A Deal with the Shadow King

Curse of the Fae, Book 1

De: Anya J. Cosgrove

Narrado por: Lilly Drake, Anthony Palmini

A spirited princess. A cursed king. A forbidden love that could ruin or save them both.

My father sold me to the Shadow King.

Faerie is a completely different world than the one I'm used to. Winged creatures fly in and out of mirrors, and fantastical gardens conceal treacherous illusions.

Shadows draw me in a little more for each day my magic grows, but I can't afford to let my guard down.

To survive, I must play by the king's rules and protect myself from the nightmares, dreams, and fantasies that govern his seductive realm. Most of all, I must resist him.

If I don't, my kingdom will fall.

Nothing will get in the way of my duty, not even a witty beauty like Penelope Darcy.

The Shadow Court is in ruins. The rules of the curse are simple—they draw our enemies away and keep us safe.

She can't know my secret.

But I'm hungry for her.

This novel is a full-length romantasy with a happy ending for our main couple. It's part of an interconnected series with a story arc spanning across multiple books, but each book will feature a different romance and a new couple.

Beauty and the Beast and Hades and Persephone collide in this enemies-to-lovers, forced-proximity, slow-burn romance perfect for fans of ACOTAR, Fourth Wing, and The Ever King. This MF series is perfect if you love feisty, magic heroines; morally gray, broody heroes; curses and secrets; and dual POVs. For mature listeners.

©2024 Anya J. Cosgrove (P)2025 Podium Audio

Awesome

It was just perfection. The performance was outstanding and the story line just amazing. Loved it!!

Interesting melding of worlds

Love love love these narrators. They are an instant buy for me!!
Unique story line. Looking forward to rest of series

Good story!

I liked this book. Wish it had more of Anthony Palmini's voice. But fun little story and enjoyable!!

Obsessed !

I absolutely love this book and cannot wait to start the second book. Brilliant writing everything I could ever ask for in a fantasy book definitely one of my top favorites hands-down binging the other two books!!

If you're desperate for a read

The story wasn't very engaging. The plot felt rushed, the romance even more so, and the big twist was predictable. We are left with next to no context about the way magic works, or the different worlds that exist. The premise was interesting, and I do feel like there was a decent concept at the start but it was highly underdeveloped. I did finish the book, but won't bother reading the sequels.

What a way to kick off a new series…

This was my first Anya J Cosgrove novel and after reading it, I know it won't be my last. This book was so good. It's a great way to kick off a brand new series.

Penelope (Nell) is forced to live in the land of Faerie when her father makes a secret deal with the Shadow King Damian. Her time is torn between two worlds in an effort to fulfill the details of their bet. Only she's not allowed to know exactly what that entails. She must learn to use her magic while navigating a drastically different world than where she comes from.

So many secrets and mysteries surround every element of the shadow court and the fae world as a whole. She must work her way up through training, learning about facing nightmares, dreams, and fantasies. Nell is torn between the world of the shadow court and the world where her sister still remains.

She grows closer to the other mortals with magic training in the fae world. That's especially true for the dark knight One and his brothers. But she still struggles with what exactly the king wants with her and when things will take a turn. The action, detail, and chemistry was perfect.

This book was amazing. I absolutely loved it. The world building was so good with lots of twists and turns and well thought out facets. So much that I did not even see coming. I'm so excited to see where this series goes with the next book. I can't wait.

AUDIOBOOK UPDATE: This was a re-read for me and I fell in love with this world all over again. The narrators did such a good job. Literally the only thing that could have made it even better would be if it was done in duet because that's my favorite way to listen. But they did great with the dual style. Of course the voice of Anthony Palmini for Damian was perfect. And the soft British accent from Lilly Drake was exactly what was needed for Nell. Loved it!

Book 1

🔥🔥🔥🔥 so good!! Cute story, amazing narrators! Interested to see how each book will go into different couples, and how they will tie as a whole. 🤔 Excellent travail tout autour!!! 🤌🏼

A just fine book.

Weaker then others, stronger then some. I don't know if I would have finished the book with other narrators. Their performances kept me engaged.

Excellent

I couldn’t stop listening. Loved this book. 🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷 the only thing that would have made it any better would have been to have it in duet. A couple of my two most favorite narrators.

Amazing Story & World Building!

Firstly—I’m a sucker for Anthony Palmini. He is one of my favorite VA’s on Audible so his performance here was wonderful. I just wish we had more of him in this book. Lilly Drake voiced the FMC and other females wonderfully and really brought to life each character to make them stand apart as individuals. So 5/5 on performance.

Story: 5/5~The FMC (voiced by Lilly Drake) was the center of the story and we follow along on her journey to save her kingdom from a deal that was brokered with the Shadow King before she was even conceived. By the end of the story, there are lots of plot twists and surprising revelations that make it clear how the secrets & lies told to Nell & her sister Cici, could have had a very different outcome for them—if not for the truth coming out through love & perseverance. The world building in this story is captivating and I appreciate that the author spends time on “side characters” to make the world come alive and leave you feeling more attached to the FMC/MMC. Admittedly, I am a romantasy reader and love a good emotional rollercoaster. This story left me raw and weeping at certain points when the MMC (One/Damien) finally starts to explore his affection for Nell and admit he can indeed love. The belief of being “unlovable” can be a powerful thing in a story where two people who were never meant to fall in love—actually do. Overall, the story is going to be the focus here and while it starts off a little slow to get into, it does get better by chapter 4. This book is part of a interconnected series, but you could also read it as a standalone; it is simply just one love story of several that the series explores in the “Faerie” realm (where Nell & the Shadow King live).

Spice: 2.5/5~ If spice is your thing—you won’t find much of it here. There is 3 scenes total. One in which our FMC is not involved, but happens to see another character engaged in a three way and what is happening to the three participants is detailed. So the scenes are “open-door/explicit” and leave you with a clear idea of what is going on. The other two spice scenes is more of a ‘cherry on top’ to the plot. One of the two remaining scenes is pivotal to the story of the Shadow King “becoming whole” and should not be overlooked as it helps the reader understand more fully what the situation is with the three “Hunter Knights.”