Castle of Dusk and Shadows

Product Information

In ‘Castle of Dusk and Shadows,’ you’ll immerse yourself in a world of bloodthirsty fae and vengeful ghosts as Elle navigates a kingdom of monsters and tragic secrets. Along the way, you’ll learn: This was a fun, engaging fantasy with a romantic subplot. To be clear, the writing wasn't perfect, the characterization wasn't novel or in-depth, but nevertheless, the book held my attention and was so engrossing that I devoured it in a couple days.

I'm not super familiar with the story of Sabrina, which inspired this one, but I love how this book felt like a brand-new fairytale. Romantic, magical...the kind that has you swooning and rooting for true love. But Elle has a plan to change their fate. For she knows that ghosts wander Ashwood Forest until the royal family sends them into the afterlife. Ghosts that can be returned to life. And she's determined to save her father from his premature death. I loved this book! For one, it was fun having a broody, sort-of-grumpy fae who WASN'T really morally grey but was actually more of a "do-gooder," cinnamon roll type. It was also nice seeing a first love interest who (mild s Swoony. Emotional. Magical. And the key to her salvation might be her arrogant, cold husband—the one she’d planned to rob and abandon. If only she can trust him. The romance is very slow burn (which Rachel excels at 😆) and there is plenty of tension and glances when they don’t think the other is looking 😂 I’ll include a list of tropes below but Fitz is the kind of fae to maim and ask questions later.. especially when it comes to his bride!!Overall, the writing is good enough. There is a lot of Elle’s internal angst that isn’t very poignant and so comes across repetitive and dull. This FMC is a truly distasteful person, in both her behavior and character, and combined with the single-sided POV, the writing was hard to stay focused on. I found myself reading chunks of this, making myself get to the next 10% mark so I could get through it on schedule. It was not a sit-down-and-binge-read book. The second part of the Fae of Brytwilde book series are Fortress of Blood and Power that will be released on December 15, 2023. But Elle has a plan to change their fate. For she knows that ghosts wander Ashwood Forest until the royal family sends them into the afterlife.

This was a nice, easy read. I enjoyed the Victorian/fae aspect and I thought that had been really well done, however I wasn't the greatest fan of Elle, the main character. She wasn't the worst FMC I've read about, but she definitely wasn't the greatest. I thought her dedication to her family and uncovering the truth was very well done, and were good characteristics for her. I also enjoyed her quirkiness about the contrast of the Victorian-styled human realm and the "impropriety" of the Fae realm. The comment about her not even showing anyone her ankle before had me giggling. Otherwise, she was just.... meh to me. I also wasn't a fan of how Fitz was portrayed as instantly falling in love with her.... I am more of the slow-burn type girl so when Fitz was the first to declare his feelings for Elle it had thrown me for a bit. (10/2023) PDF / EPUB File Name: Castle_of_Dusk_and_Shadows_-_Rachel_L_Schade.pdf, Castle_of_Dusk_and_Shadows_-_Rachel_L_Schade.epub This was marketed as a clean romance, and it was definitely that, but I wish it had been...a little less...clean... I have the next book on my TBR but I don’t know if I will get to it right at release. The next one is a Mansfield Park retelling (if I remember correctly) and so already not one of my favorite JA books. For this one, if you’re a fan of Pride & Prejudice and just want to read all the retelling and adaptations and fandom, then it is worth it. I loved this book! For one, it was fun having a broody, sort-of-grumpy fae who WASN'T really morally grey but was actually more of a "do-gooder," cinnamon roll type. It was also nice seeing a first love interest who (mild spoiler) isn't someone you end the book completely despising. You just accept that the main character moved on and found a love more suitable. Refreshing changes, for sure!So think Pride and Prejudice but add in a fresh take on fae, magic, ghosts, murder, mystery, and so much more. Then we have some of my all-time favorite tropes: slow burn, he falls first, only one bed, touch her and die. Plus, sprinkle in some delicious tension and good ol’ banter. It’s the perfect mix.