"I’m not a romantic. I never have been. I’ve spent the better part of my life avoiding such powerful and problematic emotions. Yet somehow, I find myself suddenly playing the role of a heroine straight out of a ballad!"

First of all, I would like to offer my enormous thanks to both Daphne Press and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to review an advance copy of this novel in exchange for my unbiased review.

I want to be generous here with my rating, because this is eminently readable, and after the first few chapters I did find myself drawn into the story. The plot moves quickly enough to be engaging and the cliffhanger ending works well despite the fact that it's a trope I sincerely dislike.

However, I did find myself getting frustrated at times. Faraine's gift is neither explained, not even fully described, which makes it difficult to empathise with or even really imagine. The writing is a little too juvenile and melodramatic to effectively convey emotions during tense scenes, and I definitely felt that it hindered the character development.

Well, well, well, what a gem this was! I inhaled it!

Vor, the Shadow King, has to find a way to save his world, Mythanar, and so does Faraine's human family in Gavaria. They think they both find that way in a marriage union. Only, after a doozy of first attraction, it's not Faraine who needs to marry the King of the Trolde but her sister!

The world building was superb, I loved the way that Mythanar was described, there was murder and treachery and the story was fast paced (which was utterly perfect!)

So in short I found this to be a fabulous romantasy but hoping for a bit more steam in the next book!!!

'Faraine will be my life. Or my doom.'

Oh and that epilogue, maybe a sniff of what's coming?!

Mercedes has written a captivating and intriguing world in this book that I simply never wanted to leave.

In this story we are following a princess who was sent away by her father for accidentally sabotaging a previous marriage alliance but has been sent for to help secure an alliance for her sister to the imposing Trolde known as "The Shadow King".

Whilst on the face of it, this book many look typical of romantasy books of the genre and feel familiar to stories of its kind, Mercedes has clearly put an incredible amount of thought into the fantasy elements of the story so it feels unique and fresh. I particularly enjoyed the depth of thought that went into Trolde traditions, particularly the marriage ceremony.

In addition to a well-crafted fantasy world, the slow-burn present in this book was so delicious and irresistible. This book contains an incredibly sensual scene where the passion is so clear between the characters and still manages to not contain any true spice. It is a masterclass in writing a believable romance that the reader routes for unconditionally.

The only thing I disliked about the book was that I didn't have the sequel so I couldn't dove straight into book 2 😂 but there is no doubt in my mind that this is a series that I am going to be continuing and devouring quickly. I will also be searching out more work from this author because her writing is so captivating.

I really wanted to love this book, but it missed the mark. There was no warning that this ends on a cliff hanger. I usually don't invest my time into these stories until the series is complete.
I had a lot of hope for Vor and Faraine. At the start of the story the flow was sweet and you could feel the tug between both the leads. This however fell short once he lays lies on the 'more beautiful' sister. The author tried to keep Vor thoughts drifting to Faraine, but it came across as forced.
There was so much detail put into every single thing but when it came to expressing feelings there was none. There should have been huge heartache after a few betrayals. And a slightly forced scene. The feeling from the leads lacked feeling and i found it almost robotic.
Once again, no trigger warning added to warn readers of the triggering scene.
2 stars for the lack of feeling, the cliffhanger ending and no trigger warning for the 'forced scene'

Thank you Netgalley and Daphne Press for an eARC in exchange of an honest review,
4 Stars

I absolutely devoured the first 40% of this book! I had trouble putting it down. Fast paced, Dual Point of view, Shadow Kings and arranged marriage are all the things I love. Our FMC Princess Faraine who had been sent away to a convent after a failed engagement. She's on her way home with her brother to help her sister accept an arrange marriage to the Shadow Kind when they get attacked, The Shadow King Vor who's on his way to the palace to discus the marriage, comes across the attack and saves the day. On the journey to the palace Faraine and Vor have some bonding time and get closer. When it's time for them to part Faraine tries to stay away from him for the sisters sake but always seems to bump into him. When something unexpected happens Faraine is expected to take her sisters place in the marriage.
At the 40% mark I felt the story slowed down; there wasn't much interaction with Faraine and Vor and they could have done with some more stolen moments.
Overall I enjoyed the book and will be picking the second one up after that cliffhanger.

