The Shadow Queen

By: Sloane Murphy

Narrated by: Jeannie Sheneman

Once upon a time, there was a princess who lived amongst the shadows and monsters....

I've spent my entire life trapped within the center ring of the Shadow Realm, experiencing the horrors at the hands of my father, the Demon King.

Finally given the chance to explore the Realm further, I jump at the chance....

Except I find more than I bargained for. With a marriage forced upon me, for an alliance that will bring more trouble than its worth, my life starts to be torn in two.

I might be sheltered, but my eyes are wide open.

I won't let the ones who want to destroy me be the ones to rule my life.

©2021 Hudson Indie Ink (P)2021 Pink Flamingo Productions

Loved it!

I loved the Shadow Queen . It's a well thought out story with a great plot. The surprise ending was amazing and nicely done. The narrator does a great job telling the story! I recommend this audio book.
#TheFlock

Really interesting lore

What the hell just happened? That ending had me completely on edge...talk about a cliffy!!!

I really enjoyed the world building in this book. This is a new to me author so not knowing what to expect going in, I was very happy with the writing and the character development. Jeannie is also new to me but I loved her narration. The different characters were well defined and I didn't find myself lost in larger scenes trying to play 'who just said that' which allowed me to stay in the story. Good pacing, easy to listen to and very entertaining. Sign me up for book #2 :-)

An addictive and fun dark romantic fantasy

   This is a dark romantic fantasy with a cliffhanger and lots of mature content.  The next book in the series will be released in November 2022, according to Amazon, so I’ll have to wait a while to get more of this epic story.  I had no idea when I started it that I would love this audiobook, but it totally won me over.  I picked this book because it had a hell-like setting like that of the “Welcome to Hell” series by Eve Langlais.  I was pleased by the imaginative but not very detailed world-building. 

 

   There is a lot of mature content in this audiobook, including torture and murder perpetrated by the villains, lots of cussing with the f-word, and one scene that seems like sexual abuse and dubious consent.  The book is told only from the first-person perspective of the heroine, Morgana, the princess of the Shadow Realm.  She used the f-word often, sometimes once per minute, like a Scorsese or Tarantino movie.  To me this indicated that Morgana had an inadequate vocabulary, but I got used to it.  The romance between Morgana and her true love Caleb was lovely.  They had complete respect and compassion for each other, and each love scene was very consensual.  The romance was a slow burn at first, but the love scenes became more and more steamy and kinky over time.  The scene of dubious consent and sexual abuse took place between Morgana and another man late in the novel.  It wasn’t really cheating because Caleb and Morgana knew it had to happen and it was beyond Morgana’s control.

 

   I was very pleased with the unpredictable plot, fascinating minor characters, and the travel around interesting places in the Shadow Realm and other realms.  I also loved the magic in the story.  I really liked Morgana, Caleb, and Morgana’s brother Ares.  They were all basically compassionate, good people who tried to make the best moral choices as they tried to survive the horrors of the siblings’ psychopathic, murderous father.  The story took me through all the emotions: happiness, fear, humor, sadness, hatred, and shock.  I recommend this to anyone who wants a dark romantic fantasy that will take them on a wild roller coaster ride.

 

I requested and received a free audiobook copy via #AudiobookObsession and the #Flock VIP Review Team, and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.

The Shadow Queen

OMG! What just happened? This is the first book in the Shadow Queen series. So much happened in this first book. I can’t even imagine what is coming next. Morgan and her brother Aries have grown up as the next heirs for the shadow crown. She has the power of shadow fire. But she has to keep it a secret from her father. She learns of a prophecy that she may be the center of. I honestly can’t wait for the next book! Jeannie Sheneman did a fantastic job narrating this book.

I need more from this spinoff series so badly!!

So going through all these books in the span of a couple months, I fell for this world and these characters. I liked Morgan but I wasn't as in love with her as a character as I was with Remy (makes sense because we only saw glimpses of her). I loved Caleb because of his interactions and cameos in Remy and Fallon's books. I also really previously had liked some of the other guys we got some 1-1 time with but I wasn't prepared for all their back stories and I think I might love this series the same if not more than Remy's (which is really hard to imagine haha). I devoured this book and didnt want it to end and then scoured the internet to see when the next book was coming out. I try to keep listening to a series but there is a rare occasion where I need to know what happens next so badly I will read the ebook because I am too invested and can't wait for the audio to follow. Unfortunately no additional ebooks yet in this planned 5-book series, but know that this one was soooooo good I was willing to break my self control and read before waiting to listen haha.

