The Shadow Queen by CJ Redwine

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 ogres, 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 drawn 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.

Goodreads Summary

Lorelai represents Snow White, but not how a reader might think.  She is intelligent, quick-witted, and doesn't depend on a prince to save her.  The reader meets her with her brother, Leo, and Gabril, their savior.  The reader will come to love these characters very quickly just as I did. Leo has a fun and spunky personality and Gabril is warm, comforting, and safe.  The backstory to this latest Snow White story is fascinating and very innovative.  Lorelai must remove her depraved aunt from her rightful throne to help Ravenspire.  

Lorelai's character was perfect and easy to relate to.  I thought it was a nice touch that she wasn't good at court fripperies. The introduction of Kol as a love interest from a neighboring kingdom as well as the ability to transform into a dragon at a moment's notice was a nice touch.  I really enjoyed that the author didn't let Kol overshadow Lorelai even when certain chapters focused more on him than on her.  The descriptions in the book made it easy to paint the scenery and setting in my head and the dialogue was exactly right for each situation in the book from light-hearted to intense.  Overall, this is a great read for young adult/teen readers.

4 Stars

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