A Deal with the Shadow King

Curse of the Fae, Book 1

By: Anya J. Cosgrove

Narrated by: Lilly Drake, Anthony Palmini

A spirited princess. A cursed king. A forbidden love that could ruin or save them both.

My father sold me to the Shadow King.

Faerie is a completely different world than the one I'm used to. Winged creatures fly in and out of mirrors, and fantastical gardens conceal treacherous illusions.

Shadows draw me in a little more for each day my magic grows, but I can't afford to let my guard down.

To survive, I must play by the king's rules and protect myself from the nightmares, dreams, and fantasies that govern his seductive realm. Most of all, I must resist him.

If I don't, my kingdom will fall.

Nothing will get in the way of my duty, not even a witty beauty like Penelope Darcy.

The Shadow Court is in ruins. The rules of the curse are simple—they draw our enemies away and keep us safe.

She can't know my secret.

But I'm hungry for her.

This novel is a full-length romantasy with a happy ending for our main couple. It's part of an interconnected series with a story arc spanning across multiple books, but each book will feature a different romance and a new couple.

Beauty and the Beast and Hades and Persephone collide in this enemies-to-lovers, forced-proximity, slow-burn romance perfect for fans of ACOTAR, Fourth Wing, and The Ever King. This MF series is perfect if you love feisty, magic heroines; morally gray, broody heroes; curses and secrets; and dual POVs. For mature listeners.

©2024 Anya J. Cosgrove (P)2025 Podium Audio

I love the narrators!!!

The narrators are amazing! The story meh. It was fine but it was tough to finish.

Phenomenal Paranormal Romance!!

A Deal with the Shadow King, an Audiobook by Anya J. Cosgrove was a magnificent read!!! It’s the story of Nell…whose father makes a deal with the Shadow King. She must go to the Shadow Realm for half the year. There’s nothing to be done about it…she must go. While there, she falls under the tutelage of One. He is to teach her everything she needs to know to properly embrace her magic. But, there are things she doesn’t know…things that could change everything, in both realms.

Fabulous world building!!! I felt like I was watching the proceedings live! What an incredible story full of danger, betrayal, secrets, numerous twists and turns…and a shocking conclusion!!! Sooooooooo good!!!!

This Audiobook was beautifully and hauntingly narrated by Lilly Drake and Anthony Palmini. Together they bring these compelling characters to life!!

Good book

It took me a couple chapters to get into the book. This was mostly because the duet is done so that the pov will be all in the males voice or females voice depending. I would rather the male and female voices be spoken in their respective ways. After a couple chapters I was able to move past it and enjoy the book. I liked this one particularly because the story line was new to me and I liked how it wasn’t the same as previous ones I’ve read.

My two favorite narrators come together for a slow burn that unravels beautifully

I just wish it was duet narrated. It would have been a masterpiece! It's dual narrated and the narrators, these two narrators.. I just can't get enough of them! I'd love to see more audiobooks come out with them together in duet style!!

Gripping read once it gets going

Honestly, the only reason I picked up Deal with the Shadow King was because Anthony Palmini was reading it—swoon—and I regret nothing. That voice? Instantly hooked. But what surprised me was how much I ended up loving the entire story. Lilly Drake was just as amazing—her performance brought so much depth and emotion to the characters. The narration duo was perfection.

The beginning was a little slow and I found myself a bit confused, but once Anya J. Cosgrove’s world started to take shape, I couldn’t stop listening. The story draws you in little by little, and then—BAM—two major plot twists. One I kind of saw coming (and it was so satisfying), but the other totally blindsided me in the best way. Mind. Blown.

This audiobook was such a pleasant surprise, and I’ll definitely be diving into the next one! (Hopefully on ikiaudible premium soon!)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“A spirited princess. A cursed King. A forbidden love that could ruin or save them both.” Yes, please 🙏🏻

A DEAL WITH THE SHADOW KING masterfully blends dark fantasy and romance, crafting an enchanting tale of magic, intrigue, and slow-burn passion—pure perfection 🤌🏻

A must-read for fantasy lovers or those seeking a touch of softness amidst the shadows.

Lilly Drake and Anthony Palmini narrating only makes it better 🥰🎧

Good read, but needs dual narration!

I liked the story very much, and fell in love with the female narrators voice and lilting accent. I got this book because of Anthony’s narration of a previous book, and was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed the female voice equally as much.
The problem lie in the fact that you have two excellent voice actors- who tried to read the others’ parts. Anthony imitating a high-pitched female voice (and a British accent) is an absolute turnoff; especially when he’s an absolute audible dream typically. Had they been speaking together- well, sploosh.

Book 1

🔥🔥🔥🔥 so good!! Cute story, amazing narrators! Interested to see how each book will go into different couples, and how they will tie as a whole. 🤔 Excellent travail tout autour!!! 🤌🏼

What a way to kick off a new series…

This was my first Anya J Cosgrove novel and after reading it, I know it won't be my last. This book was so good. It's a great way to kick off a brand new series.

Penelope (Nell) is forced to live in the land of Faerie when her father makes a secret deal with the Shadow King Damian. Her time is torn between two worlds in an effort to fulfill the details of their bet. Only she's not allowed to know exactly what that entails. She must learn to use her magic while navigating a drastically different world than where she comes from.

So many secrets and mysteries surround every element of the shadow court and the fae world as a whole. She must work her way up through training, learning about facing nightmares, dreams, and fantasies. Nell is torn between the world of the shadow court and the world where her sister still remains.

She grows closer to the other mortals with magic training in the fae world. That's especially true for the dark knight One and his brothers. But she still struggles with what exactly the king wants with her and when things will take a turn. The action, detail, and chemistry was perfect.

This book was amazing. I absolutely loved it. The world building was so good with lots of twists and turns and well thought out facets. So much that I did not even see coming. I'm so excited to see where this series goes with the next book. I can't wait.

AUDIOBOOK UPDATE: This was a re-read for me and I fell in love with this world all over again. The narrators did such a good job. Literally the only thing that could have made it even better would be if it was done in duet because that's my favorite way to listen. But they did great with the dual style. Of course the voice of Anthony Palmini for Damian was perfect. And the soft British accent from Lilly Drake was exactly what was needed for Nell. Loved it!

A just fine book.

Weaker then others, stronger then some. I don't know if I would have finished the book with other narrators. Their performances kept me engaged.