This back story is just what I would have imagined and so much more. I loved seeing glimpses of the Morgan we eventually know she becomes, seeing her personality come through the more she is aware from her dreadful father. Seeing the love she and Ares shared, how they looked out for each other and the epitomes of amazing siblings. We finally get to see how she met her guys and I was shocked at how she met them and who they were before becoming the 4 Horsemen. I was super shocked about one in particular and how much I want to slap him upside the head. Caleb was always my favorite of the guys and he definitely cemented that. I am intrigued by Killian as well (we don't get as much time with him in the other books, so that will be refreshing when we get his focused book). I liked that all the guys come from different parts of life and that some knew each other beforehand. I loved seeing how Morgan's powers manifested and got stronger and cooler as the book went on. At some point she is going to be stronger than her dad and I can't wait for her to overthrow him and become the Queen we all loved. I also loved the details with the side characters, the animals, then scenery. It was fantastic, I think one of the author's best works.

In terms of the narration, I think this is the first time I have heard this narrator and she did great for the female parts but not so much for the male parts. I would overall give her a 5 for the female characters and like a 3.5 for the males. This audiobook would have been elevated with duet narration (or even dual for that matter) because there were a ton of male characters. She didn't do their voice justice in my opinion but again overall I enjoyed it and will listen to the rest of the series even if it's just the one female narrator. The emotion we got in regards to one of the 4 Horsemen who we all kinda hate right now, the big conflict at the end, the horribleness of her father, all fabulous and really helped the reader immerse themselves into this world.

Oh and be prepared...like you knew something was going to go down, because of hints in previous books, but you didn't know when or how. Just be ready to have your heart wrenched out and stomped on. It's because we fall for this character so much is why its so devastating. Despite that, I would still recommend this audiobook but I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND reading/listening to Remy's 6 book series and Fallon's trilogy before this one. It makes the scenes and Easter eggs and tie-ins that much more special.

🎧 Audiobook Obsession Reviewer - Flock Team 🎧

Perfect balance of fantasy and steam!

Where has this book been all my life?! I love this world! It's narrated beautifully and the characters are all just amazing! Perfect balance of fantasy and steam in this one!

The Seven Realms Series/ The Shadow Queen

The Shadow Queen #1 (Seven Realms Saga Series) a dark rh romance ♥️.
I have not read/listened to any other books in the seven realms series, but I absolutely loved this one. The world building is excellent and it didn't even feel like I missed anything. I loved the conceptualization of various realms. Supernatural creatures angels and demons, in a intriguing world. The storyline is engaging, suspenseful with unpredictable plot twists and sensual moments. I loved Morganna Voux, her brother Ares and Caleb is a favorite of mine. I absolutely loved this story.

Jeannie Sheneman did an excellent performance of narrating this spicy and special entertaining audio. Her inflection was bold. She gave characters a distinct tone and expresses their thoughts.

Highly recommend listening this audio. A stellar performance for a top notch audiobook.

What just happened?

Oh that cliff hanger! Love the story from start to finish. Amazing narration combined with a well written story that had me from the very beginning. Can’t wait for the next book to see where this is headed
#audiobookobsession# #pinkflamnigo#

So so Good! Its On my favorites list!

Whoa!! What an amazing story! I had so many emotions running through me while listening to this. The author did an wonderful job creating these Realms. I loved learning about them and meeting all the characters that live in them. I have made so many notes about this book and everything that has happened. I love the characters as they all either good, bad or untrustworthy. That out a special “zing” in the storyline. My only complaint is that the next one isn’t out on audio yet.

I did listen to this delightful gem on audio. The narration is wonderfully done. Its been a while since I have listened to just one narrator read the whole story. Jeannie Sheneman did outstanding being all the characters. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this and am eager for the next one.

Wow

I absolutely love Sloan Murphy and the worlds she brings us.

I love this book. It’s different and out of the norm for a PNR and I enjoy the different takes on what supernatural creatures or even the paranormal world could be. Sloan always thinks outside the box and it makes reading her books an amazing adventurous experience.

I love the characters. I like how Sloan doesn’t highlight just the main characters but that all the characters she introduces have a role and are there for a reason and stay relevant in the story. Each character is well written and bring something different to the story, I love the balance between them and their banter is great. So far all the characters have awesome chemistry and I’m looking forward to seeing how their characters and relationships develop over the series.

This is an amazing world and I was reminiscent of the shadow Walker saga and that world. I love how it’s not a supernatural experience I’ve had before and everything is new and unique. I have read so much paranormal so I love when there’s something out of the norm and it makes me excited for the world development and what else we can expect going forward. The plot is well written and takes you on a journey. It’s easy to read and the narrator did a great job in bringing it to life. I cannot wait to see what happens next in the series.