Reign of Shadows (Reign of Shadows Series #1)

What a amazing book!!!!!

I tried to finish this book. I really did. I made it more than half through, but I can't. I just can't. Not good character development and author kept jumping between the two main characters. Glad I only paid 1.99 for this

I loved this book because it just struck me as so unique and genuinely likeable. I liked both Fowler and Luna as characters although I felt that Fowler demonstrated himself to be a bit more complex and rational than Luna. But given how Luna grew up, I guess I can understand that. It was a great story, fast-paced with a killer cliffhanger at the end. I am so ready to read the sequel already! Fowler was my favorite character. He us an odd mix of a rational, unfeeling person who has to do what he has to do in order to survive and someone who at the same time feels everything personal to him on a deep level. Luna was pretty immature I thought, but again, cut her some slack. She was basically raised in isolation. Overall, I loved her will, her fire and anger at being looked at as weak, and her interesting...trait...that I will not say jusy because I think it is always better when you find out reading the story. Luna and Fowler arw both lovable. The story itself was full of danger, violence, hope, and bravery that made me tear through the story in record time. Read this!!

I had no clue what this book was about when I went into it. However, once I started, I got some major Rapunzel vibes. Only this was no Rapunzel story - its' dark, twisty, and super creepy. I did love this kind of odd and unique take on a fairytale world. Usually a world that is set in a fairytale land is full of happy birds chirps, rainbows, and green, lush forests. Instead, this land was set in this darkened world full of cannibal-like dwellers, giant beasties in the form of massive bats, a land only allowed a few minutes of partial light, and more. I was so intrigued, and I give Jordan so much props for creating a haunting, unique world. With this lush world, I wanted more of a lush, dark writing. I think Jordan was definitely going for that, and personally, at times, it felt like it was trying way too hard. Some of the descriptions felt way too forced and I was just like, oh dear, that does not sound right. It really broke up the flow for me. When Jordan wasn't describing, though, it was great, and her truly great writing abilities shown. One of the other issues I had was with our two leads. I wasn't aware going into the novel about Luna's *somewhat spoiler: blindness*. I was super excited to discover this, since there are so few books with leads with this. For the most part, I thought that Jordan did a good job with representing. Then I felt that there became a few issues with her representation. It felt like Luna was far too...well, she was suffering from special girl syndrome. She could understand and guess at just about anything and anyone that walked her way - she knew how far away they were, who it was exactly (and guessing what kind of physique they were), she knew how to get up and down a tree after never doing it before. And she could quietly follow people behind for exceedingly long periods of time without them knowing? It felt like everything was far too easy for her, and at the end, *SPOILER: she decided to go off on her own in a forest she had never been in before with the evil dwellers and some kind of wolf friend? And then she just happened to know Fowler was crashing through??* Then I had the issue with Fowler. I didn't feel much of anything from him. I really didn't like him, and he was all angsty all the time. I wasn't feeling him at all. He just felt like a shell of the broody, antihero I was supposed to fall in love with, but I felt nothing for him, his backstory, or his characterization. Then we have the instalove. I'm not going to lie, sometimes I find that I do enjoy instalove. If it's well done, I can totally forgive it. However, this was one of the cases that the instalove super bothered me. In most of the interactions between Luna and Fowler, Fowler was rude and jerky to her. Then they're pushed together in the situation and next thing I know, they're totally swooning over reach other in the most cliche and predictable ways. I totally might have snapchatted my friend a lot of their interactions with captions such as, "what am I reading now???" I didn't like Fowler let alone like him with Luna, and in the back part of the story, it seemed like it was just focusing on them. The plot did have a few surprises, but in the end, it was super predictable and I could pinpoint quite a few things that were going to happen. The world building also confused me at times. I wanted to know more about the eclipse and what happened before with it but we only got vague mentions. While I thought the dwellers were cool.

