Is this the most groundbreaking fantasy ever written? No. But was it entertaining as hell? Absolutely.
This was such an easy, bingeable read — I finished it in about four hours. The plot and characters are pretty straightforward, but sometimes that’s exactly what you need. It doesn’t try to be more than it is, and honestly, that’s what made it so fun.
If you’re in a reading slump and just need something quick and enjoyable to pull you out of it, this is a great pick.

The King of Frost and Shadows had a lot of potential. The worldbuilding, the premise, and the fantasy elements definitely caught my attention at first. I liked the idea behind the story, and there were moments that hinted at something really great developing.

However, overall it just didn’t fully click for me. While the plot had all the right ingredients, I felt like it didn’t dive as deep as I wanted, and the characters didn’t stand out as much as they could have. I kept waiting for that wow moment, but it never really came.

That said, I still think readers who enjoy light fantasy romance with a touch of intrigue might still have fun with it; for me, though, it wasn’t as memorable as I hoped.

“I remembered something the wise Halsey once referenced in one of her songs…”

WHAT?! This was 13% in and I knew from that one sentence alone I was going to hate this book.
I really really forced myself to finish this because of NetGalley and wish I could have DNF this.
Not one single piece of this book was good. I will never consider reading from this author again, that’s how traumatic this was.
Boo all around.

Good romantasy and good cliffhanger. I'm a sucker for fated mates with the males going feral, missing/hidden memories and powers, and touch her and die with "who did this to you" tropes. Add in a loyal pet only to her, and it's magic. I would have liked a bit more spice but it's a slow burn series, so I'm not going to complain. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity.

I really thought I’d like this book but I wasn’t a huge fan of her writing. I find that the world building is pretty minimal but also, it’s only like 300 pages (no page numbers, only location so I’m not positive on that) but it’s definitely a short book so I find that there just isn’t enough time to cover world building in a fantasy book that small and it just doesn’t feel like I want to jump into that world.

The characters didn’t pull me in and make a connection either. Just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Fastpaced action-packed romantasy! Easy ro read, esay to enjoy!
The young teenage me would have loooved this book ;)

3.5 🌟

While I did like this book I can't say I loved it.

I do appreciate a MMC that is fully a touch her and 💀. Not just words, but in actions. I also really liked that the FMC stayed true to herself. No matter her fate she didn't back down from who she is.

While this book wasn't quite as gripping as I hoped I would still read the rest of the series.

You have seelie/unseelie meets gladiator trials. Fated mates. Found family or lost family 🤔. Found magic. Forced proximity. And as mentioned before touch her and 💀.

I throughly loved reading the mesmerizing and spellbinding paranormal story. When Tavish, the King of Frost and Shadows, finally finds the seelie princess, Lira, he plans on killing her and using her blood to get revenge against the Seelie Kingdom, but Tavish is having a hard time prioritizing his plans whenever he around Lira, who doesn't remember her fae background. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read riveting story engaging the reader from the first page of the story until the end of the story. Can't wait to read the next story in the series by the awesome and amazing author, Jen L. Grey!

I wanted to like this but i just couldn’t get into it. .It had a fun premise but the story felt rushed and the characters were undeveloped. Overall its a fine and could be a fun read, but i just wasn’t feeling it maybe I will try to read it later but i doubt it,

I really wanted to like this and I was sadly really disappointed. The plot sounds so good but I just could not gel with the writing and the plot execution was off. Definitely needs a few more rounds with the editor! Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book though!

It’s giving Feyre under the mountain energy—those raw, powerless moments laced with grit and survival—but with banter that cuts through the darkness just enough to make you fall harder. A morally grey MMC who’s ruthless to everyone but never to her, whose every sharp edge softens the second she’s hurt—because of course there’s a “Who did this to you?” moment, and of course it destroys you. There’s fated mates, yes, but not the insta-love kind—this one simmers. It’s friends to enemies to lovers (which I love), with tension so thick you could bottle it. An animal companion who growls when touched but still curls around her at night like a living shield, protective and loyal in the quietest ways. The side characters? Fully fleshed out, unforgettable, and the kind you’d read entire spin-offs for. It’s dual POV (thank the stars), so you feel everything from both sides—and just when you think you’ve made it out whole, the ending wrecks you. I got the second book immediately because that cliffhanger left me no choice.

