"The Shadows Between Us" Week One

Week One of "The Shadows Between Us" is brief, but action packed!

Ch. 1: So, we just get straight into the story with our main character, Alessandra Stathos, murdering her first love, Hektor, in cold blood after he dumps her for another girl. This moment is a little flashback that gives us a very clear image to a side of Alessandra. She is a very emotional person, who so controlled by her feelings that she doesn't really think in the moment. The flashback leads to Alessandra, who is now 18, in bed with another noble boy named Myron. They obviously just had sex, and Myron decides that this is the perfect moment to propose. Alessandra, with the ring on her finger, laughs in his face, tells him to get out, and that they are over. Myron demands the ring back, which she refuses to do, and he tries to blackmail her into giving back the ring. She throws her own blackmail information back in his face, which angers him. The argument is interrupted by Alessandra's father, who kicks Myron out (without his ring). Alessandra is then informed of her older (hated) sister's betrothal to an aging duke, which means that Alessandra can now make her debut at court. Alessandra informs her father that she plans on doing what her sister never could: wooing and marrying the Shadow King. What her father doesn't know is that Alessandra plans to kill the Shadow King on their wedding night and take over the throne. The father and daughter argue for a bit before her father acquiesces Alessandra's demand to woo the Shadow King, which ends the chapter.

Ch. 2: Alessandra and her father head to the palace for a ball thrown by the king. All the other girls wear green (the color of the Shadow King's eyes, and supposedly his favorite color), while Alessandra wears black and shows off her legs with a high-low skirt. In order to gain the Shadow King's attention, Alessandra blatantly ignores him and doesn't get in line to greet him, like the rest of the girls. I will give her props for her plan. One way to get a man to notice you is if you blatantly ignore him, at least in fictional stories. While ignoring the Shadow King, Alessandra's father introduces her to a friend, Lord Orrin. Orrin continuously talks about Alessandra's sister, which doesn't warm him to her. Alessandra and her father proceed to dance together and get punch, while Alessandra keeps an eye on the Shadow King. In the end, once she sees that the Shadow King is keeping his eye on her, Alessandra gets in line to greet him with her father. After some titillating conversation between Alessandra and the Shadow King, he asks her to dance, ending the chapter. This chapter focuses a lot on details, especially Alessandra and the Shadow King's clothing. Alessandra's style (wearing form-fitting pants under a high-low dress skirt) of dress is very provocative for her people, despite her being completely covered

Ch. 3: This chapter focuses on Alessandra's "no-touch" dance with the Shadow King, which she finds deeply sexual. Well, as sexual as a "no-touch" dance can get. Once the dance is complete, the Shadow King leaves and the party is over. As Alessandra and her father are leaving, a servant arrives with an invitation from the Shadow King for her to stay at court, which she jumps at the opportunity. After she is escorted to her room, she finds her belongings already there, and discovers that the Shadow King assumed she would have said yes. Her blood boils at his arrogance, which replaces the earlier sexual tension she was feeling and ends the chapter. This chapter is very short and to the point, but it does give some vital information about Alessandra. She is obviously a very sexual person and has a deep attraction for the Shadow King. However, she doesn't like his arrogance because she doesn't want to be grouped with all the other girls, who would jump at the chance to live in the palace at the Shadow King's invitation. Although, I find Alessandra's logic hilarious because she did jump at the chance.

Ch. 4: This chapter focuses on the following day, and Alessandra meeting with other members of the court, along with her second interaction with the Shadow King. We are also informed about how Alessandra plans to get rid of the Shadow King on their supposed wedding night. She plans on creating a poison because it is less messy than how she disposed of Hektor (her words). During afternoon tea, Alessandra meets the Shadow King again and is introduced to the king's dog, Demodocus. The Shadow King seems to be sizing her up before leaving her to be interrogated by his advisors, lead by Lord Vasco. The interrogation doesn't go well as Alessandra finds out the advisors have been talking with Myron, which doesn't bode well for Alessandra. She ends up stalking away from them and towards two noble girls sitting off to the side. One girl is named Hestia and the other girl (a widow) is named Rhoda. The girls start to get to know each other before they are joined by a man named Leandros, who is Lord Vasco's nephew. Alessandra learns from her three new friends about the assassinations of the Shadow King's parents, but she doesn't really care about that important piece of information.

Ch. 5: This chapter focuses on Alessandra deciding to use Rhoda and Hestia for her own gain and her private dinner with the Shadow King. During their dinner, Alessandra finds out two things: the Shadow King's name is Kallias Maheras and the fact that the King wants to fake a relationship. He doesn't think she actually wants to marry him, and he says he doesn't think she is tempting, which enrages her on the inside. Kallias goes on to explain that, since she hasn't been to court before, he can trust her to help him find his parents' killer(s), as it could be anyone in the palace. Alessandra, while happy Kallias hasn't seen through her, is still pissed off at him not finding her to be tempting, which causes her to storm off. I will admit that this whole scene was a little bit confusing because it gives you a lot of information. I initially thought that Alessandra's plan backfired because Kallias friend-zoned her, but I can also see the fake relationship and friendship helping her win his affections. However, I do think that Alessandra's pride is definitely getting in the way of her thinking.

Ch. 6: This chapter focuses on the aftermath following the dinner and Alessandra dealing with Myron, who is now trying to blackmail her. Alessandra just throws the information she has on him in his face and kicks him out of her room. We also see Alessandra in another formal court event and meeting Leandros's friends, Petros and Rhouben, for the first time. The biggest turning point of the chapter is Kallias announcing his "relationship" with Alessandra to the whole court, and having her sit next to him at his table for dinner. The chapter isn't very long and is mainly used to introduce new characters. The "relationship" aspect is interesting, but I don't know what to make of it until I see more how it is going to work. Alessandra can't touch Kallias due to the law, so it'll be interesting to see how they try to pull off a courtship without touching. I'm also looking forward to see how her plan is going to work if he isn't looking for a real relationship.

Final Thoughts: I love that the story is so fast-paced, even though it is going day-by-day. After reading "Americanah", it is a nice change to actually witness what is happening instead of almost everything being told in a flashback. I love the commentary on women in society and how people have to play the game of court in order to make something of themselves. Alessandra mainly wants to be in charge of herself, but she can't because of how society is set up. In order for her to have a sexual relationship, she needs to have information on her partners so she can blackmail them into keeping quiet. I compare Alessandra to Cersei Lannister a little bit because they are similar in certain ways. Both are manipulative women who know they have to work within the system to get what they want. I could also compare her to Margery Tyrell, but Alessandra is definitely more bloodthirsty. The story isn't too focused on imagery unless it is about clothing, which is a big part of the symbolism within court. I do wish there was a little bit more imagery so that I can paint a picture within my mind, but that's just me. All-in-all, I am looking forward to reading more of "Between the Shadows".