Review: Ties of Shadow
Ties of Shadow by Alora Carter is another ARC I received from the Tethered Hearts multi-author series about characters who are binded together by magical ties. So far, this series has been surprisingly dark, especially in comparison to Sacrificed Hearts , which shares similar themes. Despite its simplistic nature, this book has some levity to it in the form of cute animal sidekicks that live the shadow world and make wisecracks to the main characters. It does a good job developing the romance and is thematically similar to Mask of Deception and Sacrifice , which was inspired by "Beauty and the Beast" and Phantom of the Opera . The dark/light dynamic of the lead characters works well, allowing them to balance out each other's strengths and weaknesses. Lady Aelia has a hard time saying "no." She is dangerously loyal to the crown and Prince Leon who was once a dear friend to her. However, when those she is most loyal to ask her to sacrifice herself based on the...