Of Shadow and Light

by Ebony Olson

She will be the one to take his coldness,
She will unveil the Unseelie darkness and show them light.
She will unite what should never have broken.
The daughter of the moon will teach him love and the radiance of the sun.
Her inner light will purify the tainted ones,
And she will guide the fey by wisp-light.

'Prophecy of the Dark Prince'

Messina Doe was just looking for a warm place to spend the night. What she discovers is a place the human race had long ago buried and forgotten.

The dark Fey haven't forgotten humans. The throne room of the Unseelie court is the hottest underground nightclub around, but if you step through the wrong door, there is no going back.

No one ever escapes. Never.

Once, someone did.

https://radish.app.link/bCycSogfTL

Please Note: Genre is Horror, Dark Fantasy, Urban Fantasy.
This is not one of my romance novels.

ebook

Published June 1, 2018

About the author

Ebony lives in Sydney, Australia, with her husband, daughter, and six cats. She loves to read fantasy, thrillers, and paranormal romance, spending most of her free time with her nose in a book or writing.

Having always possessed an over-active imagination she spent her younger years regaling friends with fantastic stories, holding her audience captive with the passion and suspense of her characters plights.

Now in adulthood she has numerous published works and shows no signs of stopping her imagination from spreading across as many pages as it can find.

Ebony writes across the following genres

Romance Suspense
Contemporary Romance
Dark Romance
Paranormal/Urban Fantasy Romance
Dark Fantasy Romance

If you’d like to follow Ebony or simply say hi you can find her here:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/EbonyOlson.Author/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ebony_olson/

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

E-ARC provided by the publisher—Eb&Muse Publications—through NetGalley. Thank you!


You can also read my review here

“Humans acted like the demons they accused me of being.”

One night change Messina’s life forever. She and her best friend were lured to come into a club where they can get free food. But nothing is free and soon Messina realized that. There is no human in the club, only goblins and creatures called Sluagh who feed on human’s blood. She was trying to escape when The Sluagh Prince noticed her presence and W symbol in her wrist, marked her as a slave and toy belong to the prince. She discovered a new, dark, magical world where pleasures and mystery of her life tangled together.

I must say, this book surprised me. I knew that it’s going to be different from what I usually read but I didn’t know that it was THAT good. I really enjoyed the writing, it grabbed my attention from the start. I had a hard time putting the book down. All I want was to keep reading and to explore the world. Olson worked on the world-building amazingly, the words easily turned into vivid images that swept me off of my feet. Though I admit it was kind of confusing with all the new and foreign names occasionally thrown at me. But I managed to sort it out quickly.

“...I guess, no matter what species you are, it is natural for those with the power to hate and abuse those without it,”

The tension keep building until at some point, it blew my mind. Fortunately, it didn’t stop after one conflict. There were just so many secrets to be revealed, most of it took my breath away and I got through it alive after suffering countless of times. What can I say, I enjoyed being tortured. I also liked how twisted the characters were. Their way of life was dark, brutal, and harsh. I’m amazed by how Olson portrayed them.

I wondered how the main character, Messina, after everything that happened to her, could still show kindness. The girl has been through A LOT, I’m not sure I could survive if I was her. She was so strong and brave. No wonder, Tynan has his eyes only for her. While she was the light, Tynan was the dark and shadow. Like his people, Tynan was cruel but he also capable of goodness. I loved Pride, he was so sweet. I didn’t expect him to has a heart as big as his body but how I enjoyed reading him fretting over Messina.

“All species have those who are sick in the head and their actions upon others deplorable. That does not make the entire species tainted by default.”

Overall, I had a great time reading Of Shadow and Light. It was surprisingly great with awesome world-building, great twisted characters, and lots of mature scenes. If you enjoy reading books about dark fae, paranormal fantasy, jaw-dropping romance, I really recommend you to give this book a try.


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[Bethany · Rating 1 out of 5]

0 stars

This review is based on an ARC ebook received for free from NetGalley. I am not being paid to review this book and what I write here is my own opinion. My rating scale is below.

brief summary
A severely abused young woman is abducted by dark fae, who continue to abuse her emotionally, physically, and sexually, but she still manages to find love and create a family within the new confines of her world.

full review
I finished this book because it's one I requested to review and I feel very strongly that requesting to review a book commits a person to finishing it, unfortunately, I found nothing of worth in the entire piece. Below is the whole of what I plan to submit to NetGalley, in lieu of a regularly formatted review.

