This was a very satisfying conclusion to the Dominions trilogy. It was intense and fast-paced and reunited us with all our favorite characters. Meren is truly such a strong FMC and her dive is perseverance is something for other FMCs to strive for.

The Shadows Rule All by Abigail Owen, is the third and final installment in the author's Dominions series. This book begins 1,000 years ago and tells the story of how and why Eiddon Calix went down the dark side after a pair of twins betrayed him and his trust, and captured the Goddesses in amulets.

Meanwhile, the worlds are crumbling with the loss of the goddesses, and Meren and her allies, including her twin sister, face the difficult challenge of trying to locate the final amulet with the goddess Wilderness trapped inside. They are racing against time since the Celestial Alignment is rapidly approaching when all of the goddesses must be released. Eidolon is still a threat, and now Meren carries Reven's shadows inside her, and they are the most evil and broken parts of Eidolon's soul.

Throughout the book, Meren struggles to keep the shadows under control. Readers are introduced to more Devourers--the goddesses’ former consorts turned monsters--that are scarier, bloodthirsty, and violent. In addition, the author adds even more twists, and another goddess--Allusion, who becomes the ultimate help in their perilous quest to defeat Eidolon and release the goddesses. One of Meren's other challenges is her heart, and the fact that Reven has lost his memories.

The side characters also play a bigger and stronger role: Tabra, Cain, Pella, Tziah, Vos, Hakkan, Horus, and even Reven, eventually. You must be prepared for anything. The author doesn't spare your feelings if one of the lovable main characters falls in battle. She doesn't spare your feelings by making this book darker than the previous installments. Absolutely a five star read, Abigail always delivers!

*The Shadows Rule All* delivers an epic, high-stakes finale to Abigail Owen’s *Dominions* series. Packed with emotional turmoil, shadowy power struggles, and heart-pounding action, this breathtaking conclusion is a must-read for fans of YA fantasy. A fierce heroine, a desperate fight for hope, and an unforgettable ending—this book has it all!

The Shadows Rule All, by Abigail Owen, is the third and final installment in the author's Dominions series. There’s no way you can read this one on its own. You must read the other books to get to this one to fully enjoy the series. This book begins 1,000 years ago and tells the story of how and why Eiddon Calix went down the dark side after a pair of twins betrayed him and his trust, and captured the Goddesses in amulets.

Meanwhile, the worlds are crumbling with the loss of the goddesses, and Meren and her allies, including her twin sister, face the difficult challenge of trying to locate the final amulet with the goddess Wilderness trapped inside. They are racing against time since the Celestial Alignment is rapidly approaching when all of the goddesses must be released. Eidolon is still a threat, and now Meren carries Reven's shadows inside her, and they are the most evil and broken parts of Eidolon's soul.

Throughout the book, Meren struggles to keep the shadows under control. Readers are introduced to more Devourers--the goddesses’ former consorts turned monsters--that are scarier, bloodthirsty, and violent. In addition, the author adds even more twists, and another goddess--Allusion, who becomes the ultimate help in their perilous quest to defeat Eidolon and release the goddesses. One of Meren's other challenges is her heart, and the fact that Reven has lost his memories.

The side characters also play a bigger and stronger role: Tabra, Cain, Pella, Tziah, Vos, Hakkan, Horus, and even Reven, eventually. You must be prepared for anything. The author doesn't spare your feelings if one of the lovable main characters falls in battle. She doesn't spare your feelings by making this book darker than the previous installments.

4 1/2 stars

This book was a perfect completion to this trilogy. It had a great deal of action and there was a lot of back and forth where you couldn't exactly tell how the storyline was going to resolve itself. It had a very well thought out plot and creative characters. I enjoyed this entire series.

In this book, Meren and Raven have a difficult time being together. They have struggles that often lead them to deal with things separately. For this reason, I was anxious that they wouldn't end up together in the end. There were so many odds stacked against them that it was often difficult to see how it would work out. But the characters in this book are hardy and dedicated to one another and they pull together and make it happen. They devise a plan to rid themselves of the enemy and it takes a toll on them all but they will succeed.

Well done Ms. Owen. I loved this book - - actually the entire trilogy and will miss the storyline and characters.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: I also listened to the audiobook and it was well done too. The narration was very fitting for the characters and kept me involved in the storyline. 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the ebook and audiobook.

