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The Shadow Bound Queen #2
Court of Greed and Gold
The threats are mounting in the Shadow Court, not just for Reyna, but for the mysterious shadow-fae Prince who has kidnapped her. Undead monsters, an insane Queen, magical curses and ancient secrets are all vying for the honor of ending their lives.
Forced to work with the famously monstrous Prince, Reyna soon learns that the fae warrior is dangerously different from the rumors. Passionately, fiercely, different.
And when the stakes are raised, she will discover that he is not the only one hiding who he really is.
Forced to work with the famously monstrous Prince, Reyna soon learns that the fae warrior is dangerously different from the rumors. Passionately, fiercely, different.
And when the stakes are raised, she will discover that he is not the only one hiding who he really is.
308 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 2, 2023
3534 people are currently reading
18166 people want to read
About the author
Eliza Raine
39 books2,567 followersEliza Raine writes Greek mythology inspired fantasy that is fast paced, full of new worlds and creatures and sprinkled with a healthy dose of romance. She lives near Reading in England with her husband, three cats and outrageously cute puppy. She has a BA Hons in History and has a deep-rooted passion for mythology and stories about women who don't need rescuing.
She can usually be found reading fairytale retellings, playing board games or binge-watching Netflix shows.
You can read some of Eliza's stories for free by visiting her website at www.elizaraine.com
She can usually be found reading fairytale retellings, playing board games or binge-watching Netflix shows.
You can read some of Eliza's stories for free by visiting her website at www.elizaraine.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 781 reviews
May 26, 2023
This book holds so much promise, but an editor is needed.
There’s no build-up to events, they just seem to escalate quickly & die off just as fast. They just happen. I do nOt see any sort of chemistry between the two main characters.
And the reading is just… it doesn’t feel fleshed out. The interactions between characters & the descriptive words used whilst convo take place doesn’t seem natural.
This seems like a skeleton of a book, a strong skeleton! But no meat.
The chapters start & end like they would with a write-&-publish-as-the-chapter-is-written fanfic. That’s fine for fanfics! But not for a book. I feel like all these books should have just been one long book, but edited heavily.
Great ideas! It’s just…. It doesn’t read like a completed work. More like a work-in-progress.
There’s no build-up to events, they just seem to escalate quickly & die off just as fast. They just happen. I do nOt see any sort of chemistry between the two main characters.
And the reading is just… it doesn’t feel fleshed out. The interactions between characters & the descriptive words used whilst convo take place doesn’t seem natural.
This seems like a skeleton of a book, a strong skeleton! But no meat.
The chapters start & end like they would with a write-&-publish-as-the-chapter-is-written fanfic. That’s fine for fanfics! But not for a book. I feel like all these books should have just been one long book, but edited heavily.
Great ideas! It’s just…. It doesn’t read like a completed work. More like a work-in-progress.
March 11, 2023
Not bad, not terrible. Better than the first one.
⇢ What to expect:
∘ Adult
∘ Fantasy Romance
∘ Dual POV
∘ Norse Mythology
∘ Vikings
∘ Royalty & Fae
∘ Court Politics & Dark Secrets
∘ Familiars
∘ Found Family
∘ Dark Fae Prince x Human Slave
⇢ Tropes:
∘ Enemies to Lovers
∘ Slowburn
∘ Chosen One
∘ Forced Proximity
⇢ Trigger Warnings: violence & gore, cannibalism, blood
⤏ Summary
After facing an unexpected attack and being saved at the last moment, our protagonist is left with no choice but to face what she refused to believe until now.
The Shadow Court is fraught with mounting threats, not just for Reyna, but for the enigmatic shadow-fae Prince who has taken her captive. Undead monsters, a deranged Queen, mystical curses, and age-old secrets all threaten to bring an end to their lives.
Reyna is forced to work alongside the notoriously cruel Prince, but as she gets to know him better, she finds that he is not what he seems.
⤏ Plot
The story wastes no time in diving back into a world of perilous trials, unsettling personalities, and a protagonist who struggles to make up her mind. Fortunately, Mazrith's perspective is also included this time around.
The book maintains its fast-paced rhythm, and I didn't even notice when I reached the end.
However, the book's cliffhanger issue remained the same, and the abrupt chapter endings continued to bother me. The story even ended in the middle of a scene, which was frustrating.
⤏ Character Development
There isn't any significant progress occurring, but Reyna is starting to become aware of certain things and is being forced to confront the aftermath of her own actions.
We were given a little more insight into Maz's intentions, and while I found his POV interesting, I'm hoping that the next book will include more chapters about him.
⤏ Romance
The romance picks up a little and there are even a few spicy scenes. It's turning hard for the two protagonists to ignore their attraction anymore.