I was lucky enough to get an advance of this from NetGalley, so firstly, thanks to them, to the author and to Daphne Press for allowing me the chance to read in exchange for an independent review.

A tale of forbidden love, hidden magic and deadly betrayal, Bride of the Shadow King sucked me in from the very first page.
Faraine is a Princess with a secret. While her beautiful sister was gifted the power of song upon her christening, and her brother, unnatural good looks, Faraine's own power is to sense the emotions of others. Useful you'd think, surrounded by court intrigue and nobles currying favour, but instead Faraine's gift makes her sickly and reclusive. With no ability to shut it off, she is withdrawn and sometimes bad tempered, often nauseated and sleepless. Following a distastrous betrothal attempt years prior, her family have whisked her away to a convent to live a life of solitude.
However, that comes to a drastic halt when she is needed immediately - to persuade her headstrong sister to agree to a betrothal with the fearsome troll king!
When Vor, the Shadow king, comes to her rescue after their retinue is attacked on the road, Faraine discovers that the misconceptions about the Trolde run deep, and that their King is a moral and caring leader. With the added discovery that his presence somehow dampens her power, how can she encourage her sister when she wants him for herself...

A magical and suspenseful tale where there are secrets behind every door and betrayal at every turn, I can't wait to pick up the next book in the series later this year!

Oh my gosh!!! This is absolutely a new favorite!
If you loved A Deal With the Elf King, These Hollow Vows, or ACOTAR and this is definitely something for you!
It has an arranged marriage trope, fae, betrayal, politics, and a slow-burn love.

Thank you NetGalley and Daphne Press for allowing me to read this arc.

This book was a huge surprise for me. I really enjoy romantasy, but I have to admit that I expected a more predictable plot, a lot more spice, and maybe even instalove. And to my delight, this book is so much more!

The romantic relationship is a little predictable, but slow burn and well developed. The story is full of political intrigues, betrayal, misleading, war, complex family dynamics, and beautiful friendships.
The characters are interesting, very likable, and have more depth to them than I thought they would. The side characters were even more amazing than the two main characters.
The writing style is easy to get into, a little bit descriptive about every little detail people do, but this is not too distractive from the plot.
The world-building is very detailed and you slowly learn more about the human and fae world. Especially the fae world with its lore, which I found very interesting and well-written. I actually really liked the small historically accurate medieval things about the way the marriage took place.

I just loved it and I can't wait to read the sequel.

I was looking forward to reading this book, however I read a few reviews and realised there is an aspect of this book that I think I would find triggering and so unfortunately I am going to have to pass.
I put this as 3 stars as I cannot judge the book so put it as a medium score.

I was incredibly excited to read Bride of the Shadow King mostly due to the comp to Elise Kova’s A Deal with the Elf King and Danielle L. Jensen’s The Bridge Kingdom, two books I enjoyed immensely. I can’t decide if it my love for those two books that made me very ambivalent about this one, which, while I did like it, it did not meet expectations.

I really liked the main character Fairaine and thought her God Gods were interesting, and I was intrigued to find out more about how they worked and their limits. We got some of this in this book, but I imagine more will be revealed over the course of the series.

And that’s about where my enjoyment ends. I don’t think the chemistry between Vor and Fairaine was maintained well, it was there at the beginning and then seemed to fizzle out when it was most needed. The angst that should’ve been there wasn’t. It was just mostly a lot of feelings of discomfort regarding the lack of consent (Vor thought she was someone else). I know Vor thought he had no choice and wanted to do right by Ilsevel, but I just found it so uncomfortable the way he began to think about her later on in the book. That took away any investment I had in him and Fairaine.

While the book certainly did set out the high stakes, I didn’t really feel them? I’m not quite sure how to explain. I think just a lot of it was under developed (again, waiting to explore it later on in the series I imagine) which led me to not really caring about what was going on.

I may come back and read the next books at a later date, but as this moment I can firmly say I’m not that interested.

Thank you to Daphne Press for this digital galley in exchange for an honest review

I liked the concept of the story, the characters and the world. The text itself took a very long time to get going though, the first half was very drawn out with too much focus on emotions and thoughts. It would have benefited from being a shorter book with less filler.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I came across this title while browsing on NetGalley, and it sparked my interest. It sounded like a fun fantasy romance, and it's exactly that. A delightful fun romance intertwined with court intrigue, some magic, and trolde --the fae species our main love interest is. I just loved everything about this story that kept enthralling me more and more as I read. Absolutely captivating!

