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    The Shadow Queen
    The Shadow Queen
    The Shadow Queen
    Audiobook11 hours

    The Shadow Queen

    Written by C. J. Redwine

    Narrated by Khristine Hvam

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Lorelai Diederich, crown princess and fugitive at large, has one mission: kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and her father's life. 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 of his own-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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateMay 24, 2016
    ISBN9781515975687
    Author

    C. J. Redwine

    C.J. Redwine is a New York Times bestselling author of speculative fiction, a diehard lover of going to the movies, and a believer in fairytales. She keeps a six-foot tall Loki figure in her office and will argue the merits of Batman vs. Superman with anyone she meets. She once accidentally punched herself in the face on a ride at Disneyland. She doesn’t recommend it.

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    Reviews for The Shadow Queen

    4/5

    216 ratings19 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I loved this book!!! It felt like their was a little of so many of the fairy tales we know and love.The way she incorporated the dragons reminded me of sleeping beauty in a way and I thought really changed up the storyline. I really like that when we skip to nine years later Lorelai's basically Robin Hood with the help of her brother and gaudian. I also really like that story was more about power and not how beautiful snow white was. It made her seem less of a damsel in destress and more her own warrior. I also thought it was great that kol and Lorelai's relationship developed over weeks instead of at first sight. It's makes the story more believable. The magic was my favorite part, the way the waters and trees came to life and the last showdown with Irina. I don't want to give too much away but I really liked it. All in all I thought it was a great book and ended in a really cute way. I found my self smiling at the end when kol and lorlai keep their connection to each other. It was a really cute story and I cannot wait to read the next installment.
    • 4/5
      This was totally action packed and tons of wicked magic spells and horrible ending to people. Real cool. The romance was too much. It's like just get on with it , but the action moved really fast , like a hamster free on the run around a bedroom fast.
    • 5/5
      I love it! The Shadow Queen is a must-read book!Full review to come.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book it had so much action in it. love the romance too
    • 5/5
      This book was AMAZING!!!! It is Snowwhite and the Huntsman done right! And with dragons!!!! I diving into the next one now!
    • 5/5
      THE SHADOWED QUEEN was an excellent fantasy reminiscent of Snow White (but without the dwarfs.) Lorelai fled the palace with her younger brother when her stepmother Irina kills her father and makes a grab for the throne. The are protected by a loyal guard named Gabril and have have spent nine years honing her magical powers and surviving in a land the Irina is draining.King Kolvanismir has come from the neighboring kingdom of Eldr after the death of his father, mother, and older brother at the hands of ogres who are invading the kingdom. He feels that his only choice is to beg for help from the Queen of Ravenspire who has magic that could save his kingdom. Kol and the other people in his kingdom are two-hearted. They have human hearts and dragon hearts and can shift into dragons but they can't defeat the ogres. When Kol and his companions first come to Ravenspire they need to be rescued by Lorelai, her brother, and Gabril when they run into a starving mob who want anything they have. After the rescue, they head on the palace where Kol makes a horrible deal with the queen. He agrees to find Lorelai and bring her to the queen in return for the queen using her magic to return the ogres to their previous prison. Kol doesn't know that the girl who rescued him is the princess the queen wants. When Kol finds Lorelai and realizes that he owes her a debt, he has to fight the compulsion that the queen has laid on him. They come up with a plan to fool the queen. But it fails and the queen takes Kol's human heart and sends him after Lorelai again. This time it is much harder for Lorelai to reach Kol because he has lost his human heart and his dragon is bent on obeying Irina.Kol is still fighting and Lorelai is using all her magic to help him remember his human life. Kol has lost his human voice and can only speak mind-to-mind with Lorelai. The two become very close because they know each other's thoughts. They gradually go from friendship to love. But Lorelai still has to find a way to defeat the queen who will do anything to hold on to the kingdom she stole. This book was wonderfully exciting. It was filled with action. It had a very believable romance. It had a villain whose motives were realistic for her. She felt that she was always unloved and passed over and was determined to get what she felt she deserved no matter the cost. And the villain does pay a great cost when she chooses to kill the only one who has ever really loved her. Fans of fantasy will love this one and be very glad they got to know Lorelai and Kol.
    • 5/5
      I got this book from NetGalley to review. This ended up being a well done fairy tale/fantasy. I enjoyed it a lot.Lorelai Diederich is the crown princess but she is in hiding from the wicked queen who has stolen her father’s throne. The only way for Lorelai to take back the throne and start to repair the Kingdom of Ravenspire is to master her magic and confront the Queen. Meanwhile in the neighboring kingdom of Eldr, Priince Kol is having big problems of his own. His parents and brother are killed by invading ogres and he suddenly finds himself King of Eldr. In a desperate gamble to save Eldr from orge takeover Kol pleads his case to the Queen of Ravenspire. She demands that Kol bring her back the heart of the Crown Princess Lorelai in exchange for aid. However, Kol wasn’t expected to like Lorelai as much as he does and wasn't expecting the Ravenspire Queen to be quite so evil.I enjoyed this book quite a bit, it was predictable but still a very fun read. The characters are fun and easy to engage with; I really enjoyed them all and was surprised at how quickly I came to care for them. I even felt some sympathy for the Wicked Queen.I also really enjoyed the magic throughout. I loved how the Eldr people can transform into dragons and enjoyed the interesting ways in which both Lorelai and the Ravenspire Queen use their magic.This is obviously a retelling of Snow White and, although some things have been changed quite a bit, there are definitely parallels between the two stories.The story wraps up completely. Looking on Goodreads it looks like this may be the beginning of a series, however this book stands alone very nicely. The writing was easy to read and well written.Overall a fun and entertaining fantasy fairy tale retelling. I really enjoyed the characters and the magic throughout. The plot is fairly predictable and I would have liked to see a bit more world-building, but it was still a fun YA fantasy read.
    • 5/5
      I absolutely loved this book to pieces! It was daring, bold, exciting, and full of love and confidence. I absolutely loved Lorelai and Kol, they gave me goosebumps when I read about their communication and romance. All I wanted to do with this book, was become Lorelai Diederich and live her life and experience her love with Kol, her father, mother, brother, Gabril, and others. I absolutely loved this book and I highly suggest that you should read this epic story of Lorelai's quest to reclaim what her life should have been long ago. <3
    • 5/5
      A snow white and seven dwarfs retelling but instead of dwarfs we get dragons. It's a cute and cheesy story but I loved it, I am horrible at writing reviews because I guess I just get to the point if I like, love or hate it.
    • 2/5
      Lorelai is a princess on the run from the evil queen who used her magic to enslave the kingdom and take control over Lorelai’s father. Using her own magic and the help of her younger brother and the man who has helped them survive for years as fugitives, Lorelai plans to defeat Queen Irina. Her challenge increases when Queen Irina makes a deal with Kol, the heir to the throne of a neighboring kingdom called Eldr. Kol needs magic to protect his kingdom against the ogres invading it, so he promises to bring Queen Irina Lorelai’s heart in exchange for the magic he desperately needs. When Kol and Lorelai start to fall in love, they combine forces to take control back over their kingdoms and protect the things they care most about from Irina.

      This book is Snow White retold with classic fantasy elements of a heroine wanting to reclaim her kingdom, getting a group of friends to assist her, and falling in love along the way. Most of the story isn’t well developed and just puts Snow White into those fantasy tropes. The world has some interesting elements like the dragon huntsman, but a lot of it isn’t developed. The use of magic, ogres, and the Russian sounding words aren’t explained so sometimes it feels like the author merged Snow White and the Huntsman with the Grisha trilogy. The characters are also generic. Kol and Lorelai don’t have much chemistry and their dialogue was unoriginal. Magic is rare, but somehow Lorelai has it and more than anyone ever has before. Most of the characters are stereotypical, and the most interesting character dies at the beginning of the book. Some of the ideas are fun and interesting, but it needed more originality to bring readers in.
    • 4/5
      Loved the world building in this book and from what I know although this is a series, they can be read as stand alone novels. Have to say the Queen is an awesome villain in this one. She's nasty as they come but I love how she's portrayed. (The apples!!!)Two things I didn't really like much. Leo. That wasn't cool and what was the point in that? Was it to give Lorelai that special push to finally get her to do something about it? I thought he would have made a great addition to the cast as he was the comic/witty relief. Oh well. Next thing. The romance. Wow. Sappy. Too sweet for my tastes. I would rather have my characters have that nice chemistry and bonding but this just didn't feel right. We knew where it was going but the way it was executed just didn't sit well with the novel. Did Lorelai really need someone though? seriously? she was fine on her own and I liked her personality. Why is it that we need the main character have to have a romance in it? it puts a monkey wrench in quests and distracts from everything. Gets annoying after a while.I did like Kol though, this idea about a shape shifting race of dragons with two hearts was a clever one. Definitely unique from the other books I have read in the fantasy genre. So well done. Loved the plot overall. The magic aspect was good and it stayed true to fairy tale elements and characteristics.
    • 4/5
      This was totally action packed and tons of wicked magic spells and horrible ending to people. Real cool. The romance was too much. It's like just get on with it , but the action moved really fast , like a hamster free on the run around a bedroom fast.
    • 5/5
      For nine years Loreli and her brother have been on the run from their evil stepmother, Queen Irina who killed their father and assumed (stole) the throne of Ravenspire. These nine years, Queen Irina has grown weak, the magic she uses to bewitch the land and the people in it to bend to her will, has taken its toll. In a neighboring kingdom of Eldr, Prince Kol suddenly finds himself King after his family his killed in a ogre attack. Unable to fend off the beasts and fearing the destruction of his kingdom, he takes off for Ravenspire to strike a deal with Queen Irina. The price for her magic is steep, kill the lost Princess Loreli. Both young royals find themselves in a terrible battle of self will and preservation, but can they pool their talents and resources to defeat Queen Irina and restore their respective kingdoms to peace, or will she fare too formidable of a foe? This book absolutely came alive on the pages. Everything from the characters, Ravenspire and surrounding lands, the intense and fierce battles, the devastation and heartbreak - it all just radiated from the pages. Redwine has such a rich and vibrant writing style, I was immediately immersed (addictively so) within the books pages, wresting myself back to reality (begrudgingly) when real life called. Lorelei was fierce, brave, selfless, and strong all things that make an enjoyable heroine. I loved that she was the one who saved Kol, countless times; no damsel in distress here, she definitely kicked ass! The Draconi were fantastically unique, adding another dimension to the plot and Kol as a character which was fun. Now I have to add Draconi to my list of fictional future husbands... *sigh*..... Although seemingly heartless and wicked to the core, I was surprised to find our villainess, Irina, written with glimpse of humanity as well. While I wasn't rooting for her by any stretch of the imagination, I did feel a sense of pity for her throughout most of the book. If only she didn't let her hunger for power consume her, her life could have been so much different. 10000000/10 would recommend this read to any lover of a fairytale retelling. Absolutely enchanting in all the best ways! 
    • 4/5
      This was a retelling of the Snow White fairy tale. There was lots of action and adventure along with dragons and magic spells. I love the strong female protagonist. Snow White ( Lorelie) is no shrinking violet who cleans up after a bunch of messy dwarves. She is a warrior! I enjoyed this re-tooling f the original fairy tale.
    • 4/5
      I love a good retelling of a classic fairy tale, and The Shadow Queen falls into that category.

      Based loosely on the plot of Snow White - no dwarves or glass coffin and the poisoned apples aren't eaten by Snow - but with a lot of magic and some dragons, the story keeps a steady, action-packed place.

      It will pull you in, but be ready to consume a lot of world building - this part was rather dense. Overall, though, I liked the way it was handled, it wasn't dull, and not necessarily info-dump.

      I felt though, that it could have done well with about 50 pages more. :)
    • 5/5
      This has probably been one of my favorite fairy tell retellings I've read lately. The writing style was good and easy to follow, the story line I felt was original and written well, I cared about the characters. Overall very good and I know there's going to be at least one more book and that makes me so, so happy! I would recommend this book. 5 out of 5 stars. Brilliant.
    • 4/5
      Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: A kick-ass retelling of Snow White.Opening Sentence: Nothing had been right in the castle since her mother’s death.The Review:I love retellings but have very high expectations when reading them. To ‘retell’ a classic fairytale that was written and is still adored hundreds of years later is no mean feat. To make such a risky undertaking you have to be pretty confident that your story works. Otherwise, you not only come across as a ‘copycat,’ you also undermine the classic tale, something which seriously bugs me. Luckily, The Shadow Queen passed the test with flying colours! It made enough reference to the original story of Snow White to be classed as a retelling, but added its own original twist so that it wasn’t just a story based on Snow White, it was so much more.The evil queen, Irina, was a brilliant villain. She was ruthless, power-hungry and had the sad sob-story to justify her evil intentions. The ultimate psycho queen who actually became crueler as the story progressed.I’m glad we’re friends. Her tone was serious, her smile shy. I am too. He watched her turn back toward the tent and let the warmth of their friendship push against the whispers that wanted him to destroy her.The Shadow Queen had me on the edge of my seat with all the drama and suspense. As soon as I thought ‘they’re safe now,’ Irina would strike and either the trees would start attacking Lorelai and her allies, or statues would come to life to try and stomp them to death; there was always something to keep the action going!The romance was adorable and I’ve yet to read a funnier first meeting between the two! That first scene when Kol meets Lorelai was hilarious and is stamped in my memory.Hastily, Lorelai swept into an elegant curtsy – no small feat considering her current attire – and said the first thing that popped into her head.“You look most fetching today, my lord.”The large Eldrian boy snorted. Kol’s eyes widened, and his smile froze. And Leo – curse his miserable hide- made the strangled choking noise that meant he was trying desperately not to laugh.“Oh no.” Lorelai pulled her hand from Kol’s, her skin prickling with heat from absolute humiliation. Maybe if she prayed hard enough, the forest floor would open up and swallow her. If there was any justice in the world, it would swallow Leo too.The phrase ‘one-true-pairing’ comes to mind when I think of the two. Despite the magic coursing through King Kol’s dragon heart, he refuses to submit and kill Lorelai time and time again. Subsequently, her magic heals him and if that’s not swoon-worthy enough for you, then can I add that Kol can turn into a fierce, gorgeous dragon at will and has two hearts?! It doesn’t get better than that.“Oh, skies, you’re in love with him.” Trugg shook dust off his shoulders. “Unbelievable. The boy is trapped with his dragon heart, unable to speak, and is determined to kill you, and still he manages to turn on the charm. Well he’s Eldr’s, so don’t go getting any mardushka ideas about him.”Lorelai is a true warrior queen because even though almost her entire family has been murdered by Irina, she finds the strength to move forward and continue with her plan to overthrow Irina and take pack her crown. Her un-courtly ways were entertaining, especially when Gabril and Leo try to teach her court manners. Best of all is that she’s super kick-ass and has a fricking gyrfalcon as a pet!“Courtly conversation is tedious. I have better things to do.”“Better things than convincing our nobility that you can lead a kingdom, maintain its allies, secure new ones, and interact with royalty without bringing shame upon the kingdom of Ravenspire?”“I was kind of hoping vanquishing Irina would take care of all that.”Overall, I really enjoyed this read and hope you will give it a try because I can’t recommend it enough!Notable Scene:“Wrong.” He held her gaze, his eyes fierce. “Bloodlines and birthrights don’t make someone worth following. Neither does the appearance of power. I follow you because you have the courage of a true warrior.”“I don’t feel courageous.” She turned toward the west. “I just see what needs to be done, and there’s no one else to do it. No one else who can fight Irina with the weapon she’s used to destroy Ravenspire. It has to be me. That doesn’t make me a warrior. That just makes me the best tool for a necessary job."FTC Advisory: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins provided me with a copy of The Shadow Queen. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
    • 3/5
      Snow White is one of my favorite stories, so I was excited to read THE SHADOW QUEEN. Unfortunately although I liked the story, it didn't blow me away and I didn't find myself yearning to read more. To tell the truth, the story didn't stick with me at all after I was done reading. I had to go back and read a recap of the book to jog my memory just to write this review.Lorelei wants to free her people from the queen that killed her father and stole her throne. She has lost a lot and she is ready to take her throne back. I thought Lorelei was pretty fierce in her mission to kill the evil queen and I had no trouble rooting for her. Kol is now king and he feels the only way to save his kingdom is to enlist the help of the queen of Ravenspire. Little does he know that he will meet the true queen on his journey and have to fight for his life while helping her to get her throne back. Both Lorelai and Kol had some major struggles and I thought they worked in the best way they could to overcome them. Although I could see a bit of a romantic spark their romance didn't jump off the page or make me think they were destined for each other.The pace was extremely slow at times and things tended to drag a bit in THE SHADOW QUEEN, but I thought the world building was really well done and the supporting characters were well written. I didn't love THE SHADOW QUEEN, but I didn't hate it either. It just was.* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
    • 4/5
      I wanted too read.this one because I read her other series and liked the synopsis of this one. The once upon a time backstory was nice in some ways but it was also a lot of information all at once.Source: Harper Teen via EdelweissDisclaimer: I received this book as an ARC (advanced review copy). I am not paid for this review, and my opinions in this review are mine, and are not effected by the book being free. Once it got into the perspectives from Lorelei and Kol, I started to get into it more. Lorelei is a princess in hiding from her stepmom the evil queen. They both use magic but the queen uses hers for evil, and Lorelei tries to get the crown back, to get food for her people and free them from irina's evil influence. Kol was the price of his kingdom but his parents and brother pass away unexpectedly and he becomes king. His people are at war.when ogres and even though they shift into dragons, they are still at a disadvantage, so he sets out to make an alliance with irina, not realizing her character. But fate puts Kol in debt to Lorelei for saving his life and neither realize how connected their paths would be. Lorelei is strong, knows how to fight, has a great mind and a heart in the right place. She travels with and is very close to her brother and a soldier who was loyal to their father and snuck them out on the night a young Lorelai used her magic against the queen and made her on the run and nation's most wanted. Both lorelai and Kol were both very honorable they wanted the best for their lands and they weren't willing to really sacrifice their morality to get it. they found ways to have the land help them without casualties but to get the Queen Irina's attention and even when Kol was turned against Lorelei he used every fiber of his being not to hurt her even though he was sent by the Queen to hunt the princess. He fought irinas magic even though it caused him a great deal of physical pain.Bottom Line: Enjoyed the character and the romance.