Throne of Shadows by Emma Fenton

Blurb:

Magic or Myth?

Princess Honoria Ramadani is mere weeks away from marrying the man she loves, becoming a queen, and finally escaping the suffocating atmosphere of the Helish court. When an ominous prophecy threatens Ria’s entire future, she’s hesitant to put stock behind childish superstition. But with her parents’ sudden, inexplicable illness and subsequent deaths, she can no longer deny that there are greater forces at work.

The discovery of an antiquated law forces Ria to fight for both her life and the throne, pitting her against her vicious older sister. An ancient demon-summoning ritual—which promises that any desire can be granted, for a price—may be the only thing that can save Ria from certain death. But witchcraft is a finicky matter, and she soon finds herself magically bound to an arrogant demon who might cause more problems than he solves.

There are worse terrors than demons lurking in the palace walls, however, and Ria will have to forge the unlikeliest of alliances if she wants to have any chance of surviving.

You can never go back to the person you were before. You can never see the world the way you used to see it.

My review:

When I started reading this book I have no idea I would end up loving it so much. I love reading fantasy books because of the different world setting and the involvement of magics. But this book is different from the others, it expresses lots of feelings that touch one’s heart. The character of Ria, the protagonist, is so much relatable. She is innocent and vulnerable, but she never exposes that to anyone and she always tries to be as strong as possible in difficult situations. I feel so much connected to her from the start to the end because of the author’s tremendous writing style.

The plot focus on protecting the Kingdom of Helhath. The World building was not very well explained but I that didn’t stop me from loving this book because of the characters which were so amazing. Peryn, the demon who is both funny and cruel and with his dark suits, witty mind, handsome face, stone heart ( a little) made me love him. His character will definitely make the readers fall in love with him. I love the conversations between Ria-Peryn. I couldn’t find words to explain my love for them.

If there is one fictional character that I hate the most, then it is Mikhael. I will never forgive him for what he had done for Ria. I liked the character Ameer, the Elder Scholar who is more like a fatherly figure for Ria, the one who always tries his best to take care of her. The twist at the end wasn’t something I guessed, I was certain with some parts but the rest was unexpected. There were little magic here and there to add more amazingness to the story.

The climax is so smooth and gentle and I really really want to read the next book in this Trilogy (The Shadow Queen Trilogy) because I enjoyed reading this book. It is indeed a wonderful read.