The Shadow Queen ~ C. J. Redwine

The Shadow Queen
by C. J. Redwine
YA Fantasy
Snow White Retelling
Link to Goodreads

Lorelai Diederich, crown princess and fugitive at large, has one mission: kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and the life of her father. To do that, Lorelai needs to use the one weapon she and Queen Irina have in common-magic. She'll have to be stronger, faster, and more powerful than Irina, the most dangerous sorceress Ravenspire has ever seen.

In the neighboring kingdom of Eldr, when Prince Kol's father and older brother are killed by an invading army of magic-wielding ogres, the second-born prince is suddenly given the responsibility of saving his kingdom. To do that, Kol needs magic-and the only way to get it is to make a deal with the queen of Ravenspire, promise to become her personal huntsman... and bring her Lorelai's heart.

But Lorelai is nothing like Kol expected-beautiful, fierce, and unstoppable-and despite dark magic, Lorelai is drawn in by the passionate and troubled king. Fighting to stay one step ahead of the dragon  huntsman-who she likes far more than she should-Lorelai does everything in her power to ruin the wicked queen. But Irina isn't going down without a fight, and her final move may cost the princess the one thing she still has left to lose.

My Review

I really enjoyed this take on Snow White. But then again, who could argue with a retelling that includes dragons? 

Lorelai and her brother, Leo, are on the run from their step mother: the sorceress queen Irina. 

Kol is the rebellious second son of the Dragon King. His only interest is in parties. That is, until his father and older brother are killed by ogres and he is forced to become king. Kol seeks out the only one he think can help him agains the ogres invading his kingdom - the neighboring Ravenspire's own sorceress queen. 

Kol and Lorelai's paths collide as he is tricked into killing her. Will his blood thirsty dragon heart win? Or will Lorelai be able to help him remember his human side? 

Many of the characters are written beautifully. There is humor and hardship that can be found in each one. However, I think that Kol's character development is lacking. In the beginning, it is obvious that he is the party boy. Suddenly thrown into a leadership role, Kol abandons the party side of him completely. I just don't think this is believable for his character. I would have liked to have seen him trying to keep some of that part of him. 

A highly enjoyable read. I cannot wait for the next book (no this is not a cliffhanger ending). Recommended read! 4.5 out of 5 Stars!