BOOK REVIEW : SHADOW KNIGHTS (KNIGHTS OF THE REALM #2) BY JENNIFER ANNE DAVIS

TITLE : Shadow Knights (Knights of The Realm #2)

AUTHOR : Jennifer Anne Davis

GENRE : YA, Fantasy

FBRC RATING : 5 Stars

Publishing Date : 10th Dec 2019

BLURB :

As a member of the Knights of the Realm, Reid swore an oath to protect her king only to discover he harbors a traitorous agenda.

Being a woman raised in a man’s world, Reid thought becoming a Knight would give her purpose and strength. So far, it has done nothing but give her trouble. The king ordered her to spy on the Axian royal family while she prepares for her marriage—a marriage neither she nor Prince Dexter wants. Once in Axian, Reid realizes she’s being used as a pawn in a decades-old political match. With the king and Knights seemingly at odds, Reid’s allegiances are torn, especially when she finds friendship in the unlikeliest of places.

As the kingdom of Marsden teeters on the brink of civil war, Reid must decide whose side she’s on—even if that means betraying her king in order to save the kingdom. 

FBRC REVIEW :

DISCLAIMER : I received an ARC of this book from Reign Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Reign Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Shadow Knights have been on my TBR after I finished Knights of The Realm. Ever since that book, ended I have been wanting to read more about Reid, Dexter, Ackley and Idina and the tasks that Reid will have to do in order to make sure King keeps his promises to forgive her father. This book starts off from the point where Reid is received by Prince Dexter and his army. Reid feels unwelcome in Axian even though she wants to be in Axian where she will have the freedom to be who she wants. 

Dexter and Reid are tied together by an engagement which neither of them is ready for. We get to see them butt heads together and then deciding to be respectful of one another and make the best of their situation to prevent the possibility of a war. I loved every second of their interactions, the angst was there even though it’s not a long book to drag the emotions of the reader, it still makes an impact on you while reading it. Reid finds herself in a new place where the stakes are high, responsibilities are bigger and expectations even greater. She forms new friendships, some new complex relationships all while garnering respect from the people and also the family of Henrick. 

I loved how she was selfless and strong at the same time and how she puts the need for her country before herself. We see her trying to come up with plans that could eventually minimize the problems that they face. Her pairing with Dexter really intrigued me considering how they first met. If first impressions were anything to by theirs was simply epic.

I missed Idina and Ackley so much in the book. Ackley is present but although I would have loved to see more from him and the banter between him and Reid is something I looked forward to. Gideon, Dana, Harlow are all present but we have a few scenes with them. The story mainly focuses on Reid and Dexter and their relationship. Prince Colbert is also given a bigger space for readers to get to know him a little better. The book essentially focuses on the Axian side if the country and some new and interesting characters are introduced. 

This book helps us understand the politics and the revenge plots foreshadowed in the Knights of the Realm. The mysteries of the assassinations, political conflicts, and more secrets and mysteries are revealed in this book. Nothing is the same as it looks. Appearances can often be deceiving. Can Reid and Dexter find common ground and trust one another to prevent a war. The way Jennifer ends each of her books is with the biggest twist to keep on hanging to the story. I am very curious to know what will happen in the next book.  I can’t honestly wait to get my hands on Hidden Knights, the third book in the series and figure out how everything fits into the picture. I loved and enjoyed every minute of it. I was curious, entertained and hooked by the fast-paced storytelling. I just wished it was a lot more stringer and we had more time with the characters. Even though it’s a short book it still delivers an excellent engaging story.

I gave the book 5 stars and hopefully, I get to read an early copy of the Hidden Knights. I definitely recommend it to YA fantasy lovers out there. This will be a great choice if you love Kingdom, knights, feisty, strong heroine, a possible romance, banter and a lot of political conspiracy at the center of it. The book also has a clean romance and sequence that I really love and appreciate. So if these are things that interest you, then don’t forget to check the book out and spread the word. The book will be released on 10th December 2019.