The Shadows Between Us is a young adult fantasy novel. It follows the story of Alessandra and her journey as she plans to charm the Shadow King, marry him but then kill him to take over his kingdom for herself. Shadow King is newly crowned and nobody knows the extent of his power. It’s said that his shadows swirl around him and attack on command or they speak to him, whispering the thoughts of people. Regardless, Alessandra is determined because she is tired of being overlooked. However, when suddenly other attempts on Shadow King’s life are made, Alessandra finds herself helping him and trying to keep him alive long enough for her plan to come to action, all while trying not to fall in love.
Even though I wanted to enjoy this book, because I found the synopsis interesting, I didn’t really like it. The book itself was boring and there wasn’t any world building in it. We got glimpses of it but never detailed and I love a good world building when I read fantasy books. The characters were not bad but I didn’t really “see” the connection between them. Alessandra is portrayed as an antagonist instead of a protagonist like we usually see in YA books. She is selfish and self absorbed but also really determined, really sure of herself and shouldn’t be underestimated. She has a heart of ice and is very hot-tempered. Her only desire is power. I really love reading about strong female leads in books and Alessandra was the only reason I didn’t give this book 1 star. Kallias, however, was more of a softie when he was supposed to be more imitating.
Overall the book started good, it looked promising, but was disappointed with it later on. The plot turned out to be more bland to actually be exciting. Although this book is good for you if you like a quick fantasy read filled with romance and a little bit of action.
2.5/5