Taken by shadows

Book: Taken by shadows by Genevieve Addison

Reviewed by Your_bookish_fantasy

Rating: 3.5/5

𝓝𝓞 𝓢𝓟𝓞𝓘𝓛𝓔𝓡𝓢
⚜️𝔻𝕖𝕥𝕒𝕚𝕝𝕖𝕕 𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 𝕠𝕗- Taken by Shadows by Genevieve Addison

𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 whimsy words PR 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰, 𝐢𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐬 𝐢 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤.

⚜️ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤-
(out of 5 stars, my rating scale is at the end)
📚 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 Story ⭐️⭐️⭐️ .5 / 5

🌡️ Spice MF 🌶️ 🫑 / 5 - passion, dirty talk, kissing and touching/playing, but it doesn’t progress much further… yet . 👀 -𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑐𝑘 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑚𝑦 𝐺𝑜𝑜𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑠 𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑚𝑦 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑑𝑒𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑚𝑖𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑠
Which books have I also given this same rating? (𝑠𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑦 𝑠𝑡𝑦𝑙𝑒𝑜𝑓 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑜𝑤𝑛)

5⭐️ Fourth wing / Bound by inked flame / Anathama / The Lies of Lena / Of silver and Curses
4.5⭐️ Bitten / The Female / Quicksilver / Bride / Lights Out / A Bargain so Bloody
4⭐️ ACOTAR/ Spellcaster / One Dark Window / From Blood and Ash / Phantasma / Butcher & Blackbird
3⭐️We Who Will Die / The Wolf King / Daughter of No Worlds / The Ex Hex

⚜️𝕂𝕖𝕪 𝕀𝕟𝕗𝕠:
Genre- Fantasy Romance

📖 462 𝗣𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀

𝐹𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛 solo 𝗣𝗢𝗩

𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲- August 25, 2026

𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁 or 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 driven?𝒜 ℳ𝒾𝓍

𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗲 & 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗻𝗼- series unknown, book 1

𝗔𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 on 𝗞𝗨? ✅𝒴ℯ𝓈

𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗲- 𝓂ℯ𝒹𝒾𝓊𝓂

𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲? ❌ Not particularly. I remembered the characters much more easily than the actual events of the plot whenever I put the book down.

𝐀𝐧𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧? (Disability, plus size, mental health etc...)❌

ℳℴℴ𝒹𝓈; 𝑀𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠, 𝑅𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑐, 𝑀𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙, 𝑇𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑒, 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑏𝑜𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝐸𝑚𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙

𝒟𝒾𝒹 𝒾 ℯ𝓃𝒿ℴ𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈?✅

𝒲𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝒾 𝓇ℯ𝒶𝒹 𝓉𝒽ℯ 𝓃ℯ𝓍𝓉 𝒷ℴℴ𝓀 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓈ℯ𝓇𝒾ℯ𝓈?✅

𝒲ℴ𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝒾 𝓇ℯ𝒶𝒹 𝒶𝓃𝓎𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 ℯ𝓁𝓈ℯ 𝒷𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒶𝓊𝓉𝒽ℴ𝓇?✅

𝖂𝖍𝖔 𝖜𝖔𝖚𝖑𝖉 𝖎 𝖗𝖊𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖒𝖊𝖓𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖙𝖔? Readers who love traditional romantasy, shadow daddies, hidden powers, royal secrets, slow-burn yearning, forced proximity and books where half the fun is trying to work out who the hell is lying.

⚜️𝕊ℙ𝔼ℂ𝕀𝔼𝕊 𝕀ℕ 𝕊𝕋𝕆ℝ𝕐:
💋𝐻𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑠
🧙‍♀️𝔚𝔦𝔱𝔠𝔥𝔢𝔰
🧝‍♀️𝔽𝕒𝕖

⚜️𝕊𝕡𝕚𝕔𝕖 𝔽𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕤:
🔥𝐒𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐧
🥵𝒟𝒾𝓇𝓉𝓎 𝒯𝒶𝓁𝓀
💘ᖴᗩKᗴ ᗪᗩTIᑎᘜ
🫦Oᴘᴘᴏsɪᴛᴇs Aᴛᴛʀᴀᴄᴛ
🗡 𝙀𝙣𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨
💋𝒮𝓅𝒾𝒸ℯ 𝒾𝓃𝒸𝓇ℯ𝒶𝓈ℯ𝓈 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 ℯ𝒶𝒸𝒽 𝒷ℴℴ𝓀
🌡𝕐𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘, 𝔸𝕟𝕘𝕤𝕥, 𝕋𝕖𝕟𝕤𝕚𝕠𝕟
🧩 Forced Proximity
💋 Passion without full payoff… yet

