Black and Sapphic! What more can a girl ask for?
This a captivating story that intertwines a tragic love story with a dual timeline narrative. The tale of Thana and Favre is both heart-wrenching and intriguing.

This dark and compelling origin story sets the stage for a rich fantasy world.
Parallel to this, we follow Leyla and Najja on their journey to find Leyla’s best friend. As they navigate their quest, they begin to fall for each other, mirroring the intense love story of Favre and Thana. The dual timeline adds depth and complexity to the narrative, keeping listeners engaged as they uncover the connections between past and present.

Overall, "Where Shadow’s Meet" is a beautifully crafted fantasy audiobook that explores themes of love, sacrifice, and identity. Its engaging plot, well-developed characters, and immersive world-building make it a must-listen.

two love stories, a thousand years apart, intertwine in patrice caldwell’s where shadows meet. once, a girl sacrificed her wings for the goddess she loved; now, a vampire princess risks everything to rescue her beloved best friend from the island of the dead, accompanied by a young prophetess whose people were banished by the vampire queen.

let me start with what i loved: the love! romantic and platonic and familial, healthy and unhealthy, tragic and hopeful. while this is, first and foremost, a romantasy, it doesn’t fall into one of my least favorite romantasy tendencies of minimizing all other forms of love and relationships. and i loved the queernormative world filled with black, sapphic love stories.

i also enjoyed the themes of mother/daughter relationships, fate vs choice, and the way history and myth are explored from both sides—present day and their origin, with a long and bloody war between gods and vampires and humans in between.

where i think this book failed is in its world building, which is so clunky and confusing. it’s obvious that caldwell put a lot of thought and effort into creating this world, but the execution is, uh, not there. this book is barely over 300 pages and too much of that is taken up with family trees, a glossary of vampire bloodlines, and awkwardly placed info dumps within the story—and i STILL had questions.

too much relied on miscommunication and various characters withholding information. miscommunication can be fun in small doses, but here it’s happening in every direction at all times. so many problems could have been solved if these people just talked to each other. on a semi-related note, one MC in particular was just painfully naive throughout the book, culminating in her (somehow) being shocked by the very, very obvious setup she walks into.

will i be picking up book 2? honestly, i don’t know. i love seeing this kind of representation in YA fantasy—it’s so important—but i think this was more of a “fine but not for me” read. i would recommend it to readers who are looking for YA romantasy or diversity in vampire fiction!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I was really excited to jump into this book after I was approved. The cover is beautiful, and I couldn’t wait to see how the story unfolded after reading the blurb- vampires, gods, and multiple romances, oh my!!!

The representation for LGBTQ, Black leads, and chronic pain makes this book stand out in the fantasy genre and within vampire novels specifically. I appreciated the author making this an important feature in her work, but felt that she could have delved deeper into exploring the complexities involved here.

While I do think that the story itself is solid, there were a few things that I struggled with. One being the pacing could have been improved. It was so slow to start, and the middle of the story really dragged. I think this is in part because of the multiple narratives (and diary entries), which confused me at first. It felt like there was so much information thrusted at me. For the more experienced reader, a lot of the information in the beginning gives away some of the twists. On a positive note, the stakes in the latter part of the story were high, and I was genuinely caught up in the cliffhanger at the end.

Overall, this is an interesting blend of fantasy elements, but it didn’t fully captivate me the way I had hoped. I appreciate the effort and creativity in the world-building, and I’m still curious enough to read the next book.

I love me a vampire story, and this was one was so fun! As usual in books involving vampires, gods, and humans, the world-building is a little confusing, but thankfully it becomes clearer as you go on, and the book includes different characters' perspectives so you get a more wholistic view of things.

It's hard to distill this book into a tidy paragraph, but I'll give it my all! Essentially, a thousand years ago, after a goddess named Thana became the first vampire, she descended from the Heavenly Realms to attempt to conquer the human world, setting off a hundreds-year war. For a variety of reasons that are revealed in the book, Thana's daughter kills her, and the vampire-human war rages on. In present day, it has been one year since the end of the war, and all the vampire bloodlines are united under one queen. Leyla, the vampire princess, sees her best friend get taken by creatures from the Island of the Dead, and she goes to get her back, with the help of a seer named Namaja. Of course, these storylines converge, and chaos ensues, as it does.

