3.5 stars

The Shadow Queen is one of those books that has me in a bind. I just cannot make my mind up how I feel about it! On one hand, it was so entertaining and easy to read that I had a hard time putting it down but on the other hand, there were so many elements I thought should have been more fleshed out. I was disappointed in the world-building and the romance. For the most part, I just generally wanted more from the story.

The plot draws on the type of familiar fantasy tropes that had me throwing a celebratory party, although I can see why so many people were frustrated. Personally, I think the ‘lost princess has to reclaim her throne/kingdom by banding together a group of misfits and storming the castle’ trope will never get old. I love it! My main problem was more to do with the way the author used these tropes than fact that she had a tropey plot if that makes sense. She just… didn’t add much to them? There is a lot of things happening in this story - magic, political intrigue, wars, robberies, famines - and Redwine just never made everything feel coherent. I think she stretched herself a little too thin at times and it affected the pacing and the timing of key events. I also felt that she never quite packed the right amount of punch into important events. Aspects of the story, particularly the ogre war in Kol’s kingdom, were central to the overall plotline but felt completely glossed over. I think this was because the plot had a real formulaic structure to it: Lorelei would move to a location, perform a spell/robbery, fight Irina’s response and then move to the next location. Rinse and repeat. This was one of the main problems I had with Riordan’s Percy Jackson series! It really bugs me when authors use it.

However, I did really fall in love with the characters. Redwine wasn’t scared to hit us in the feels - she even made me tear up at one point - and I felt that really made her characters shine. Lorelei was a strong, badass princess but unlike some other female fantasy characters, she had a realistic and flawed side to her. She was kinda of insecure in herself but determined and I found her a really easy character to root for. I also adored Kol. We definitely didn’t get enough time with him but the focus on his internal battle - between his human side and his dragon heart - was wonderful. I just needed a little more from it to be completely satisfied. Together, I thought Lorelei and Kol’s relationship was sweet but their initial meeting was so forced and made it so obvious that there were destined for a romantic subplot that it kinda soured the mood of the romance for me. I would have liked more tension.

Extra thoughts:

• I did not expect to have dragons in this story so that was an amazing addition. Shapeshifters have to be my favourite fantastical creatures so I loved that we had a whole cultural surrounding that.
• I really adored Lorelei’s relationship with her brother. He was so sweet and sassy. I definitely wish more fantasies had sibling relationships.
• Lorelei’s magical abilities felt a little bit too Special Snowflake-ish at times.
• I am not sure where Jyn and Trugg went for so long? It was convenient to have them gone but not realistic to have them swoop in at the perfect moment.

Overall?

I enjoyed The Shadow Queen a lot because it drew on so many fantasy tropes I have previously read and enjoyed, although it did follow a formulaic plotline that bothered me quite a bit. The characters were easy to root for and I enjoyed their relationship, I just wanted more from Kol and a little more pacing in their romance. With a bit more detail and attention to certain aspects of the story, I could see myself coming to really adore Redwine’s stories and I am definitely looking forward to the sequel.

Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.