As Maz's possessiveness towards Reyna becomes more evident, with him even prioritizing her well-being over his own. Despite this, she remains unable to see beyond her prejudices and refuses to acknowledge that Maz is not entirely a villain― she's more than a little unfair towards him.
⤏ Conclusion
I'm curious to see the direction this story will take and how Maz will navigate the current predicament the book ended with.
⇢ What to expect:
∘ Adult
∘ Fantasy Romance
∘ Dual POV
∘ Norse Mythology
∘ Vikings
∘ Royalty & Fae
∘ Court Politics & Dark Secrets
∘ Familiars
∘ Found Family
∘ Dark Fae Prince x Human Slave
⇢ Tropes:
∘ Enemies to Lovers
∘ Slowburn
∘ Chosen One
∘ Forced Proximity
⇢ Trigger Warnings: violence & gore, cannibalism, blood
⤏ Summary
After facing an unexpected attack and being saved at the last moment, our protagonist is left with no choice but to face what she refused to believe until now.
The Shadow Court is fraught with mounting threats, not just for Reyna, but for the enigmatic shadow-fae Prince who has taken her captive. Undead monsters, a deranged Queen, mystical curses, and age-old secrets all threaten to bring an end to their lives.
Reyna is forced to work alongside the notoriously cruel Prince, but as she gets to know him better, she finds that he is not what he seems.
⤏ Plot
The story wastes no time in diving back into a world of perilous trials, unsettling personalities, and a protagonist who struggles to make up her mind. Fortunately, Mazrith's perspective is also included this time around.
The book maintains its fast-paced rhythm, and I didn't even notice when I reached the end.
However, the book's cliffhanger issue remained the same, and the abrupt chapter endings continued to bother me. The story even ended in the middle of a scene, which was frustrating.
⤏ Character Development
There isn't any significant progress occurring, but Reyna is starting to become aware of certain things and is being forced to confront the aftermath of her own actions.
We were given a little more insight into Maz's intentions, and while I found his POV interesting, I'm hoping that the next book will include more chapters about him.
⤏ Romance
The romance picks up a little and there are even a few spicy scenes. It's turning hard for the two protagonists to ignore their attraction anymore.
As Maz's possessiveness towards Reyna becomes more evident, with him even prioritizing her well-being over his own. Despite this, she remains unable to see beyond her prejudices and refuses to acknowledge that Maz is not entirely a villain― she's more than a little unfair towards him.
⤏ Conclusion
I'm curious to see the direction this story will take and how Maz will navigate the current predicament the book ended with.
February 12, 2025
Huh…
Some things to expect inside:
~ First person
~ 3 random Mazrith chapters
~ Games and trials
~ Slow burn
~ .5/5 spice rating
This is upsetting to me because I really enjoyed the first one. This one was so annoying to me. Reyna has had zero growth at all and she still acts as childish as ever. I couldn't stand her this entire book. In fact I didn't really like any of the characters in this book. While I'm glad Maz finally set her straight in the ending of the book, it still didn't take away the fact that he was like stale bread. He was completely one note until the last few chapters and then we finally got some emotion out of him other than resting bitch face and dead eyes.
The romance also felt extremely flat to me. You could tell that there's something going on with them, sure, but there's no yearning. No angst, no tension. I felt nothing besides Reyna telling us that there's no way she could want him. I didn't feel the desire she was feeling. Nothing. There was no burning of any kind.
Don't even get me started on these games and trials. I wouldn't even call them that to be honest. The ending is what caught my attention again and I hope the next book carries the same vibe.
Some things to expect inside:
~ First person
~ 3 random Mazrith chapters
~ Games and trials
~ Slow burn
~ .5/5 spice rating
This is upsetting to me because I really enjoyed the first one. This one was so annoying to me. Reyna has had zero growth at all and she still acts as childish as ever. I couldn't stand her this entire book. In fact I didn't really like any of the characters in this book. While I'm glad Maz finally set her straight in the ending of the book, it still didn't take away the fact that he was like stale bread. He was completely one note until the last few chapters and then we finally got some emotion out of him other than resting bitch face and dead eyes.
The romance also felt extremely flat to me. You could tell that there's something going on with them, sure, but there's no yearning. No angst, no tension. I felt nothing besides Reyna telling us that there's no way she could want him. I didn't feel the desire she was feeling. Nothing. There was no burning of any kind.
Don't even get me started on these games and trials. I wouldn't even call them that to be honest. The ending is what caught my attention again and I hope the next book carries the same vibe.
March 4, 2023
4.25⭐️
Ugh I loved this book quite a bit more than the first although it seemed very short? I wanted more! The first was set for world and plot building and this one had a bit more fun. I want more spice tho dammit!😂 I need them to stop being to airheaded and love each other already. I can be patient. I also loved getting some dual point of views in this book. Hoping for more Maz chapters next book.