I love how this book starts out, so much so that it sounded familiar and I realize I've read this series! This is a fantasy series with twists and turns, the childhood memory leads into a childhood friend to enemies trope. The transition between hidden to found for Lira, the FMC, is a bit quick as she's taken to a different world. The games/trials added to the adventure and interest in this book, making up for the inconsistent narration, at times. This is an easy read, kept me interested and I kept reading into the series!

I always love a possessive and protective fae, and Tavish is the perfect example of that. I thought the Halsey song reference to "red flags feeling like butterflies" was clever and accurate.

The pacing at times was very slow. The part with the prisoners fighting felt like it lasted nearly the whole book. I think the idea was there, but the story needed to be presented a bit differently. I think some of the things could have been shortened up and drawn focus elsewhere.

I enjoyed Nightbane and Lira's connection. It was nice to see someone on Lira's side when she probably felt like everyone else wanted her dead. The ending leaves on a cliffhanger, so I'm eager to see what the next book has in store. Thank you to Netgalley, Victory Editing, and Jen L. Grev for an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion.

Jen loves to end her books with a cliffhanger and this one was a doozy!! I think this is one of those romance-fantasy books that needs to be taken lightly. The worldbuilding is minimal, the characters are good and the drama is high. If you don't take this book too seriously you will have a great time but if you are looking for an in depth, high fantasy with romance type of book, I don't think I would recommend this one. Was it still fun to read? For sure, and I will likely continue the series but I wouldn't rank it as a favorite, but it's interesting and I want to see where the story goes.

I fully admit I'm kind of getting tired of books with "trials" and "gauntlets" and "contests" so that is part of the reason for my 3 star review. I feel like this book could have gone differently plot wise and I didn't care for the challenges. I like the main characters and I wish the author would have spent more time with them together as opposed to random characters in challenges but I'm hoping to get more of the mains as the series progresses.

Thank you NetGalley and ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op | Page & Vine: Anya for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this! The story is intriguing but I just couldn’t gel with the writing. Everything was told not shown, it felt rushed and just needs another few rounds of editing. The characters fell a bit flat - I wanted the FMC to question things more, feel confused, not just accept what’s happening to her after two seconds.

Initially, I felt that the plot of this book showed promise. There's a kidnapped fae princess who thinks she is a human, a powerful fae rebel king who can't let anyone else kill (touch) her, and some Hunger Games style trials. All great ideas that can be so much fun to read!
Unfortunately, the characters are mostly one dimensional and the writing would benefit from continued revising, so this fell flat for me. It read super fast and there was a clearly define story, but not even the cliffhanger ending has convinced me to continue with the series.

This is available on Kindle Unlimited, but thank you to NetGalley and Grey Valor for gifting me a copy to read. This is a cute story, it’s an overdone trope in a saturated book market and if you’ve read ACOTAR, then you probably know the gist of everything that is going to happen. A lot is assumed here, we don’t get a huge amount of world-building, the focus is on the slow-burn between the FMC and MMC.

I was really excited for this one. Maybe I'm just getting tired of the fae trope but it was kind of a mess to me. Don't get me wrong, the story was good, but it doesn't hold up against others in the genre. If this is your first time dipping into the fae romantasy pool, you'd probably enjoy it.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 25%

The premise definitely holds a lot of potential, but the writing needs a lot of work. The story felt rushed and not clearly set out, and the relationship felt very insta-lust.

I think with more editing this could be a good book.

Omg I applied for this book on a whim I didn’t think I would get it but I’m so happy I did!!
The King of Frost and Shadows has me hooked and I don’t think I’ll ever want to get away! From the beginning to the end this story is full of enemies, death, possessiveness, secrets that come to light, survival, laugh out loud moments, and so much more. Lira don’t know that her life was any different until Tavish came and turned her world upside down now she's in for the fight of her life. It ends with a cliffhanger that will leave needing more and hoping the next book comes soon. I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next book in this series.