A review by darkromancer_reader
Bound to the Shadow Prince by Ruby Dixon

adventurous emotional lighthearted

5.0

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️.5/5

 

Bound to the Shadow Prince by Ruby Dixon is a fun story that is inspired by Greek Tales loosely but provides an interesting fantasy plot that gives a unique fantasy tale that many folks might enjoy when looking for their next Romantasy read. I don't know what I was expecting when I picked up this book, but when I saw the author of Ice Planet Barbarians, I couldn't help but start diving into this story.

 

This is more fantastical compared to her other tales, but something I love about Ruby is the world building that occurs within the story. This is more of a standalone story though I can definitely see some spin offs of this tale that can happen. Overall this story follows Princess Candra as she is unexpectedly supposed to go into a tower in order to prevent the gods from being upset with the human race for 7 years. They are also joined by Nemeth from a race called Fellians who are bat-like humanoid creatures. A part of the story includes Candra being sick and having to take medicine. Being in such close quarters also means that the two will run into each other, and they will learn and survive together.

 

The plot of this story is so fun, and I enjoyed reading Ruby's author note afterwards because it made this book go from 4.5 to 5 stars for me. If you also read this book make sure to read that afterwards because there were details I didn't even notice until the end. I loved how this book presented itself as a simple stay in the tower, but then there were many twists and turns. I would encourage folks to keep reading this because it is not what you expect at the end.

 

Of course the characters are lovable too. I love Nemeth as he is just an introverted guy who just wanted to read War Poetry, but is always trying to do right by his people and the people he loves. There was a moment where I wanted to kill him, but all was forgiven by the end, but I love that I can still feel so many emotions. I will say though  Candra was not my favorite. I think she annoyed me more because her mind was very much, "Woe is me, I am sick, I am screwed, I hate it here" for the first half of the book. I get it, but in the end, I think Nemeth makes up for her poor attitude.

 

So at the end of the day, if you are looking for a spicy romantasy with another bat boy who is more bat then boy who is super endearing I think this one is a good choice for you. I loved this story and really enjoyed it, and I think that more people would enjoy it too, especially if you love Ruby Dixon in general.