I loved Faraine. She's so devoted to her sisters and her mind is sharp. She's quick on her feet and adjusts to her environment. She's not a scaredy cat like her good for nothing brother is, either. I loved her personality and how she seeks the calm and quiet (like me haha).

I also loved Vor! He's a king, he's strong, but at the end of the line, he's a good guy. A considerate, thoughtful guy who cares for his guards and his people. I'm with Faraine; I'd gladly go with him to his palace wherever that is.

As for the rest of the cast, I like how the author portrayed the royal family like a big dysfunctional royal mess. The king and prince leave much to the imagination; crude, incompetent men who like their crowns too much. I'm not sure how the queen hasn't bashed his head on the table yet. One sister was cute and very young. The other, Ilsevel, I'm not sure if I liked her spirit or if I found her spoiled. But I did like how she was portrayed; the spirited sister of them all. Now Lady Lyria was an interesting character! Mysterious and capable and witty! I do hope we see her in the next books!

The worldbuilding wasn't super intricate, but that's because most of the time we were in the human realm. In the end, we were in Mythanar (Vor's home place) and we saw lots of different creatures and elements. I loved what I've seen so far!

The plot, though it may sound predictable, has multiple twists and turns that kept me interested and very much invested in Faraine and Vor. I loved the choices that author made, and I just can't wait for more!!!!!!!!

I really LOVED this story and these characters!!!!!!!!!!!!! A fantasy romance with compelling, likeable, rootable characters that you'll want to follow anywhere. Wonderful writing prose without lengthy descriptions and that made everything look easy. CANNOT WAIT for book 2!!!

This book is an odd one. The cover of its to stay the same as it is on Netgalley, makes it look like a sweet fantasy title, but I’d recommend people going into this blind check what it’s original cover is on Amazon as I’d say that gives you more of an idea of what the book actually is. Looks like fantasy, reads like Mills and Boon. Which is not to say it’s bad, but I would probably have enjoyed it better if I had more of an idea of what type of book I was actually reading.

The storyline was fun and intriguing and it had me hooked from the first page. I loved that the protagonist wasn’t your usual “spunky” athletic too-tomboyish for their time rebel, instead she suffered from powers that when not managed manifest like extreme social anxiety. I also really liked that the “Trollde” or Trolls are having their time in the spotlight and the fae are actually the villains, that’s a bit different. The storyline is simple but effective - the humans are looking to make an alliance with the trollde to enlist their aid in a war against the fae and one of the kings daughters marriage is being used to broker that alliance. The beautiful spunky middle daughter is being used, as she is the most beloved of the king but it’s actually the ostracised older daughter that has the insta-love connection with the troll king.

I will say that I didn’t feel the plot line was predictable but the world building is a bit dense for a romantic novel, but a bit too focused on the spice for you to take it seriously. Honestly, I was confused about whether I was supposed to be interested in the political machinations of this alliance or whether I was supposed to be more intrigued about whether troll anatomy would break a human princess because both were seemingly given equal weight!

In the best possible way, I would say it’s trashy but an intriguing kind of trashy. I wouldn’t have picked it up if it had the novel it has had self published on Amazon, but I did have a reasonably good time with it, it just wasn’t what I thought I was reading. The ending was quite unsatisfying though and just ended abruptly, so I will probably read the next one which is entirely what this book was set up for you to do.

3 stars

I’m not sure about this book, to be honest. I liked it initially but halfway through I started to get a bit bored and disliked the way the story was going. The way the plot was headed was quite predictable. I also didn’t quite believe the intensity of the relationship between the FMC and MMC. Why would the connection between Faraine and Vor be so much stronger when they also hardly spoke or interacted during their time in [Beldorth??]?

I’m not sure if I will be continuing with the series right now. I didn’t really like where the story ended and don’t know if I care enough about the main characters to see where their story goes. Has anyone read the second book in this series that could let me know if they think it’s worth it?

