The Queen of the Dawn

Shadows and Crowns, Book 5

By: S.M. Gaither

Narrated by: Jesse Vilinsky

S. M. Gaither presents Book 5 in the Shadows and Crowns series.

©2022 S. M. Gaither/ Yellow Door Publishing, Inc. (P)2023 Tantor

Amazing narration to a great ending!

A bit predictable but highly satisfying. This narrator is my favorite. She is immensely talented and I hope to hear more!

Such a sweet ending!

I absolutely loved this whole series, and this last book wrapped it up so well. The ending was so sweet it made me tear up!!

Listen to it!!

I love this series!! This book 5 was especially awesome! If you like ACOTAR, or The Blood & Ash series, you will definitely like this one!

I’m Marked!

Sadly it’s back to the present world….for now. Hopefully you will get lost is this beautiful story as I did !

A good conclusion to the series

I enjoyed this series. I love the characters, the banter, the found family and the love story. I found the action sequences a little confusing at times and the book dragged at points (thus the 4 star instead of5) but overall it’s a good series to read. I appreciate the authoring tying everything up just right at the end and giving us a beautiful prologue.

An incredible finale to a series that has consumed me

Wow, I don’t even know where to begin with my review. I quite literally just finished listening at the time of writing this out.

The Shadows & Crowns series has wholly consumed me. I started the series in January, and completed the finale as an advanced readers copy — thank you S.M. Gaither! — in mid-July. Casia and Elander are such a power duo, and they stole my heart from the first book. Watching their development throughout the series has been such a delight.

As for the finale, here are my thoughts:
- Fantastic character arcs that make sense with the narrative and their personalities.
- Heart-wrenching and emotional scenes that kept me on the edge of my seat.
- The final battle was very well-written. Some plot pieces fell into place for me right when they needed to, which is thanks to excellent storytelling.
- The twists kept me reading late into the night. Gaither has a way of throwing curveballs that take me by surprise but ultimately make total sense with the plot.
- relationship development between characters: I loved how many instances we got to see of Casia interacting with her friends. The found family is a huge plus for me for this series.
- The spice made sense narratively and was not just thrown in for fan service. These scenes are open door and allow the reader to experience the deep bond between Casia and Elander.

Overall, I think very highly of this series, and this finale hit all the marks for me. This exceeded what I could have predicted. Thank you S.M. Gaither for such a compelling, original, emotional, consuming story that will stay with me for a long time.

This Series Holds My Heart

I can’t begin to fully express my love for this series! From book 1 all the way to this one, I’ve been completely invested in the characters and the storyline. It’s packed with raw emotional in beautiful writing.

Wonderful narration!!!!

Excellent Series

I loved reading the Shadows and Crowns series and hated it when it came to an end. Casia and Elander is one of my favorite couples and I loved their growth throughout the series. This's an underrated series that deserves more attention.

Great story with real characters

I thoroughly enjoyed this series! Great plot, good twists, witty banter, and real characters! I loved it all!

An amazing ending!

I loved this series. The characters, the wars, the comradery of the friends and the love in the romance. I could have done without the open door explicit sex which I sped ahead through. I prefer to use my imagination where that is concerned.