The Shadows Between Us
By Carrie R. Wheadon, Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Romantic fantasy has court intrigue, lots of frank sex talk.
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Based on 4 parent reviews
THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING!
THIS BOOK
I honestly don’t know where to start 🫣
Whenever I picked this book up to read, I found myself reading forever. I could never read it for a short amount of time. The tension throughout… the slow burn build up and adding a little more every time something happened, ughhh I couldn’t 😭 literally the amount of times I was giggling and re-reading scenes 🤭
The plot twists were crazyyyy and just when I thought there couldn’t be anymore, there was another one 🤯
Definitely recommend 🤌🏻
While the religious terms are technically very few, the reference to “gods” is used 6-7 times
*sexual references/themes throughout*
A few mentions of 2 men dancing together
Ch. 15- skinny dipping in a lake, nothing is descriptive. Both characters turn to give the other privacy while entering the water
Ch. 21- the characters go to a gentlemen’s club, nothing is descriptive
Ch. 27- passionate kissing, doesn’t go any further
Ch. 28- passionate kissing, clothes start to come of then the scene fades to black
What's the Story?
In THE SHADOWS BETWEEN US, Alessandra, the often overlooked second daughter of a lord, is determined to win the heart of the king so that she can kill him and steal his kingdom. Her plans are off to a good start when she catches the king's attention at a palace ball and is asked to stay at court. Rumors fly about her the second she settles into her rooms, about her trendsetting dresses and her outspokenness. It's not long before the king asks to court her, but only as a ruse to appease his council. Since the assassination of his parents, he spends most of his time in shadow form, a kind of protection from attempts on his life. The shadows around him won't allow him to be close to anyone physically or emotionally -- and that's just one reason Alessandra's murder plot will be tough to carry out. The other reason: She's starting to have feelings for the king.
Is It Any Good?
Perfectly described as a "Slytherin romance" in the dedication, this palace-set fantasy is a playful love letter to ambitious and sexually empowered women who rarely get to be protagonists. Oh, and the protagonist in question is also an unrepentant murderer -- that, too. For the right mature reader, this is pure fun. The Shadows Between Us may seem to be promoting all the wrong values, but you'll find virtuous maidens and just rulers in plenty of other fantasy tomes. Just not this one. Even funnier perhaps is that there's a Robin Hood-type character on the loose and a righteous rebellion of peasants who are all squashed like insects.
The romance is as smoldering as you'd expect, except for the no-touching-the-king rule. The mythology behind this monarch's family curse isn't that well developed, but it draws out the romantic suspense splendidly. The last half of The Shadows Between Us flies by as readers wonder if this devious power couple will ever really find happiness together or if one of Alessandra's blood-soaked secrets will be her downfall. But again, this book delights in not following the rules, so readers are sure to be surprised by a few of the twists at the end.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about sexually empowered female characters in The Shadows Between Us and in other media. How often do they get to be the protagonists? What is their usual role in a story or on screen? Why do you think this is?
So many stories about kingdoms also focus on just rulers and the evils of being hungry for power. How does this story depart from that? Is it refreshing? Humorous? Alarming? All three?
Would you read more about characters like Alessandra and King Kallias? Do you prefer to read about characters you'd like to emulate?
Book Details
- Author: Tricia Levenseller
- Genre: Romance
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy , Princesses, Fairies, Mermaids, and More , Adventures , Brothers and Sisters , Friendship
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
- Publication date: February 25, 2020
- Number of pages: 336
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: April 23, 2020
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Where to Read
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