DNF Series Review: Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan

DNF December Review Blitz — Day 6: I’m sharing my thoughts on some book series that I have marked as incomplete as I have never finished the first novel in the series. Find out why these weren’t for me:

Synopsis for Reign of Shadows (from Goodreads):

Seventeen years ago, an eclipse cloaked the kingdom of Relhok in perpetual darkness. In the chaos, an evil chancellor murdered the king and queen and seized their throne. Luna, Relhok’s lost princess, has been hiding in a tower ever since. Luna’s survival depends on the world believing she is dead.

But that doesn’t stop Luna from wanting more. When she meets Fowler, a mysterious archer braving the woods outside her tower, Luna is drawn to him despite the risk. When the tower is attacked, Luna and Fowler escape together. But this world of darkness is more treacherous than Luna ever realized.

With every threat stacked against them, Luna and Fowler find solace in each other. But with secrets still unspoken between them, falling in love might be their most dangerous journey yet.

Series: Reign of Shadows
Author: Sophie Jordan
# of Books: 2 (Reign of Shadows, Rise of Fire)
Book Order: Chronological
Complete?: Yes
Genre: Young Adult, Fairy Tale Retelling, Fantasy, Romance
Heat Rating: unsure
Point of View: First Person, Alternating
Publication Dates: February 2016 – 2017
Source & Format: Public Library–Audiobook

Disclaimer: I stopped reading Reign of Shadows (Book 1) at 14% (Around Chapter 5). Find out why below…

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

I’ll be frank: I’m not the biggest Sophie Jordan fan. I’ve read 3 very different series by her (Firelight, Ivy Chronicles and The Uninvited) and haven’t been overly impressed. I had actually reached the conclusion that I probably wouldn’t pick up any more books by her and move on.

So why on earth did I pick this up? Well, at first it was definitely cover lust. The colours just drew me in. But I also read a lot of reviews and my interest was ignited. While the reviews were mixed, one consistent theme is that this story varied greatly from her previous works and that the writing was of a different caliber. So I was more than willing to give it a shot.

What I Liked:

–The Perpetual Darkness–

I actually didn’t get far enough into this story to learn what the cause of this was or even what it truly was but I got the gist of it from reading the various reviews on Goodreads. While I don’t know if you would classify it as a spoiler I think it is so no mention here. If it was mentioned in the chapters I read, I definitely missed it (and that wouldn’t be the first time I’ve done that with an audiobook!).

What I Didn’t Like:

–Luna’s Innocence–

I totally get why Luna is a naive as she is, I just couldn’t handle it. She’s got a fighter’s spirit but her inability to get the logic of certain situations wasn’t flying for me.

–Fowler’s Angst–

Talk about brooding! Usually I have a soft spot for the badass-jerk but Fowler was not working for me. I think I listened to about 2 chapters of his angry narration before I realized this wasn’t going to work for me.

–The Insta-Love–

When Luna started to describe this “unknown connection” to Fowler, that sealed the deal for me. I get that there is more at play here but I just wasn’t in the mood for this sure to be quick romance.

Will I Finish It?

Nope. This wasn’t working for me and I have no interest to see what happens next.

My Audiobook Experience:

Perhaps it wasn’t fair of me to pick this up as an audiobook but I thought the change in format would give me a fresh experience. But I thought a 2+ hour car ride would get me to pay attention…yeah, so not the case. I found myself zoning out more often than not but I think that has to do more with the content than the narration.