It was so good returning to The Dominions series and Reven, Meren and all of their friends and foes.
While Shadows Rule All begins with Meren and Reven still separated by the unfortunate events of the last book, their journey back to one another was everything I needed. Shadows had all the markings of a great end to the trilogy: heartbreak, action, intrigue, renewed love, loyalty, friendship, and sacrifice. I could go on and on with all the emotions that I felt reading the end of the series. The way Meren truly came into her own and stepped out of the shadows to stand by her sister's side as ruler was one of my favorite character arcs. Reven finding himself again after being stripped of all his memories was a heart wrenching journey, but one I am happy to have experienced. And all of the other characters and trials and tribulations they all went through to get to the resolution was absolutely brilliant (heart breaking at times, but brilliant).
This is a series I will definitely revisit again in the future.

Thank you to Entangled for the review copy. My opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this final book in the trilogy and highly recommend reading this series. It's got shadow magic, goddesses, twins switching places, daring rescues, nations in trouble, allies and betrayals, missing memories, and everyone is fighting each other.

Highly recommend binge reading the entire series!

Whew - what a ride! I’ll be sending my therapy bill over ASAP. Reven and Meren have my heart. I would have loved more of Revens POV for sure!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4.5 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well, I've had the amazing pleasure of reviewing each book in this trilogy and it has been an awesome ride. Having never read anything by the author before, I came into this series with no expectations and was blown away anyways.

In this last book, the feels were truly felt. The action kept on actioning. The plot kept on thickening. Basically, it was a true "going out with a bang" type of finish. Though I'm still recovering cause we got to the end but there's a cost of course.

If you've yet to dive into this series, please do so. It's fun, dark, and full of heart.

(4.5/5 stars)

The Shadows Rule All is the final book in the YA fantasy romance Dominions trilogy by Abigail Owen.

Oops I inhaled this in practically one sitting on a day where I was feeling under the weather. The same thing happened to me with the first two volumes in the trilogy. I really enjoyed the world-building and magic system in this series!

Though I'm still mad about some of the deaths in this one, I think it was a great final volume to the trilogy. If you're into books with secret twins, a shadowy love interest, and a lot of adventure, you should absolutely pick up this series.

I read the first two books of this series and was so excited to have the opportunity to read the last one - it did not disappoint. It was exciting and perfect and the absolute best wrap up of the series. I don’t know what I had been expecting for the ending but it could not have been better than what Abigail has written in this book. Everything was handled so well and there was such a good balance between humour and dark. As always the characters and relationships were seamless and I will miss them now that this has finished - a reread looks to be in my future.

The finale is finally here! And Owen definitely does not hold back.

The buildup seemed to have taken forever but then a reminder that not much time has passed.
I really enjoyed getting more Tabera in this book and seeing her powers and status. The first book Tabera was absent, the second she was dying so I liked seeing this side of her. The betrayals ran deep and events hit hard!

The pacing of this book went really fast and so much lore was introduced. I kept having to go back and reread because I wanted to make sure I was absorbing everything.

I missed Marin in this book though. She wasn't her sarcastic funny self but emotionally deadpan (for reasons). However, it made me realize how much she actually made the books enjoyable. Not saying I didn't enjoy it, but you could tell something was missing.

The ending of this trilogy was explosive and if you've made it this far - be sure to strap in because it's a bumpy road to the finish line.

The Shadows Rule all is the gripping conclusion of a trilogy that has held me captive for multiple years of reading now.
What I Loved
1. Starting slightly away from where I expected the novel gives some perspective on how things actually got started.
2. The Pacing had me breathless from the very first chapter.
3. This conclusion wrapped up all the character arcs I hoped it would while leaving enough open ends for me to muse on and imagine as a part of the wider world.

Who I would recommend this title for
The Shadows Rule all is the final book in a set and is best experienced by those who have already read and loved books one and two in its trilogy.

Beautiful, Romantic, and a little heart breaking at times..

I was so excited to get my hands on an early copy of the last Dominions book! Thank you Brittany at Entangled Publishing and NetGalley, you are the best! I read it as soon as I finished the previous, hoping to hear what came of Meren, Tabra, Cain and Reven. Would Reven be stuck re-absorbed into Eidolon? Would they all find a way to reunite him with Meren and his friends? Or would Meren end up with Cain in the end?

The book didn't exactly start where I expected, in fact it was more of a plot twist as we saw things through the eyes of Eidolon, his past and where things all started. I appreciated this new perspective and enjoyed how it set the tone and gave us an even deeper understanding of why things came to where we were at the end of book 2. All it took was one chapter.

