The Secret Shadow by Bethany Atazadeh

How many of us have ever felt unseen, or looked over unfairly? In The Secret Shadow by Bethany Atazadeh, Jezebel faces a similar problem… In fact, she feels like nothing more than a shadow. Let’s talk about the second book in The Queen’s Rise series, inspired by infamous fairy tale villains from stories like Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Beauty and the Beast.

When another shape-shifter breaks into the castle and threatens the royal family, the search for the intruder begins—and Jezebel fears they’ll catch her instead.

The castle is locked down until the danger is eliminated. Everyone is suspect. Still learning the ropes of the secretive Jinni court, the life she’s worked so hard for is in jeopardy.

With the Jinni Guard on the hunt for this formidable shifter, it’s only a matter of time. Once they discover Jezebel’s shape-shifting Gift, her future with Prince Shem—and all her carefully formed plans—are over.

Jezebel must persuade the prince to buy her time, so she can track down this unknown shape-shifter before the Guard. If she fails, she’ll have no choice but to flee before the Guard discovers her hidden abilities and severs them immediately—a fate worse than death.

World, Characters, and Plot

I mentioned this in my review of The Secret Gift, but I’ll say it again: the world of the Jinn is full of creative worldbuilding. The concept of Jinn, and the portals to the human world, is very interesting. Although the story does use concepts and items familiar to us (like apartment buildings), I found that they did not take me out of the world.

Jezebel makes a great canvas for a villain origin story. Her wants are relatable (she wants to fit in, she wants justice for how she’s been wronged, etc.). Even better, The Secret Shadow really highlights her attempts to justify her increasingly manipulative and “evil” actions. The choices she makes, for better or for worse, make sense for her character and her world. These impossible decisions that Jezebel is forced to make gives the reader a sense of inevitability; no matter what choice she makes, her path continues to descend into darkness. Jezebel’s character is complex and intricate, with so many layered emotions.

Shem, on the other hand, is very flat. His character has very little complexity. For purposes of Jezebel’s plot, this works well. I would have loved, however, to see a little bit more depth as the story progressed.

I absolutely loved the final scene in the book. No spoilers, so I won’t go into details, but the climax does not disappoint! It’s fast-paced, full of plot twists and action, and not a chapter you’ll want to put down!

PAGED IN: This book has no profanity, no innuendo, and mild fantasy violence.

Conclusion

I read this book quickly. Like The Secret Gift, The Secret Shadow was on the shorter end of things and had fast pacing. The political intrigue in this book added some new layers to Jezebel’s story that were really fun, but I did miss some of the street action we saw in the first book. All in all, The Secret Shadow was a fun, quick read. I definitely am looking forward to reading the conclusion of the series!

You can buy The Secret Shadow here.

Marie