Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “The Shadows Between Us” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

The Shadows Between Us

Tricia Levenseller (Goodreads Author)

4.25 · Rating details · 32 ratings · 40 reviews

Alessandra is tired of being overlooked, but she has a plan to gain power:

1) Woo the Shadow King.
2) Marry him.
3) Kill him and take his kingdom for herself.

No one knows the extent of the freshly crowned Shadow King’s power. Some say he can command the shadows that swirl around him to do his bidding. Others say they speak to him, whispering the thoughts of his enemies. Regar ...more

Get A Copy

Hardcover, 336 pages

Expected publication: February 25th 2020 by Feiwel and Friends

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about The Shadows Between Us, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

YA Novels of 2020

577 books — 920 voters

Young Adult Novels 2020

254 books — 341 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

4.25 ·

Rating details

· 32 ratings · 40 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Mar 07, 2019 Tricia Levenseller added it · (Review from the author)

8/8 I'm so excited that ARCs have started to circulate for this book! Just wanted to highlight again that I pitch this as my Slytherin romance. My characters have unapologetically questionable morals. Don't expect them to change. It's who they are. And this book is more romance heavy rather than action heavy, like the rest of my books. There's nothing more disappointing than having unfulfilled expectations where an anticipated read is concerned, so I hope this aids in helping readers decide if t ...more

flag 166 likes · Like · see review

Mar 22, 2019 megs_bookrack marked it as to-read

Shelves: ya-fantasy-to-read

Step 1: Woo the king.
Step 2: Marry the king.
Step 3: Kill the king and take his kingdom.

How very Evil Queen.
I'm down for that.

flag 66 likes · Like · see review

Jun 13, 2019 Kerri rated it it was amazing

Official review to come, but i LOVED this!

flag 52 likes · Like · see review

May 18, 2019 ʙᴇʟʟᴀ.: ☾**:.☆*.:｡. is currently reading it

ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review (Thank you!)

My reactions:

1) Woo the Shadow King.

2) Marry him.

3) Kill him and take his kingdom for herself.

flag 31 likes · Like · see review

Aug 14, 2019 ✨ A ✨ marked it as to-read

Shelves: 2020-release, arcs-to-read

1) Woo the Shadow King.
2) Marry him.
3) Kill him and take his kingdom for herself.

YESSS PLEASE

ARC received from publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

flag 26 likes · Like · see review

May 07, 2019 Sabrina rated it really liked it

I've read this book extremely fast.
I pick it up so I could read the first chapter and when I realized I was already halfway through.

I have read every book by this author and she's yet to disappoint me.

This book was addictive. There is no other word to describe it.

The story was quite original. The concept that the main character wants to kill the Shadow King after she marries him so she can have the crown and power was brilliant.
And the execution was done perfectly.

The story was well construct ...more

flag 25 likes · Like · see review

Apr 22, 2019 Cindy ✩☽ Savage Queen ♔ marked it as to-read

5/16/19
OMG THE COVER IS SO PRETTY!!! Love it!
---
Step 1: Woo the king.
Step 2: Marry the king.
Step 3: Kill the king and take his kingdom for herself.

Well, who can argue with such a perfect plan? Lmao

flag 19 likes · Like · see review

Aug 01, 2019 Candace Robinson added it

This book had one of my favorite summaries I've seen so far this year, and that cover! Plus, I mean, shadows, right? Shadowsssssssssss!

I'll first say that I absolutely loved the story line! I always enjoy books with the goal to murder but then feelings change along the way. Plus, the Shadow King was just so freaking sweet! I wanted to hug him!!

Now, my problem was Alessandra! I adored that she did however she chose, be it with her sexual desires, murder, or whatever. I even love villains! And she ...more

flag 16 likes · Like · see review

Jul 31, 2019 Namera [The Literary Invertebrate] rated it liked it

Shelves: strong-heroine, young-adult, antiheroine, political-intrigue, fantasy, villain-hero

They’ve never found the body of the first and only boy who broke my heart.
And they never will.

ARC received in exchange for an honest review - thank you!

This book was SO MUCH FUN . I knew it was going to be a good read when a) the author described it as a ‘Slytherin romance’, and b) the epigraph was a quotation from Damon in The Vampire Diaries.

