In the Shadow of a Wish ♦ Maci Aurora | Review

I entered a magical, loving, and selfless world when I opened my Kindle for In the Shadow of a Wish by Maci Aurora.
Aurielle, the key keeper who fell in love with a deity, and Nixus, the God of Night and Darkness who was imprisoned by a spell, are the subjects of this heartbreaking tale.

In the Kingdom of Kaloma, women are forced to marry by the age of 26. It’s the law.

In the remote village of Sevens, at the northernmost point of the kingdom, there lives an impoverished family with four daughters and a son. Without the means to make love matches, the daughters are trapped by their circumstances.

When one daughter discovers a golden key deep in the Whitling Woods, it may have the power to change everything...

Auri Fareview, practical and realistic, does what she can to serve her family. When she finds a golden key that could be the answer she needs to save her sisters from the unjust Kaloma Marriage Laws, she discovers the treasure might be more than she bargained for. Enchanted, it doesn’t just come with a price attached, it’s also home to an imprisoned god, who wreaks havoc on her body, her heart, and her soul. And those aren’t practical matters. He has the power to break her.

Nixus Uraiahs has lost track of how long he’s been imprisoned by the spell on the key. There have been six key-keepers, all of whom have failed to break the spell to free him, and Nix knows he’s the reason why they haven’t. So, he will hold this 7th key-keeper accountable to the bargain of the spell: three wishes and a price for each. There’s no hope in her freeing him, however. Nix knows she'll be like all the key-keepers who came before her. Except Auri approaches her wishes differently than any of the others, and Nix begins to see her as more than just a key-keeper. She intrigues him, proving her strength, surprising him, and enchanting him. Though he’s entrapped by the enchantment placed on the key, Nix realizes his heart is at risk of being captured by the seventh key-keeper. That is a risk he can’t afford to take knowing his villainy is just a single wish away.

I have to thank NetGalley US and Mixed Plated Press for the ARC in exchange for my personal opinion.

In the Shadow of a Wish ♦ Maci Aurora

Opinion

I find myself between a rock and a hard place. I would love to dive deep into the story and tell you all about it. At the same time, I would like to avoid any kind of spoilers. I just don’t want to ruin the book for anyone. But let me give it a try here and summon up, what I can say.

The story starts with Auri, who, along with her three sisters, is bound to her life by a harsh marriage code in their kingdom of Kaloma that mandates that they get married by the age of 26. She aspires to avoid getting into trouble with the law and would give anything to find a love match like her parents’. Of course, the whole situation doesn’t sit well with her or her sisters. When Auri enters the wood to look for firewood after a very long day at the marriage market, she discovers a magical key on the ground. Out of nowhere, Nix, the God of Night and Darkness, emerges and says that since Auri picked up the key, she is now the key keeper. She must be granted three wishes before she may leave the enchantment, where both of them are trapped in now. Undoubtedly, both Nix’s and Auri’s worlds just collided and were completely turned upside down.
I have to stop here now, otherwise I’ll have serious difficulties not to reveal more about the plot after all.

But I will be allowed to state that I was shocked by the turns and results of Auri’s wishes, and they left me turning digital page after digital page. The fact that Auri is such a strong female character who strives to improve the world for her family and herself, made it hard for me to put the book down. And then there is Nix, this badass villain, with a charming and sensitive personality. Something totally unexpected for a god. I enjoyed reading about their passionate love story, which intensifies as the novel is read.

Bottom Line

The book’s introduction will draw you in, keep you reading, and drive you to complete it since the plot and concept seemed so refreshing and still reminded me of another story . A superb job was done by Maci Aurora in recreating the tale of The Golden Key. It was fascinating reading about Aurie‘s wishes and how Nix was helpful at her side, and the following obligations. This plot was very well-considered.
If you are a fan of the adult fantasy genre, this book is a must-read. Period! The ideal balance of narrative, romance, and world building. I am looking forward to early 2023, when the second book is supposed to be published.

Fareview Fairy Tales – The Series

About Maci Aurora

Maci Aurora schreibt auch als CL Walters, der Autorin mehrerer veröffentlichter Bücher für YA-Leser. Seit ihrer Kindheit schreibt sie Geschichten. Mit elf Jahren verliebte sie sich in das Lesen von Sunfire Historical Romances über Mädchen, die ihr Leben veränderten und sich trotzdem verliebten. In der High School stellte ihr eine Freundin Lavyrle Spencer und Judith McNaught vor, und diese Geschichten zementierten ihre Reise zum Schreiben von Liebesgeschichten.

Quelle: Goodreads

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