Sooo I am a huge sucker for enemies to lovers and TRIALS!! This book did NOT disappoint! I loved it so much! I will literally hooked throughout the whole book and definitely recommend it to all my friends! This was a great introduction to this author for myself!

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.


I really enjoyed this fantasy romance by Jen L. Grey. We begin by seeing our MCs as children, where they were once friends, and now the young MMC has been imprisoned and our FMC has gone to see him in her parents' dungeon. When a blast rattles the castle, her world goes dark. It picks up years later, where she and her sister are in the human realm with no memories of their lives before their adoptions at age 10.


Finding the lost Seelie princess has been MMC, Tavish's (the Unseelie King) entire purpose for the past 12 years. He fully intends to right the wrongs of her parents by capturing her, slaughtering her for her blood, and reclaiming their Unseelie lands on the other side of the magical barrier the Seelie put up on their land. What he doesn't expect, is what will happen when he actually finds her.

This book gives us: fated mates, romance, childhood friends to enemies, games and trials, and so much more. Anyone who enjoys a good romantasy will definitely love this book.

This book is one of the best books I have read. The characters are absolutely perfect as is the storyline. You will feel all of the pain the two main characters are going through and really hope things will end well. It absolutely ends on a cliffhanger and I am dying to read the second book.

✨Trope alert: shadow king, forbidden longing, and the classic “I should kill you, but oops—my heart.”✨
Just finished King of Shadow and Frost and if you told me it was brewed from pure fantasy romance clichés, I’d believe you. But was I eating it up anyway? Absolutely.

It’s dramatic, tropey, over-the-top—and honestly, that’s the point.
Sometimes you just want angst, longing, and enemies who should not be making eye contact like that 👀

A deadly gauntlet, a reluctant romance, and a frostbitten throne—sign me up.

This book blends high-stakes trials with a beautifully slow-burning romance that had me hooked by the halfway mark. The world feels both brutal and enchanted, and the icy atmosphere matches the cold-hearted politics at play.

The romantic tension builds gradually (emphasis on slow), but it pays off with genuine chemistry and earned trust. If you’re into deadly competitions, enemies-turned-allies, and a heroine navigating power with grit and grace, this one delivers.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

So this book had plenty of my favourite things, fae, morally grey MMC, enemies to lovers, touch her and die and trials what more could a girl want 🥵

Our FMC Lira is a human girl kidnapped by our guy Tavish and taken into the fae realm. There was a lot of hot and cold between these characters it gave me a little whiplash at times, but as soon as he started threatening anyone who touched her, I was hooked ♥️

Also, any book with deadly trials in pretty much has my attention!!

I really enjoyed this book and started book 2 straight away after that ending!!

A miss for me but so much potential for the right audience.

Admittedly I've learned that Jen L. Grey's writing style is not one I gel with. Lira's almost stream on consciousness narration felt a little younger than she actually was and made the entire story read more YA than it should've.

I think this story has so much potential but missed the mark for me. Mainly it comes down to pacing and detail. The pacing throughout the story was so inconsistent, making it hard to keep up but also remain interested. As a reader I would've benefited if the world building in each setting was more flushed out and the level of detail was consistent throughout the story.

Overall The King of Frost and Shadows has so much appeal and potential. The tropes all work well together and create the perfect recipe for a fast paced romantasy. I think with a reader who enjoys the narration style it'll be such a hit - stylistically it isn't my vibe so I am not that audience!

I really enjoyed this book!! Enemies to lovers , forgotten memories, trails and more. I found it very easy to become engrossed in, and the ending literally had me screaming no!!!!! And I’ll definitely be needing the next book.. as I have questions about some of the side characters aswell.

Thank you so much for allowing me to arc read this, I really enjoyed it.

I already had a physical copy of this book pre-ordered when I stumbled upon it on Netgalley. I'm currently in a romantasy mood. I just want tension, enemies to lovers and some steam. I was pretty sure this book was gonna be it and when I requested a digital review copy the author was so kind to give me one.

This book totally has its flaws. At some moments the pacing feels incredibly fast. The characters also clearly have mood swings when it comes to their feelings towards each other, going from hatred to love within a split second. However, I was so incredibly angry when I reached the last page of the book! I was convinced my copy must mis pages or even an entire chapter. But no, the cliffhanger truly is that mean. And the fact that I cared so much, says everything you need to know.

Because despite its flaws, it's also insanely addictive. The prologue sets the atmosphere and from the moment these characters meet again you feel the tension, chemistry and longing. I'm normally not so much of an insta-love girl, but in this case it all worked out fine. The prologue explains that it isn't. There is a whole history. And considering the fact that there are two more books in the series, I assume we're gonna get to hear more about it.

I also loved the challenges Lira faced. It's clear that she wouldn't have survived those if she had been entirely human, but it makes a lot of sense that especially those trials triggers memories, but also training she didn't even know she had. I'm really excited to see her grow more into her powers. I'm also really excited to see the consequences of everything that happened in this book and I can't wait to get more romantic moments. Surprisingly enough, there weren't even that many in this book!

I loved everything about this book. The characters, plot and everything. You must read this book if you love a morally grey male main character or even if you are a fan of romantasy as I have never read a fae book before and this book has made me regret not reading them before. I adored the pacing of he book as it made me want to not stop reading and even when I finished the book, I want more (the cliffhanger doesn't help).

