Tuesday 21 June 2016

The Shadow Queen- C. J. Redwine BOOK TALK

****
I loved this book and was completely on the verge of awarding a 5 star rating to it!
This is a Snow White retelling that follows Lorelai. Lorelai has been on the run ever since the evil witch, Irina, infiltrated her family, killed her father and took over the kingdom that is rightfully hers. Finding out that Lorelai is still alive and a threat to her life, Irina sets a hunter- a shape shifting dragon prince from another kingdom- to hunt Lorelai down and take her heart.
It's so good! For me, I would say that it's a mix between the movie Snow White and the Huntsman and the book Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. It has magic, shape shifting, royal politics, kingdoms and romance! So, basically, it has it all! Definitely worthy the read!



SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD
Lets start with Lorelai. She was such an awesome heroine and was completely bad-ass! I liked her the second I met her. She was a determined and loyal woman and she continues despite the odds against her and all she goes through. She is exactly what a heroine should be and she was truly inspiring.
From the first mention of Leo, I loved him. He had to be one of my favourite characters. And yet he was ripped away from us so quickly!! I couldn't believe he'd died so early on in the book and it still caused such an impact on my heart. I was so sad- he shouldn't have died!
And then we have Kol (I'm not even going to attempt to spell his full name). Personally, I loved Kol! He is such a dedicated and loyal person to both his friends and his kingdom. Everything he does in this book is motivated by his hopes and wishes for his kingdom and the people he loves. I adore him for this. He also has extremely good self-control and strength. He resists Irina's spells on him so well and I have to applaud for his determination and restraint.
I instantly liked Gabril when I first read about him. He stays with Lorelai and Leo even though he has his own family! He has a fatherly quality about him and I love how protective and dedicated he is to Lorelai. He trusts her no matter what and will stick by her- no matter what she chooses to do.
Plus, there were some really comedic moments when Gabril would butt into a seemingly intimate moment between Kol and Lorelai. It just reminded me of such a dad moment when the father gets so protective of his daughter! So cute!
Throughout this entire book, I pictured Irina as the Evil Queen in the movie Snow White and the Huntsman. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing and it worked for me because she the actress (Charlize Theron) fits the role so perfectly.
I loved the element of magic in this book as it was unique and super cool from the beginning. It was great to learn about this new and interesting world of magic, shape shifters and beasts. If I had the choice- which sadly I don't- I'd easily want to be a dragon shape shifter over a marduska. What can I say? I like dragons!
One obvious part of this story was the relationship between Kol and Lorelai. It was pretty clear to see from the very beginning where this endgame would be heading. Nevertheless, I loved them together! They were cute and I particularly loved their adorable little conversations in each other's heads (if you look past the wanting-to-kill-her aspect).
Kol and Lorelai made a really good team and they looked out for each other well which was important. I thought that the epilogue was extremely valuable and satisfying and it worked really well. It was great to see a couple of months later in their lives and it was a sweet little moment to end on.
I may be wrong but I think there's a sequel coming out for this book. On Goodreads it says it's the first in a series but... To me, it doesn't feel like it needs a sequel. Everything has been tied up and everyone's happy. Please don't ruin the happiness, C. J. Redwine! I can't imagine what kind of things will go wrong if there's another book. I don't want the characters to feel any more pain! Stop while they're happy! Quit while we're ahead!
Please...

Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts- comment below! See you soon,
Chloe x

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