For me, this was a quick read while I was in the airport for an extended layover and I appreciate the opportunity to review it from NetGalley.

The plot was interesting to me right off the bat, being as anything to do with princesses and fantasy worlds automatically catches my interest. I felt like the world-building was deep enough for you to understand what was going on without it being too dense, which can be a turn-off for some people, although I would have loved to see the addition of political intrigue to pull the reader further into the world and give additional challenges. The characters, especially our main character, are explained well enough and I enjoyed seeing the growth in them throughout the story, although I feel like the romance was rushed and a bit one-dimensional. It is my opinion that if authors cannot make the romance fit with the story or give it a purpose, it could be better to leave it out because I was left confused rather than feeling like the romance complimented the story. Overall, a great, quick read.

An okay read. It took me a bit to get into the story. Characters were one dimensional and predictable.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley for letting me preview this book early! I'm very grateful!

Truthfully, I found myself FLYING through this book. It moved at a really quick pace, and I was always wondering what was going to happen next. Every flip of a page brought something new. However, this was also to me in this book. Conversations, events, pivotal moments seemed quickly passed through or glossed over, and I found myself being like "wait.. that's it? Isn't there more?" and then it was on to whatever was happening next.

I enjoyed the characters, but could've used some more depth, some more time in their thoughts and feelings learning about them, growing a connection to them. Overall even the romances and love interests moved so quickly it was almost hard for me to swallow the MC's feelings. I did appreciate all the consent in this book, and I think that's a very important point to make.

I would probably like to read a second book, assuming the epilogue left room for some. I'd just like a bit more...time...spent connecting the characters to the readers, and building those relationships in the book.

I loved every moment of this book! From start to finish it was an amazing read! Oh nice I picked it up I could not put it down!

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved Ava and her commitment to her family and kingdom. Would highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and TrueType Press for my e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. I was very drawn to the synopsis of the book: princesses, wolves, an evil king, love triangles! And while the book was enjoyable, there are a few things that keep me from giving it a higher star rating. I do want to give it some praise! I enjoyed Ava as a character and there were some really cool world-building aspects, including the additions of the Turnskins and the Magus. I remained very interested in these groups and wanted to know more about their backgrounds, etc. but it never quite made its way into the plot of the book. Yoann was a really neat "higher magical being" and I think deserved some more attention than what was given as a side character. While I enjoyed the addition of Aldin and the Shadow King to the story, there wasn't as much political tension or strife that could have pushed this book to the next level. I think what frustrated me the most reading was the romance storyline. The introduction of Callan seemed a bit rushed and could have benefited from more of a slow-burn style.
While I did want to leave some constructive 'criticism", it was a fun read and I think Sherry Ficklin has a lot of potential as an author!

This review of Kingdom of Shadows and Dust by Sherry D. Ficklin is courtesy of NetGalley. #KingdomofShadowsandDust #NetGalley
Rating: 4/5

Enjoyable story about an originally sheltered princess, Ava, who learns how sheltered she was during the course of the novel. Good characterization on Ava's thoughts and concerns. Interesting magical world with it's Magus and Turnskins with hints of more to come in future books.

I really enjoyed Kingdom of Shadows and Dust! The cover and blurb are right up my street and I devoured the book in a couple of days.

The story follows Ava, the only daughter of a king who is forced to follow traditions where she is to not to be seen or heard! Ava doesn’t want to stay in the castle and sneaks out to the surrounding areas and help people. She also wishes to fight alongside the army to stop the war against her kingdom. Fate intervenes and allows her to fight alongside the army but it doesn’t end well and Ava has to run for her life.
Ava ends up meeting a Turnskin, battling the enemy and also falls in love whilst trying to save her kingdom. She is willing to sacrifice everything for her kingdom, including her true love.

I would say the book can be read from ages 11+, there’s war but in context and the relationships are very vague.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc copy and letting me review! All views are my own.

Thank you Netgalley & Author for the privilege of reading this arc.

This is the best arc I have read this year and a solid 4-5* novel, YA Fantasy. I have been reading a lot of YA & NA fantasy this year and this one is great, held my attention, was original; with some fairytale vibes too.

