The Shadows Between Us

The Shadows Between Us is a standalone fantasy novel by Tricia Levenseller, published in 2020 by Feiwel & Friends. It is told from the point of view of a heroine who intends to take a kingdom by marrying its king and then killing him, and it follows what happens when that plan meets other people with the same idea, from their own directions.

Alessandra is tired of being overlooked, and her plan is simple: win the Shadow King's attention, marry him, and then remove him and keep the kingdom. Nobody knows how much power the newly crowned king actually has, or whether the shadows that move around him are working for him or reporting on him. Alessandra does not much care either way, because the throne is the point rather than the man on it.

What she did not plan for is the number of other people who want him dead. Keeping him alive turns into a problem she has to solve personally, which puts her closer to the man she intends to kill than she intended to be. The court around the king has its own factions, and Alessandra's position as an outsider with a plan is the only thing that lets her see them.

Levenseller writes the novel as a single self-contained story rather than the first of a series, and the resolution does not depend on a sequel. It is a fantasy romance with a calculating heroine and a king who knows more about her intentions than he lets on, and it ends without setting up a second book.