Review: Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan

My Thoughts

A chilling journey roused by a reluctant romance makes this both
a frightful and captivating story to devour.

• Related Posts: See more Fantastical Adventures
• Buy Now: Amazon Kindle | Amazon Hardcover | iBooks

Synopsis

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.

My Review

Sophie Jordan invites us into a chilling world of nightmares, where shadows hide monsters and night elicits death. Seventeen years ago, the kingdom of Relhok was darkened by an eclipse, thrusting its people into chaos, its king and queen murdered at the hands of a chancellor who would usurp the throne. Luna, their daughter, fled to a hidden tower in the forest. For years since, Luna has lived in the dark, surrounded by danger. Dwellers rise during the darkest part of the perpetual night, to feast on the humans and animals who remain.

Luna longed to explore the outdoors, despite its peril and its blackness, but her guardians were intent on keeping her safe, her restless nature caged, be it for her own good. Luna’s fate called her to remain hidden, until a day of light would come… if it would come.

“This tower isn’t my fate.”

But Luna knew she could decide differently.  Fate, however, forced actions into play when she meets Fowler, an archer who’s run in to trouble while in the woods. Fowler has been hardened by a life with untold terrors. He is hopelessness and hardness, whereas Luna is unfailing hope and light.

“I’d never been given a taste of anything else. I’d certainly never confronted a boy that smelled of ferocity and life and vitality.”

As kind as Luna was, however, she was fierce and brave and skilled in the face of unimagined predicaments. She had the spirit of a survivor—a fight that would become necessary when her tower is unexpectedly attacked. Luna and Fowler flee together in search of a monster-free land that may or may not exist. Together, attraction and antagonism duel, in a journey that would be marked my death and danger.

“She was a girl who managed to smell good and fresh in a world of stinking rot.”

Luna wants to understand Fowler, while Fowler wants to avoid feeling. Avoid attachments. Caring about someone would only bring upon their death—he knew that lesson all too well. As their journey begins, we experience the horrors of this shadowed world first hand. Secrets are revealed along the way and choices must be made that could forever change their course.

I loved how it was such a frightening world to experience, in fact, I would love to see this world and its background more deeply explored as the series continues. I think additional depth and freshness will make the story stronger and more compelling. I also enjoyed the push and pull between Fowler and Luna, and the twists the story gave us which raised the stakes even higher. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Connect with Sophie

Facebook | Twitter | Website

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Goodreads | Subscribe by Email

Subscribe for Updates: