting.

That being said, the FMC was annoying at times and her friend Connie was as well and a bit too pushy.

It was a bit predictable, but there were a couple twists I didn’t see coming. It seems like this is going to be a series, and I would definitely read book two, but the ending was a bit too abrupt for me.

Thank you so much for the ARC ❤️
Honestly, I truly enjoyed reading this book! I love the writing - I’ve learnt a lot regarding Irish folklore, names, words, places, etc, and glad that the author included how to pronounce the names / words in English (like truly spell it on how it would sounds like). In addition, the author always managed to beautifully put things into words & sentences, which makes me felt warmth & lovely while reading too, not to mention how entertained I was too with how the author writes and goes on with the story through the writing. I did giggles, laugh, blush, and more emotion throughout reading the story, which also feels like a journey - adventurous, yet lovely, funny, high and low, just like our familiar life be.

I love the plot & characters building as well, it goes on really well and entertaining. I managed to be right about that one character which you’ll find it’s twist towards the ending. Glad that it’s kinda HEA, although I can’t get enough of Eala & Sion - is there will be a book two or something came up in conjunction with that ending? If do, I definitely want to read it!

Overall, I truly enjoyed reading this. The journey felt closer to my heart, it’s as if I’ve been following a series which made me kinda sad when it’s over, while in fact, this is only 1 book - that’s how wonderful the journey in this story made me feels like. I think this book is perfect if this is your first time dipping into fantasy, or trying to read a fantasy, since it’s easy to understand the world, also it’s a mix of real life & fantasy along with some romance, adventure, family, friends and all. Close to home, warmth the heart - you might love this too! 👍🏻❤️

I felt like the world building is missing, inspite having a slow start. She just drops into the story and till the end, i was confused about what the veil exactly is.

Nevertheless, the plot line is actually good so i was glad i stuck to reading it! The second half of the book really had me hooked and the visuals for the ending really gave me chills!

And the cliff hanger!?? I really want to know what her bargain is!

That being said, it book releases today, All the best for the release, Dear Author!!🫶🏻

4 🌟
2 🌶️

The book A Kingdom and Souls and Shadows was steeped in Celtic lore that was, at times, a bit confusing (particularly regarding the pronunciation of names and the meaning of words—thank you, Google). Nevertheless, it was an excellent book, and I am looking forward to the next book since I was left on a cliffhanger. She's just hitting her stride, and Sion seems like he's not ready to go. So, in my opinion, Finnebheara has some bargaining to do.

The pacing at the beginning of the novel is slow. However, the second half quickly picks up the pace, and it becomes very exciting. I enjoyed the author's descriptions of the veil and the scenes in which Sion and Eala were involved. Secondary characters, mainly Eala's grandmother and Colleen, were full-bodied, and I felt like I knew them. Others I don't feel I know as well and understand their place in the narrative. But I believe we may be seeing some of them again. The descriptions of both Ireland and the veil were colorful and enchanting. Seeing Eala's character growth mainly had me cheering her on. She's so smart, emotionally and intellectually! This story is complex, and yes, it was very enjoyable.

Thank you for the advanced reader copy, #Netgalley and #CityOwlPress. These opinions are my own.

This was such a fantastic read! the atmosphere, the world building the magical scenery. This checked all the boxes of a great fantasy read! I was so thankful to be able to read this story early and be absorbed by this world! Leslie O'Sullivan did not miss with this one!

Folklore abounds in this delicately crafted introduction to the Fae Destiny , leaning into Irish legend as Ella embarks on a journey of self discovery.

Embarking on a professional trip Ella and her friends venture into the heartland of faerie rings and the veil Between our world and the world of magic… and the adventure begins!

Just for fun there is a interesting love triangle, some supernatural bargains, and lots of magic!

I’ll be reading book 2 for sure 👍

This was definitely a fun read overall, especially with the Irish folklore intertwined throughout and the touch of paranormal elements. I did find the first 25%-ish a little bit slow to get into and didn’t completely connect with the main characters.

I found that the story itself (folklore, paranormal elements, time travel, plot/prophecy) and the world building descriptors were fantastic, but the character work was lacking for me. The lack of connection to the character made it hard to be completely immersed, and the romantic plot hence fell flat.

I enjoyed the overall plotline and the Irish folklore inspiration but would love to connect further with the main characters. It did finish on a cliff hanger so I would love to see these characters developed in further books and following up with this story!

