I’m a sucker for a dark academic book, as well as a why choose book. The why choose element of this book was by far my favorite part. The romance was making me gasp and giggle and question life choices. But that was really all I liked about this book.

What age are these characters? I felt like they were in their 20s but also teens. They acted mature, then too young, then mature, then too young. I was a little confused with the back and forth. (I know we have their ages, but they just weren’t acting it, especially the characters over 100 who still act like teens sometimes.)

The idea of this book was cool, but I’m not sure if I really liked the execution.

Thank you very much to Victory Editing, NetGalley, and Tierney Storer for an ARC of this book.

When I read gothic dark fantasy, I didn't expect the extent of how gothic it would get. But that's definitely the word of the day. Gothic .

It started off slow, but it doesn't disappoint. It handled death in such a poetically dark way that made my little dark heart enjoy reading every bit of it. Bringing about a new perspective to being chosen by death, being chosen through death, and finding comfort in death. I wonder how many times I can say death?

And not just that. This is a story of a person who had it all under control, somewhat. And she winds up being stripped of all her strength and finding herself torn open and bare for all to sneer at. Because she's simply made anew by something that plagued their lands.

I know what the cover says. But this is the slowest slow burn to the fullest. Only one (maybe two) has appeared to be a possible love interest, and even that found partial fulfillment (wow, so fancy) by the near end of the book. This is such a slow burn that you need the next few books for it (any romance or why choose aspect) to even show. And this is still the first book! I'm not complaining. I'm very much amused. But I'd call out the cover for something else.

All the dark academia girls are going to swoon for this. It's a slow steady jog right off a cliff. The Wednesday vibes were really strong and made it more enjoyable, and it's def a slow burn with great banter. There's not much why choose yet but the groundwork is laid and the cliffhanger .lol Thanks to the author, netgalley and the publisher for providing me a copy to read.

This is so good!!! Gothic vibes seep out of this with every line you read. The humor is a little dark, a little twisted.

I already NEEED the second book desperately. I loved the vibes, I loved the story telling, I loved the characters!!

It was truly stellar

I fell headfirst into this book like a moth diving into candle flame, knowing it would burn me but unable to resist. Shadebound didn’t just pull me into its shadow laced pages, it swallowed me whole, chewed me up, and left me wandering in the dark, begging for more. I didn’t even notice I had reached the last page until my Kindle mocked me with emptiness, and now I’m spiraling into the post book abyss.

Someone send help. Or the sequel. Preferably both.

Jinx. Oh, Jinx. She is not the kind of heroine you simply read, she’s the kind you feel in the marrow of your bones. She is darkness distilled, raw and jagged, stitched together with contradictions. Born dead, and yet more alive than most, she wears her walls like armor but wields her loyalty like a blade. She’s not evil, she’s survival personified. Call her a female Dexter. She’s cold, she’s warm, she’s brutal, she’s tender. She is every contradiction you’ve ever tried to bury within yourself. And maybe that’s why I related to her so much because the little psychotic streak she carries whispered to the shadow inside me and said, “I see you.”

Then there’s Zayden; delicious, dangerous, maddeningly addictive Zayden. He’s the storm that doesn’t just match Jinx, he is her storm. A werewolf with cracks in his carefully laid walls, letting glimpses of golden retriever energy slip through the shadows when you least expect it. Where Jinx is barbed wire, he’s barbed wire with velvet wrapped around it, still sharp, still cutting, but softer when it counts. And the trust she places in him? That’s not just romance. That’s the kind of bond forged in fire and blood. The kind that terrifies you because it feels real.

Tierney Storer has done more than write a book here and she’s crafted a haunting symphony of shadows, blood, and yearning that clings to you long after the last word. Her writing is so sharp, so vivid, that I could feel the dragon fire scorch across my skin, see shadows flicker in the corners of my room, and hear the guttural growls of monsters that may or may not have been entirely in my head. (No promises.) Her words didn’t just tell a story, they built a world that clawed its way under my skin and refused to leave.

Shadebound isn’t just a book. It’s a descent. A confession. A kiss pressed to your pulse in the dark while claws linger at your throat. And I, willingly and without shame, am begging for the next taste.

Thank you to Netgalley and Victory Editing for The ARC.

This was really good! I love the drama and the slow burn. The tension between rivals, and all the banter was so delightful. I will say this book tends to tell you a lot of things instead of show, which I really wish could have made us the reader discover it instead. I also wished we could have had a bit more to the overall setup of the world, since we get told everything, there isn't much we get to explore ourselves.

I do love how Jinx slowly grows on the reader, and how she develops as a character. We get to see she's more than just black or white, and is more on the morally grey side. She ends up opening up more about herself as time goes on.

There's so much I liked about it, from the characters to the gothic, dark academia vibes!

Loved it! Perfect gothic romance. Devoured it in a single night till 2am and can't wait for book two.

This book was interesting. The world building was great. I liked how the writer really set the stage and detailed the environment.
I liked the characters. They weren’t the run-of-the-mill leads, which I always love. Love the nicknames too!
I definitely see the Wednesday influence throughout the book. Sometimes, a little too much.
Overall a good read.

This was so good! There was so much snark, and I loved every second of it! This book did the opposite of what I expected when it comes to intricate world building. Really, the only thing that happened in this book was setting the tone and arranging the pieces for book 2, and I loved it! Nothing felt forced into a compressed timeline, and there was plenty of time to explain the setting, history, and magic system. Only one of our MMCs has been revealed with teasing potentially 4 others?!

This book is absolutely a slow burn in every aspect of the word, not just for the romance. The anticipation just kept building, and I can't wait to see what happens next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tierney Storer for the free eARC.

I really loved the concept behind Shadebound, but unfortunately it was not for me and I ended up DNFing around 25%

I absolutely devoured this book and loved every moment of it. Jinx was such a fascinating character, fierce, clever, and mysterious as a Shadebound. I loved how unique she was, and her story felt fresh and addictive from the start. Death was another favorite. And the Unknown? I am so intrigued and desperate to find out more about this mysterious stalker. The supernatural elements were perfect, and all the dark intrigue that made the world feel alive. Zayden was also unforgettable, with just the right mix of danger and charm, and his interactions with Jinx gave the story so much spark. So many good characters. The pacing was perfect for a first book in a series. The cliffhanger at the end left me desperate for book two. Thank you so much to the author and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read the book in advance, I received this for free and I'm leaving a honest review

In this book we follow Jinx, a shadebound paying penance for avenging her sister's death. She gets sent to Mors academy which is essentially a prison with her brother, and reuniting with an old friend and an old flame. The rivalries and punishments in this book go beyond what your typical fantasy romance would entail and really delves into the more dark, gothic vibes.

What a ride!

So many good, addictive things in this book. Our stabby FMC sentenced to 100 years in a dark, gloomy military academy/prison, a mysterious stalker and conversations with Death inside her head, a desire for revenge on her sister's murderer.

Great gothic elements, shadow magic, shifters, witches, sirens, seers and hot men we don't have to choose between. I would have loved to have read this 200 pages more,but the ending gliffhanger was brilliant. I can't wait for the next part to see if my ideas of ​​who is part of the harem comes true.

Thank you to Victory Editing and NetGalley for the review copy.

In this book we follow Jinx, a shadebound paying penance for avenging her sisters death. She gets sent to mors academy which is essentially a prison with her brother, and reuniting with an old friend and an old flame. The rivalries and punishments in this book go beyond what your typical fantasy romance would entail and really delves into the more dark, gothic vibes.
At first Jinx is unlikeable. How can you like someone who hates emotion? That’s a hard thing to push through. But as the book goes on you can see her unravel and really start to expose more of herself to the world which is nice.
The plot itself doesnt have much happening. There’s lots of plot set up, mystery and questions but not a lot that is actually leading us from point A to point B.
This is a “reverse harem” but that doesn’t actually even come close to happening in this first book. It definitely is a slow burn, dark academia bully vibe. Wednesday meets Sabrina.

Thank you to NetGalley and ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for sending me an ARC of this book. This is a dark, slow burn, gothic dark academia read. It took me a while to get into this book. I enjoyed it, but it felt like it didn’t suck me in right from the start. Our main character Jinx is a grumpy, morally grey heroine. She grew on me as the story went on because at first I was like oh girl you’re just mad at the entire world, but she grew on me. Not only does this book have slow burn romance elements, this also has found family. I enjoyed the found family aspect, getting to know some of the other characters and seeing where they come in to play in the story.

Shadebound is dark, deliciously twisted, and utterly addictive — the kind of book that makes you say “just one more chapter” until it’s suddenly 2 a.m.

From the opening pages, Jinx Draconis grabbed me and refused to let go. A grumpy, morally grey heroine sentenced to a brutal academy that forges killers out of criminals, Jinx isn’t here to be redeemed. She’s here for revenge — and maybe, reluctantly, to protect her brother. The academy itself is brilliantly gothic: part prison, part school, perched on a cliffside where monsters are trained to be fought and students aren’t guaranteed to survive. Add in a murder mystery tied to Jinx’s past and you have tension layered on tension.

This book blends everything I love in a romantasy: dark academia atmosphere, wicked humour, found family vibes twisted through with betrayal, and a heroine who feels like Wednesday Addams went to a deadly magical academy. It’s fast and full of edge-of-your-seat suspense, with a reverse harem setup that promises so much delicious slow-burn angst to come.

Shadebound is perfect for fans of Zodiac Academy, Psycho Shifters, and anyone who loves their fantasy romance equal parts brutal, gothic, and addictive. I’m already looking forward to book two!

I want to first thank the author for letting me read this book. But, I really try to get into this book. Unfortunately, it wasn’t for me because I didn’t like the characters and the plot.