A strong female MC
Warewolves
Magic
A love triangle

It is hard to find fantasy stand alones.
I read this in 1 day and it held my attention.
I highly recommend to fantasy lovers.

I am now going to Google Sherry Ficklin & read some of her other works. I hope she continues to write fantasy as she has a new fan in me!

Sincerely.

Give this lady a crown!! Sherry's world building is masterfully flawless. Her characters three dementional and exquisite crafted. Reader's will be thrilled with each turn of the page.
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This is not the first book I have read by Sherry Ficklin and it will not be my last. Her historical fiction series, Queen of Someday has the same writing style which is well thought out and organized. In this fantasy novel Sherry pulls no punches encompasing the elements we, readers, want in a book. Intrigue, conpanionship, royalty and a dash of romance.
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Our main character is in her on battle of desire and duty. Which won will win over?
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5 stars and a tip of the Nerd Girl hat. I anticipate many great things from this series!!
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*This review was done in conjunction with 𝕹𝖊𝖗𝖉 𝕲𝖎𝖗𝖑 𝕺𝖋𝖋𝖎𝖈𝖎𝖆𝖑 book blog.

I had really high hopes for this book after reading the description and am sad to say that I was disappointed. The character development and romantic interests (especially between Ava and Callan) felt extremely rushed. I felt that there was more dialogue that could have been exchanged amongst characters and more development, as everything felt rushed.

However, while I do feel that there was a lot left wanting, the book was overall still enjoyable. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a light read. I’m looking forward to reading other books in this installment.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I am new to the world of fantasy books but as soon as I read the description I knew I wanted to read it! I really liked Ava as a character she had everything I would want a rebellious streak, not meak and mild like the other nobility. I liked her sneaking out and doing what she wanted, even her father the King couldn't stop her. It was a really straightforward story and unlike many fantasy books I didn't find any aspect confusing. I really liked the different love interests and what was good was they were both good choices in their own right. The only thing for me was Ava fell in love a bit quick, the bond I could understand but I couldn't really grasp the second.

I thought it was a nice, well-written easy to read story and it helped me get out of a reading slump! Would recommend for someone looking for a good read, without a massive cliffhanger!

To start off, I really enjoyed the idea behind this book. I thought the world building was pretty well done, and there were a lot of unique elements such as the Turnskins who are people that can shift into wolves, and the Magus, those with magic. While there were some parts where I found myself not able to put it down, there were other parts where I felt that the writing was very rushed. Thing after thing kept happening in the book, and I felt that Ava seemed to just brush it off instead of going through the proper emotions.

I also found myself slightly confused at many parts, as if there were some key things that were left out or weren't included, and that was honestly throughout the book. I think more detail and descriptions would definitely be necessary to add to this book and make it better. I also think the plot could have been developed a little more, as this was your classic story of a girl who is different, and she has to choose between two men. Not really anything different to what I have read before in other books.

All in all, it was definitely not my favorite book, but it was different enough that I did enjoy it as a simple and easy read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Kingdom of Shadows and Dust by Sherry D. Ficklin is an amazing YA fantasy debut. It reminded me a lot of From Blood and Ash by Jennifer Armentrout, and I'm sure fans of that series will enjoy reading this book. The story revolves around Ava, the royal princess of Ankara. Although her father the King wants to marry her off to secure a political alliance, Ava does not want to conform to gender roles. She fights in battles and rescues children who are falsely imprisoned. She is the definition of Girl Power.

A large part of the plot involves a love triangle. Although some readers may be turned off by that cliche, I thought it was well done. There is no "insta-love" here. Ava falls gradually in love with Callan, a Turnskin, the author's term for werewolf. Soon afterward, she is "imprisoned" by the Shadow King, Aldrin, the King of a neighboring country. However, Aldrin turns out to be a decent fellow, and I enjoyed the witty banter between him and Ava. Ava will be forced to choose between the two young men. While one match will help her country and secure an alliance, she's formed a close bond with the other one. Overall, this story is part love story, part fantasy, part action adventure, and part court intrigue. Fans of From Blood and Ash and similar YA Fantasy books should definitely check out Kingdom of Shadows and Dust when it comes out.

