Crown of War and Shadow

Crown of War and Shadow by J.R. Ward
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I usually have a rule about not reading books with the same title structure as ACOTAR, but made an exception here because of the author. I’ve read about a thousand BDB books and have only been let down once on a spinoff. I rolled the dice and though this deviates from my typical focus (contemporary paranormal romance) it had enough mystery, sizzle, and interesting world-building to rope me in for more.

Sorrel is an outcast - she treats women with herbs and her own brand of life-saving magic, but is shunned by the same people who have benefited from said magic. She was taken in by a tavern owner, but it is a tenuous relationship at best. She only has one true friend in town and she is also an outcast of sorts. When the town’s hatred of magic comes to a head one night, it is the most unlikely of companions that ends up partnering up with her to help her escape. Sure, she promises to pay him in a manner of speaking, but they are still on a very treacherous adventure together.

“Merc” as she calls him because he won’t share his real name, has some incorrect assumptions about her from the start but they truly build a relationship through their various trials. It all leads to a rather shocking reveal and then follows up with an even more shocking reveal. I was caught off guard by both, and that says a lot. I won’t spoil anything, but this book ends on a sort-of cliffhanger, in that we are fresh off yet another reveal and who knows where this will take everyone in the next book.

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