A review by jinxei
Of Mist and Shadow by Jenna Wolfhart

4.0

A captivating introduction to The Mist King series, Of Mist and Shadow introduces us to Tessa, a strong willed and defiant woman who is working against the notoriously brutal King Oberon by stealing his gemstones. After catching her in the act, and having punished her father for treason with beheading years prior, Tessa fears her punishment only to be let free. This act is not out of kindness, and instead she is chosen to be his bride, a fate worse than death. She knows she must escape, but is fleeing into the protection of her gemstone contact better than staying with King Oberon?

+ Hidden Identities
+ Enemies to Lovers
+ Dual POV
+ Who Hurt You?
+ One Bed
+ Found Family

I am absolutely invested in this series. I was hooked with the tropes alone, but the found family aspect when it's the people you believe to be your enemies? Doubting everything you have ever been told? Coming to love your enemy? It was perfection. Knowing that this is a series, and a lengthy one at that, I am grateful for a slowburn as it gives the dynamic between the main characters time to build. The world building was fantastic, and gave me a lot of questions about the neighboring lands which lends to more in a series, and I will (almost) never say no to more stories.

The only thing I didn't liked was the miscommunication trope. I know that it adds to the drama and the continuation of the plot, but it hurts me to my core. Tessa is quite naive, so she gets a kinda pass, but not entirely.

Another complaint, how can you just leave it off on that cliffhanger!? I was already invested! I was going to keep reading!

Thank you to Jenna Wolfhart for the ARC!