This was just fun. I loved existing in a world where sapphic love was the norm, and where women were the real star of the show: almost every important character in this book is a woman, and that was so satisfying. We have two separate main romances, one of which is a bit of insta-love but is very pure and sweet, and another that is toxic and codependent and incredible lol. The juxtaposition is interesting and provides a lot of nuance, and the characters are developed well enough that you root for them and feel for them. It's more of a closed door romance but still enjoyable, and the action was exciting. I liked this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!

thousands of years ago, favre sacrificed her wings for her love for thana, who ended up sacrificing her love for power. ever since, favre has been waiting for her chance to resurrect the girl she loves who turned her into the creature she hates. now, leyla, the crown princess of the malichora, who survive on human blood, is traveling to the land of the dead to find her captured best friend. she teams up with najja, a seer who doesn’t seem to keen on the royal family. leyla will stop at nothing to save her friend, but the closer she gets, the more she risks awakening an ancient evil.

as soon as i hear about a vampire book, it gets added to my tbr, and this one was no exception! i was even more drawn in by the promises of a dual timeline (favre and thana vs. leyla and najja) and not one, but two sapphic romances. also, i’ve read a couple of patrice caldwell’s anthologies that she’s edited, so i was eager to read a full-length novel by her. it’s safe to say that this book did not disappoint on any of those fronts! i loved the vampire/malichora element, as this opened discussion for themes of power, sacrifice, and more. i also thought the romances were great, as they were so complex that i couldn’t help but want to learn more. overall, this was a great story. i’m very excited for the sequel!

Where Shadows Meet is a messy, complicated three person POV fantasy tale that takes place in a messy, complicated world. The different POVs are woven together to tell the tale of hows gods fell from grace and created the vampires, the vampires created, and how humans keep resisting the vampires. Each of the female leads re-asks the age old questions: what would you do for love and how far would you go for love? Large and grandiose, it does feel crammed for a duology, maybe a trilogy would have let the plot breathe better. The story and world building is full and rich of carefully thought history, creating a solid foothold that allows for the most fantastic to make sense.

Enjoyment: 2
Start: 3.75
Characters: 3.5
Setting: 3
Plot: 3.5
Ending: 2
Style: 4
Rating: 3.11

Overall the story is a good one, and I enjoyed some of it. I feel like the world is very matriarchal, which is perfectly fine, except for the fact that their are nearly no men to be found. Anywhere. Almost every mention of a race of people, or even just a clan, seems to only be women. The few men that are mentioned seem to be dead or not worth mentioning again.

It also seems to me that all the character (save for one) are lesbians. All of them. It's very unrealistic to me and made me enjoy the story less.

The start was great, then the story started lacking, then it picked up, and by the time it was over I was celebrating I was finished reading it. Every story needs a rise and fall in action and this story, while done well, seemed to be half history lesson about the world half what was actually happening. While I enjoyed learning the lore of the world, it took away from the actual world building around them.

Who hurt you? I might bite you; Princess will bite you back. This didn't read like a debut, and I can tell by reading the author did her research and invested years into this book.
The side characters were great with banter.
The romance felt young and nostalgic.
The plot was great, and pacing made it easy to read.
The writing was difficult only because going from first to third person is not fun to read.

Perfect if you want:
Who hurt you? I might bite you.
Vampires!!!! Angels!
Princess Power
Revenge against Gods
Queer/LGBTQ+
Young Adult Romantasy

Thank you so much to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this arc!

I can’t believe Where Shadows Meet is only just over 300 pages long. It felt so much longer. Part One of the books just seemed to drag. It took me over six tries to read this book. I was about to give up altogether when Part Two happened. Part Two is really good. I would have created more trevails for the girls to go through to get to the island. If the book had just been Part Two - this would be a completely different review. Unfortunately, the first half of the book had too much foundation for me. I would have preferred more action too.

Read Where Shadows Meet and let me know what you think.

An absolutely deliciously dark & sapphic vampiric fantasy romance. I initially thought this was a standalone, but was pleasantly surprised at the end to find it will get a sequel. Great story, world and character building. I will definitely be looking forward to the next installment!

I was really hoping to enjoy this book more than I did. It has vampires, angels and gods! Some of my favorite fantasy elements - unfortunately there were so many characters and storylines to keep track off. I appreciate this debut novel for the very interesting premise but it just didn't fully deliver for me.

