Pretty recently, I’ve read Lady of Darkness by Melissa k. Roehrich, which i was really invested in. Something I haven’t experienced in a while. Usually, I’m not someone to read series back-to-back, but I just couldn’t resist picking up book 2, Lady of Shadows. Was I just as invested?

Lady of Shadows by Melissa K. Roehrich
Series: Lady of Darkness #2
Published by Independently published on October 1, 2022
Pages: 576
ISBN: 9780008719388
Genres: Fantasy, New adult, Romantasy

SHOW ME YOUR DARKNESS, AND I’LL SHOW YOU MINE.
*THE STARS ARE FADING.
*THE SHADOWS ARE CALLING.
*THE DARKNESS THREATENS EVERYTHING.

ANOTHER PRETTY CAGE.
Whisked away to the Fire Court, Scarlett Monrhoe finds herself in the hands of the man who killed her mother. The Prince of Fire. Thrust amongst the Fae court she loathes, she is at their mercy. She doesn’t know what plans he has for her, but she has plans of her own. She just hasn’t decided how thoroughly she wants to break him yet. If only he didn’t tempt her with every breath, every touch, every kiss. It’s another dangerous game that has her wondering if she will be the one irreparably broken in the end.

ANOTHER DANGEROUS GAME.
The Fae Queen has plans of her own. She’s determined to get to Scarlett in any way she can, and that includes using a mortal prince that followed the lost Fae princess across the border. Crown Prince Callan is desperate to get Scarlett back from the Fire Prince and return to Baylorin. The question is, what is he willing to sacrifice for the Wraith he loves who’s trailed by shadows?

ANOTHER RACE AGAINST TIME.
Every day that passes, Lord Tyndell and Mikale get closer to finding where she is hidden in the Fire Court. Every day that passes puts those Scarlett left behind in more danger. Every day that passes, more secrets are revealed. Truth has been buried in history that has long-since been rewritten, but in order to separate facts from lies, they will be forced to cross other borders and seek answers from kingdoms far more terrifying than the Fire Court.

Lady of Shadows is a new adult dark fantasy and romance novel. It’s a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers troupe. It may have triggers of love-hate themes, sexual scenes (both consensual and non), violence, and jealous/possessive themes. Fans of Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, and Leigh Bardugo will fall in love with this series.

Since I really enjoyed the first book in this series, i had high expectations for this second book. I was hoping to get more answers to remaining questions, alongside more exploration of the fae realm and the relationship between Scarlett and Sorin. I’m pleased that this book delivers on all these aspects. I was sucked in from the start and here’s why.

The story picks up where the previous book ends. This is really great in terms of character development, because that book left on such a sour note for the characters. Scarlett has to discover who she really is whilst navigating her powers in her immortal fae body. There are still lots of secrets that need to be uncovered, therefore both she and Sorin still remain mysterious ffor a good portion off the book. At least, that’s what I thought. Because the ending only left me with more questions. Throughout the book, there are a lot of mood swings, but that’s only natural since Scarlett has a lot of trauma to overcome. Besides the main characters, several side characters get their own POV too which is a necessity to fully understand this complex and layered novel.

The writing is as indulging as in the previous book. The POV switching is quite heavy, but it’s never an issue as these switches are indicated. This book is longer than the first one, but it didn’t feel like it. It’s yet as intriguing.

The plot is more layered than I’d initially thought when I started the series. Mind you, I didn’t even know what this was all about, so I didn’t have much expectations. This book is recommended for fans of ACOTAR and honestly, I see some elements in this book that are clearly inspired by Feyre’s and Rhys’ story. Just like Feyre, Scarlett has endured so much trauma and has servere PTSD. Roehrich handles it with such care and the frustrations that comes with healing are elaborated well. It’s clear that both Scarlett and Sorin don’t know hat to do with the continuous mood swings. Scarlett can be loving one minute, and raging the next. They have to navigate this, alongside what they mean to eachother and threats at their doorstep. Sorin however is mostly patient, but fiery when necessary. This is all woven into a little under 600 pages and provides a lot of those unexpected deeper layers. This book therefore is more character driven than plot driven, even though the plot still is important. This mix of plot and characters work well and is really intriguing. And I again hate the ending, because that’s just another cliffhanger.

On one hand I’m glad I’ve picked up Lady of Shadows by Melissa K. Roehrich this soon, on the other hand I’m not. I was intrigued from start to finish, but now I’m left with even more questions. This book focuses more on the characters, although the plot and its deeper layers are important too. I believe there is much more to uncover within the next books. I’m just contemplating to continue or read something else first. Oh the struggles…