Im sad the next book won’t be out til June but I’ll definitely continue reading the series. Im curious to see where Maz and Reyna take their relationship and also how Reynas character develops. She was such a pain in the first book (rightfully so for the portrayal of her life but annoying nonetheless) and I didn’t like her much but seeing her character develop and grow in this second book was great. I liked her much more in this one and I’m hoping that keeps progressing and we learn more about her (as she figures it out). I believe we all know she can’t simply be a human. I have some theories but will have to see how they play out. Maz is the typical dark, handsome, secretive, cursed, and living by his own slightly off kilter moral compass book boyfriend we all fall for but I would like to learn more about his secrets and curse. He annoyed me at the end a bit for getting annoyed Reyna was keeping secrets while he does the same. A bit hypocritical, but he is a man so I’m not surprised.
The queen also seems to be a key piece in this and I’m hoping we see more of where she lies in the plot (beyond just a villian). I have some theories there as well but again we will have to see what the author comes up with! I don’t wanna spoil the little we know in this short review but hopefully she gets what’s coming to her.
As for the side characters… I love Kara. She’s portrayed as a young, smarty pants bookworm type and showed it a little in this book. Hers and Reynas sisterly relationship is cute. I believe her friends that were taken with her are mostly used for holding over Reyna’s head to achieve a lot of the goals of others so far, however I don’t mind it. Voror has my whole heart, even if he is an owl, and I think he plays a huge part in this series. There seems to be more than meets the eye with him (and I’m fairly confident in some of my theory on this from something we learn in the beginning of this particular book). Max’s inner circle annoys me personally but I do like Reynas and Frimas banter and they seems to be working towards friendship. I believe there is a Judas in the inner circle (probably one of the men ofc) that we’ll see exposed at some point. I just want more of this little world so the puzzle pieces fit!! 😂
- I did not receive this book for free or anything. Just happened to find the first on kindle unlimited a few days before the second came out so I figured I’d leave a review for anyone waiting to see if they’d want to continue the series.
Ugh I loved this book quite a bit more than the first although it seemed very short? I wanted more! The first was set for world and plot building and this one had a bit more fun. I want more spice tho dammit!😂 I need them to stop being to airheaded and love each other already. I can be patient. I also loved getting some dual point of views in this book. Hoping for more Maz chapters next book.
Im sad the next book won’t be out til June but I’ll definitely continue reading the series. Im curious to see where Maz and Reyna take their relationship and also how Reynas character develops. She was such a pain in the first book (rightfully so for the portrayal of her life but annoying nonetheless) and I didn’t like her much but seeing her character develop and grow in this second book was great. I liked her much more in this one and I’m hoping that keeps progressing and we learn more about her (as she figures it out). I believe we all know she can’t simply be a human. I have some theories but will have to see how they play out. Maz is the typical dark, handsome, secretive, cursed, and living by his own slightly off kilter moral compass book boyfriend we all fall for but I would like to learn more about his secrets and curse. He annoyed me at the end a bit for getting annoyed Reyna was keeping secrets while he does the same. A bit hypocritical, but he is a man so I’m not surprised.
The queen also seems to be a key piece in this and I’m hoping we see more of where she lies in the plot (beyond just a villian). I have some theories there as well but again we will have to see what the author comes up with! I don’t wanna spoil the little we know in this short review but hopefully she gets what’s coming to her.
As for the side characters… I love Kara. She’s portrayed as a young, smarty pants bookworm type and showed it a little in this book. Hers and Reynas sisterly relationship is cute. I believe her friends that were taken with her are mostly used for holding over Reyna’s head to achieve a lot of the goals of others so far, however I don’t mind it. Voror has my whole heart, even if he is an owl, and I think he plays a huge part in this series. There seems to be more than meets the eye with him (and I’m fairly confident in some of my theory on this from something we learn in the beginning of this particular book). Max’s inner circle annoys me personally but I do like Reynas and Frimas banter and they seems to be working towards friendship. I believe there is a Judas in the inner circle (probably one of the men ofc) that we’ll see exposed at some point. I just want more of this little world so the puzzle pieces fit!! 😂
- I did not receive this book for free or anything. Just happened to find the first on kindle unlimited a few days before the second came out so I figured I’d leave a review for anyone waiting to see if they’d want to continue the series.
January 14, 2025
This book, while based on the one before it, only had minuscule amounts to further the plot, OR the brewing romance between main characters: that being that they were technically spending time in each other's presence.
🤦🏼♀️🤷🏻♀️
🤦🏼♀️🤷🏻♀️
July 2, 2023
This lacked any real tension so every single decision felt lackluster. It kind of sucks because the ideas are there but the execution is not very good. Another issue was the side characters. Everyone felt flat and I knew nothing about any character other than the ML and the FL. I knew nothing about anyone's true motivations or intentions.
