3.5 stars

From the moment I saw the cover of The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine, I knew I was going to love this book. Plus, I loved Redwine’s Defiance series so I knew I had to check this one out. I know there are mixed reviews on this one but I don’t even care - I love a good retelling and this one gave me what I wanted when I picked it up.

Lorelai Diederich is the crown princess and the currently hiding from her step-mother, the woman who stole the Ravenspire throne and destroyed her family. As Lorelai tries to figure out how she can protect her people, save her kingdom, and get rid of the evil queen, she experiences love and great loss as well as learns more about who she is and what she is destined to become.

This story has quite a bit of action and I loved when Prince Kol came into the story. He has his own issues and they revolve around the war his kingdom is fighting. Having recently lost his parents and older brother, Kol realizes he needs the help of the Ravenspire throne and magic to save his kingdom. Because of this, he enters into a contract that puts him up against Lorelai even though he doesn’t want to be. There’s also something about Kol that I won’t tell you that makes him a pretty formidable opponent for Lorelai.

Overall I enjoyed this book and look forward to the next book in the series. If you are looking for a bit of fantasy and some swoony bits all within a fairytale retelling, consider checking this one out. I look forward to more from Redwine can’t wait to see the cover on the finished book.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!