Today’s review is about SHADOW QUEEN by Nicola Tyche. It’s the second book in the fully published Crowns series. This review contains spoilers for the first book, NORTH QUEEN.
Author: Nicola Tyche
Series: Crowns, #2
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Columbia River Publishing
Publish Date: August 1, 2023
Print Length: 586
Want to support local bookstores? Buy a copy of Shadow Queen on Bookshop.org!*
*These are not affiliate links and I do not make a commission from any purchase made using these links.
Shadow Queen Synopsis
Synopsis
For ten years, her kingdom has warred against the Shadow King. Now, she’s his queen.
Treachery Within …
Reaping the consequences from her decision to ally with her kingdom’s greatest enemy to avoid war, Norah Andell, queen of Mercia and salara of Kharav, faces opposition from both realms and struggles to hang on to the fragile peace between them. Treachery lurks in the shadows, intent on subverting everything she has worked to build, and threatens to plunge the kingdoms back into a deadly war.
A King Divided …
The Shadowlands are a warrior kingdom, and Mikael Ratha Shal their ruthless king. Battle and blood have made them strong. Kingdoms fall to them; men fear them. But his new queen strives for peace and compassion, and while he has her hand, he wants her heart-even though her heart still holds love for another. Norah tests the limits of his mercy, where he risks not only the allegiance of his kingdom, but also his crown.
A Rising Threat …
With the joining of Mercia and the Shadowlands, the loyalty of old allies crumbles. All the while an unexpected threat is rising. Leading a rebellion in the nearby kingdom of Rael, a usurper seizes the throne and is crowned king. As thousands flock to his banner and his righteous cause, he turns his vengeful eyes on Mikael and the Shadowlands. Norah must choose to heed the demands of her own kingdom and return home to safety, or risk their dissent and stand with the enemy she now calls her husband.
Shadow Queen Review
SHADOW QUEEN is the second book in the fully published Crowns trilogy. Nora is now queen of Karav, or the Shadowlands as they are known by the Mercians. Nora agreed to marry Mikael, the Shadow King, in an effort to stave off war and prophecy. However, she faces opposition from both Karav and Mercia and a rising threat from the nearby kingdom of Rael. Ever the tightrope act, Nora must decide whether to return to Mercia for her safety or stand with her husband to orchestrate peace.
I read the first installment of this trilogy about a year ago at this point. So, undoubtedly I don’t remember a lot of the finer details. However, with a little patience and trust in the author’s writing I picked most of it right back up. As with NORTH QUEEN, SHADOW QUEEN remains a character-focused narrative. But this book also expands the world-building in such a way that the reader knows there are a lot of factions at play. I think keeping this focused on just a few main characters allows for an easier time absorbing the political maneuvering that occurs.
Although one could categorize this trilogy as fantasy romance, there are plenty of other elements to please fantasy readers. A large portion of the plot revolves around Nora trying to broker trust and peace between Mercia and Karav. She comes from a kingdom where patience and discussion are the main method to decide how to proceed. In Karav, there is discussion, but resulting actions often are violent ones. Her marriage to Mikael allows her to introduce a more peaceful way of affecting change. Of course there is resistance to her methods, but Mikael begins to understand the benefits of patience before acting.
Tension remains between Nora, Mikael, and Alexander, effectively continuing the love triangle. This broaches whether one can have a greater love for one person over the other. The pining is so evident and I loved it. Nora clearly cares deeply for Mikael and will not betray his trust. But Alexander is her childhood love and she cannot so easily disregard that.
I also loved the relationship development between Nora and Soren, the Destroyer. He is just as prickly, quick to anger, and loyal as ever. But, without spoiling it too much, their interactions became a highlight of this book for me. I also appreciated how devoted Mikael is to Nora and his trust in her. However, there were a few moments where I questioned his behavior. I suppose one could chalk it up to Mikael grappling with the very male-dominated culture of his society and changing his ways due to his love for her.
There is also an aspect of their relationship that is very emotional. The inclusion of it (no spoilers) is not something I ever see and I appreciated its presence. However, I would have liked to see more reflection on it by Nora since it is a very sensitive and emotive topic. I truly felt for the both of them. Amongst all of this Nora hopes she can regain her memories. This endeavor broadens the scope of the world-building and mythology of her world.
I fear my review doesn’t do this book justice, but there’s so much about this series that I love in a fantasy book. There’s romance, pining, the danger of war, attempts to influence a prophecy, and all around well-written characters. If you’re looking for an under-the-radar fantasy series, definitely pick up SHADOW QUEEN and its predecessor, NORTH QUEEN. Plus, it’s independently published to boot!
Rating: 4.5
Content warnings: sexual content, infertility
Reading format: Kindle e-book
Alright, you’ve convinced me to pick up this series. It sounds like one I would enjoy quite a bit.