I did have a great time tearing through this book yesterday afternoon, and this rating is really 3.5 stars . However, some plot holes and poor wor ...more

flag 11 likes · Like · see review

Mar 18, 2018 Frank-Intergalactic Bookdragon marked it as to-read

Shelves: fantasy, fave-authors, 2020

Update March 2019.
You had me at "kill the king"

Prereview March 2018.
Oh cool my second book where I'm the first to pre review it! So I asked Tricia Levenseller about this and she actually answered. She said that the reason this is completely blank is because they haven't decided which of her books to publish, all they no is that it 99% likely to be fantasy.

flag 10 likes · Like · see review

Mar 23, 2019 Ellie (faerieontheshelf) marked it as to-read

Shelves: anticipated-future-releases

“Step 3: Kill the king and take his kingdom for herself” *chokes* I think I’m in love with her already

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Mar 19, 2019 Claudia marked it as to-read

EDIT May 2019:

Y'ALL, THIS COVER. THIS EXCERPT. I don't think I've ever been so excited for a YA release.

https://www.tor.com/2019/05/16/cover-...

March 2019:
Having heard Tricia read the first page of this at a signing, the only thing I can say is DAMN. Can't wait.

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

May 18, 2019 Hailee (haibooklovers) marked it as to-read

Let's be honest. At this point, I would read quite literally anything that Tricia Levenseller writes.

Also, bless her for standalone. Some of us have series fatigue. Waiting is the worst.

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Aug 11, 2019 mith rated it it was ok

Shelves: in-betweeners, maaaagic, standalone, reviewed, 2020-publication, arcs, kindle-or-ebook, lgbtq-plus, fantasy, royalty

Okay so this was labelled as a slytherin romance from the start of the book and I haven’t been able to see it as any other way than that and. Really. Having it said that way, who could really stay away?

Alessandra is a slytherin and, y’all, it shows. I mean the book literally opens up with her recounting her murdering her first love. And then she promptly dismisses her latest lover. Get it girl.

One time I read the beginning pages of a book and the author used the words dark, blood, and assassin Okay so this was labelled as a slytherin romance from the start of the book and I haven’t been able to see it as any other way than that and. Really. Having it said that way, who could really stay away?

Alessandra is a slytherin and, y’all, it shows. I mean the book literally opens up with her recounting her murdering her first love. And then she promptly dismisses her latest lover. Get it girl.

One time I read the beginning pages of a book and the author used the words dark, blood, and assassin way too many times for me to keep count. Sometimes you can just feel how forced the vibe an author is trying for when reading. It doesn’t feel natural and, honestly, my face is a perpetual grimace reading it.

I was worried I would feel this way with Alessandra. But honestly? Home girl made it seem normal and natural, like who hasn’t thought about seducing a king and then killing him for the power? Y’all know how men ruin things. Moving on.

Coming down from that, I’m really struggling to find anything else I did like about the book. The romance? Definitely slytherin-esque as promised, but on the whole, a little disappointing. The vibe wasn’t all that entirely dark but Alessandra’s narration did make it better. The plot? Uhhh.

The Shadow King didn’t feel like he had much substance to him? I never felt a certain way about him and, considering he wasn’t super present in the first half, he was just another flat, cardboard character to me. Not very many characters stood out to me, actually, other than the main character. Even the fun trio that was introduced were later sort of sidelined.

There are a few issues that come up during the course of the book. Blackmail, a murder investigation, someone attempting to be Robin Hood. Just to name a few. And it was all... swept up so easily?? Even the ending! It felt like whiplash.

I’ve always been a little disconnected to Levenseller’s writing. It isn’t that it’s bad, but it definitely isn’t appealing to me. I don’t know how to explain it, only that it’s definitely a weird perception kind of thing. It didn’t hinder my feelings for the book, really, but it was there and made it feel like there was something lacking.

On the whole, I know I’m making this out to be negative and yikes @ me, lol. It was a fun book, and I really did like some parts of it! But it was just okay for me. ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

May 16, 2019 Melanie (TBR and Beyond) marked it as to-read

Shelves: 2020

OMG I need this now! Tricia is QUEEN! This looks freaking amazing!!!

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

May 15, 2019 Mickey John added it

This high-key sounds like Darkling fanfiction . . . but I think I'm okay with it.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

May 16, 2019 Brittany marked it as to-read

We have a cover - it’s gorgeous and I’m obsessed 🖤🖤!!!

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 17, 2019 Bridget rated it it was amazing

I got to read a really early copy of this one and it is AMAZING!!! Probably my favorite book by Tricia so far (which is saying a lot because I loved all her books)!!!

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Aug 04, 2019 Maisie Topping rated it liked it

I'm not really sure how to feel about this book. The main characters have some really questionable morals (the shadow king's goal is to conquer every kingdom in the world and has no problem killing citizens to do it, except of course if they're dead they can't pay taxes). Alessandra doesn't seem to have any problem with that, but I guess her whole goal (at least at first) is to kill the shadow king. The book doesn't really address the immorality. It felt like it wanted to be an anti-hero kind of ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 05, 2019 *mk* rated it it was ok

This book was a cheesy mess and I'm not even sure how I got through it but I did and here's the review. While this book had been interesting things about it: i mostly enjoyed the lead character, and she had a great, sex positive outlook which is uncommon to see in these kinds of books. And this book was hella sexy at times. I bought into the romance aspects more than I bought into the actual friendship of the two leads, so it was kind of hit or miss. This book was also very dialogue heavy and wa ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 15, 2019 Misty rated it it was amazing

Thank you so much Net Galley for letting me snag this ARC because y'all... this book.

