The Shadows Between Us: Prepared to Be Vulnerable to the Villains

People often share their thoughts on books that they have enjoyed on social media. But in the case of The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller, many readers felt that the book was rushed. So, its appearance on social media was bittersweet. But were the bad reviews of this novel justified? I wanted to find out so, I gave this book a chance and read it! 

The first line of the book instantly grabbed my attention, “They’ve never found the body of the first and only boy who broke my heart. And they never will.” I immediately knew that this was not going to be the typical fantasy novel. 

This story is from the perspective of the frequently overlooked second daughter of a nobleman, named Alessandra. She has quite high ambitions: wooing the Shadow King, marrying him, and then killing him and taking the kingdom of Naxosia all for herself. The Shadow King’s powers remain unknown to all. Either way, Alessandra knows her worth, so she’ll accomplish all she can to earn the power she desires. Except she’s not the only killer in disguise. Alessandra must ensure that the Shadow King lives long enough to make him hers, so she can have the pleasure of killing him herself.

The summary had my heart pumping with excitement and made me eager to start reading. The more I read, the more and more I wanted to know what happened next. The text is phenomenal and makes you feel as if you are the main character and are going through what Alessandra is. 

Levenseller writes remarkable banter between characters, and she manages to build a fantasy world without it ever becoming overpowering for the reader.

The hint of magic in this world is well grounded and has its explanations but other than kingdom politics, not much else of the world is explained. It may be confusing for some but everything I needed to know was clear. 

I’m obsessed with Alessandra; she’s cunning, ambitious, and has no regrets. I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with her so much. She knows what she wants and will take it, no matter what is in her way. I admired how resourceful, clever, and darkly humorous she is. Her fashion sense made me want to spend time in her brain even more and made me wish I could have outfits like hers. 

The story also follows the mysterious Shadow King, Kallias, and I truly loved seeing all aspects of him. He’s equally as ambitious as Alessandra, and the two of them together are a little villainous but in the best way. He’s dangerous, which makes the romance in the book out of this world. He is obtuse at some points, and it’s gripping to see how Alessandra tries to woo him.

Alessandra and Kallias’s romance isn’t enemies-to-lovers as often categorized. I consider it practically sweet and it was so adorable. I can see people not liking the main characters—they are not good people—but for me that makes them just that much more appealing. 

Something beautiful that I discovered in this wicked novel was female friendships. Alessandra makes many terrific friends, and throughout the tale, they empower each other.

It’s nice to see this because Alessandra never had a good relationship with her sister, and it’s a bright addition to an otherwise dark tale. 

The ending of the story is the one thing I have to complain about. It was a bit rushed. I didn’t understand what was going on and that I was reaching the end of the story. It took me a while to figure out how big of a plot twist had taken place, and when it did click, I was astonished. The final chapter had a major cliff hanger at the end, which both angered and saddened me. This book is a standalone novel, which means there is no possible way for me to find out what happens next.

The Shadows Between Us delivers on all fronts, from characterization to having an addicting plot. Honestly, if I could wish for anything from this book, it would be for it to just be longer. I feel that for this type of complex and interesting plot, the book should have been longer, so we could have an even better look into what was going on and why. What would have made the text even more interesting would have been if we had gotten a sneak peek of the Shadow King’s point of view as well. 

All in all, I was pleased with The Shadows Between Us—it was so addicting that I even continued reading when the power went out and my only light source was a candle! It’s my dream genre combo: it’s dark, it’s romantic, and it’s fantasy. After reading this book, I am going to keep an eye on Tricia Levenseller’s new releases! 

If you are looking for a book that you won’t be able to put down, is short and sweet, and is going to make you truly disappear into a different universe, then The Shadows Between Us is for you!