C.N. Crawford

A girls' night out means three things to me: drinking whiskey with my best friend, trying not to kill anyone, and keeping my magic hidden. A supernatural gladiator like me isn’t supposed to exist anymore.

But my Friday night takes a bad turn when a lethally gorgeous fae--Ruadan--tries to assassinate me. He's taken a vow of silence until he’s slaughtered the outlaws on his kill list. Outlaws like me.

Ruadan lets me live on one condition: I have to earn my place at the Institute of the Shadow Fae. As a powerful demi-fae, I can take the competition.

But things fall apart when I’m given an impossible choice: betray my mentor Ruadan, or my best friend dies. Now, I face a quandary my gladiatorial past did not prepare me for.

This book is from the Demons of Fire and Night world.

Institute of the Shadow Fae #1

Court of Shadows

Leonor Ribeiro 

This was definitely a quick read! I think it’s the first time I read something with fae/gladiators, I enjoyed the slow burn romance and the sassiness of the main character. The competition element is always enticing and definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat.

The interaction between Ariana and Ruadan is tense but sexy, they’re always at each others throats 🤣. But it was great to see they’re sexual tension evolve. The mysterious Ariana and all her secrets kept me hooked. I am looking forward to reading more of this series! And can we talk about the gorgeous covers 😍

Huge thanks to the author for sending me a copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

This was definitely a quick read! I think it’s the first time I read something with fae/gladiators, I enjoyed the slow burn romance and the sassiness of the main character. The competition element is always enticing and definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat.

The interaction between Ariana and Ruadan is tense but sexy, they’re always at each others throats 🤣. But it was great to see they’re sexual tension evolve. The mysterious Ariana and all her secrets kept me hooked. I am looking forward to reading more of this series! And can we talk about the gorgeous covers 😍

Huge thanks to the author for sending me a copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

Chiara Vitale Zelaia

What would happen if Throne of Glass and Shadowhunters had a baby? My guess is it would be something very similar to COURT OF SHADOWS!

Once again, C.N. Crawford created a world that feels new and familiar at once. The mingling of urban London and supernatural worked so beautifully, and I really enjoyed the world building. This world is rich with supernatural creatures such as fae, demons and incubi and counts on countless fun facts that added layers while keeping things incredibly simple to follow. It was so easy to immerse myself into the story! I also really enjoyed the institute setting, which is a hit or miss for me because I find training and academic scenes to usually slow down pacing. In this case, there was a great balance of action and training, and the pace remained quick throughout! 

Despite how much I loved the world building, I doubt I would have enjoyed the book as much as I have without its main character. Arianna was a great protagonist to follow with her humor and quick wit, but also because of her knowledge of the world she lives in. We still don’t fully know her backstory, but what we learn about her past as a gladiator was enough to make me feel so much for her! I also really appreciated how the experience, while scarring, didn’t turn her cold and unfeeling, because her empathy was one of my favorite things about her character. 

Sadly, I wasn’t completely sold on the romance arc of this series yet. While I did enjoy the scenes we got of Arianna and Ruadan and really enjoy his character, I feel like we really don’t know much about him past the surface level. I would have liked more scenes between the two to pace out their starting hostility (which was fantastic, and I really would have loved to see more of) and the development of their bond. Instead, we quickly step into attraction, and while that’s not a problem per se, I felt like I was missing significant moments that could give more insight on Ruadan and his motives and bring changes and trust in their relationship. Because of this, I’m glad the author decided to end the book the way it did, because it does give time to flesh this relationship out, and I have a feeling the later books will have me completely on board with this ship!

Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy. All opinions are my own.

joy cooper

C. N. Crawford

My two goals in London? Drink whiskey with my best friend, and don't let anyone know I'm brimming with magic. A supernatural gladiator like me isn't supposed to exist anymore. Not since The Anarchy ended. But my night takes a bad turn when a lethally gorgeous fae--Ruadan--tries to assassinate me. He's taken a vow of silence until he's slaughtered the outlaws on his kill list. Outlaws like me. Ruadan lets me live on one condition: I have to earn my place at the Institute of the Shadow Fae. As a powerful demi-fae, I can take the competition. But things fall apart when I'm given an impossible choice: betray my mentor Ruadan, or my best friend dies. This book is from the Demons of Fire and Night world.

Jaime Latshaw

This book was an easy read with great world building that wasn’t too complex or confusing. I love the main character and the struggles she faces in this first book. I felt my heart break a couple times for Arianna. I cannot wait to read book 2! 

Court of Shadows Institute of the Shadow Fae #1

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