Thank you to net galley, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, and Jen. L Grey for allowing me to receive an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed reading this as the story was fast-paced and kept my interest. I am assuming it is #1 in a series as it ended on a cliffhanger. I was confused about many parts of the world the author created and I feel like even if it is going to be a series you still need to explain some foundational aspects of the world and story. For example, they spoke of dragons but there weren't any in the story. Bottom line, I'd read the next one to find out what happens. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a fun fantasy, and I love the romance! I loved this writing style, and author!! I am excited to pick up a physical copy of this book!!!

The King of Frost and Shadows has a premise that immediately caught my attention—lost princess, fated mates, Unseelie intrigue—everything I usually love in a fantasy romance. Unfortunately, the writing style made it difficult for me to stay engaged. The tone felt very Young Adult, and the main character’s emotional development didn’t quite land for me. She had “never felt things” before and then suddenly fell into insta-love the moment she reunited with the Unseelie prince years later, which made the romance feel rushed and hard to connect with.

That said, I can absolutely see how this book would appeal to fans of authors like Ali Hazelwood (whose style just isn’t for me) and readers who enjoy the fun, chaotic energy of series like Zodiac Academy. While this wasn’t a hit for me personally, I know there’s an enthusiastic audience out there for this type of storytelling.

Thank you to the author and team for the opportunity to ARC read this title. Since I did not finish the book, I won’t be sharing a public review to avoid impacting its performance during the deluxe edition rerelease.

This book has all the things we love to see in a romantasy, enemies to lovers, morally grey mmc. I had been seeing quotes all over Tiktok and found myself intrigued. This book did not have any stand out features that made it interesting. The story line was pretty predictable overlapped with typical tropes. It was still enjoyable and a good romantasy but nothing stand out.

Overall this was a good romantasy read! There were some grammatical errors throughout the book that need to be edited. I did enjoy the characters and the plot line as well. The story kept me interested throughout the book, and I would consider reading the next one. Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review this book.

A King of Frost and Shadows started off strong but ultimately lost momentum as the story progressed. Initially, I was intrigued—especially when it was revealed that the characters were on Earth, though this wasn’t made immediately clear. Unfortunately, we didn’t stay in that setting for long, and that’s where the book began to lose its appeal for me. I think the story would have benefitted from spending more time in that part of the world, developing a deeper sense of place and possibly allowing for more emotional depth—perhaps a stronger bond or growing friendship between Tavish and Lira. That added emotional layer could have enriched the overall narrative.

The writing, at times, felt unpolished. While this had the potential to be a compelling young adult novel, the inclusion of explicit adult content felt out of place and, in my opinion, unnecessary. The repeated implications of sexual violence and the focus on exposed body parts detracted from the story rather than adding to it. For example, the scene with Finnian and Lira could have been humorous or lighthearted without resorting to full exposure—it just felt gratuitous.

That said, I did enjoy the gauntlet scenes. They were engaging, and the action was well-executed. I also liked the presence of her wolf companion, though I wish we had more insight into their bond. Why was the wolf so loyal or connected to her? This lack of explanation is part of a larger issue: the world-building felt underdeveloped. With more time and detail, the author could have fleshed out the world and allowed the characters to fully grow into the archetypes hinted at throughout the book.

In the end, the plot had potential, but it felt poorly executed. A longer format and more focused development could have made this story truly shine.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me an arc copy in exchange for my honest review. My review is live right now on GoodReads and will be post on my Instagram within a week.

The King of Frost and Shadows Honest ARC Review:

Tavish, the Unseelie Fae King, has sought vengeance for the death of his parents for twelve years. After haunting her dreams and locating the lost Seelie Fae Princess on Earth, King Tavish must bring her back to the Fae realm.

Tavish plans to use her blood to reclaim his lands. What he does not expect is to feel a spark whenever the two touch or to feel a strange connection with her.

Trying to fight his connection with the lost princess, Tavish did not protect her when she needed him in the games. He was restricted as he needed her blood to save his land and people.

Would Tavish rise above the pressure from his court and save his mate? Would be he too late?

⭐️Steamy
⭐️Morally Gray Characters
⭐️Villian MMC
⭐️ Enemies to lovers
⭐️Fated Mates
⭐️Court Intrigue and Drama

This was great! I really enjoyed the world building, the communication in dreams of fated mates and the dire need to protect her above all else. If you enjoy reading Fae Romantasy, this is a great addition to your TBR!

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing for sharing this ARC with me.

I DNFed do fast. The writer needed an editor and a thesaurus. Lots of repetitive language and no room for the characters to breathe.

This is the kind of book that SCREAMS I need an editor. It’s so messy and needs major polishing which is point number one.
point number two is the fact this book is basically a deeply badly version of ACOTAR. between battling the overuse of commas and run on sentences, the plot was nothing special, nothing we haven’t read a million times over. don’t get me wrong, a lot of the same things are used in fantasy over and over again and when they are executed well, I love it. but this wasn’t.
I also couldn’t care less if all the characters died. and that shows just how much this took me out of the story. I wanted to root for something, somebody, anything. I got nothing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalleg Co-Op for providing the ARC.

This book absolutely missed the mark for me.

I tend to gravitate towards fantasy books because of the lush world building and the intriguing plots, and I felt like this book had neither. I didn't learn too much about the world, if only because the pacing dragged immensely and focused heavily on the characters. I don't mind a character read, but I much prefer to have the characters in a well built world as opposed to one that felt like an afterthought.

The characters themselves were also relatively lackluster. Lira, the one who's forgotten she's a fae princess, was okay, but I had a hard time with her lusting after her captor. And Tavish was difficult because he kept flip flopping between killing her and wanting to protect her. Both came across very flat to me, and I couldn't find myself interested in their stories.

Overall, the book is fine, and I'm sure some people will love this book, but I was not one of them.