Book: Withered By Shadows by Ada Marlowe
Reviewed by kizziisreads
Rating: 4/5
The corrupt do not cry.
That line speaks volumes to me and can be interpreted in many different ways.
I received this book as an eARC. I was not paid for this review, the thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Ada Marlowe for the chance to read & review this book.
Kiera is a normal human, just doing what she can to survive and provide for her family. Her mother sells tea, her brother works on fishing boats, and she fixes things. Her father was a sailor, and disappeared at sea years ago. But she doesn't believe he got lost.
Whispers in her village talk of how he was mad, speaking about Fae & creatures of shadows that he fought alongside. So when she encounters those same beasts at the pier, she begins to question everything.
The early chapters of this book give me ACOTAR vibes; The Lord of the Verdant Dominion, claiming he was protecting her. Definitely gives Tamlin vibes, if Tamlin was more unhinged. And Soren? Soren gives me hard Rhysand vibes. In the good way.
One of my favorite parts of this book, is when Kiera asks Soren how he manages to resist kissing her, and how she needs to learn that same restraint. Just blunt to the core; straight out asks how he hasn't given in yet. She's not afraid to speak her mind, but she by no means is arrogant about it.
You will fall in love with the characters you meet. I promise. You'll also dislike a couple, but that's to be expected. There's so much world building in this first book, and yet we've hardly scratched the surface. Things are unfolding so quickly, but also everyone speaks in riddles and typically Fae fashion of speaking around the truth. I guarantee you could probably spend the extra time to take all the clues and hints and figure out the missing information if you really tried.
While this is more a closed door romance, there's still tension. And it does get a little steamy; more like a bell pepper 🫑 than a chili 🌶. But the tension is beautiful and will make you yearn for more.
If you liked ACOTAR, but wished there were dragons, this is the book for you.