That pretty much sums this book up is by saying..."Duuuude, THIS book"

I blew through this book without skipping a single, awesome detail.

#1. I want Alessandra's wardrobe. Period
#2 I want Alessandra's ability to sew her OWN wardrobe
#3 I want Kallius
#4 I need Kallis
#5 I want to solve mysteries and be a badass like Alessandra

This storyline was very different and I adored it.

The opening lines of the first chapter ar ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 08, 2019 Mary Seaman rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc

ARC provided by Edelweiss

I loved this! The first chapter was the best opening to a book I’ve ever read. You will be sucked in and won’t want to stop. I am obsessed with Alessandra. She’s bad but in such a great way. Definitely pick this one up.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jul 29, 2019 Breanna marked it as to-read

This synopsis reeks of enemies-to-lovers......I NEED IT.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 18, 2019 Brittani rated it it was amazing

Shelves: tbr, 2020-releases, standalone, arcs, fantasy, dno, read-in-2019

parts of this book are absolutely ridiculous but 1) you know exactly what you're getting when you start this book and 2) I had so much fun.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

May 30, 2019 Nia •ShadesOfPaper• marked it as tbr-unreleased

Shelves: arcs, 2020-arcs, 2020-releases

This cover spoke to my emo soul in a whole new level.

Thank you Macmillan and Feiwel & Friends for the ARC.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 02, 2019 Chloe rated it liked it

*Spoiler free*

I really enjoy Tricia Levenseller's books. They're such fun fantasy books and I really enjoy her writing style. Her new standalone fantasy novel sounded really, really interesting and I couldn't wait to read it. I'm all for girls plotting to murder kings and take the kingdom for themselves, but those pesky feelings get in the way.

I've noticed that with Levenseller's standalone books, there's one aspect that I really, really love, while I don't love a couple other aspects. It makes *Spoiler free*

I really enjoy Tricia Levenseller's books. They're such fun fantasy books and I really enjoy her writing style. Her new standalone fantasy novel sounded really, really interesting and I couldn't wait to read it. I'm all for girls plotting to murder kings and take the kingdom for themselves, but those pesky feelings get in the way.

I've noticed that with Levenseller's standalone books, there's one aspect that I really, really love, while I don't love a couple other aspects. It makes for weird push and pull feelings, and I can never quite figure out how I feel about the book. For Warrior Of The Wild, it was the setting that I loved. For this book, it was the sexual tension, and in a broader sense, how the relationship between Alessandra and the Shadow King , Kallias, progressed. Dang, it was done really, really well. It's basically the definition of slow burn. The heat builds under the skin until they feel like they're going to burst into flames. It was wonderfully done and it kept me interested throughout the book.
I do not know how I feel about Kallias and Alessandra's characters overall. This book went for the ruthless, angry, unapologetic approach, but I feel like it completely missed the mark. It's not like it fell flat, but it veered completely in the wrong direction. There is a line, and I don't think it's even a fine one, between taking what is yours and not being sorry about it, and cruelty. I wasn't a fan of what I felt was unnecessary killing. It's not that they were unlikable, I just thought they were malicious in a way that was not fun to read.

I think it might have something to do with how it was written. Again, I just felt like I completely missed the mark. It's like the author was going for empowered female who takes no injustice from anybody, but she ended up with a selfish killer. There's nothing wrong with selfish female characters, I WANT female characters to be flawed, but something about how Alessandra, and even Kallias, was written rubbed me the wrong way. I guess they were meant to be villains and I guess I'm not as entranced by villains it seems everybody else is haha.

And it's weird because I did kind of like Alessandra. I kind of liked the ruthlessness to her and how she's so sure of herself. It's like there were tiny specks of her that was a good person and that was not cruel, but it's like the story pushed the villain storyline as much as it good. It tried to balance the villainous and goodness in her and Kallias, and it was just too wobbly for me.
The worldbuilding was sort of just there for me. I don't quite get it; it almost seemed like an afterthought. It kind of took the backburner to everything else, but I was still interesting enough. And the whole plotline with the shadows was really interesting. I liked the story behind that and how it ended up playing out.

The plot twist is so, so confounding. There's maybe a few lines that lead to it, but it honestly don't really see how the story got there. It feels like it was pulled out of thin air to make the most shocking thing possible. It just didn't fit for me. Though, at the end of the scenes, there was a really awesome moment that I really liked, so I can only complain about 3/4s of the time.