Thank you to NetGalley and TrueType Press for allowing me to read Kingdom of Shadows and Dust and share an honest review.

As the king's only daughter, Ava was supposed to be many things; meek, submissive, and above all, silent. While she dreams of fighting alongside the armies of Ankara, she's forced to hide her identity behind a veil..

Kingdom of Shadows and Dust tells the story of Ava, the princess of Ankara, a country at war with the army of the evil Shadow King. Ava dreams of a change and wishes to join the battle, protecting her people, instead of remaining hidden away in her father’s castle.

Upon first reading the synopsis, I was immediately sold and requested a review copy. It just sounded so good! I mean, a princess, wolves, a shadow king, a love triangle?! In my opinion, those are all aspects that could really make the perfect fantasy novel! However, after reading, I have to admit that I feel quite torn about Kingdom of Shadows and Dust. Unfortunately, even thought it was an enjoyable read, the book did not leave me as satisfied and enthusiastic as the synopsis did, as there were quite a few things that bothered me while reading. However, I would like to add here that reading is very much a personal experience and therefore something that might not work for me, may work very well for someone else. However, I would like to remain honest in my review, so I will go on by listing some aspects which I enjoyed about Kingdom of Shadows and Dust and some aspects which were not really my cup of tea.

When I first started reading, I personally quite enjoyed the author’s way of writing. I enjoyed that it was quite easy to read yet still very intriguing. Yet, after a while, I started to feel as if it, primarily the dialogue, was a bit too basic at times (for my liking) and I started to notice quite a few grammar and spelling mistakes popping up, which made the reading a bit less enjoyable for me. I soon noticed that I started paying more attention to the construction of the sentences and to its grammar than to the actual story and dialogue, which I thought to be quite a shame at times. In my opinion, this distracted me a bit from the actual story and caused me to perhaps enjoy it less than I could have.

What I really enjoyed about the book, were the various groups; the Turnskins and the Magus. I truly enjoyed the idea behind them and I thought they were a great introduction to the actual story. I’m primarily referring to the events concerning the Turnskin boy immediately in the beginning of the book as well as the first time the reader gets to meet Ava's Magus friend: Yoann, I thought both were great moments that made for a nice introduction of the book’s world and its various inhabitants. I also enjoyed that there was a supposed tension between the various groups, although I did hope that the tensions would be more focused on and further developed. I was also hoping for more background information on both. I wanted to get to know more of their history, their way of living, their cultures. I think there is a lot of potential there for further exploration.

I also really enjoyed the friendship between Ava and Bridger. It was nice to read about a childhood friendship in a book that doesn’t immediately turn into a romance from page 1, as is often the case in many other YA novels. I especially liked the fun ‘training’ scene between them in chapter 1 or 2. However, sadly, I felt like there wasn’t enough Bridger in the book. I definitely wanted more of his wit! And more of those playful scenes between him and Ava!

Three characters that I really liked were Aldin, Yoann and Ulmer. In my opinion, they were definitely the most interesting, but again here, especially with the latter two, I needed moooore! I wanted to see them more often! I felt like there weren’t a lot of bad or morally grey characters in the book, and for someone (like me) who is a sucker for morally grey characters, I thought that to be a bit of a shame. To me, Ulmer felt like the only villain or true bad guy in the book and I just wish we would’ve gotten to see more from him, more character development, more focus on his reasons behind being the bad guy he is, but it wasn’t really there that much.
I also have to admit that I expected Aldin to be more morally grey than he ended up being. I didn’t expect him to be bad, but I also didn’t expect him to be so sweet to Ava immediately upon meeting her, either. I do have to be honest and admit that the character I probably enjoyed the least was Ava. I think Ava had a lot of interesting aspects, I enjoyed the relationship between her and her little brother (even though I felt like reading more about that) and she very much felt like a bad-ass character to me, especially in the beginning part of the story. However, I have to admit that I had a very difficult time connecting and I found it difficult to understand or recognise her character development. For some reason, I felt like I could never truly figure her out. I felt like I didn’t really get to know her character traits and her train of thought as they seemed to change rather quickly as well. To me, her character did not always feel very consistent and therefore it was hard for me to connect with her and like her as the main character. In addition, even though I quite enjoyed Cassian (even though the readers don’t see him that much), one other thing that bothered me at times was Cassian’s way of speaking. I understand the reasons why it's difficult for him to speak, but I felt like the dialogue for Cassian could have been more than just brief sentences like “Ava back?” and “Ava sad?”.

Some aspects that I did not enjoy that much were the world building as well as the romance.
During the beginning of the story, the reader is told that the ‘Shadow King’s’ army is attacking innocent villages as well as being informed about the war that is going on between Ava’s kingdom and the Shadow King’s kingdom, yet the war never feels fully fleshed out, as well as the various kingdoms. We get to know about the Turnskins, the Magus, some of the reasons behind the bad ‘relationship’ between King Aldin and Ava’s father, but it still felt very flat in my opinion. I wanted to know more about their kingdoms, what do their kingdoms look like? What kind of cultures are there? What do the people look like? And then I’m also referring to the villagers and not just the people inside the royal courts. In what sort of area does the story take place?
I also felt a need for more political tension, more war, between the kingdoms and the various groups. I feel like the book started out really well on this front: the events concerning the Turnskin child, Ava going to war against the Shadow King, getting to know the groups (Turnskins, Magus) that are not truly accepted by the King, etc. However, in my opinion, this very much changed once Ava meets Callan and, in my opinion, there seemed to be a shift, from a focus on the war, the political tensions, the world building, etc. to a focus on the romance in the novel. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m a true sucker for romance in books, especially in fantasy books, and love triangles always excite me, but the romance between Ava and Callan / Aldin didn’t excite me very much. I think this was primarily caused by the romance, especially between Ava and Callan, happening very quickly. It felt like they hadn’t even spent a full day together yet were already madly in love. I truly enjoyed the idea of the bond shared between them, the sort of Sarah J. Maas-like ‘mating bond’, but I did not really enjoy how they immediately seemed to be head over heels in love, only a couple of pages after their first meeting. I know that there are a lot of readers who truly enjoy an insta-love romance, but I’ve personally always had a preference for more of a slowburn romance, so once again, I think it also comes down to personal preference a lot. For me, the romance happened way too quickly and was also a bit way too fluffy. I mean, as a girl who falls in love with pretty much every morally grey fictional prince, I really hoped there would be a more enemies-to-lovers type of romance, with Aldin especially. The synopsis truly made me feel like that was what the story would include, but I felt like Aldin was too sweet from the get go, like Callan was as well in my opinion, and therefore the romance, from both sides just felt too fluffy for my taste. I remember Ava telling Aldin that she felt that the two of them “brought out the worst in each other” and during that moment I was rather confused because I felt like there hadn’t really been many ‘bad’ or ‘enemy-like’ moments between them where the reader was able to see this.

Even though Kingdom of Shadows and Dust contained some aspects that weren’t necessarily my cup of tea, I still consider it to be an entertaining read. A YA novel perfect for fantasy fans with a love for fluffy romances! While reading it was very clear to me that the author had a great time writing this book and her enthusiasm and love for it shows. I will rate Kingdom of Shadows and Dust with a 2.5/5 stars, primarily because of the reasons that I have mentioned above and because I feel like the book has such great potential, but I needed more. I wish Sherry D. Ficklin lots of luck and fun with the release of her book and I hope that many readers will join Ava on her journey, fighting for her kingdom and everyone she loves.

I really liked the idea this book was following, and did connect with the book but it felt like it was going in a circle. Like they took a lot longer to get to the climax then I think they should.
I think that if your looking to read this you should read this little by little everyday. This isn't the type of book that I at least could one shot read, but it was a great read overall. I don't find the MC dumb and annoying or any of the side characters to be to much or for them to be flat.

real rating 3.5
This book was very surprising. At first, it was a bit hard for me to get into the story but everything changed once Callan came along. I love romance so when there's romance you hook me immediately.
I think the plot was good and the characters were interesting but I didn't love them. Except for Callan, I think. However, I liked how mature their decisions were, well Ava not that much. I'm a bit conflicted with her. I found her a bit childish and inconsistent. The world-building was also good and you can easily imagine it.
I know many people didn't like the ending but I think it wasn't that bad. At least, it ended like I wanted it to end. But it was a bit rushed. Actually, I think all the romance was a bit rushed.
However, is still a light entertaining fantasy read.
Thanks Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review. This is my honest and voluntarily opinion.

