A Deal with the Shadow King

Curse of the Fae, Book 1

De: Anya J. Cosgrove

Narrado por: 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

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.

Excellent story!! Could’ve left out the spice.

If our heart is not in spice can we not please? Cuz it’s cute and all but it ruins it if it isnt serious. The story was awesome though! I’d have just read it for that! Emotional growth was pretty good. World building is 9/10 cuz I feel we missed out on a lot that could’ve been done with the world. I’m reading the others though so it’s not bad. Just some small things.

Cool story

I liked the story and the concept that’s what kept me going but I HATE when they get 2 voice actors and ones a girl and ones a boy and the girl will play the men parts and it makes me crazy lol I just wish when the man says something spicy it isn’t in a woman’s voice lol

Awesome

It was just perfection. The performance was outstanding and the story line just amazing. Loved it!!

Interesting melding of worlds

Love love love these narrators. They are an instant buy for me!!
Unique story line. Looking forward to rest of series

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“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 🥰🎧

The plot is thick & juicy

It took a few chapters, but once I was in.. I was all in. I enjoyed the plot and the build up leading to twists and turns I was not expecting. I don't particularly like dual narration, but Lilly Drake and Anthony Palmini sold me on this one. I would have missed out on a good book if it were narrated by anyone else. If you know.. you know.

It was okay

I was very excited to listen to this book as it had Anthony Palmini and Lilly Drake, my favorites. I was disappointed that these two didn’t do duet narration. I think that killed the story for me.

My mind would drift at times and I had to go back and re-listen to some chapters. Half way through and I started to get engaged and intrigued. I really enjoy Lilly Drakes narration for Nel (the accent was on point).

Will continue with the second book due to the ending of this one.

Suggestion: Duet narration especially if you have male and female narrators, if not just have one narrator.

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!