March 19, 2023
2.5
dnf at 57ish %
This was not bad by any means, I was just bored lol. I honestly just had such a hard time picturing or conceptualising anything happening in this book. I felt like I was just floating on through instead of swimming (analogy?!) anywho, on to the next!
dnf at 57ish %
This was not bad by any means, I was just bored lol. I honestly just had such a hard time picturing or conceptualising anything happening in this book. I felt like I was just floating on through instead of swimming (analogy?!) anywho, on to the next!
April 27, 2023
“I am angry with the person that did this to you,” he hissed. “The power of all the ancient gods together will not save them from my wrath when I have them in my grasp. I will tear them apart with my bare hands. Shadows are too good for them.”
*4.5 stars*
The second book in this series, Court of Greed and Gold was fast paced and kept me turning pages! The books in this series are pretty short, so they are easy to fly through! I have had so much fun reading them and can't wait for the next one. This is a great book to pick up in a slump if you want a fantasy romance to cure you.
I really enjoy that this world is a combination of Norse and Fae mythology. It makes for a really interested world structure! We slowly get more pieces of the mystery surrounding Maz, Reyna, and both of their powers. The tension between the two main characters is soooo good. The ending of this one was a huge cliffhanger and I need to know what happens next!
Hear my thoughts in my March Wrap Up!
*4.5 stars*
The second book in this series, Court of Greed and Gold was fast paced and kept me turning pages! The books in this series are pretty short, so they are easy to fly through! I have had so much fun reading them and can't wait for the next one. This is a great book to pick up in a slump if you want a fantasy romance to cure you.
I really enjoy that this world is a combination of Norse and Fae mythology. It makes for a really interested world structure! We slowly get more pieces of the mystery surrounding Maz, Reyna, and both of their powers. The tension between the two main characters is soooo good. The ending of this one was a huge cliffhanger and I need to know what happens next!
Hear my thoughts in my March Wrap Up!
March 9, 2023
I want to read the next one but nothing really happened in this book! There was barely anything in it it was extremely short. Ends on another cliffhanger. It’s one of those tiny books that gets you to keep buying them. I am too invested to stop now but damn. Also, there is some spice but still we are just at the kissing stage yet again and still don’t know crap about the statues 🙄
April 4, 2023
I actually appreciated the author putting that tiny, high level recap at the beginning. It takes seconds to read since it's only around 1 page but it brings you back into the story. It's been a couple months since the last one came out so it helped ground me back into what was going on.
I’m happy to see growth in Reyna’s character. She was exceedingly stubborn at times in the first book, though it was obviously understandable since she went from being enslaved by one fae court to another. Maz is still kind of floundering in my opinion. He has a LOT going on and major trust issues (again, for obvious reasons) so it seems like he’ll make some forward movement then suddenly slide backwards.
I’m curious to see how Maz and Reyna react to each other when he returns in the next book after that ending! He really annoyed me when he blew up at Reyna when she finally admits she had a vision of his past when they have BOTH been keeping all their secrets which has obviously slowed their progress on their restoration project. This was also right after she figures out their “dream” encounter was him in her head which he promised he would never do.
I’m happy to see growth in Reyna’s character. She was exceedingly stubborn at times in the first book, though it was obviously understandable since she went from being enslaved by one fae court to another. Maz is still kind of floundering in my opinion. He has a LOT going on and major trust issues (again, for obvious reasons) so it seems like he’ll make some forward movement then suddenly slide backwards.
I’m curious to see how Maz and Reyna react to each other when he returns in the next book after that ending! He really annoyed me when he blew up at Reyna when she finally admits she had a vision of his past when they have BOTH been keeping all their secrets which has obviously slowed their progress on their restoration project. This was also right after she figures out their “dream” encounter was him in her head which he promised he would never do.
December 13, 2024
3, 5 🌟 6.40 on CAWPILE
I enjoyed this a lot more than book 1 for sure, things have unraveled quite well, there was a lot of development in terms of plot and Intrigue, the writing is better as well and but what truly got me was the yearning and the romance development.
We had three Mazrith POVs and they were quite powerful in terms of the romance development tbh. Love Voror and the familiar element of the story, there are also a quest element that was also fun, the last kinda reminded me of the first quest in Harry potter and the Goblet of Fire but with horses instead of dragons. (Not a spoiler)
The fmc was still a bit hostile and infuriatingly reluctant to trust Mazritch nor give in, which I understand a little given her background and how she doesn't know anything about herself in the first place, had to always survive on her own but she was a little too dramatic still, for me, and so is Mazrith in the end but we enjoy reading drama so...
