Princess of Shadows by A. G. Marshall

Fantasy. 428 Pages. 5 Stars

Synopsis:

Only a true princess can save the kingdom.

Alaric wants to be king. He wants to continue the peace and prosperity his father created in Aeonia. But with enemies questioning his bloodline, he’ll have to put his heart on the line and marry a stranger to secure his right to rule. Only a match with a true princess will silence his critics and protect his future.

Lina’s lineage is shocking at best and deadly at worst. Over a century ago, she put herself into an enchanted sleep to seal away a horde of dark creatures. Now both Lina and the goblins are awake. Without friends or resources, Lina must seek the help of the Council of Kings. To get close enough to them to ask for aid, she’ll need to convince everyone she’s a true princess.

As Alaric searches for a true princess to marry, Lina tries to convince the world she is one. But while they try to save the kingdom on their own, they may find what they need is each other.

My Review: 

This one has, sadly, been on my list since before it’s title was changed. I’m not sure why I never got around to it, but boy am I glad I finally did! Plus, that is a really pretty new cover! <3

This book has got it all, the heart wrenching tragedy, the misunderstood heroes, the brutal and the more subtle threats, the dash of romance all tied into one mega adventure with some kickbutt action! I’m a fairy tale nerd. We all know this by now. Sleeping Beauty is my childhood favorite and I’m a sucker for some of the more obscure tales like the 12 Dancing Princesses, Toads and Diamonds, The Goose Girl, and The Princesses and the Pea. This story weaves the Sleeping Beauty seamlessly together with the Princess and the Pea, and I’d argue it has hints of the 12 Dancing Princesses smattered throughout, too, though those are very, very light. It may just be more of an atmosphere reminiscent of the tale, but I loved it nonetheless.

But this story stands apart from other retellings. It had a goblin-fighting enchantress who never gave up, even when everything around her dug claws into her heart and told her to just let go. This girl was brave and strong and trained in some seriously cool shadow art. She was kind and human, too, which made me love her all the more. She was clever and doggedly determined. She brought this story to life. Marshall’s mixture of intriguing magic, tragic foundation, imminent threats, action-packed suspense, and a literal whole other world makes this a unique and truly exciting tale. This isn’t your typical fairy tale, and I loved that about it. I was sucked in immediately and chugged through the first 85% of it in the first night I started it.

Lina was a lot of fun. I mean, from page one she demanded respect and radiated authority, but she was also real. She was confused, yet determined. She was loyal, yet open to learning. I loved how stubborn and adventurous she was. She made for a firecracker of a heroine, someone I could cheer for and fall in love with. I also really liked Carina and am excited to see more of her in the sequel. Stefan was a hoot and I’m dying to see more of him open up. His relationship with Alaric was special and I very much enjoyed seeing the dynamic between those two. There were tons of side characters that held minor roles and I hope we get to dig deeper into those at some point, like Marta’s sons, for instance. Oh, also, Luca!? Hello! He stole the show for me. Again, from page one, I was in love with him and I really, really loved seeing the power of the relationship he and his sister had. I seriously need to read those letters one day. <3

The story is set in kind a dual land, which is neat. I absolutely loved the world building and really hope to see more of the shadow vs. light world and the magic in later books. I was completely drawn in by the shadow warrior and light wielder concept, especially the twins! I hope one day we get a book of all their adventures!! Just the idea of shadow and light working together and in some cases opposing one another was fascinating. I didn’t really have a great feel for the map of the world regarding other kingdoms, but I didn’t really need it in this book. I mean, we had a council of kings present and other kingdoms represented, but the story all takes place in pretty much one city and on a hill. The castle was neat and I liked the little bits of history, architecture, and secrets that Lina brought to light throughout the book there.

The book only had a few typos in it that I found. This was a fun, clean fairy tale with a little bit of romance and a little bit of violence, but nothing very graphic and no foul language. The story had a few fight scenes, a little blood and some bruises here or there, and a few brief kisses. But I’d feel fine giving this to a preteen. I’d highly recommend the book and am about to dive into the sequel right now!

More: 

Book 2 of the Fairy Tale Adventures is Princess of Secrets (5 Stars)

Book 3 is the Princess of Mermaids (5 Stars)

Book 4 is in the works!

I have rated and reviewed the above on GR. You can click on the links and check them out. The series is very interconnected and I would recommend reading it in order!

On GraceBought

Stay tuned next week for my thoughts on the sequel!

Princess of Secrets