Despite the cruelty, weird sister hatred, bizarre plot twist, and off balance plot points, there's something about this book that I really enjoyed. I liked it enough that I don't regret reading it. The castle was such an interesting setting and the I liked how sex positive it was (and the sexual tension that goes along with that). It has a dark undertone that kept interested, even when things fell a little short for me. It's a different book, but I think it's pretty good. ...more

flag Like · see review

Aug 12, 2019 Jeraca rated it it was amazing

Shelves: library-ebook, arc

I received this free eARC novel from Edelweiss. This is my honest review.

Alessandra is a woman on a mission: She wants to be Queen. She wants to rule the people better than what everyone is forced to do. She is going to change things - for the better - and she will do it herself. Once she kills the Shadow King. And she has the perfect plan to do it. She will get what she wants, no matter the cost...

I seriously, seriously loved this book!! I think I love it even more than the Daughter series (an I received this free eARC novel from Edelweiss. This is my honest review.

Alessandra is a woman on a mission: She wants to be Queen. She wants to rule the people better than what everyone is forced to do. She is going to change things - for the better - and she will do it herself. Once she kills the Shadow King. And she has the perfect plan to do it. She will get what she wants, no matter the cost...

I seriously, seriously loved this book!! I think I love it even more than the Daughter series (and I really liked those)! Alessandra is bad ass - and I love that Tricia Levenseller always creates amazing heroines who can take care of themselves and save the men in their lives, rather than being the damsels in distress. The amount of times that she put down people, where she laughed in their faces because they thought she couldn't do something because she was a girl, was amazing and made me proud to be a woman. I want to be more like Alessandra and every other Levenseller female characters, because they know who they are and they strive to be better. They don't let anyone tell them they are lower or dumber or weaker because of their sex.

And I loved how this was set in the past, but Alessandra had the mentality of a woman in the 21st century when it comes to sexuality, knowledge, and fashion. The mixture between the two made this book even better!!

Alessandra also spread her thoughts and beliefs to other women in her life - telling them they can be strong and determined and to go after what they want instead of waiting for the guy to do the initiating. She told them to be their own selves, dress in their own fashion and comfort, and not to fear denial in life.

There were so many great messages in this novel, and I wish I could quote some passages from the book (I'll have to wait until it's published) that were really inspiring and relevant.

And that was just my amazement with Alessandra. The interactions between her and the Shadow King?? Oh, my... I was pining and hoping and praying and fearful that everything was going to go wrong. The anticipation was excruciating painful for me waiting for SOMETHING to happen. Don't worry, the time will come, but you must be patient.

I seriously cannot express how much I loved this book. I am going to fight the temptation to re-read it right now, because I have so many books to read, but I WILL be buying a hard copy of this book to add to my collection because it was just that great. I'm so glad I got a chance to read this free e-ARC! ...more

flag Like · see review

Aug 14, 2019 Jackie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2019-reads, arcs, fantasy

A book where the heroine’s quest is to seduce the King and then murder him for the crown? Sign me up!

“The Shadows Between Us” finds Alessandra putting a plan in motion to rid herself of her nagging father and elevate her status from a simple Lady to Queen and it all starts with seducing the King, but soon she discovers that assassins are trying to end his life before she gets the crown and finds herself making an unlikely alliance to claim her power.

This was such an interesting read with Alessa ...more

flag Like · see review

Jul 30, 2019 Linda Naquin rated it it was amazing

I picked up an ARC of this book at SDCC and OMG!!!! Tricia Levenseller does NOT disappoint with this one! I'm talking strong female lead, with loads of self-confidence and faith in herself, who fights for what she wants and gets things done, while also being able to be tender to her friends and loved ones. She also has a lot of powerful messages for girls out there about being yourself, allowing others to be themselves and move at their own pace in life, and not to judge others for the choices t ...more

flag Like · see review

Aug 06, 2019 Elizabeth Aguilar rated it it was amazing

Is 2020 here yet because I need all the special editions for my book of the year.

Review to come later. I have to compose my thoughts between 🐍😍😙❤.

But I will say that TSBU delivers everything its dark cover, the nomer "slytherin romance", and Tricia's empowering writing promises. (Plus, the title is used in context in the book!)

flag Like · see review

« previous 1 2 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend It | Stats | Recent Status Updates

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Fantasy

80 users

Young Adult

35 users

See top shelves…

About Tricia Levenseller

Tricia Levenseller

2,361 followers

Initially from a small town in Oregon, Tricia now lives next to the Rocky Mountains with her bossy dog, Rosy. She received her degree in English Language and editing and is thrilled that she never has to read a textbook again. When she’s not writing or reading, Tricia enjoys putting together jigsaw puzzles, playing volleyball, playing OVERWATCH, and watching shows while eating extra-buttered popco ...more