"Who spreads light on the gathering hills? Who can tell the ages of the moon? Who can tell the place where the sun rests?"

The carousel. Neverland. Entrances to Narnia. All magical, forbidden places. Faerie dust. Newfoundland. Contortionists. Wrens. "Ice is villain."

This writing drew me in, it is so charming and inviting and I cannot help but smile, the words painting a beautiful picture for me in my mind, a living painting full of lively mountains and streams and fairies.

"Flowers are the song of the seasons."

Eala Duir and Jeremy Olk, the cutest intellectual pair. King Oak, the herald of Doom. I completely devoured this Irish folklore book, centering around a beautiful green isle. The creatures and lore are mesmerizing.

And quoting Keats?! This novel was made for me.

I also have a huge weakness for found family, a coming home that sends me reeling. A timid anxious professor becomes a beautiful and confident character arc. I have so much admiration for the MC, and overcoming self doubt is something that I myself struggle with.

I would recommend this to any reader who loves Celtic tales and fantasy or romantasy; found-family tropes. 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 Stars!

This was a decent read. It was fairly slow in the beginning but the pace seemed to pick up in the second half of the book.
I do think the FMC’s fear of heights was a tad bit overused. I also felt like the romance seemed to be sudden.
Overall though this book as a series has value.
I received a ARC of this book, all opinions are my own

I really enjoyed this story. It started off a bit slow for me, but once things came together I was really into it and kept picking it back up to see what would happen next.

I liked the Irish lore that was woven into the story, and I loved the time travel aspect. The overarching story and plot were unique from anything I've read. This book is very well written, with a ton of lush, descriptive language used to capture the scenes. Sometimes the concrete detail was too much for me, and it pulled my focus out of the story, but that's my only real complaint here.

The FMC did have a fear of heights that felt a bit overplayed, but it was part of the story in multiple ways so it wasn't really irritating in the end. Her constant wishy-washy indecisiveness could get a tad annoying, but that is actually a very realistic reaction to the experiences she was having.

Overall, a solid and enjoyable story that ends on a cliffhanger and left me interested enough to read the next book.

**I received an advance review copy of this book, and I am leaving a review of my honest opinions of my own accord.**

✨ Publication date: March 19, 2024✨

A Kingdom of Souls and Shadows by Leslie O’Sullivan is an Irish Celtic Fantasy Romance book This is my first book by this author.

Eala Duir is a young college professor in America focused on Irish folklore. When her beloved grandmother dies and leaves her a cryptic message through her lawyer, Eala decides to join the college summer trip to Ireland.

Eala has always had encounters between reality and dreamlike states and these dream states intensify when she gets to Ireland.

After an encounter with the ghost of a young girl that reunites her with her lost soul, Eala discovers the local Irish tour guide Sion that has been assigned to her group is a veil walker.

Sion brings Eala into the veil and shows her his own ties to the faerie world and convinces her to help him fulfill his centuries old duty before his time is up.

As Eala and Sion walk between both worlds they discover a connection between them and chemistry that cannot seem to wait to be explored. Time is running out for Sion to fulfill his prophecy and every step closer to finishing brings more danger.

I loved the idea of this book. Irish folklore, faerie veil walkers, legend prophecy fulfillment….. it fell a bit short for me though. I didn’t quite connect with either character and felt the author could have spent more time on explaining the prophecy. This is a 3 star read for me.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#NetGalley #leslieosullivan #akingdomofsoulsandshadows

I found the plot line extremely interesting and really wanted to learn the secrets Márhair was keeping from Eala which is the big thing that kept me reading and overall I enjoyed the story. However I did have some issues with the book.

I really felt that the pacing was off and it made it hard for me to stay focused on/interested in what was happening. While Eala did have quite a bit of character growth in the last half I felt like in the beginning there was too much focus on her fear of heights to the point of being repetitive.

It seemed like I was been "told" more than "shown" a lot when it came to the characters personalities and relationships. I felt absolutely no chemistry between Eala and Sion and found their 1st "spicy" scene to be rather cringy. Even Eala's relationship with Colleen felt somewhat flat. We are "told" they are lifelong best friends but nothing in their interactions show us that they really care about each other.

I believe this story has amazing potential and I look forward to continuing the series but would really like to see more character development in future books!

Overall this book was one I was very excited to start and after the initial few chapters I realized it was going to be a slow start. Ella is a professor trying to figure out the secrets behind her birth family. The book takes a dive into the Faerie realm and that is really what peaked my interest but I just wanted more development in the characters and story overall.
I did enjoy this book as a whole but I won’t be picking it up over and over again to read.

