A Throne of Shadows (Prophecy of the Forgotten Fae)

I have learned that this book is a rewrite of a previous book written early in her career. I have not read the original, so I cannot compare them. I received this book for free as in exchange for an honest review.The heroine of our story, Cora, is a strong and capable person. I like that she’s not written as an amazing warrior, with perfect marksmanship and a firm control of magic. She’s a little sloppy. She grows as the story progresses! That’s a great change in how some authors portray their mains. But Cora definitely had a lot of heart, and we gradually get to know more about her and the secrets she holds as we read.The other main character, Teryn, seems like one of those shallow heroes that’s just good with his sword in the beginning. We learn of his intentions and values much earlier.Our quest feels like the movie “The Last Unicorn”, bumbling protagonist trying to save the unicorns from an evil mastermind we know nothing about.We don’t meet the Villian or understand his goals until very late, so we just get to know our mains in a friendly way. I don’t mind this kind of storyline at all! Since it’s going to be a series, it’s nice to just ease into the relationship.I mean, Valorre the unicorn steals my heart from moment one. I was one of those little girls with a bed full of stuffed unicorns. I dreamed every night of burrowing my head into a soft white mane. I devoured any book or movie that featured the horned horse. I was ecstatic that this book featured my favorite mythical creatures!I gave the book 5 stars for the solid character building, adventure story telling, a forest that feels alive, and of course a mind talking courageous unicorn. I look forward to the rest of the books in the series!

A Throne of Shadows is full of fantasy and magic action and betrayal. I did not see Cora's revelation coming but loved it. She is a strong character and just keeps getting stronger throughout the book. Her magic is growing and she learn how to use it and listen to it. Teryn has good intentions for his king down but they come to a bad conclusion for Cora. I love the world building, magic, and the unicorns. Morkai is so evil and does horrendous things. I am glad with how some things ended in this book and can't wait for the next one to see how others turn out.

The start to this book felt slow. Although it was slow, it was nice to see the way the characters interacted or were prior to chaos. I enjoyed the companions , animals, and humans alike in this story. Lex and Valorre were definitely favorites. I think I like Terryn a bit more than our fmc. The magic was a little odd in the feats and seemingly limitless abilities Cora had. I also really didn't see too much point to Marelue and Larylis side love story. Felt it was at time added detail that wasn't all too nessacary. Despite that, I did really enjoy this book. After the 200 pg mark, things picked up more.

This book had some strong points, but it struggled to hold my interest and I didn’t have much of a connection with the characters.Our two main protagonists are Cora and Teryn. Cora is a witch who is in hiding after being wrongfully accused of murder years ago. When her past comes back to haunt her, she decides to flee her found family and home and dedicates herself to saving unicorns from unicorn hunters. Teryn is the prince of a bankrupt country competing for the hand of his fiancé to save his kingdom. The competition demands that he bring back the horn and skin of a unicorn. And thus our characters meet.I really didn’t feel like I got to know Teryn and Cora as characters. Especially Cora. We know that she wants to protect the Forest People and save the unicorns, but other than that she seemed a bit one dimensional. Also, sometimes the characters’ thoughts and actions seemed disjointed. For example, Cora states early on that she hates killing, but then she had no issue with it only a few chapters later. It seemed like a sudden jump with no character development or internal monologue to explain the change or struggle.Teryn’s character also had some of the same issues, though to a slightly lesser extent. We know his motivation- to save his kingdom from bankruptcy- but we don’t know his personality. Though at least with Teryn, hearing about his family helps develop his character more.That brings me to something I really liked about the book. I loved Teryn’s family drama and his relationship with his brother. That part is very emotionally compelling and a great addition. I wish the author would have run with it a bit more.The romantic subplot wasn’t as prevalent as I was expecting. While it’s advertised as enemies to lovers, it’s a very mild example of it. There was distrust when they first met, and they didn’t immediately like each other, but they never seemed to actually be enemies, even with Teryn knowing who Cora is. I prefer my enemies to lovers content to have more angst and hatred. Also, they didn’t meet until around 40% in so there wasn’t a ton of time for them to get to know each other.Finally, and this is more personal preference,the inclusion of talking unicorns felt a little too childish for me. I know this is a young adult book but it was still a bit much.Overall, this isn’t a bad book, but it meandered a bit and could have focused more on character development. The main conflict resolved rather quickly at the end and it almost felt too easy, though it is part of a series so perhaps it isn’t as resolved as we think. The plot was fairly fresh and creative and I did enjoy Teryn and Larylis, so I’ll probably still check out book two if I remember it next year.

The unicorns are what really kept me interested in the story. I've read so many fae books but not a lot of them actually have fae creatures, so it was quite nice to have unicorns, that can mind speak and fight, be in a book

I’ve always enjoy Tessonja’s fae series, so I was excited to dive into this book when I saw it. Once again, the writing didn’t disappoint. I definitely recommend giving this series a go. The way the author weaves a tale is entertaining and enrapturing.

A 5🌟& 1🫑 rating. If you like unicorn magic, mayhem, and more. A Throne of Shadows is for you.

Kingdoms, alliances and magic fae. All have their needs and desires. Few have what they truly want. How do they find their way?

good read

This is the first book I have read by Tessonja and I cannot wait to read more!This book has magic, witches, slow burn romance and a sassy unicorn!Romantasy books told from multiple POV are my favourite as you can really get to know the characters and what drives them while seeing the world in very different ways. Also - Cora is definitely one of the smarter FMCs I've read who knows she must rely on herself to survive which I love!Will be binging the rest of this series as soon as I can as I'm obsessed! Definitely recommend!

Wow I'm loving this series it has so much of everything witches blood magic unicorns Forrest people the dead and what a story to combine them all

"Magic is so much greater than you know. You don't believe in its power because it leaves very little evidence to the naked eye. That is the way of things. True magic is quiet. Unassuming. Easily explained away through logic. But remember, just because magic is quiet doesn't mean it isn't strong.”Throne of Shadows by Tessonja Odette with my smooshy Puddin on my lap.This was such a fun read. I've really enjoyed all of Tessonja's fairytale retellings so was excited about this one, which isn't a retelling but a rewrite of her own story. I haven't read the original so I can't compare though. It had everything I enjoy about fantasy stories. Multiple POVs and MCs, enemies to friends, dark and mysterious pasts, prophecies, unicorns that can speak telepathically to special people, witches, badass heroines, forbidden love, plenty of snark and quick wittedness & it was honestly just a wonderfully an engaging read. The foundation world building was interesting & I look forward to Tessonja building on it in the next book. While there were some stressful & upsetting moments in the book, on the whole it was just a fun easy read that I happily binged in a day. Also the dustjacket & naked cover on the hardcover version of this book are absolutely beautiful! I really am such a sucker for a beautiful book. It's also great for teens because while there is some romantic tension & a few stolen kisses, there are no graphic spice scenes or anything inappropriate. I'll definitely be rereading it in the future.

I like the idea of this book. Although it was recommended if you like throne of glass it is a totally different writing style and slow moving. I don't feel bonded to the main characters and I felt there wasn't much development. I noticed there are some similar ideas to other fantasy books ove read like from blood and ash and TOG but totally different execution