Owl Abridged
Book Review,  Book Tour,  Fantasy

A Shadow Crown by Melissa Blair

I’m so happy to be participating in the TBR and Beyond tour for A Shadow Crown! Check out my review post & author interview for A Broken Blade (book one of The Halfing Saga) as well as the rest of the tour schedule at TBR and Beyond Tours.

About the Book

TITLE: A Shadow Crown (The Halfling Saga #2)
AUTHOR: Melissa Blair
PUB. DATE: May 9, 2023
PUBLISHER: Union Square & Co.
GENRE(S): Young Adult Fantasy

The highly anticipated second installment of the fantasy saga that took BookTok by storm sees Keera navigate political scheming, backstabbing, and her own grief as she moves against the cruel king that holds her kingdom hostage.

To the kingdom, Keera is the king’s Blade, his most feared and trusted spy and assassin. But in the shadows, she works with Prince Killian and his Shadow—the dark, brooding Fae, Riven, who sets her blood on fire. Together, they plot to topple the crown that sits upon the king’s head.

A secret can only survive as long as its conspirators, and when nothing is as it seems, all are in danger. Keera swore she would never open her heart again after a loss she barely survived. But she will soon find she has more to lose than she ever imagined . . .

Book Links:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62098447-a-shadow-crown
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Crown-Halfling-Saga/dp/1454947896/
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-shadow-crown-melissa-blair/1142122199
IndieBound: https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-shadow-crown-melissa-blair/18804065

Meet the Author

Melissa (she/her/kwe) is an Anishinaabekwe of mixed ancestry living in Turtle Island. She splits her time between Treaty 9 in Northern Ontario and the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabeg in Ottawa, Canada. She has a graduate degree in Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies, loves movies, and hates spoons. Melissa has a BookTok account where she discusses her favorite kinds of books including Indigenous and queer fiction, feminist literature, and non-fiction. A Broken Blade is her first novel.

Author Links

Twitter: https://twitter.com/themelissablair
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissablair_bookshelf/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22065387.Melissa_Blair

Favorite Quotes

“A good leader is not born from a lack of conflict, but his response when it arises.”

“We are not the sum of our desires and hopes, Keera, even the selfish ones. We are defined by what we do about them, or in spite of them.”

“I’ve never been with anyone, Keera. Not in a way that’s ever mattered. There’s only you. Before, now, and for however long you’ll have me.”

“Never be sorry for asking about the dead, Keera. Our thoughts are what keep them with us, keep them alive.”

“Don’t let a moment of fear and grief convince you that’s all your life is made for.”

My Thoughts

– Morally grey characters
– Found family
– Slow burn, enemies to lovers romance

I mentioned that A Broken Blade felt like such a comfort read last year and I’m happy to report that A Shadow Crown was just as good. Both the romance and plot pacing slow down in this book but with that change we get richer world building and character development. Found family was such a strong theme in the first book and it carries through to this book as we get to know the characters even better and meet a few new faces as well. This book felt less action packed than the last, but the political intrigue picks up and the plot twists kept me engaged. The plot pacing did eventually pick up towards the end as well and what an ending! I can’t wait for book three!

Thank you so much @tbrbeyondtours for including me on this tour!