by Sherry Ficklin
Book: Kingdom of Shadow and Dust #1
Publisher: TrueType Press
Pub Date: September 14, 2021
Genre: Young Adult
Format: eARC
Source: Author
Book Links: Goodreads
Amazon
A voiceless captive of tradition, driven
to defend her kingdom.
As the king’s only daughter, Ava has suffered
the solitary isolation of a noble woman as long as she can remember. While she
dreams of fighting alongside the armies of Ankara, she’s forced to hide her
identity behind a veil.
It seems her prayers are answered when fate
intervenes, allowing Ava to sneak away and join the battle. Yet the tides of
war turn on her, leaving the young beauty defeated... her hopes shattered. Her
only chance at salvation is Callan, a mysterious black wolf willing to risk
everything by hiding her away among his kind.
But there are some dangers far more ominous than
the snapping jaws of a wolf.
Ripped away from the brave Turnskins, Ava is
imprisoned by the beguiling Shadow King who fills her head with promises of
peace and a haze of passion. Forced to choose between family, the bond she
shares with Callan, and the handsome king, Ava finds herself torn between duty
and desire.
When sacrifice is required to save all she holds
dear, will Ava accept the crushing demands of taking the crown? Or follow her
heart to the forbidden touch she desperately craves?
My Review: I love Sherry's writing and can't get enough. But I'll admit, this one was a little hard for me to get into.
Ava is the only daughter, which means she is basically stuck inside all day and always with a veil on. Yeah, that's going to get old really fast. If she happens to sneak around and learn/practice using weapons....well who's gonna tell on the princess right?
Ava likes to spend time visiting her brother and not really any time with her step-mum. They don't really see eye to eye on everything, but she is nice to Ava and they both try, but it'll never really be the relationship they hope for.
Then one night, everything changes quickly. Ava plans to free a young boy and after that she even runs off with the army to fight. Thing start to pick up the pace and Ava is saved by a wolf. Not only can she hear the thoughts from the wolf, but it's actually a shapeshifter. But that's not all, they are soulmates. Yup, these were pages that just had me glued and trying to figure out how all this works and I just loved it all.
The ending isn't what I saw coming and it
really pulled the book together even more. If I wasn't already hooked before, I
sure as heck was now. I can't wait to dive into the next book!