Reign of Shadows has quite a different feeling than I would expect from a fantasy retelling. It starts off like Rapunzel, then there is a bit of zombie horror, and surviving to find the elusive colony free of the creatures, against a backdrop of adventure, a sprinkling of Snow White and some slow burn romance. Luna was born when a great eclipse befell the world - plunging it into a so-far 17 year darkness, leaving an eternal night broken only by an hour of haze (which I expect is around noon). In a world full of darkness, other things evolve, darker things, dangerous things such as the dwellers who are some sort of zombie-ish creatures that can attack, eat and infect people. Luna has been cooped up in her tower since the night she was taken from the palace by her two caretakers, but she longs for the Outside, despite the dangers. When Fowler comes across the vicinity of the tower, she helps him out at a crucial moment. However, soon she has to leave, and along with him move towards the promised safe land, Allu, which is said to be free of dwellers. Luna has been hiding a secret - she is the princess and is being hunted by the current King, the high chancellor who usurped the power on the night of the eclipse. Fowler is also on the run from the capital, for his own reasons, which I kinda predicted but lets leave that under spoiler cut now, shall we? So, while he is trying not to feel (conceal, don't feel, don't let her knoooow) anything for her because of baggage in his past, she is also learning about the world and the dangers it carries, especially to her. She is pretty special, and brave despite her shortcomings, and survives in a world that would kill a regular person. He, too, recognizes this in her, but as he falls in love with her, he also starts to grow protective towards her. Their dynamic starts with an unwilling partnership, and then mistrust from her over him leaving her in the lurch, then lots of sexual tension and finally the moment that the book ends on - a devastating abrupt cliffhanger. Honestly, I was a bit outraged at that! Thank goodness this is a series, because I am so excited for what comes next. There is the Oracle, and why Luna is so special; she definitely is tied to the eclipse. As for tone of the book, it is definitely more dystopian than fantasy, and I loved the addition of that the different creatures. I was still a bit confused how a world can thrive without the sun - a constant eclipse would mean things would cool down significantly, right? Not to mention most vegetation would die off pretty soon; them lasting for over a decade seemed to stretch it a bit, but I think this may be more of a magical eclipse than a literal one. Nevertheless, this book had me hooked, and devouring the words - the writing is exquisite, especially in Luna's POV, which is distinct because of her. Definitely recommended read.

What I love most about Reign of Shadows is its ability to bring me back to my favourite book worlds, namely Inkspell by Cornelia Funke. It has this dark fairytale re-telling but Jordan introduces enough elements for it to be classified as original fantasy. The POV alternates between Luna and Fowler and this transition is smooth. I didn’t feel like I was being thrown into the mind of another character after just getting used to the former. I instantly liked Luna, and it was great going on this adventure with her and watching her grow as an individual. World-building is usually my favourite part of a novel and I’m happy it’s the case here. Luna has lived in a tower all her life and has little experience of the ‘Outside’ world, beyond the Black Woods. Her world is defined as Outside and Inside. Like Luna, the world starts out small for the reader and as she experiences Outside, the same can be said for the reader. This is an intriguing aspect to consider because like Luna, the reader knows there’s more to Jordan’s world than the Black Woods, but no limit has been set. I also loved the idea of a world shaped by darkness, with only an hour of midlight. There are bats four feet wide, huge eels, and my favourite, dark dwellers – creatures that live in the earth and feed on anything in their path. I love the idea of things you can only imagine becoming real. Jordan places an emphasis on character development, mostly focusing on Luna and Fowler. This one-on-one interaction is great for the reader, who gets to know both characters while the two get to know each other. I found Luna shared more to the reader than Fowler, but I liked trying to figure out Fowler’s past. There’s a lot of romance and while I did enjoy it, I found it moved too fast in the beginning; it was almost cheesy. Life-and-death situations do bring people closer, but at the end of the day Luna and Fowler are still strangers. It was more believable near the end. I loved the plot up until the end when the book ended on a cliffhanger. This ended up confusing me and my interpretation of the plot. At the beginning the main characters set out to find Allu, a mythical land free of dwellers. Analyzing it a bit more, you could also say Luna’s goal is to not live in the tower the rest of her life (which is accomplished). I haven’t seen this advertised as a series, but even if there’s a sequel in the works I personally feel book #1 should always have some sort of conclusion. It’s fine to include that possibility of more, but I don’t believe there should be a huge cliffhanger. As weird as it sounds I still enjoyed the adventure, even with my confusion of the plot. Jordan’s writing has good flow and she’s at the stage where she’s in-tune with her writing. Jordan knows what words to choose and creates an almost poetic element to the book. Even with the plot confusion, Jordan has gained a new reader and I’m 100% certain I’ll read a sequel. I recommend Reign of Shadows for fans of Cornelia Funke and Stacey Jay.

