BOOK REVIEW | The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller

'They never found the body of the first and only boy who broke my heart. And they never will.'

Our protagonist Alessandra's heart was broken by her first love and since then has turned cold when it comes to love; seducing lovers who give her expensive things and using them for her own needs until she discards them when she no longer has a use for them. Eventually she tires of this same routine and comes up with a new plan. When her farther comes to inform her that her sister has had no luck of winning the affections of the Shadow King, Alessandra see's this as an opportunity to acquire all that she desires; power. She will win the King's heart, make him fall hopelessly in love with her, marry him, become queen and and then kill the king; taking the kingdom for herself. But theres a catch, it is the law that you cannot be within 5 feet of the King and his shadows. Alessandra must find a way past this to win his heart and take the kingdom. 

I ultimately enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down. It was a super easy read and I actually read it within a day. The plot was super interesting and I was always wondering where the story would go. The reason it was a three star for me was simply because I struggled to really like or empathise with the main characters. They are very selfish and there is also a lot of classism and dislike towards the poor in this book which kind of took away my enjoyment at times as I had issues with it. It's not the most action packed book but the romance aspect was really fun and I really liked it overall! 

Rating: ★ ★ ★ 

Thank you for reading, 

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

Alessandra is tired of being overlooked, but she has a plan to gain power:

1) Woo the Shadow King.
2) Marry him.
3) Kill him and take his kingdom for herself.

No one knows the extent of the freshly crowned Shadow King’s power. Some say he can command the shadows that swirl around him to do his bidding. Others say they speak to him, whispering the thoughts of his enemies. Regardless, Alessandra knows what she deserves, and she’s going to do everything within her power to get it.

But Alessandra’s not the only one trying to kill the king. As attempts on his life are made, she finds herself trying to keep him alive long enough for him to make her his queen—all while struggling not to lose her heart. After all, who better for a Shadow King than a cunning, villainous queen?