⚜️𝕋ℝ𝕆ℙ𝔼𝕊
⚜️ℋℯ𝒾𝓇 𝓉ℴ 𝓉𝒽ℯ 𝓉𝒽𝓇ℴ𝓃ℯ
👑 Commoner x Royalty
😈 Shadow Daddy
💈 ᗷᗩᑎTᗴᖇ
🧬 Hidden / Unknown Powers
🤫 Secrets & Betrayals
🔮 Mysteries
🪧 Political Intrigue
🎭 Hidden Identities / He’s Not All He Seems
🧸 𝐹𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦
🧩 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒚
🔒 He Kidnaps Her
☠️𝕋𝕠𝕦𝕔𝕙 𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕒𝕟𝕕...
💘 Fake Relationship
🔥 Slow Burn
🔺 Rival Love Interests
📚 GIANT LIBRARY!
🧨𝕊𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕪 𝔽𝕄ℂ

✨ TᕼᗴᗰᗴՏ ✨
Identity • Belonging • Family • Power • Trust • Loyalty • Self-discovery • Secrets • Political power • Finding where you belong

📝Cliff Notes Review-
This was a strange one because there was actually a lot happening , yet whenever I put it down to get something done I wasn’t desperate to pick it back up. Worse, when I eventually did, I’d regularly have to remind myself what the bloody book was about and what everyone was currently doing. 😂 I almost DNF’d at around 15%, but I’m glad I stuck with it because there is a genuinely intriguing story underneath that disconnect.

There are mysteries, political intrigue, unknown powers, family secrets, rival love interests and several different subplots ticking away at once. Trying to figure out who the mysterious villain actually was definitely helped keep me reading. Unfortunately, despite everything happening, the story itself just didn’t have that addictive “one more chapter and THEN I’ll do the washing” quality for me.

Where the book really shines is its characters. Their individual arcs, friendships, rivalries and romantic relationships felt believable, and I became considerably more invested in them than I did the actual plot. The character growth was probably my favourite part of the book.

The writing itself is beautiful, although sometimes perhaps too whimsical and descriptive for its own good . There are some gorgeous descriptions and beautifully constructed passages, but occasionally I found myself skim-reading through all the decorative language just to discover what the character’s actual thought, intention or plan was. Pretty prose is lovely, but once I’m digging through it looking for the point, we’ve got a problem. 😂

“Once I've tasted you, I wouldn't be able to stop.”

😥 𝕎𝕙𝕪 𝕟𝕠 𝕗𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕤?
The easiest way I can explain it is that I enjoyed it while I was reading it, but I didn’t particularly care when I wasn’t. There was no magnetic pull dragging me back into the story.

For a book containing this many mysteries, secrets, subplots and revelations, I shouldn’t have needed to remind myself what was happening every time I returned to it. I nearly DNF’d early on, and although I’m glad I persevered, it never became completely immersive for me.

“All you have to do is behave, and I'll release you. Just ask.”
“I would never ask you-“
“Most females beg, in fact.”

🌍 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕 𝕓𝕦𝕚𝕝𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘, 𝕨𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕡𝕒𝕔𝕚𝕟𝕘:
The foundations are really promising. We have fae, shadow magic, royalty, political intrigue, hidden histories and plenty of questions surrounding both Imogen and Kaed. There is enough worldbuilding to understand what’s happening while deliberately leaving mysteries for later books.

Genevieve Addison can write some genuinely beautiful prose. The descriptions can be almost lyrical, and there were plenty of little details I enjoyed simply for the way they were written. Unfortunately, that occasionally worked against the pacing. Some thoughts and descriptions became so elaborate that I’d find myself scanning ahead looking for the actual conclusion of the thought.

The pacing was also uneven for me. There are bursts where the mysteries and danger push everything forward nicely, but other sections slowed considerably. That’s probably why a book containing so many moving pieces somehow still failed to become addictive.

“What do you want to call me?”
“Bastard would do.”

