Review: Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan

Reign of Shadows

Author: Sophie Jordan

Release Date: February 9, 2016

Publisher: Harper Teen

Reign of Shadows Book #1

ISBN:  0062377647

ISBN13: 9780062377647

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Review Copy Source: Edelweiss

Seventeen years ago, an eclipse cloaked the kingdom of Relhok in perpetual darkness. In the chaos, an evil chancellor murdered the king and queen and seized their throne. Luna, Relhok’s lost princess, has been hiding in a tower ever since. Luna’s survival depends on the world believing she is dead.

But that doesn’t stop Luna from wanting more. When she meets Fowler, a mysterious archer braving the woods outside her tower, Luna is drawn to him despite the risk. When the tower is attacked, Luna and Fowler escape together. But this world of darkness is more treacherous than Luna ever realized.

With every threat stacked against them, Luna and Fowler find solace in each other. But with secrets still unspoken between them, falling in love might be their most dangerous journey yet.

With lush writing and a star–crossed romance, Reign of Shadows is Sophie Jordan at her best.

I'm having a hard time deciding if I truly liked REIGN OF SHADOWS or if I just liked the ideas behind it.

I very much enjoyed the characters in REIGN OF SHADOWS. Both of the main characters were strong willed with a lot of fight in them even though they had lived very different lives and have very different roles. One was hard while the other was soft and they somehow ended up complimenting each other even as the bumped heads. Their romance is more sweet than fierce and even though it seems to come on fast, it is really drawn out too. The story was interesting and made me want to read and find the answers the author was slowly doling out.

So where is my problem with REIGN OF SHADOWS? There was a lot of nothing going on between the meat of the story and there were a lot of things I didn't feel were explained. Sure we learn some things about the characters and the world as they are slowly traveling and nothing is happening, but I would have loved more things to happen or for them to find a way to travel along faster. At the pace they are going right now, they will never get anywhere. I honestly can't tell you more than a handful of things that happened in the 304 pages I read. I am glad I got the points of the story, but it didn't feel like enough happened.

Of course then REIGN OF SHADOWS had to end on the cliffhanger that it ended on. It was one of those WHAT juts happened moments and I WANT to know what will happen next, so now I feel like I want to read book two even though book one had its issues.

I gave it 3/5 stars

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.