I enjoyed this a lot more than book 1 for sure, things have unraveled quite well, there was a lot of development in terms of plot and Intrigue, the writing is better as well and but what truly got me was the yearning and the romance development.
We had three Mazrith POVs and they were quite powerful in terms of the romance development tbh. Love Voror and the familiar element of the story, there are also a quest element that was also fun, the last kinda reminded me of the first quest in Harry potter and the Goblet of Fire but with horses instead of dragons. (Not a spoiler)
The fmc was still a bit hostile and infuriatingly reluctant to trust Mazritch nor give in, which I understand a little given her background and how she doesn't know anything about herself in the first place, had to always survive on her own but she was a little too dramatic still, for me, and so is Mazrith in the end but we enjoy reading drama so...
September 9, 2023
Book 2 was just as fun as book 1 if not more so. Things are slowly starting to heat up between our two main characters. Very slowly lol. It's a two steps forward one step back situation with them. Every time they seem to be getting closer, something happens to mess it up.
Reyna is being less defiant, which really is in her favor and one of the things that annoyed me in book 1. She still will fight for what she believes in and to defend herself and her friends. But she's not purposely doing the opposite of what everyone says like a sulky teenager, so that's nice.
We are starting to see that the prince really isn't the villain or even really a bad guy. But there is still a lot of secrets surrounding him and we still don't get to know him well. I want to be able to fall in love with this man, but they need to give me something to fall for.
Reyna is being less defiant, which really is in her favor and one of the things that annoyed me in book 1. She still will fight for what she believes in and to defend herself and her friends. But she's not purposely doing the opposite of what everyone says like a sulky teenager, so that's nice.
We are starting to see that the prince really isn't the villain or even really a bad guy. But there is still a lot of secrets surrounding him and we still don't get to know him well. I want to be able to fall in love with this man, but they need to give me something to fall for.
April 5, 2023
pathetic writer sacrifices good story for money to keep you reading
Seriously the questions presented in book one are still unanswered by book two, taking the exact same pathetic bad writing cop-out of another massive cliffhanger.
Do not read this unless the entire series is out, otherwise you will just end up as frustrated as I am. Seriously this book and the previous one could have been one damned book, and I guarantee you the next book will just be the end of the book. THIS SERIES IS ONE BOOK TOTAL BROKEN UP INTO THREE, because the author is too weak of an author to be able to write a total series nor is she confident enough in her own writing to be able to tie up a book without a cliffhanger that guarantees the next book will be bought/read.
This author may have created an excellent world that could have been elaborately explored in a beautiful way, and instead gives us a watered down story filling in the spaces with smut, all because she was too lazy, or too incompetent a writer and/or too greedy to write something good. Instead the bad author wrote one book broken up into three separated over years, a book I could have written in one goddamned night.
Seriously, this pisses me off so much I just might never read another book by this author ever again out of pure spite. And recommend this author and her works be passed up by any who enjoy actual good books and has any respect for the art of writing.
Seriously the questions presented in book one are still unanswered by book two, taking the exact same pathetic bad writing cop-out of another massive cliffhanger.
Do not read this unless the entire series is out, otherwise you will just end up as frustrated as I am. Seriously this book and the previous one could have been one damned book, and I guarantee you the next book will just be the end of the book. THIS SERIES IS ONE BOOK TOTAL BROKEN UP INTO THREE, because the author is too weak of an author to be able to write a total series nor is she confident enough in her own writing to be able to tie up a book without a cliffhanger that guarantees the next book will be bought/read.
This author may have created an excellent world that could have been elaborately explored in a beautiful way, and instead gives us a watered down story filling in the spaces with smut, all because she was too lazy, or too incompetent a writer and/or too greedy to write something good. Instead the bad author wrote one book broken up into three separated over years, a book I could have written in one goddamned night.
Seriously, this pisses me off so much I just might never read another book by this author ever again out of pure spite. And recommend this author and her works be passed up by any who enjoy actual good books and has any respect for the art of writing.
September 24, 2023
Literally giving ACOTAR fan fic.
October 2, 2023
2.5 en realidad 🤔
January 31, 2024
Arrêtez-moi quelqu’un.
Je dévore cette série ou quoi ?
J’adore. L’INTRIGUE FINALE. Je ne m’attendais pas à ça.
Du déjà vu, certes, mais ça fait la job 🤝🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Je dévore cette série ou quoi ?
J’adore. L’INTRIGUE FINALE. Je ne m’attendais pas à ça.
Du déjà vu, certes, mais ça fait la job 🤝🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
March 15, 2024
again i did have issues so 3.5 BUT! she gave this really cute recap about the books and it is so appreciated man.
March 16, 2025
3.75! The author mentions hissing a lot when people speak and I could not stop noticing
March 13, 2023
Biggest cliffhanger ever 😒
April 17, 2023
why bratty heroines?
