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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
Ruby Dixon is a favorite author of mine. That being said, I was really excited to read something completely different from her. What I mean by completely different is that this book is a behemoth, it is not fast paced, the main characters take more time to fall in love, the premise is kind of depressing (seven years locked in a tower?); do I need to go on? I'm used to quite the opposite from her. And what can I say? I fell in love. It proves to me that Ruby can write just about anything and I will probably find value in her musings.
From the very first pages I was invested in Candra, even though she was a spoiled brat. But she was a spoiled brat who progressed in the best way. She grew and matured in the ways that she needed to become the best version of herself, but somehow stayed true to her true being; i.e. she was still a spoiled brat and totally shameless, but not vapid and selfish in a heartless way.
I fell in love with Nemeth as soon as his green eyes made an appearance. To read about the upbringings of these deemed 'non-valuable' royal offspring and how they coped was pretty heartbreaking, but to see how they turned their lives around into something beautiful was really satisfying. The progression of the plot was surprising and kept me on my toes throughout.
PS Check your TW before reading this book. There are a few.
Oh, and the tropes! Let me count the ways.
Curvy FMC
Scholarly, Virgin MMC
Grumpy x Sunshine
Enemies to Friends to Lovers
He Falls First
Forced Proximity
Touch Her and Die
Monster x Human
KNOTS
Alas, I would be remiss to not mention the knot. I was not into knots (hah) previously but uh, Ruby, you done did it. Knots. They're a thing. I'm into them. Knots. HOT.
Ruby is a mastermind and I cannot wait for whatever comes next. Five glorious, knotty stars!
Many thanks to NetGalley, Edelweiss, Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group, and Ruby Dixon for giving me the opportunity to read this most special book in eARC format for my honest opinion.
From the very first pages I was invested in Candra, even though she was a spoiled brat. But she was a spoiled brat who progressed in the best way. She grew and matured in the ways that she needed to become the best version of herself, but somehow stayed true to her true being; i.e. she was still a spoiled brat and totally shameless, but not vapid and selfish in a heartless way.
I fell in love with Nemeth as soon as his green eyes made an appearance. To read about the upbringings of these deemed 'non-valuable' royal offspring and how they coped was pretty heartbreaking, but to see how they turned their lives around into something beautiful was really satisfying. The progression of the plot was surprising and kept me on my toes throughout.
PS Check your TW before reading this book. There are a few.
Oh, and the tropes! Let me count the ways.
Curvy FMC
Scholarly, Virgin MMC
Grumpy x Sunshine
Enemies to Friends to Lovers
He Falls First
Forced Proximity
Touch Her and Die
Monster x Human
KNOTS
Alas, I would be remiss to not mention the knot. I was not into knots (hah) previously but uh, Ruby, you done did it. Knots. They're a thing. I'm into them. Knots. HOT.
Ruby is a mastermind and I cannot wait for whatever comes next. Five glorious, knotty stars!
Many thanks to NetGalley, Edelweiss, Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group, and Ruby Dixon for giving me the opportunity to read this most special book in eARC format for my honest opinion.
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Slavery, Terminal illness, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, War
Moderate: Animal death, Sexism, Sexual assault, Vomit, Death of parent
Minor: Child death, Infertility, Rape, Sexual violence, Medical content, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
i was enjoying this up until maybe the midway mark?
i got so frustrated and it just seemed to drag on (this is a looong book)
Spoiler
(whenever they left the tower)i got so frustrated and it just seemed to drag on (this is a looong book)
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Looking at other reviews, it is clear to see that not all books will be appreciated by all readers and goes to show that there is truly something out there for every reader.
Bound to the Shadow Prince comes from the active mind of the author that brought us the delightful Ice Planet Barbarians and I can flat out claim that I LOVED this read. I am newish to the Romantasy genre and felt this truly was a great example of the genre.
Candra and Nemeth are two tributes from their respective royal/noble families that are bound by duty to be imprisoned in a tower for 7 years in order to keep the Goddess appeased. They instantly dislike each other and go out of their way to stay away from each other. Until, Candra falls ill. A friendship forms that quickly becomes more.
When they are forced to leave the tower together, they must face the ravages and heart ache of war between their people. They worry the Goddess is very displeased that they have left the tower, but soon find out the real cause of the Goddess's wrath. Together they must face everything that can break them apart.
The only reason this was not a 5 star for me was because of the pace. Some sections in the book were a bit slower with not much to really keep me pulled in. This was really more of 4.5 star read for me.
This enemies-to-lovers with forced proximity was enjoyably spicy, and I would expect nothing less from the Queen Ruby Dixon.
Bound to the Shadow Prince comes from the active mind of the author that brought us the delightful Ice Planet Barbarians and I can flat out claim that I LOVED this read. I am newish to the Romantasy genre and felt this truly was a great example of the genre.
Candra and Nemeth are two tributes from their respective royal/noble families that are bound by duty to be imprisoned in a tower for 7 years in order to keep the Goddess appeased. They instantly dislike each other and go out of their way to stay away from each other. Until, Candra falls ill. A friendship forms that quickly becomes more.
When they are forced to leave the tower together, they must face the ravages and heart ache of war between their people. They worry the Goddess is very displeased that they have left the tower, but soon find out the real cause of the Goddess's wrath. Together they must face everything that can break them apart.
The only reason this was not a 5 star for me was because of the pace. Some sections in the book were a bit slower with not much to really keep me pulled in. This was really more of 4.5 star read for me.
This enemies-to-lovers with forced proximity was enjoyably spicy, and I would expect nothing less from the Queen Ruby Dixon.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I usually read Dixon on KU via my Kindle app, so maybe part of my distaste can be attributed to reading this physically. The bad writing was just so much more egregious when you're holding a 600-page book.
Almost nothing about this worked for me. Both characters were insufferable, especially Candra, and they weren't good with each other--or, often, to each other. The worldbuilding and setup had initial promise, but both were squandered almost immediately. The book was far too long, and I hated that Candra ended up pregnant despite being introduced as an infertile character.
Unfortunately, this was the catalyst for my romance- and romantasy-hater era.
Almost nothing about this worked for me. Both characters were insufferable, especially Candra, and they weren't good with each other--or, often, to each other. The worldbuilding and setup had initial promise, but both were squandered almost immediately. The book was far too long, and I hated that Candra ended up pregnant despite being introduced as an infertile character.
Unfortunately, this was the catalyst for my romance- and romantasy-hater era.
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes