Book Review: The Curse of the Shadow God
- Series: Background of Wicked kingdom
- Author: Abbey Fox
- 370 pages, Kindle Edition
- Published March 17, 2023
Arranged marriage and enemies-to-lovers tropes
“The Curse of the Shadow God” is a prequel to the Wicked Kingdom series by Abbey Fox. The book is about a girl who is the second daughter in a family with a cursed bloodline. The debt to the Shadow God can only be repaid if he makes Violet’s child or himself serve as an emissary forever.
Torn from her family as a child to be trained in the Kingdom’s army, Violet is bound to obey the laws. One of these states that anyone who possesses magic must be matched with a mate chosen by the Crown to produce an heir. The Crown must preserve magic in the bloodlines. Knowing that the Shadow God has tightened the noose around her neck, Violet cannot afford to love and have a child. She has closed her heart to love because she could not bear the loss. That’s why Violet flees the night after her wedding to her chosen one, Gavin. But things aren’t easy when the Iron Crown is hot on your heels and the Shadow God wants the soul that belongs to him.
I came across this book by chance.
It turned out to be an entertaining read. The story is set in a Kingdom where children with magical abilities are taken into the service of the Iron Crown. There are a lot of magical elements and creatures in the plot, which adds to the charm of the story. Abbey Fox definitely has talent and imagination. She has managed to create an intriguing world full of curses, tangled family ties and mysteries that you are dying to unravel. I was definitely interested in learning about the God of Shadows and would have liked him to play a bigger role in the story.
The plot is fast-paced, but given the scope of the book, it couldn’t be otherwise. The twists and turns aren’t mind-blowing, but there are enough exciting moments to keep you interested while reading. The characters experience a few surprises along the way and there is no shortage of surprises.
The characters that Abbey Fox creates are very different. Gavin has the gift of healing with magic. He is aristocratic, gallant and considerate. Gavin is honorable and never refuses help to those in need. Violet was born into a family of fishermen. She was separated from her relatives at a young age and never knew the comforts of home. She is impetuous, impulsive and dangerous. They are the two poles of a magnet that attract each other.
Rating of Curse of the Shadow God
Abbey Fox managed to surprise me with the twist in the story. I definitely find potential in the world she has built. I did miss the tension between the two characters a little. Maybe I should have taken it slower with their “happy ending”. But as I said, the book isn’t unwieldy and a lot happened in those modest 370 pages. In terms of pacing, I would describe it as similar to Holly Black’s The Folk of Air books. I plan to give the other two books in the series a chance. The rating I’ve given the book is 3 stars, but I’m sold on the author.
A sorceress who cannot have the arranged marriage she wants faces undying emissaries laying claim to her future child.
Violet Elder escapes her wedding night and sets out to find the family she was stolen from as a child. But the Society of Crows is already hunting her, and every moment she spends in the Kingdom is one moment closer to death.
When Gavin Luna catches her in the City of Scoria, undeniable chemistry blurs the line between friend and foe. He’s her enemy, and after being betrayed by everyone she considers a friend, how can she let down her guard to trust him of all people?
But with the Society of Crows on their feet and the Emissaries chasing their every move, they are forced to form an unlikely alliance to escape the kingdom and avoid the fate that binds her to the wicked god of shadows.
Fans of CN Crawford, Sarah J Maas, and Jennifer Armentrout are sure to devour The Curse of the Shadow God by Abbey Fox.