I’m confused. Do authors think that writing bratty, snappy and rude female characters make them sound strong willed and independent? Because from the readers stand point, she in fact sounds… childish… ignorant.. and annoying. There were several instances in the first novel where I down right would have killed her and just been done. She stripped down naked and was meek for her own creeper court prince because he’s scary but the big bad shadow court prince shows up and she gives him lip and has this ridiculous narrative about him being the bad guy and she has no fear of pissing him off?
Eye roll!!
The progression of romance in these two novels is snail pace slow and I feel sorry for him. I’d definitely use her for the task at hand and tell her to kick rocks because her BS isn’t worth it. So her assumptions of him using her would be accurate if it were me because she sucks. There is no character development for her from the first to second novel she’s still dumb and snappy. I wholeheartedly agree with literally every other side character saying she’s annoying. It made me stop and wonder why the author would write her this way. Like why would we as readers ship them together when we find her just as annoying??
Mind boggling.
Don’t read these books if you’re triggered by “stupid” and I mean stupid girls. 🙄
I’m confused. Do authors think that writing bratty, snappy and rude female characters make them sound strong willed and independent? Because from the readers stand point, she in fact sounds… childish… ignorant.. and annoying. There were several instances in the first novel where I down right would have killed her and just been done. She stripped down naked and was meek for her own creeper court prince because he’s scary but the big bad shadow court prince shows up and she gives him lip and has this ridiculous narrative about him being the bad guy and she has no fear of pissing him off?
Eye roll!!
The progression of romance in these two novels is snail pace slow and I feel sorry for him. I’d definitely use her for the task at hand and tell her to kick rocks because her BS isn’t worth it. So her assumptions of him using her would be accurate if it were me because she sucks. There is no character development for her from the first to second novel she’s still dumb and snappy. I wholeheartedly agree with literally every other side character saying she’s annoying. It made me stop and wonder why the author would write her this way. Like why would we as readers ship them together when we find her just as annoying??
Mind boggling.
Don’t read these books if you’re triggered by “stupid” and I mean stupid girls. 🙄
October 18, 2023
Here’s the fucking tea. Second book, better than the first. Do I need to say more?? Maybe it was because I read this immediately after the first, maybe it’s because I got intensely invested in the tension, perfectly placed and written sex scenes, and overall ENEMYNESS, or maybe it’s because I finished this at 2:30am and my brain had fallen apart. I’m gonna go with the second option. This slapped so hard. I’m invested. I’m reading more. Best book I’ve ever read? No. But it’s dangerously teetering on 5 star territory. 2am me would’ve given it 5 stars. Subjective rating: 4.5 stars. Objective rating: 4 stars.
May 16, 2023
3'75 a bit better than the first one, main character's still a bit insuferable but she's getting there (at least I hope so)
October 13, 2023
3,75⭐ i like this series a lot
January 31, 2025
3.7 stars
I can't lie, I ate this up. Was it basic? Yes. Are the characters anything special? No. But I had a fun time. It helps that these books are so short that I literally zoomed through it. This was definitely better than the first. It felt like we got a better understanding of mazrith's intentions, and some of the side characters began to feel more fleshed out.
This book felt weird in that it didn't feel like a completed story, much like the first one felt like a long introductions....this just felt like the next part if that makes sense. Like these two books could conceivably be one. I don't mind it though because it's a great way to keep me reading. I wanna read the third right now. It's just a weird feeling like I've finished a book but it feels like I've just been cut off mid way through a book.
I would honestly compare reading this book to reading water there's not much too it but I'm digesting it nicely haha. It's fun.
There's something good about how these book end though because they immediatly pic up where they left off and I liked that because it keeps your reading. I find even with books I love sometimes they end in such a definitive way that I'm find judt leaving them for a while and don't always go back for the sequals because why would I? Yes there's more to the story but it's ended in a way I'm happy with. The cliffhangers in this series are actually good and keep me binging like it's a TV show.
Reyna: she's a little dumb....the fact that everyone jokes about it too is kind of funny. But at the same time, I don't hate it. She's a lovable dummy, not the brightest but tbh I wouldn't be any better in her situation. She kind of got the shit handed to her in this book, with the Queens trials, my girl was just being targeted left right and center. I do feel for her especially considering she didn't have a choice in any of this, she didn't choose to be there or to be this person Mazrith needs so I can't fault for her being fed up with everyone expecting stuff from her all the time. My girl was so dumb though like...she thought the owl that could speak to her and travel through walls didn't have magic. Yeah normal owl behaviour girlie
Mazrith: decent bloke. There isn't much to say about him but his goals are pretty honorable, he wants to reclaim the power necessary to overthrow his evil stepmother. He's never been outwardly cruel to Reyna which I appreciate and he's even a little charming at times.