I received an arc in exchange for an honest review, contains spoilers

Ava is a princess who is protected by the crown and her father, while her only desire is to fight for her kingdom. Her father believes that she needs to stay unseen at the court so that he can sell her to the highest bidder to further the kingdoms political advantages. So of course when her best friend leaves for the front lines of the war she joins him.

This book is a good read, however, there are a few issues I had with it. The dialogue at times read as choppy and not fully developed. The mental dialogue between Callan and Ava was confusing, as it was hard to tell if someone was speaking out loud or not. The writing also didn't feel fully developed, as the character's thoughts seem to change so as to fit the story (ie. Being an outcast in the army and then calling them her friends to Pria). As well, the world building could have been fleshed out more to provide a better experience for the reader. The knowledge provided feels more like a sequel than the first book.

Ava is a princess that has been hidden for most of her life. She is to be kept away from the lustful court (her father’s words) until she is ready to be sold to the best potential political ally. Of course, Ava is not happy with her boring and sheltered life, she dreams about leaving the palace and helping her people. That’s why, when the occasion arises, she leaves for the front with her best friend, where things don’t really go as planned. Ava meets some Magus and Turnskin (people with the ability to shift), and soon realizes that what she was led to believe about them is quite wrong.

The world-building could be more developed. We know that there are kingdoms at war, that the Magus have magical abilities, but are outsiders, and the Turnskins are shapeshifters, but they are worth nothing according to the king and they live hidden in the woods. There is potential for political moves, complex relationships, and different worlds and cultures, but we don’t really see it, and we don’t have enough backstory about the different groups involved.

The writing felt choppy at times, and the dialogues were not the best. Some characters can share their thoughts through a mental bond, but it was hard sometimes to tell if the characters were talking to each other or communicating through telepathy. The story was easy to follow, but it also lacked some depth (as did the characters). The characters are nice, but everyone is good (except for the few villains) and feels unidimensional. It would have been better is some of the characters were morally grey or at least had more depth. There is a hint of betrayal coming from one character, but it’s swiped away as soon as it appears in the story.

There are also inconsistencies in the plot, and overall, it felt as if the characters' thoughts and feelings shifted to accommodate the plot, rather than the other way around. For example, when she travels with her friends, he keeps her isolated because he does not want anyone to realize who is traveling with them. After an ambush resulting in the death of many soldiers, she refers to the soldiers as "her friends" because the author needs her to go through a personal loss, but she never said a single word to any of them and does not know the name of most of them.

Another issue that I had with this book is the insta-love between Ava and Callan. Their relationship was so fast-paced there was no time for me to process what was happening, and the next thing I know is that she is jealous because he is talking to another girl, and he proclaims his eternal love for her because they are (apparently) mates. It just annoyed me honestly. The whole telepathic part where Callan accidentally projects thoughts such as “she’s really beautiful” or “don’t touch her, she’s not for you”, was not cute. It was weird. And later on, they had whole telepathic conversations while being far away from each other, but it was not cute or sweet, it just made me roll my eyes because everything progressed so fast between them (and I am most definitely NOT a fan of insta-love).

This story was told from the point of view of Ava a noble princess who craves to be more than just another noble women behind a veil. I quickly connected with Ava and felt that I understood her motivation even though I did not always agree. The story in some ways revolves around an unconventionally love triangle which explores different types of love. My favourite love story featured in Kingdom of Shadows and Dust is that over Ava and her younger brother the heir to the kingdom. I enjoyed the sneak peek into other cultures within the Kingdom of Shadows and Dust universe though sometimes they felt a little rushed and I would like to know more.

Overall, I really enjoyed this read and I definitely recommend this book. I plan to explore more books by Sherry D Ficklin.

Kingdom of Shadows and Dust is released in September 2021!

https://pjsandbooks.wordpress.com/2021/04/27/kingdom-of-shadows-and-dust/