Seventeen years ago, an eclipse cloaked the kingdom of Relhok in darkness, and dangerous creatures known as dark dwellers rose to the surface to torment the people. Amid the chaos, an evil chancellor murdered the king and queen and seized their throne. Luna, Relhok’s lost princess, has been hiding in a tower ever since. Her survival depends on the world believing she is dead.
But Luna wants more than a life whiled away in safety. When she meets Fowler in the woods outside her tower, she is draw to the mysterious, pessimistic archer and dreams of a life beyond the tower walls. It is only when the tower is attacked and Luna and Fowler escape together that she realizes that dream could become a reality — if they can survive long enough to find the rumored island haven. And if Luna can continue to keep her identity a secret.
But the world is more treacherous than Luna realized and threats continue to stack up against them. In such a dark world, Luna and Fowler’s only solace may be in each other. But first, they’ll have to find a way to bridge the unspoken secrets that lie between them and learn to trust and rely on each other.
Reign of Shadows is a loose retelling of the Rapunzel fairy tale, set in an intriguing world that has succumbed to complete darkness for 17 years. It’s a concept I found fascinating. It includes an evil chancellor determined to find and kill the lost princess, as well as nasty dark dwellers that roam the lands preying on any living thing they can find — be that animal or human. (After reading the entire book believing these dark dwellers were zombie-like creatures, I learned they were actually inspired by moles. Now we all know.)
This book also features a trope I dislike: insta-love. In this case, I think it actually kind of works. Luna has has been locked in a tower her entire life with only the two people who have raised her for human interaction. Even if I didn’t like how it was done, it’s understandable that she would fall for the first boy her age that she comes across.
Something else Reign of Shadows features that I found both interesting and off is that one of the characters featured is blind. While I loved the idea of a character born into a world eclipsed by shadow also being blind, in this case, it was taken to the point that it felt like their blindness was glorified and more closely resembled a superhuman ability.
Overall, the plot did hold my attention throughout this whole young adult fantasy book. I enjoyed it but I probably won’t finish reading the duology.
Rated: Mild, for only a few uses of mild language. Violence includes stories recounting human sacrifice to the dark dwellers and the knowledge of the mass murder of girls around the age of the lost princess. A boy is injured badly from a trap. Blood is mentioned several times, though for the most part, there is minimal description. Sexual content is minimal; there is an instance where the blind character walks in on someone who is changing clothes. Characters kiss frequently.