I absolutely loved Luna and her stubborn, strong personality. At times, she seemed so delicate. Then her inner lion would come out. She was great. Fowler has this rough and tough exterior, but he was also lonely I think. In this world, it's scary to get too close to someone. They have lost so much. There are dangerous creatures, dangerous people, and a dangerous king. The setting and mood for this story was so well put together and unique. I feel very invested in these characters. I can't wait until the next book!

I really liked the premise of the book. I’ve always been fascinated with the idea that night overcomes the day and casts the world into shadow. I liked the idea that it unleashes a new darkness, creatures who thrive on the dark and cause more fear than the dark ever could. I imagine that if darkness were ever to overcome the day, people would long for the sunlight and the hope of a brighter future. I also think some people will thrive in the darkness and this book also shows that. It shows the hope of some people and the power others found in it. I think if it weren’t for the dark dwellers, the full scope of humanity’s darkness (and light) would’ve been out for display. The novel was written in a way that drives readers through the narrative and maintains their attention. Although it seems like a lot doesn’t occur in the beginning of the novel, it didn’t feel boring or like there needed to be more action in the text. It keeps you entertained and invested in the characters, which I really enjoyed. I was glad to find a novel that didn’t drag on, but rather kept me interested. Now, a common complaint against YA books is the “insta-love” that has begun to run rampant through the genre. However, I think what constitutes love is often misunderstood as attraction or even a crush. I think for this novel, there isn’t the prevalent us of the word “love” but rather the idea that there is attraction between the two main characters. It sort of lends itself to being something more than “insta-love” but rather the start of a relationship which could lead to love. I feel that this novel falls under that “insta-attraction” rather than the “insta-love” title. I really liked Luna. She didn’t want to be dependent on anyone and she wanted to stand on her own two feet throughout the beginning of the novel. Her independence often overshadows the fact that she is blind. She knows she can handle herself, even though one of her senses doesn’t exist. She wants to be her own person, and I think a lot of the people in the text didn’t believe she could last on her own — be independent and survive without other people holding her hand. I also liked that the fact that she was blind wasn’t a big deal in the synopsis, because I think it overplaying it sort of cheapens how awesome it is that she is a strong female character that is blind. Fowler sort of fell into the a-typical hero figure with a few interesting changes. He isn’t the selfless hero and devotes his life to ensuring that everyone around him survives. He is selfish. In fact, much of the story is driven by the fact that he would rather journey on his own and leave everyone else to suffer behind him. It’s clear that it used to bother him, leaving behind people and allowing them to suffer because he can’t be bothered to allow them to journey with him. He has his eyes on one goal and it is enough to drive everyone from him. He has hope, even when he pretends that he doesn’t. He hopes for the sun to shine and to bring new light to the world around him. He hopes that he will find a place that can bring him peace. He hopes for a great many things, and you can’t help hoping with him. Overall, this novel is wonderful. It is a quick read, given the pacing and the writing. It draws you in from the beginning and I liked that about this book. It does sometimes fall into some stereotypical behavior, so don’t go into it expecting a groundbreaking read. It is definitely a good read though.