I enjoyed absolutely everything, the love and the pain...but really, CAIN? It was interesting to read about the devourers, the encounters were brutal and so very well described. Abigail has quite a knack at setting a scene and making you feel the story as you read. Love, hate, betrayal and loss. How on Nova could she let this happen to Tziah and Vos? and wow..Tabra and Achlys? Although some of the main characters find their happy ending, it cost them a lot. I haven't cried reading a book in a while and yet there I was, needing a couple tissues and feeling stuffed up. I'm fine. Everything is fine...NOT!!

Thank you for an amazing adventure, a wonderful escape to real life and to the world of Nova. This is definitely a must read young adult romantasy, with very little spice (just mostly suggestion to let the mind wander).

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free eARC of this book; the review is my own.*

I think the only reason it took me so long to read this book is because of the time of year--I've got so much other stuff I'm trying to get done that I've mostly been listening to audiobooks so I can multitask. But if I'd had the time to sit down and just read, I would have finished this book much more quickly. It was a fitting continuation (and ending) to the series, with so much going on that I hardly a moment to breathe.

Overall, I'm happy with the way it ended. That's not to say, however, that it's all sunshine and daisies; in fact, I don't think there's much of that in here at all. Everyone is in mortal peril pretty much all the time, and you can't expect that the entire cast will make it out unscathed.

One section made me chuckle a bit, not because it was actually funny but because I knew where the author had found her inspiration. At one point, Meren visits a place called Usavah Falls, which is beautifully described in moderate detail. It's a place you'd want to visit. In fact, it is a place you can visit. Google Havasu Falls.

Will I pick up another Abigail Owen book in the future? Quite possibly, as I enjoyed this series.

I’ve been with the series since it first came out. I was lucky enough to partner with entangle to help spread the word for book 1 and 2. This series has popped into my mind so often as I patiently waited for book three.

I didn’t expect to be so shattered and renewed whole again by the end of it all. I was so blown away by all the action, the twists and turns! I don’t want to spoil it but this was such a great ending to the series. Even with the devastation Abigail puts us throughout the series. I’m sad it’s come to an end. This will be a series I will turn to again and again.

Great ending to this fantasy trilogy!

Meren has been overcome by shadows that left Reven, her bondmate, and now they’re torturing her. The shadows take over her mind and appearance if she gets too stressed or they get upset. Reven has completely forgotten Meren and he has no memory of them being in love. Meren has collected most of the amulets needed to stop the king. She needs one more plus the help of her dedicated companions to save their kingdom. She’s determined to help save the kingdom and Reven’s memory, even if she has to sacrifice herself to do it.

“𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓂𝑒. 𝒴𝑜𝓊’𝓋𝑒 𝒶𝓁𝓌𝒶𝓎𝓈 𝒽𝒶𝒹 𝓂𝑒.”
__________________________________________

𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬:
Hitting the end of this series is nothing but bittersweet. There are so many highs and way too many lows (😭 cries!). Reven and Meren had my heart since I first read The Liar’s Crown and I am SO happy where they ended up in this series. Prepare yourself though because your heart will not come out of this one unscathed.

🆃🆁🅾🅿🅴🆂:
👑 Soulmates
💜 Shadow daddy
👑 Magic
💜 Good vs. Evil

I truly truly enjoyed the first two books in this series! The third one just didn’t do it for me. I hated the narrative that meren and reven were once again separated and once together he couldn’t remember her? I just couldn’t do it anymore.
Overall, the ending of the book was perfect but getting to that point was boring for me

**Thank you, Entangled Publishing, for an eARC in exchange for an honest review**

I love when one invests so much time and emotion into a series to have it end in such a perfect way that you could not envision it any other way, and I am pleased to announce that “The Shadows Rule All” did exactly that.

This is the last novel of a trilogy and a very worthy ending for our heroine Merenith and her fellow companions (Shadow wraith included). We still follow Merenith as the main character throughout this novel, but we are finally given insight into what made Eidolon into the absolute wreck of a human he is today and why he acts the way he does. There are a lot of twists and turns, complete surprises, and just enough heartache to really make you feel like this novel is worthy of your time and a perfect conclusion to the series.

I don’t want to give anything away, so what I can say is that I shed a few tears, gasped audibly a good few times, and ended the novel with a smile on my face. It does not get much better than that.