A review by kcvmoundshroud
Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan

2.0

Ugghhh. Okay, my opinion on this book is admittedly cynical and harsh. I VERY rarely read romances. I initially snatched this book up because it was marketed as a retelling of Rapunzel and I LOVE fairy-tale retellings. And, while containing some Rapunzel-esque motifs (a tower, blindness), this book is a romance novel and an EXTREMELY saccharine one at that. The heroine is okay, not stupendous but not completely disastrous. The hero is also mediocre and quite cliche. The setting and world-building is the best part of the book but the actions of the characters make them feel removed from the environment. Even in fantasy literature there must be some logic to the characters’ actions. There isn’t here and it is frustrating. Finally, (and this is just a petty, ultimately unimportant detail) the author chose to name the novel’s capital city Relhok. I’m big on names (and puzzles!) so I instantly realized that Relhok is Kohler spelled backwards. Once I saw it, I couldn’t stop picturing a city filled with faucets and toilets! Really! So, I truly am sorry if I have now ruined the book for you but maybe I’ll spare you the time to read something better.