I was really excited about this book and I absolutely love the characters! The concept is incredible, it just felt confusing and a bit rushed for the length. As it was there was so much going on at once it left me feeling frazzled. I know it will be resolved to some extent in future books as the author stated such in the author’s note, but I’m overwhelmed from the intricacies and I think if it was split into 2 books I would’ve been able to keep better track and prepare for more information to come about!

Combining of gods/goddesses, vampires, and humans in one world with overlapping timelines was amazing. The emotion and raw quality to each character was obviously painstakingly captured by the author. All in all I enjoyed Thana’s and Favre’s story and the journey Leyla and Najja embarked on together.

This may not have been my favorite but it’s definitely going to be so for someone!!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the gifted review copy. This is an honest review and all thoughts are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

While I looked forward to this book, I couldn't fall into it. I pushed through about 50% before I decided I couldn't keep pushing. With many moving parts and yet so little happening, it didn't feel like the plot was actually starting until half way and the first half was just background information. I think those looking for a book to get them into fantasy this is not for them, but those who enjoy fantasy especially world building focused stories might enjoy this novel.

Super unique fantasy novel that feels brand new to the genre. I appreciate that there is rep for the LGTBQ community and was excited to read something new and fun. I got a little bogged down with some of the backstory and lore, but again, credit for being fresh and new and not the same fae storyline over and over again.

Favre sacrificed her wings for love, but the goddess Thana sacrificed that love for power. Favre never forgave the loss, and Thana's choice led to living in eternal night. One thousand years later, Leyla is the crown princess of a vampire nation. Her best friend is captured during an attack on the capital, so Leyla travels to Nekros, the island of the dead. The closer she gets, however, she risks awakening an ancient evil.

There are two timelines in this book, which is the first half of a duology. One timeline is that of Favre and Thana's life together in the wake of Thana seizing the throne. The nobility among gods looked down on Favre, so they eventually go to the world of mortals. Now a vampire, Thana declares herself queen and kicks off a war lasting nearly a thousand years. The other timeline follows Leyla the vampire princess, Najja who can see the dead and is capable of foretelling the future, as well as Favre trying to get back to Thana, who was betrayed by her daughter and proclaimed dead to vampires.

The book took me a bit to get into because there's so much going on at once. This steep entry might be off-putting to some readers. The traditional fantasy story of rescuing Leyla's best friend from the dangerous creatures is fairly straightforward, and Najja is pulled along with her due to the visions she had and the duty to her family to see fate through, even if the current vampire queen has condemned her people for that very gift. The alternate storyline in that timeline is slower, with fewer clues, so we see less of Favre initially. More of her is seen in the past, leading up to Thana's choice and those who followed her to the mortal world.

The majority of the book follows Leyla's journey, so her chapters and Najja's feel the most relatable. They journey together and learn about the kingdom as well as each other, and their arc is pretty obvious from the start. Side characters come and go, and the book feels short. The finale felt flat and unfinished, mostly because there's a second half to this story. I won't spoil it, but there's a distinct need for that second book to finish the overall story.

It's a super interesting premise but couldn't hook me. The changes in timeline and POV happened so fast and at times unclear. For now it's a DNF, but I may pick back up at a later date.

Angels. Gods. Vampires. Seers. Loved this take on a vampire origin story! Favre suffered so much for the people in her life. She was the epitome of staying and sacrificing for that toxic relationship. Can’t wait to see what book 2 has in store for Leyla and Najja.

Thanks Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Ancient Gods, vampire queens and princesses, and mythical seers made this one an interesting ride. I loved the characters, world, and preface of the story. What I did NOT love was that I stayed confused the entire book as to who was telling their story and who was who. But overall, the story was good and kept my interest. I was gifted an ALC of this book by NetGalley and the publisher and these opinions are my own. 3.5⭐️, if the characters weren’t so confusing to keep straight between chapters, this would’ve easily been a 4⭐️.

Where Shadows Meet by Patrice Caldwell is a captivating Black sapphic vampire romance that delves into the complexities of sacrifice for love. This lush and intoxicating novel seamlessly weaves together tender romance with unexpected twists, creating a dark and thrilling reading experience.

She had to take control of her own destiny. She had to act now.

Where Shadows Meet is the first part of a duology where readers are introduced to a fantasy world of humans, vampires, and gods. This would be great as a primer for upper young adult readers you'd want to bridge to adult high fantasy, this had all those elements on a more toned down scale. The beginning, especially before the story actually starts with the family tree and glossary of characters could feel a little overwhelming, my advice, glance over it and then come back after you've read half and look it over again as the names and their positions will be more recognizable and stick with you more. The story follows three point-of-views, Favre, Najja, and Leyla. They each come from different backgrounds but their stories weave together and through their povs, the world building is created.

I see death. And it sees me. The dead whisper in my ears, tormenting me.

The fantasy setting land is one year into a peace treaty that has vampires mining gold in exchange for humans giving their blood. Previously, vampires and humans had been fighting for a thousand years after a god, Thana and her partner Favre, left the Heavenly Realm for the human one. Thana had killed her father, from a sword forged from Favre's ripped off wings blood, after he refused to let Thana marry Favre. This action caused Thana to become the first vampire and she was banished from the Heavenly Realm, Favre and a few other gods going with her. The humans didn't like Thana just setting herself up as queen and the war started. Favre's character brings a lot of themes about selfishness, sacrifice, and emotional abuse in romantic and familial relationships. Her povs jump from the past to show her building romance with Thana and what happened as they came to earth and then the present as Favre breaks from an imprisonment imposed on her and her bid to free Thana. You'll get most of the outer whole lay of the story from her.

“Sometimes the only way to find out the truth is to go along for the journey. Have faith. Believe. Trust in yourself.”

Najja is the second pov character we meet and her povs are all from the present. She's a yamaja, a messenger of fate, she has visions of death and can see and hear the dead. She fears her powers and doesn't like how her people have been regulated to an island after her great-great-grandmother delivered a vision to the vampire queen that she didn't like. Najja has issues of never feeling good enough and living up to the pedestal she puts her sister on, along with grief from losing her mother. When Reapers attack her home, her sister tells Najja that she had a vision that Najja must help the vampire princess, this sends Najja reluctantly running from her home to the capitol to find the princess.

“It’s not so simple as us being the bad guys and them being good. Maybe once it was like that, centuries ago, but war means atrocities have been committed on both sides. It’s now up to us, the present generation, to acknowledge our past while also healing the scars that remain.”

This leads to us meeting our final main character, the vampire princess Leyla. Leyla is the heir and as her mother has a very advanced sickness, she knows she'll be getting the crown soon, even if she feels wholly unprepared for it. Leyla's that sheltered naive but earnest character that has felt beaten down by her mother and suffers from chronic pain that also works to make her feel not good enough. When she's exploring the town with her bestfriend Danai, Reapers attack and end up taking Danai, while Najja shows up to protect Leyla. This leads to Najja and Leyla starting a small road journey at the halfway point to go and rescue Danai from the land of the dead.

“I’m glad you’re here with me. We’re here and we’re surviving and maybe, for tonight, that’s enough.”

A lot of this first duology book was getting to know our three main characters, as we spent time in their heads, some of the soliloquies did go on long enough to slow the pace down, but I didn't really feel that way until the beginning second half as I thought some of Favre's feelings were retread one too many times. This is a story, though, that I think is worth investing in the time, it's moving parts might not seem to fit together at first but I thought as it went on it was pretty smooth how the author worked to slowly bring them together. Najja's there to try and protect Leyla and not allow one of the outcomes of fate, the one Favre wants to bring on, freeing Thana. There's the destructive romance between Favre and Thana and then the building one between Najja and Leyla. I did think Najja and Leyla's emotions and romance was rushed and I wasn't a total believer in it but the second book in the series could build on those emotions.

I’m forced to watch as she rows away, toward the island where souls go at their end, to the place where shadows meet.

This obviously ends on a cliffhanger, the ending of this dances into horror, which I enjoyed, but the rush of the events happening felt a little jarring after the majority of the book's pace was more slow moving. The worldbuilding was less about the physical setting and more about the social and cultural structuring of society and how that emotionally impacts individuals. There was also a lot of working in mythology, fairytales, and folklore that I enjoyed and will have you saying, I recognize that every so often. The characters fit an upper young adult classification and if you go in expecting a high fantasy primer feel, you'll enjoy this one. The combined elements of vampires, humans, and gods, how this was structured to weave the three main characters together, young adult emotional themes working through, and at times richness to the writing, made this intriguingly enjoyable.