This book offered:
- amateurish prose riddled with errata
- maraca penis with rifling and pus-filled nodules (for pleasure apparently?)
- so much sexual abuse
- so so much
- painfully contrived plot wherein every nasty thing you can imagine happening to a protagonist happens to this one, to the point where it would almost be funny if it wasn't so truly horrendous
- one-note supporting characters
- the ending!?!? the main character dies(?)/goes away/vanishes but is reincarnated in some other characters' daughter and that child, who was raised in a loving(ish) environment goes on to become the mate of the prince-now-king who watched her grow up from infancy, which is so many kinds of creepy and awful

I cannot argue strongly enough against reading this book. Even for free. That's a lot of lifetime a reader cannot get back.

rating scale
1 star - I was barely able to finish it. I didn't like it.
2 stars - It was okay. I didn't dislike it.
3 stars - I liked it. It was interesting.
4 stars - It was excellent. I really liked it.
5 stars - OMG I WANT TO STALK THIS AUTHOR!

[Diane Lynch Lynch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ebony Olson’s OF SHADOW AND LIGHT is a powerful fantasy romance. I loved this story. Messina Doe discovers the world of dark Fey, and that she is not fully human. This story is suitable for adult readers.

I adored Messina. She has had a difficult life but is a fighter. She was hidden in the human world only to wind up back where her life started. While she was hidden with good intensions, it ultimately puts her at a disadvantage. Everyone who befriends her seems to want to protect her. Messina is given to the dark prince, Tynan, as a birthday present. They have an intense chemistry and relationship.

OF SHADOW AND LIGHT is the perfect name for this story because it is most definitely light and dark in nature. It is a creative and spellbinding tale. The story is full of mystery, deceit, politics, romance, and emotion. The ending left me both happy and sad. It was a brilliant conclusion. I would love to see a sequel. At times, the novel reminded me of Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series. I recommend this book to people that enjoy Seelie/Unseelie court stories with an edge. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

[Liliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an excellent read!
I had no notion about what this book was except one dark paranormal sexy story.
All those parts were there! What totally knocked me out and left me breathless was detailed world that was described, suspense that had me on edge and different species that were in it.
Author took me to that word and kept me there.
Ending was unexpected and made me cry and made me happy.
After all there is always light at the end of the tunnel.
Thank you for this story Ebony!

[Celtic's Library · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and Eb&Muse Publications for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I want to start off by saying that when I first read the blurb on this book, it had promise. I love reading about the dark fey and their mischief. I have enjoyed books about Seelie/Unseelie for many years. I was so disappointed when this book did nothing for me. The promise of a good story and plot was there, but there was so much angst and pain for the main character, Mess, that I could not enjoy the book. I was cringing through almost the entire story. It had quite a bit of abuse from parental figures, imprisonment, death in horrible ways, the fact that Mess questions Stockholm Syndrome but is told that if she has to wonder about it, then she doesn't have it (seriously? wrong, wrong, wrong), and I found myself slamming my kindle cover shut whenever any coworker walked by while I was reading on my lunch break (due to the amount of smut...it was mostly smut and Mess crying). I wanted to like this book! As I mentioned, the promise of a good plot was there, but it did not meet my expectations. It's one of those, "It's not you, it's me," situations.

[Caitlyn Newby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very dark book and not for everyone. I think it's important to note that this book has a lot of trigger warnings including physical and mental abuse and descriptions of acts between the heroine and her step father. This is not a light fluffy read.

Now that the warning is out of the way, I struggled with what I wanted to write for this review. On the one hand, I could not put this book down. I wanted to know what was going to happen at every turn. I enjoyed the writing style and the story was interesting. On the other hand, there are some scenes that are hard to read. There are a lot of sex scenes in this book and the majority are fine but a few of them are extremely dark and uncomfortable. The prince's "curse", I just struggled to figure out exactly what that looked like. The author was descriptive but I think it was just too much. (Pun intended)

Overall, I'm giving this a 4 star rating. It is dark but I enjoyed it.

