Shadows So Cruel

If you are a dark romantacy girlie into cool magic, enemies to lovers, dubious consent, and throuples this is a must read duology. I will say the only off putting thing is the narration changing with each chapter instead of by character but you’ll get used to it.

Shadows So Cruel serves as the conclusion to the Court of Ravens duet, and while it offers some improvements over its predecessor, it carries over many of the same flaws that made the first book a struggle for me.

The story picks up after the devastating events of Feathers So Vicious, following two morally black MMC raven shifters, Malyr and Sebian, as they search for Galantia, the woman who fled their cruel grasp. This second installment does manage to deliver a slightly stronger plot. The narrative feels more focused, and there's a tangible sense of progression as the characters are forced to confront their past mistakes and the harsh price of their victory. Galantia, in particular, shows significant growth; she's no longer the passive victim from book one, now actively holding Malyr accountable for his actions while listening to Sebian's perspective. This character development was a welcome change and provided a much-needed layer of depth to her journey.

However, the core issues that plagued the first book remain. The world is still steeped in gratuitous darkness and violence that often feels more for shock value than for serving the plot. The "why choose" dynamic, a central element of the story, continues to feel unbalanced and didn't quite land for me, failing to build a truly convincing emotional foundation for the triad's relationship.

The audiobook production is still a significant weak point. While the narrators are talented, the performance style is distracting. It's tough to hear each narrator reading the other character's voices instead of sticking to their own roles, which consistently pulls you out of the immersion. Shaina Summerville does a commendable job as Galantia, but the male narration for Malyr and Sebian, along with their portrayals of other characters, remains a misstep that hampers the overall experience.

In the end, Shadows So Cruel provides a necessary, if somewhat devastating, conclusion to the duet, complete with the promised HEA. It's a slightly better book than the first, but not enough to redeem the series as a whole. If you've already invested in the story of Feathers So Vicious, this is a tolerable way to get closure. But if you're new to Liv Zander, I'd recommend starting with a stronger work like Crown Me Dead/Crown Me Yours.

I was beginning to think I’d never find a spicey romantasy that didn’t follow a generic template. Then I read this 2 book Court of Ravens duo by Liv Zander, and I was no longer skipping over pages/chapters. The 3 main characters are so well developed, I loved them. The writing is amazing - Zanders is now one of my favorite writers. The story is un-putdownably, wonderfully fun and different. Highly spicey!