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice rating: 🌶️

First, I would like to thank the author & NetGalley for the eARC opportunity. Like always, this review is voluntary & honest

My heart was pounding from the nonstop tension
This was such a fantastic read.
A really compelling story!
It swept me away with its romance, twists and turns.

I loved Vor and Faraine's development and chemistry, nice slow-burn.
Even though I thought then ending was cruel.

The world and character building were fantastic and well paced.

You got
Enemies to lovers
Romance
Heartache
Longing
High fanstasy
Betrayal
Loss
Death
Spice 🌶🌶

I can't wait to find out what will happen next!

It wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't great either. Okay, let me explain.

The writing style is nice, a little dense with the world building, but it does read smoothly. The characters could have been a little more interesting, but they're at least not dull.
The story itself just didn't live up to its potential. I was truly invested in this story, but then it comes to an end just as it was getting good. This whole book felt like a big prologue for the actual story yet to come.

This world, this story, it's definitely something different. I really appreciate not having to read another arranged marriage where you can guess what's going to happen. I was truly in the dark. Okay, sure, I could take a guess at some key points, but overall this book was surprising in a good way. All plot points made sense, but sometimes they were a little too rushed.

Overall it was a good book and I did enjoy myself. I'm still invested enough in the story to read the next book so that's a good sign. I was going to give it three and a half stars, but the unsatisfactory end of the book is kind of making me feel like I should knock off a half star. So I'm leaving it at three stars.

This book had me hooked from the first line! The world building was easy to follow and the writing flowed amazingly, I found the characters had an amazing depth to them and they were easy to read about!
The storyline was beautifully written, it was easy to understand what was happening all the time, even throughout the major plot twists, there was a bit in the middle that was written so amazingly it made me put the book down for 10 minutes, this book had me so hooked I finished it in one afternoon!
I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of fantasy and romance! This book did amazing things with both genres!

This was a easy, enjoyable read with a unique perspective on familiar fantasy elements. While this is primarily character driven there is interesting world building, an element that becomes fascinating in the latter half of the story while exploring the Trolde world. To have trolls/trolde be the central mythical creatures was a nice change from fae frequently taking the lead in the fantasy genre.

I enjoyed the dual POVs, which flowed and moved the story forward seamlessly. In addition, having the FMC as an empath gives a nice insight into the emotions and motivations of other characters, the repercussions of which also provide great story development.

I would add that a mild trigger warning is needed for lack of informed consent. There is perhaps an excessive amount of exclamation marks used in the latter half of the book, but this is a personal preference more than a criticism.

Overall I am very much looking forward to the next instalment.

A slow burn romance centred around a Fae king and his betrothed’s sister. There are many interesting elements in this and I enjoyed the dual POV. The writing itself has a nice flow but I found the pace a bit too slow.

I’m back in my fantasy bag because I really enjoyed reading Bride of the Shadow King by Sylvia Mercedes. Faraine, our main character, is a lovable heroine with a distinct voice. Sometimes, dual-voice narratives are tricky but it works mostly well here, nestled against Vor, our male lead, the Shadow King. This fantasy romance is a gorgeous slow-burner with some wonderful world-building and interesting back stories.

Shunned from court, Faraine has been living in a convent after supposedly embarrassing her family and also dealing with a chronic illness. As such, her right to the crown has been filtered to her beautiful younger sister. When the handsome Shadow King arrives, seeking a bride, he quickly agrees to an arranged marriage with Faraine’s sister, Princess Ilsevel.

At times, the dual POV technique makes the story feel hard to follow and throws off the pace, since we go back and forth in time as the author tells both Faraine and Vor’s perspective of a scene. It’d propel better with a forward-moving timeline.

I've been wanting to read this book series for a long while, so when it got picked up for UK trad-publishing it seemed like the perfect time!
This is a slow burner, in terms of plot and romance, but there is enough action sprinkled throughout to keep you entertained. There are several plots being set up which I can see being very interesting, but the main bulk of the book is the romance. It's giving fated mated vibes, it's giving slow burn, forbidden romance.
The side characters are delightful, I hope we get to see more of Lydia and Sul moving forwards and learn a bit more about them.
I'm a little confused by the magic systems, there doesn't really seem to be any set "rules" per se, but I'm hoping this is something that will be fleshed out as the series goes on.
On the whole this is a great start to the series and I'm excited to read the rest!