I really liked the premise of this and was quite eager to read it. Love love loved Luna and Fowler. They're both strong and compliment each other so well. They both have secrets and it's interesting seeing the decisions because of them. Reading their relationship develop in the crazy world they're in was captivating. There are a lot of interesting components to the story. While it didn't feel like we got the full background to the world building or what was happening, it is definitely an excellent start for a series. And yes, the ending is wicked. I can't wait to get book 2 in my greedy hands. **Huge thanks to Harper Teen and Edelweiss for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review**

(Original full review at rayanndunnell.blogspot.com) Favorite things: 1. The main female character, Luna. She is a strong and capable, taking things that would probably be seen as a handicap and using them to her advantage in this world. She wants to get out, wants to have something to show for the life that she's living, instead of hiding away, and she makes it happen. There are consequences and sacrifices that she has to make but she faces them bravely and with hope. 2. The world. I said that I loved the premise of the novel and that is absolutely true. The darkness and the dwellers, as well as the array of strange transformations that the world has undergone during the eclipse was so interesting and strange (one of my favorite words to apply to a book - we like strange here). And Jordan did not skirt on the gore or dark parts of the story. The likelihood of death is a strong part of this world's reality and there are some more gruesome scenes . On top of that, there's a city in the trees, a walled city, a lake with killer eels, and diseased people along with the dwellers (which were terrible enough). My overall thought was that this world has a strong foundation and more potential for the sequel. There is so much more depth that we might see that would amp up the compelling and often frightening nature of the world here, as well as seeing how things continue to develop between the characters, especially in light of some of the twists that happened in the book (which I will admit that I saw coming but didn't affect my enjoyment of the book at all). I'm ready for book two now!

Seventeen years into a dark eclipse lived a girl who was supposed to be dead. Dark dwellers swarmed the ground twenty three hours of the day. There was only one hour of "light". It was the only time you could safely go outside and not be torn to pieces. Luna, a lost girl trapped inside a tower, meets Fowler, someone who is just as lost but in a different way. Luna was raised by her mother's nurse and one of her father's guards in the cursed woods. Fowler's past throughout most of the book was a mystery. A few hints were peppered into the story and when his past was revealed, it was an "AH HA!" moment, where it all clicked. No one dared to enter the woods but Fowler and a couple companions. Fowler, after losing the love of his life, was on the run for at least a year before he bumped into Luna. One of them was hurt in a trap Luna's "parents" set and when he howled out in pain, the dark dwellers heard and set their sights on them. Luna saved them but that caused the girl of the group to still die. Fowler and Luna make it to a city in trees but their safety there is limited. The king is paying people to kill girls around her age and when Luna finds out, she wants to go turn herself in. The end of this book ends on a HUGE HUGE HUGE cliffhanger, which kind of leaves a bitter taste in my mouth but it wasn't enough to ruin the whole story because I loved it. The light in Luna kept the dark times bright. As she spent more time with Fowler, she gave him more hope than he thought he could allow himself to have. Their romance was uniquely them. At first, he resented her, because he didn't allow himself to like anyone, but slowly, he began to fall for her. He didn't give himself permission to but it was impossible to stop it. Their love burned bright enough to keep away the darkness in themselves. The best thing about their relationship? Definitely the fact that even though Fowler was a sexy, strong man who could protect her BUT she didn't need him for that. She was strong and independent (even though her parents kept her secluded). She even protected him when he needed her to. I think that Luna was a great role model for teen girls because of that fact. Some stories make girls the "damsel in distress" but not Sophie Jordan. This is a story to remember.

I really enjoyed this book. The world-building was great--just enough was revealed to keep everything mysterious, but it never felt like important information was missing, or descriptions were too sparse. The development of the main characters was wonderful, too. Their growth was very believable. And their relationship built at a good pace, gradually with plenty of sweet romantic tension. I think it will be very hard to wait to find out what happens after the cliffhanger ending!

