The Shadow Queen

By: C.J. Redwine

Narrated by: Khristine Hvam

Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's Summary

Lorelai Diederich, crown princess and fugitive at large, has one mission: kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and her father's life. To do that, Lorelai needs to use the one weapon she and Queen Irina have in common - magic. She'll have to be stronger, faster, and more powerful than Irina, the most dangerous sorceress Ravenspire has ever seen.

In the neighboring kingdom of Eldr, when Prince Kol's father and older brother are killed by an invading army of magic wielding ogres, the second-born prince is suddenly given the responsibility of saving his kingdom. To do that, Kol needs magic of his own - and the only way to get it is to make a deal with the queen of Ravenspire, promise to become her personal huntsman - and bring her Lorelai's heart. But Lorelai is nothing like Kol expected - beautiful, fierce, and unstoppable - and despite dark magic,

Lorelai is drawn in by the passionate and troubled king. Fighting to stay one step ahead of the dragon huntsman - who she likes far more than she should-Lorelai does everything in her power to ruin the wicked queen. But Irina isn't going down without a fight, and her final move may cost the princess the one thing she still has left to lose.

©2016 C. J. Redwine (P)2016 Tantor

Critic Reviews

"Redwine uses Snow White as a framework to create her own fantasy filled with complex characters, imaginative and horrible consequences, and sharp twists, all of which give this novel a place among other clever, contemporary romantic fantasies." ( Booklist)

I wish a had read the book.

The story was really good, but it was so hard to get into it over the narrators voice. There was WAY too much... "feeling"? Put into EVERY sentence, which made the sweet, romantic moments sound super cheesy, and the dramatic/action moments sound like they were being made fun of. I had to grimace through most of the story and many times thought of just turning it off and buying the book.

34 of 37 people found this review helpful

An Excellent Redux

What made the experience of listening to The Shadow Queen the most enjoyable?

The narrator was great! The story was great but the narrator kept the redux from becoming dull and lackluster.

What did you like best about this story?

The story itself was amazing. Just when I grew weary of Snow White, AGAIN, C. J. Redwine but a nice little twist into it.

Have you listened to any of Khristine Hvam’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Not that I'm aware of, but I loved listening!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Neither reactions- it was just a good story. I was surprised another version of Snow White could come out so interesting.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Oh No Another Retelling

This was actually really really good. Right out of the shoot, graphic violence and action in chapter 1!! And it doesn't stop, too much romance and you just want the two livers to hurry up and just do it, but it was really emotionally consumming.

11 of 14 people found this review helpful

Loved it from start to finish

I loved how there was one book that told an amazing story from start to finish. This beautiful spin off of snow white had dragons, magic, courage, love, adventure, heartache and triumph. Each character was unique and we'll written.

8 of 10 people found this review helpful

trying too hard

great story line, but the relationships between the characters are too.... fake? too much like a nickelodeon show? sappy?

it was alright

13 of 17 people found this review helpful

Just an Average Retelling

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Overall, this book was pretty average so the time I spent on it wasn't wasted, but wasn't treasured either.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

While it was a retelling, it lack anything new that makes retellings compelling to read.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Alright

Alright pretty much sums it up. The narrator was okay and the story was the same. I expected more but it fell short.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A beach read

It was a fun, easy read. A different take on Snow White that fills in gaps left from the Disney movie I saw as a child. Still. People who turn into dragons, people with magic, people with 2 hearts, people who can't speak when one of their hearts is missing.... If all that makes sense and resonates with you, you will enjoy this book.

I liked it more while reading it than after I had time to think about the things that didn't quite work. A good beach read.

Glad I bought it on sale.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Impressive

Even though it is a similar version of the classic fairy tale "Snow White", I was very impressed with this version. The story was full of adventure and mystery, magic and written with incredible detail... I strongly feel like this version is better than the original... Glad I found it

Love! Love! Love!

Could not stop listening. This is a must-read full of adventure, bravery, and witty humor.