The Shadow Queen

The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine is the first book of her Ravenspire series.

Lorelai Diederich, crown princess and fugitive at large, has one mission: kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and the life of her father.  To do that, Lorelai needs to use the one weapon she and Queen Irina have in common- magic.  She'll have to be stronger, faster, and more powerful than Irina, the most dangerous sorceress Ravenspire has ever seen.

In the neighboring kingdom of Eldr, when Prince Kol's father and older brother are killed by an invading army of magic-wielding orges, the second-born prince is suddenly given the responsibility of saving his kingdom.  To do that, Kol needs magic- and the only way to get it is to make a deal with the queen of Ravenspire, promise to become her personal huntsman... and bring her Lorelai's heart.

But Lorelai is nothing like Kol expected- beautiful, fierce and unstoppable- and despite dark magic, Lorelai is drwan in by the passionate and troubled king.  Fighting to stay one step ahead of the dragon huntsman- who she likes far more than she should- Lorelai does everything in her power to ruin the wicked queen.  But Irina isn't going down without a fight, and her final move may cost the princess the one thing she still has left to lose.

The Breakdown:
1.  I am totally in love with the way Redwine re-imagined Snow White's story in this book.  It may be my new favorite re-imagined fairytale.  The story was fantastic. The characters were amazing.  I hardly wanted to put down this book from beginning to end.

2. Lorelai is a strong, smart, and brave heroine.  I love the way her mind worked, always seeing the outcomes of her plans and choosing the best path.  Plus she is so kind and compassionate.  Several times it would have been easier for her to abandon Kol, or kill him, she instead chose to save him and in turn made him stronger for it.

3. Speaking of Kol, how could you not love him. He is prankster that has been thrust into a role he never thought he would need to fill, but despite that, he works hard to do what is best for his kingdom.  It is adorable that at times he does not even realize what a great leader he is, and how he is already inspiring his people.

4. Oh, and Irina is definitely a villain that I love to hate.  The things she does to gain control of Ravenspire and why she did it makes her the perfect foil for Lorelai.

5. This books was great.  There are some real heart-wrenching moments, and there are some wonderful heart melting moments.  I can't wait to see what happens in the next book, personally hope it has to do with the orges, and who gave them magic.

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