Magical, thrilling and packed with edge-of -your-seat action, Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan is the first book in her new YA fantasy series. Ms. Jordan has created a fascinating world shrouded in darkness with terrifying creatures that go bump in the night and strong characters that must survive this dangerous world. Luna is the lost princess of the Relhok kingdom. After her parents were murdered by the evil chancellor the night of the eclipse, Luna was whisked away to the safety of a tower in the woods and has lived there in secret ever since. She is brave, caring and longs for a life Outside, beyond the tower walls. An attack on the tower forces her out of her home and on the road with Fowler, an archer and a man who has been hardened by survival. Fowler has no interest in making connections with other people. What’s the point when everyone is just going to die anyway? Against his better judgement, Fowler gives his word that he will get Luna to safety. Now Fowler and Luna must traverse the Outside world full of dwellers and other evils to reach the safety of the rumored island of Allu. Luna and Fowler fight their budding attraction as they travel across the continent, fighting off evil creatures at every turn. Reign of Shadows is an outstanding introduction to this new fantasy series with larger than life characters and a riveting plot full of twists and turns. Fans of Sophie Jordan cannot miss this one.

Reign of Shadows is a unique twist on the Rapunzel fairytale and it's definitely one of the best fairytale re-imagining/retellings I have ever read! Although my ARC copy is only 292 pages, there is a shocking amount of growth and information packed into it. Reign of Shadows really caught me by surprise in its plot and character development, as well as with its brutality. I was not at all expecting it to be so gruesome, but it really raised the stakes in the plot. Jordan's writing is emotive, and it really paints a clear and complete picture of the setting and the characters. Plus, there are nods to Tangled in it, which I LOVE. Luna and Fowler are really adorable together! I love their banter and how they both equally depend on one another. I really fell for these two—they are such a beautiful couple. I predict that Reign of Shadows will be one of the best books of 2016. I highly recommend this book to everyone, and especially to those who has been looking for an AMAZING fairytale re-imagining/retelling with a breathtaking romance—and these are really hard to find! I have no idea how I'm going to survive waiting for the next book—the ending is insane and makes you question how are you going to survive until the next book. Full review: http://www.bookrambles.com/2015/10/reign-of-shadows-reign-of-shadows-1-by.html

Since her parents, the King and Queen of Relhok, were murdered 17 years ago, Luna has been existing in a Tower in the Black Woods, for only company Perla – who had been her nursemaid – and Sivo, one of her father’s royal guard. Luna is never allowed Outside of the tower, mostly because of the deadly dark dwellers; the only time of day where one is safe from them is during midlight, a mere hour each day. The Relhok is in a state of permanent eclipse. One day, Luna sneaks out armed to the teeth to gather berries for Sivo’s birthday. That’s when she hears a human scream, and comes about three young people. A boy’s leg is caught in a trap that was meant for the dark dwellers; Luna frees him and they all flee to the Tower. Luna is ecstatic to have company besides her beloved Perla and Sivo, especially that of the older boy, Fowler. Luna has always dreamed of going Outside, but Fowler has seen too much of it. He is cynical, bitter, but realistic; Outside is an ugly place. Still Luna convinces him to show her a little of what’s out there, and while they are out, the Tower is attacked, and nothing will ever be the same again… Ms. Jordan has crafted a grim and literally dark world so vividly, it’s truly unsettling. She doesn’t reveal everything at the beginning, and I believe I understand the author’s tactic, and it’s brilliant. REIGN OF SHADOWS reminded me a bit of Lord of The Rings because of the intricacy of the world-building and the rather terrifying creatures that lurk in the dark. Luna is an admirable, and quite relatable, heroine; it took me a tad longer to warm up to Fowler, but when what he had faced on the Outside became known, his behaviour made perfect sense, and I liked him fine. REIGN OF SHADOWS is a bit reminiscent of The Lord of The Rings, as much for the light that will eventually come out of the oppressing darkness, as for the superb writing. Ms. Jordan has crafted an unsettling world, very dark, with creatures that will make your skin crawl, and very engaging young protagonists, Luna and Fowler, who are both fascinating each in their own right. The book ends with a startling revelation that bodes very well for the next instalment The writing is exceptional, the dialogues sound authentic, the pace is flawless throughout, culminating in a frenzied crescendo that leads to the conclusion of book one of what will surely be another successful series for the incredibly talented Ms. Jordan. I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Does this book have language? If so... Contact Harley Quinn( yes use this name) also tell me which words are in it. Thx! Harely Quinn