[Shiny · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of Of Shadow and Light by Ebony Olson from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, this novel missed the mark for me even though the author DOES have a way with words. I felt that the plot should have been interesting given the story's summary, but the plot wasn't evenly paced and it was just confusing as all get out. Since the author never clarified or unraveled the plot threads fully for the reader, it was not enjoyable and I struggled to finish the novel. The ending was not terribly satisfying, but I was sort of happy to be done at that point.

I'd give Of Shadow and Light by Ebony Olson 2 stars.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want to read a dark book, and I mean DARK book, this one should be on your TBR!

This story was very well-written because it immediately took me into a paranormal abyss. There are so many vivid details that you can't help but feel like you're being dragged down as a slave into this mysterious Fae society. 

I would say that there may be some triggers for emotional and possessive tendencies with the characters. There were a few parts that I thought was a little too much for me. But I have to take into effect that this might be one the goal from the author in bringing out those intense emotions. Which reiterates the fact that this story is written well. 

In saying that, I wouldn't recommend this one to younger readers. 

But the main character shows strength through it all and endures the cruel, powerful world hidden below. There are so many twisted developments to not only the characters but also to the world itself.

If you love intense, dark romances, this book would be a great read. 

I gave this one 3 out of 5 stars. While there were a bunch of engaging scenes, some of them seemed to hit more on the edge of cruel which I wasn't a huge fan of. But then again, I can appreciate the drive that this book is meant to leaving you feeling. 

[Salla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full review:
https://www.bookstoldmeso.com/2019/06...

I had to read it again before writing the review even though I cannot say that I enjoyed reading it the first time. This isn't something I normally do, but the first time, I only focused only on the plot. Hard not to because of its dark and twisted nature. The second time gave more of an outsider's view on the entire thing since I already knew what was going to happen.

[Adrienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!

This is another book by Ebony Olson that is amazing! I couldn't put the book down! I had so many emotions throughout this book! She kept me on my toes! Amazing! Going to read another book from her! 😊

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I’ve had this sitting on my TBR pile at home since Feb, I can’t believe I waited so long to read it! I was so caught up with the characters, cheering the, on, feeling when they were hurt beyond belief and then elation at the HEA ending. Another great book from Ebony Olson

[SassyFraz · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm sorry but...no

[Suzanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yea...I should have read the blurb. Maracas, corkscrew...it's me, not the novel. Fantasy romance is just not my thing.

[Loki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark, Twisted, well-written Dark Urban Fantasy

In short, this book is unique. I think my favourite part was that the author wasn’t afraid to break the mold on the one-fits-all species anatomy. There were potential triggers, expected as the back Story unfolded, but all in all, a thrilling ride through a darkly twisted world of the Unseelie Fae.
Sex: Yes. Very hot. Lots of build up, and by the time it happens, the consent is very much there.
Plot: Emotionally charged, well-developed, and written so you feel every one of the protagonists emotions. This isn’t a light story, and it seems to be written to make you feel the suffering of the main character. To remind you what other’s go through and still manage to hold their head high and have kindness in their heart. By the end, I was attached to Mess and Tynan’s as individuals and together. The end was unexpected and both terribly sad and yet, kind of perfect.
World: The world built here was breathtaking. While reading, I was walking those halls, trapped in the box, racing through those trees for the beacon of safety. There was nothing to fault in the world building. It was every bit as dark and cruel as promised in the first few chapters.
Recommend? Yes. But only for mature readers who can handle blood, gore, and thinking outside he box. This is far from the authors romance genre and straddles the dark fantasy/horror genres perfectly, but with still enough romance undertones to keep you shipping the main characters. **Spoiler** Well, maybe once Tynan let’s her under her skin. Not that she changes him for the better, I would describe their relationship as her reminding him that he is not all Unseelie, and that despite his curse (which must have been very frustrating over the centuries) he could still be loved.

[Tracy's Place]

The heroine (if we can call her that) is physically hurt (multiple times) by the hero (not sure that's the correct term for the bastard), but when he kisses her, she's all in. WTF? When she started describing her first sexual experience, which was with her evil step-father, and how she liked it, I got out. No thank you.