Faraine, the eldest daughter of King Larongar Cyhorn of Gavaria, is being retrieved from a convent by her handsome and arrogant brother, Theodre, so that she may assist in swaying her younger, more beautiful and rebellious sister to be married to Vor, the Shadow King of Mythanar. Theodre and Faraine's carriage is beset upon by Licornyn Riders, vicious Fae who ride deadly unicorns that shoot flame from their poisonous horns. Stepping in to help is Vor, the Shadow King, and his royal procession, headed to Gavaria to meet his bride. Sparks immediately fly between Vor, with his pale blue skin, white hair, and painfully beautiful visage, and Faraine, with her enigmatic eyes, one blue and one golden. However, despite their immediate chemistry, King Larongar's favorite daughter, Ilsevel, is the one slated to marry Vor, and if Mythanar is to hold him to his promise of sending the mages, only his treasured daughter will do.
Each of Cyhorn's children were blessed with a gods-gift: Theodre with beauty; Faraine with empathy, but also the ability to calm and sway; Ilsevel with music and voice and so on. Hence the need for Faraine to convince Ilsevel to marry Vor, which she is able to do much more easily having just met the charming and handsome king. However, Faraine finds herself smitten with Vor, despite her commitment to her country, while Vor can't get the quiet beauty with the different colored eyes out of his head.
Ilsevel is so distressed about having to marry that she asks Faraine to attend the veiled heartfasting ceremony in her stead, because well, royals do it all the time when they can't attend a ceremony. You can see where this is going, right? No you can't - a terrible tragedy happens while Ilsevel and younger sister Aurae are on Ilsie's Maiden's Voyage, a pilgrimage young brides take on their way to their new homeland, and lo and behold, there's only Faraine left to marry Vor. Great, right? Well, trolde are a type of Fae and the written word is a lifelong contract, so King Larongar utilizes an old law called the Law of Appellative Benefaction, whereby one child can assume another's name and status and become that person. This keeps the contract fulfilled, as long as the marriage can be consummated before Vor discovers the truth. This is the last thing Faraine wants, but no one wants to listen to her and she is forced to undergo magic spells to transform her face into that of Ilsevel. What a way to start off a marriage!
Meanwhile, poor Vor has fallen for Faraine, but he is duty-bound to his country to marry Ilsevel, for the good of Mythanar, so he must put Faraine out of his head before the marriage. Otherwise, how could he be bound to her for life?
The marriage stuff is only a small portion of Vor's woes. Vor is half-human/half-trolde since his mother was human. However, since his father died and Vor assumed the crown, there have been rumblings among some members of the court who would prefer to see Sul, Vor's younger half-brother, on the throne. Sul is, after all, full-blooded trolde. Then there is the problem of the raog poison, a green gas that is coming from below Mythanar that infects by turning its victims violent, insane, and suicidal. Most recently, the village right outside of Mythanar was affected when Vor was meeting his soon-to-be-bride "Ilsevel" AKA Faraine and her chaperone, Lyria, her half-sister at the Between Gates on the way to Mythanar for the wedding ceremony. Let's just say their arrival didn't go smoothly, only emphasizing even more to Vor and the troldefolk how much they need this alliance to work.
Ancient rituals and ceremonies are performed and then a lot happens. Betrayals, a poisoning, a magical showdown, and even an executioner's blade all play a part, leaving this book on a delicious cliffhanger with the fates of both Gavaria and Mythanar hanging in the balance, not to mention Faraine's precarious position. It's the worst case of "Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love with girl. Boy has to marry girl's sister for the good of his kingdom, but then gets to marry the right girl after all, but he doesn't realize it until later and feels betrayed," I've seen in quite some time.
Okay, so full disclosure, I am typically not a fan of romance novels, that is to say, those types of books I'll delicately refer to as "bodice rippers." I love a good story and I love a good fantasy novel. Lately, I've found several romantasy books in my pile of To Be Read and I've enjoyed them more often than not. However, I don't love a book that takes 7-10 pages to describe a love scene/sex scene in every excruciating detail. I don't typically love "spicy" books because I feel like a solid story can unfold without the crutch of long and explicit sex scenes. I get that they are popular, but I appreciate a book that can tell a fantastic story without relying on smut. Bride of the Shadow King is a sterling example of excellent writing, and a beautiful romance novel at that, without using sex scenes to fill the gap. It was well after the halfway mark of this book before we got a love scene and it was beautifully and tastefully done. I loved the slowly-building relationship between Vor and Faraine and thoroughly enjoyed this book in its entirety. It might sound like it's filled with tropes, but I found it unique. I've only touched on a few things to leave a bit of mystery for the reader, but there are other relationships to explore, fascinating characters in both Mythanar and Gavaria, and something very strange brewing deep under Mythanar. I can't wait to read the next book!