The romance: not bad, it picked up more in this book and dare I say...it's quite slow burn which I wasn't expecting. The Angst at the end was chefs kiss and I'm curious to see where they go next. I will say, in that argument, I'm firmly on Reyna's side (spoilers) Mazrith shouldn't have invaded her dreams or her head without her permission when he promised not too. He'd done so much to gain her trust and prove he wasn't the person she thought he was and that ruined it. Yes Reyna invaded his privacy by seeing that stuff about his mum and knowing about his mother's powers but she didn't do that willingly, it just happened and she would've told him but didn't because she's his captive and wasn't sure whether she could trust him which is valid.
(End of spoilers)
They had some cute moments, he's clearly protective of her and plays it off as if it's because she's useful to him. He wants her safe and tries to help her any way he can whilst still empowering her to stand on her own. I liked how he didn't always run in to be the Knight in shining armour, he allowed her to take charge when she wanted and only offered backup if needed.
The queen: what a cow, honestly I hate that smug woman. As if Reyna isn't disadvantaged enough, the queen still makes her be humiliated and I do not like her. She's too big for her boots and I can't wait to see her and her little games brought down a peg.
The plot/world: quite intriguing I will admit. I didn't find the whole carving into the statues in the first one that interesting and that's all I can remember mazrith wanting Reyna to do. This built upon that with a riddle and more investigating which I appreciated. It made it more interesting than he sole purpose just being cutting around some statues. I also liked the added trials/games element to this one, it was fun and allowed Reyna to become more involved with the courts for better or for worse.(Mild spoilers) I like the whole staff thing, where there's different ones and there's something to do with mist staffs. I also liked the whole 'starved ones' mystery were we don't really know what they want with Reyna and who hurt her at the end of the first one. There is enough mystery there to keep some intrigue and I like that we don't just find one thing out and then another problem emerges, there's overlap and things getting solved before others. The riddle was a fun little addition, I did think it was solved a bit too easily but I'll let it slide. I am also interested to find out who Reyna actually is and what that means.
I can't lie, I ate this up. Was it basic? Yes. Are the characters anything special? No. But I had a fun time. It helps that these books are so short that I literally zoomed through it. This was definitely better than the first. It felt like we got a better understanding of mazrith's intentions, and some of the side characters began to feel more fleshed out.
This book felt weird in that it didn't feel like a completed story, much like the first one felt like a long introductions....this just felt like the next part if that makes sense. Like these two books could conceivably be one. I don't mind it though because it's a great way to keep me reading. I wanna read the third right now. It's just a weird feeling like I've finished a book but it feels like I've just been cut off mid way through a book.
I would honestly compare reading this book to reading water there's not much too it but I'm digesting it nicely haha. It's fun.
There's something good about how these book end though because they immediatly pic up where they left off and I liked that because it keeps your reading. I find even with books I love sometimes they end in such a definitive way that I'm find judt leaving them for a while and don't always go back for the sequals because why would I? Yes there's more to the story but it's ended in a way I'm happy with. The cliffhangers in this series are actually good and keep me binging like it's a TV show.
Reyna: she's a little dumb....the fact that everyone jokes about it too is kind of funny. But at the same time, I don't hate it. She's a lovable dummy, not the brightest but tbh I wouldn't be any better in her situation. She kind of got the shit handed to her in this book, with the Queens trials, my girl was just being targeted left right and center. I do feel for her especially considering she didn't have a choice in any of this, she didn't choose to be there or to be this person Mazrith needs so I can't fault for her being fed up with everyone expecting stuff from her all the time. My girl was so dumb though like...she thought the owl that could speak to her and travel through walls didn't have magic. Yeah normal owl behaviour girlie
Mazrith: decent bloke. There isn't much to say about him but his goals are pretty honorable, he wants to reclaim the power necessary to overthrow his evil stepmother. He's never been outwardly cruel to Reyna which I appreciate and he's even a little charming at times.
The romance: not bad, it picked up more in this book and dare I say...it's quite slow burn which I wasn't expecting. The Angst at the end was chefs kiss and I'm curious to see where they go next. I will say, in that argument, I'm firmly on Reyna's side (spoilers) Mazrith shouldn't have invaded her dreams or her head without her permission when he promised not too. He'd done so much to gain her trust and prove he wasn't the person she thought he was and that ruined it. Yes Reyna invaded his privacy by seeing that stuff about his mum and knowing about his mother's powers but she didn't do that willingly, it just happened and she would've told him but didn't because she's his captive and wasn't sure whether she could trust him which is valid.
(End of spoilers)
They had some cute moments, he's clearly protective of her and plays it off as if it's because she's useful to him. He wants her safe and tries to help her any way he can whilst still empowering her to stand on her own. I liked how he didn't always run in to be the Knight in shining armour, he allowed her to take charge when she wanted and only offered backup if needed.