🧝‍♂️ ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤:
This is where the book won me over. Imogen’s journey from a magicless fae who doesn’t entirely belong in either world into someone beginning to uncover her identity and potential gives her a satisfying character arc. I didn’t always connect with her internal monologue, but I enjoyed watching her grow.

Kaed delivers exactly what the packaging promises: mysterious morally-grey royal, shadow powers, hidden motives and enough emotional baggage to fill that giant library. 😂 Their relationship is a genuine slow burn, with plenty of yearning, attraction and tension rather than immediately jumping into bed together.

But the friendships and side characters deserve just as much credit. The best friends, rivals and competing love interests weren’t simply furniture arranged around the main couple. Their relationships developed alongside the central story, and I cared about what happened to them.

“Kaed was everything I wanted to taste and everything I shouldn't.”

⏳ 𝕎𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕚 𝕣𝕖-𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕠𝕣 𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕕?
Recommend? Yes, to the right reader. If those tropes above are your romantasy catnip, there’s plenty here to enjoy.

Re-read? Yes, but with a condition. I’ll probably reread it immediately before book two because I already know I’ll have forgotten too many of the details by then. I wouldn’t pick it up again purely because I fancied experiencing the story another time. And I think that distinction says quite a lot.

“You can fight me for eternity, until the sands of forever and never meet. Until the Crown Oaks are ash on the wind. But I won't stop protecting you.”

🪧𝔽𝕚𝕟𝕒𝕝 𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤:
Taken by Shadows has all the ingredients of a romantasy I should have inhaled: a gorgeous cover, shadow daddy, kidnapping, forced proximity, hidden powers, royalty, fake relationship, rival love interests, mysteries, found family and, most importantly, A GIANT LIBRARY. 📚🖤

And yet… I didn’t inhale it.

I enjoyed it. I don’t regret reading it. The characters were strong, the mysteries kept me curious and I’m genuinely interested in discovering where the larger story goes. But it never got its claws quite deep enough into me. When I closed the book, I could happily leave it closed.

So this lands at ⭐️⭐️⭐️ .5 for me: I’m glad I read it, I’ll continue the series and I’d recommend it to the right romantasy reader, but I wanted more.

𝐹𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑚𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑢𝑔𝑔𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠;

𝕋𝕚𝕜𝕋𝕠𝕜
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𝕄𝕪 ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕊𝕪𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕞𝕤:
⭐️ DNF

⭐️⭐️
I managed to finish it but it was rubbish. I won't keep a physical copy and won't recommend it, but it's a shame as the plot could have made a good book in another author's hands

⭐️⭐️.5
It was OK. I wish I didn't start this one as it didn't do it for me as I struggled to read it. It had an interesting premise that fell flat but I had to see what happened in the end.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
I don't regret reading it, and I will read the next one, but this one did have a few flaws. [These could be repetitive writing, gaps or plot holes, better character growth or world building, areas needing more detail]
Generally, the book lacked depth and became confusing. The plot resonated with me even though it annoyed me on the whole.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
I'm glad I read it. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to the right people, but I wanted more! Sadly, it's easily forgettable with a few issues I just couldn't overlook/get past.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Good book! I loved it, but... I needed more! I really did enjoy it, but it had a few parts that needed more detail or added history/background or lore. But that's because the story or characters were memorable, and the plot was strong with brilliant twists. I would re-read if I needed to catch up for the next book and would recommend.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Great book! I truly wish the story had been thought about more, or the author had been given more time as this book is so close to brilliance! I will likely read again and will definitely be recommending it to all!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
WOW! Absolutely amazing book! Well written with great characters and a plot so memorable that it will stay with me. I will definitely read this again, I will be recommending it and sharing it with the whole world! Also- I NEED A PHYSICAL COPY!

🔥⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🔥
This is my God level tier. The book must be perfectly memorable. Even after reading 50+ more books, I will remember character names and emotions along with the plot. If there is a special edition, then I need to own it! If there is a conversation on books- I'm talking about this!

SPICE SCALE:
🌶️– segsual language and a little on-page action / fade to black

🌶️🌶️– a lot of segsual language and some on-page open door action, may be occurring a couple of times

🌶️🌶️🌶️– a lot of explicit action and dirty talk, occurring frequently with 2/3 lurvers

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ – super graphic and explicit, occurring 4 or more times, can be more grey and taboo themed.

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ – Kinks and Fet!shism, explicit and super graphic. It is likely to be tushy play, toys, playrooms, and more

Read full review on ARC Library