This book was very much a mixed bag for me, with aspects I really liked and those that I didn’t.

I loved the setting, the use of Celtic mythology and culture, the concept in general, and the blending of contemporary/fantasy/romance.

That being said, I did not buy the relationship between our two main characters. There were spots of chemistry but overall I just didn’t believe it. Maybe it’s in part because our main character is a professor with a PhD. Just didn’t buy the insta love from that angle. The way the whole story played out also didn’t feel quite earned.

In general I feel like the book was trying to be too much and was too disjointed for my tastes.

Thanks to NetGalley and Owl City Press for the eARC.

I really enjoyed this book. I did feel as though it was fairly slower then I am use to. I enjoyed the found family heritage and the Irish setting with all the folklore. I did have a few minor frustrations and a lot of it revolves around our MFC. I found myself wanting to shake her a lot and say get a grip girl and stop complaining. However that being said she was thrown into a whole new world so part of it is definitely understandable. For that reason alone I give this a three star rating. The rest of the book was great and you should absolutely read this book, if you love Irish folklore!

The cover of this book is stunning- the inside is a little less so.

PROS: Very unique story and feel.

CONS: Pacing was very off, characters weren't fleshed out.

This story was good- it could have been great with some more extensive editing.

A Kingdom of Souls and Shadows by Leslie O'Sullivan

The overall premise of the story was good but unfortunately I didn't love it and I really wanted to. It's based in Ireland and I have longing to move there, my family vacations there at least every two years so I'm ready for our trip this fall. The things that bothered me most with the story was the MFC and her obsession with her grandmother's passing. It was brought up in almost everything she said. I didn't count but pretty sure she mentions her on every page. The story felt too rushed, after only 2 days in Ireland she's not sure if she's in a relationship with their Irish tour guide or her fellow professor she literally met on the flight overseas. I did enjoy the uniqueness of the story towards the ending but with there being so many great fantasy books out, this one kind of read as a YA fantasy for me based on adults. I've never read this author before so I'm not sure if this is the vibe with all of her stories but it wasn't for me. I rate it 3 stars because writing a book is hard work and coming up with a story line that has some surprises in it you weren't expecting is even harder. So nice job to Ms. O'Sullivan, I know some people are going to love this book!

I received a copy of this book as an ARC and my review is based on an early release.

This was a wonderfully evocative book. I really enjoyed the real life settings of various Irish locations and landscapes. Eala is a charmingly relatable character with her wanting to be homebound and enjoys the safety of her grandmother's garden and home. She decided to travel after getting a shock from her grandmother. Sion is someone you want to get to know more about. The book takes you on some twists and turns, from past to present and a few places in between. I hope that there will be a sequel or a series for this book, since it ended on such a note that leaves you begging for more of the story.

The side characters are richly written as well and have their own stories that you would like to know more about. You get a real sense of Colleen's character and her motivations. Each side characater shines.

This is a really wonderful book and the romance is wonderfully written as well.

I won't spoil it, but this is a book that combines mythology, history and a true love of Ireland in its pages. A+ would buy for myself and read again.

“Inside everyone's head, including mine, lives the dream of traveling to impossible places.”

“Find Me.
I whisper to my grandmother. "I'm here." If only I knew who or what I'm supposed to be looking for.”

"Faith is to believe what we do not see, and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe."

Magical, intriguing and mysterious romantic fantasy book with heavy Irish folklore inspirations. I really really enjoyed it. Eala’s story is one of finding oneself and the people you love while at the same time figuring out more about your heritage and your origin. The culture behind this book was magnificent and it was expressed in a very interesting way. The action and the continuous progress of the narrative made the book way more compelling than it could have been in different circumstances. And the kinda enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers dynamic was absolutely wonderful!!! And the book is spicy!!!! So basically it has aspects for every reader !!! I can only recommend other readers to jump on and enjoy this journey through history and magic and culture alongside some characters that will get you frustrated one chapter and then happy and proud the next!!

“The fox man and the swan gal.”

"The Veil knows you, Eala Duir. You belong to it."

"Your soul," his voice falters, "is the most precious thing in the world to me. Do you not know it?"

I was not a fan of either Eala or Sion as characters. They just did not click for me. That said, the plot of this book was unique and fantastic so, despite not really liking either of the characters, this was a great read.