The queen: what a cow, honestly I hate that smug woman. As if Reyna isn't disadvantaged enough, the queen still makes her be humiliated and I do not like her. She's too big for her boots and I can't wait to see her and her little games brought down a peg.
The plot/world: quite intriguing I will admit. I didn't find the whole carving into the statues in the first one that interesting and that's all I can remember mazrith wanting Reyna to do. This built upon that with a riddle and more investigating which I appreciated. It made it more interesting than he sole purpose just being cutting around some statues. I also liked the added trials/games element to this one, it was fun and allowed Reyna to become more involved with the courts for better or for worse.(Mild spoilers) I like the whole staff thing, where there's different ones and there's something to do with mist staffs. I also liked the whole 'starved ones' mystery were we don't really know what they want with Reyna and who hurt her at the end of the first one. There is enough mystery there to keep some intrigue and I like that we don't just find one thing out and then another problem emerges, there's overlap and things getting solved before others. The riddle was a fun little addition, I did think it was solved a bit too easily but I'll let it slide. I am also interested to find out who Reyna actually is and what that means.
May 20, 2023
Debated for a while as to whether I'd give it the 3 star rating or a 3,5 star, but I'll stick with 3,5 I guess because it was a bit better than the first book. Overall, I've had about the same reading experience compared to the one I've had while reading the first book; it's not bad, but not outstanding either. Just a quick/easy, fun read in the sub-genre of paranormal/fantasy romance, with a little bit of spice added into the mix.
It definitely has enjoyable elements, but it's also not really strongly written I think in a lot of story elements. I miss more in depth development, because this world and story has so much more potential I feel - the kindle edition has 274 pages so that says enough I guess. I think books like these could definitely flourish more with more pages added to them.
Will be reading the next book, because as I said; it's still a fun and quick/easy read, so when it releases I'll get in on my kindle so that I can find out how it continues.
It definitely has enjoyable elements, but it's also not really strongly written I think in a lot of story elements. I miss more in depth development, because this world and story has so much more potential I feel - the kindle edition has 274 pages so that says enough I guess. I think books like these could definitely flourish more with more pages added to them.
Will be reading the next book, because as I said; it's still a fun and quick/easy read, so when it releases I'll get in on my kindle so that I can find out how it continues.
June 15, 2023
**3.5/5**
We continue the story between Reyna and Mazrith and the shrine quest. A Hunger Games like competition element is added where each of the courts enters a champion into a competition. Reyna is chosen as the champion for the Shadow Court as a ploy by the Shadow Queen to make the Prince less likeable and show people he is not fit to rule.
I liked this book more than the previous one. I got a lot more into the story and I liked the fact that the purpose of why everything is happening is a bit more clear now. Still, very quick and easy to read book. Perfect for reading on the train :-)
We continue the story between Reyna and Mazrith and the shrine quest. A Hunger Games like competition element is added where each of the courts enters a champion into a competition. Reyna is chosen as the champion for the Shadow Court as a ploy by the Shadow Queen to make the Prince less likeable and show people he is not fit to rule.
I liked this book more than the previous one. I got a lot more into the story and I liked the fact that the purpose of why everything is happening is a bit more clear now. Still, very quick and easy to read book. Perfect for reading on the train :-)
March 5, 2024
This was definitely better than book 1.
Reyna is not quite as annoying (though she still gets called stupid quite a lot) and we get some short Maz POV chapters to understand him a bit more.
There is more of an interesting storyline going on this book, with the Queen continuing her Reyna hate campaign, Maz and Reyna working together to restore the statues, Starved Ones to deal with and a Hunger Games type element as well as Reynas visions increasing in frequency.
It still contains quite a few grammatical errors but I’d give this one 3.5 ⭐️
Hoping for more Maz POV chapters in book 3!
Reyna is not quite as annoying (though she still gets called stupid quite a lot) and we get some short Maz POV chapters to understand him a bit more.
There is more of an interesting storyline going on this book, with the Queen continuing her Reyna hate campaign, Maz and Reyna working together to restore the statues, Starved Ones to deal with and a Hunger Games type element as well as Reynas visions increasing in frequency.
It still contains quite a few grammatical errors but I’d give this one 3.5 ⭐️
Hoping for more Maz POV chapters in book 3!
November 25, 2025
this was very questionable.. the plot was boring and so were the characters. Mazrith was so selfish, he only cared about fixing his curse, despite Reyna getting bit by a snake and attacked like 500 times in this book. Like he actually pissed me off. And Reyna too. One minute she hates Maz and the next she wants to jump his bones and the next she hates him again. Like girl please take a stance. I honestly felt this book really hard to get through and disappointing considering how much i liked the other series set in this world 😔.
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