It's been months since I have read this book and I had to come back and leave a written review to explain why, because it has still been rattling around in my head. This book had such promise and was honestly a three-star book for the most part, until the end. The abrupt ending of the book felt so jarring. I understand cliff hangers, hell, I even like cliff hangers. This felt like an entirely different thing as if there was once a fully written book, and then it was chopped in half and only the first part was published. It just feels like there wasn't enough in the book for it to justify ending where it did, so I gave it 2 stars. And months later, I still get annoyed thinking about it.

Book #10 Read in 2016 Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan This is the first book in a paranormal romance series. Luna is the princess, who was stolen away by caregivers at birth, after a throne-seeking man killed her royal parents. The caregivers have kept Luna hidden away for years but that is threatened when Luna saves a band of travelers from dwellers (sort of zombie-like characters). Luna is then sent away with Fowler, one of the travelers, in an effort to keep her safe. The duo are growing closer but will they ever be safe to enjoy a happy ending? Prepare for a cliffhanger ending that will leave you wanting book #2 immediately. This book has interesting characters, good action, romance and humor in it to keep readers entertained. I received a copy of this book from Amazon Vine in exchange for a honest review.

** spoiler alert ** I thought this book was okay, I didn't love it but it wasn't that bad either. I wanted to read this series because I love Sophie Jordan's historical romance books, and when I saw that she wrote something else I was all in to try it.. We start out the book with Luna, a seventeen year old girl that is living in a tower in the middle of some really creepy woods. She has been living there all her life, ever since the eclipse came and the world is basically all darkness all the time. Her parents were murdered during the beginning of the eclipse, and she was saved as a newborn by a servant, and a guardsman. (her parents were the king and queen) Luna does get to leave her tower once and awhile to help gather herbs and whatnot, but she isn't allowed to go far. One day she decided to sneak out into the woods which is really dangerous. Not just because its always dark, but because creatures called dwellers come out and they eat whatever they can find including people. While out in the woods Luna hears a cry by a person stuck in a trap, she goes to help and finds 3 people. Now the dwellers have also heard the cries and are on their way. She ends up saving the people and taking them back to the tower. Some things happen (I don't want to give away everything) and Luna and Rowan (one of the people she saved) are on their way to a new place where it is said that there are no dwellers. The rest of the book follows Rowan and Luna on their journey, and all the different things that happen to them, and between them. There is a sequel which I will read one because I do want to see what ends up happening, and 2 I already have it.

This book just did not wow me. I really wanted to love this book. But i did not feel connected to the characters at all, and the plot just did not wow me. I also did not feel that world was flesh out enough for me to grab on too!! I might finished this series through audio but this book just was a tad underwhelming.

A really interesting and dark twist on a Rapunzel story! If Rapunzel could use a sword and fought zombies that ooze poisonous goo and the land is in a almost permanent darkness... Seriously, it's pretty awesome! The main reason why I only gave it 3* is because the love story haha which I usually have issues with. If the author could infuse as much originality into the love story as she does with the premise then this would definitely be at least 4*. But still a fun read :)

Actual rating: 3.5/5 I wanna like this book so bad. So bad. But I gots lots of problems with it. So let’s just dive in! Good news first: 1) The World This world is super interesting! Seventeen years prior to the events of this novel, the (fantasy) world was immersed into darkness by a never-ending eclipse. Because of that darkness, new creatures began to emerge from the ground and evolve from already-existing animals. The world became a lot more dangerous to live in, especially when there is a revolt against the royal family, and they are murdered and overthrown. No one knows the daughter of the queen, Princess Luna, was born at the moment the eclipse began and was rescued and locked in a tower to protect her. Anyways, she and her new companion must journey throughout the land, and it is really interesting to see how everyone is surviving; I’m definitely interested to see what occurs next for the world. 2) Characters You may see this topic kinda repeated in the bad news, so bear with me. I didn’t mind the characters most of the time. Luna, though she can’t do everything for herself, is incredibly self-sufficient for someone who is blind, but maybe that’s just me. It is also interesting to see each of their arcs, though they make some of the dumbest decisions sometimes, but we’ll get to that in a second. 3) Action Scenes and PLOT TWIST I thought the action scenes weren’t badly executed, and I knew what was going on most of the time, so that is definitely a positive. And also the plot twist at the end!!! If anything made me want to continue the series, it was that. Just saying. Now, onto why parts of this book make me want to throw it against a wall, and then throw my head against a wall. Sorry for being graphic, just being truthful. THE ROMANCE Oh my gosh guys, I am not picky with my romance but this. THIS. this is some classic amateur romance writing. I’m sorry but it’s really bad. First of all, the dreaded buzzword: insta-love. Yes, insta-love. She feels it. He feels it. The end. Granted, it gets better. Sometimes. But then he gets kind of demanding of her, almost like he thinks he can boss her around. And I’ll admit, sometimes Luna wanted to do some stupid stuff. But once he realized he was in love with her, he felt like he always knew what was best for her. I don’t know, guys, it’s just, how it was executed makes me wanna pull my hair out just typing this. Not all of it was bad, I’ll admit. Many parts were sweet, which redeemed it a little for me. But guys, I need you to understand: it takes a lot for me to not appreciate romance writing. Just look at my list of bookish OTPs ;) . The bad parts and the insta-love were just so close to overpowering the sweet parts. However, I also want to put up a disclaimer if the author, Sophie Jordan, ever reads this: I don’t want to be one of those haters who makes you feel awful about your writing. Because your book has so much potential! And the writing isn’t BAD. The romance just needs work, and I hope that’s what reviewers are for, not to just hate on your work. With all that being said, I don’t know if I’m going to continue with this series, but that plot twist at the end really got me. We’ll just have to see ;) And I don’t not recommend this book. It isn’t the worst book I’ve ever read, and if you don’t mind insta-love, then you’ll probably really like this one. Just, be careful if you have a long tbr, because you might want to look elsewhere. Au revoir! Oh, and if you enjoyed this review, be sure to follow me here on Goodreads so you can get even more ;) . I also have a bookstagram at @ashton_reads if you'd like to follow that as well!