It’s one thing to say you’ll do something, and it’s another to actually go through with it and get results. They go through so much growth in this book. What really stood out to me was each character’s internal conflict as they struggled to become the leader that each nation needed them to be. Although he has Draconi warriors (who can shapeshift into dragons!), what they really need is magic, to fight against the ogres. And while he’s developing feelings for a certain fugitive princess, he’s also tasked to bring back her heart to save his own kingdom from the ogres invading it. For example, Prince Kol from a neighboring kingdom comes into Ravenspire to get their help to save his own kingdom. She’s actually a pretty wicked villain, bringing in new twists to the story that we thought we knew. With Snow White comes a jealous stepmother, and Queen Irina is certainly one. If not exactly original, they were all well-executed and I found that I couldn’t stop reading. Redwine meshes up many aspects of fantasy books to build this one, and I didn’t mind at all, despite the tropes. Lorelai undergoes many obstacles throughout the book, but each time she picks herself back up and keeps her strong will.

She may have been based on Snow White, but she certainly isn’t wasting her time waiting for a prince. She was courageous and knew how to fight back. From the very beginning, I loved her character. This fast-paced retelling of Snow White was full of fun, adventure, and swoons as we follow Lorelai and her path to reclaiming the throne of Ravenspire. But Irina isn’t going down without a fight, and her final move may cost the princess the one thing she still has left to lose.

Fighting to stay one step ahead of the dragon huntsman-who she likes far more than she should-Lorelai does everything in her power to ruin the wicked queen. To do that, Kol needs magic-and the only way to get it is to make a deal with the queen of Ravenspire, promise to become her personal huntsman…and bring her Lorelai’s heart.īut Lorelai is nothing like Kol expected-beautiful, fierce, and unstoppable-and despite dark magic, Lorelai is drawn in by the passionate and troubled king. In the neighboring kingdom of Eldr, when Prince Kol’s father and older brother are killed by an invading army of magic-wielding ogres, the second-born prince is suddenly given the responsibility of saving his kingdom. She’ll have to be stronger, faster, and more powerful than Irina, the most dangerous sorceress Ravenspire has ever seen. To do that, Lorelai needs to use the one weapon she and Queen Irina have in common-magic. Lorelai Diederich, crown princess and fugitive at large, has one mission: kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and the life of her father. Genres: Fairy Tales & Folklore, Fantasy & Magic, Young Adult, Romance

Published by Balzer + Bray on February 16th 2016

The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine