A Kingdom of Stars and Shadows
by Holly Renée
Adara was born to her fate. Marked by the stars and betrothed to the Crown Prince of the cruel fae. But as she nears her destiny, she finds another who temps her… and could change her fate? Can she betray the stars for the shadows? Let’s find out!
Read if you like: fantasy romance, high fantasy, fast-paced reads, plot driven, spicy spice, fae, vampires, the chosen one, betrothal, in love with the wrong boy, change your fate, prophecies, magic, a mouthy bad boy with lots of secrets, and a girl thrust into a dangerous world armed with lies and a dagger.
Adara is Starblessed. She carries the marks of the stars and everyone who sees her knows where her fate lies. She will be taken to the lands of the Fae so they can use her to maintain their power over the Starless world. She doesn’t know what this means for her future, but she’s never had a choice. Yet before she ever arrives at the capitol, she meets a captivating fae, the brother of her betrothed prince. His magic calls to her, but she must keep her distance. What will she choose when she alone can decide the fate of the kingdom who stole her fate?
Ah… the infamous ‘Dagger Snake.’ This book came to me in a flurry of recommendations and I couldn’t keep all the location and noun filled titles straight… so A Kingdom of Stars and Shadows was thus dubbed ‘Dagger Snake’ due to its eye-catching graphic cover. What I didn’t realize at the time was that I was getting a spicy, fantastical extravaganza filled with prophecies and secrets. This book is the perfect quick and super spicy romantasy to cure a book hangover or reading slump. While I would have been perfectly happy to read another 100-150 pages of intense character development, what we get instead is a character-driven ‘hold on to your butts’ ride.
We have mystery, tension, intrigue, action, spice, lies, truths, misconceptions, and so much Evren. Evren is the dark, yet soft-centered, morally ambiguous character of our fantasy dreams. If you like a MMC who can talk you into falling for him, then be prepared to update your book boyfriend lists. And he can and does put his money where is mouth is… are you picking up on this yet? He’s a little pushy and so commanding, while cutting through Adara’s fear filled pretense and I’ve never wanted to take the place of a FMC more in my life. Luckily for you and me the story continues in A Kingdom of Blood and Betrayal… or as I call it, Dagger Snake: Deception.