Hidden Dragons, Forbidden Magic: Kingdom of Shadows and Wings
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If Fourth Wing and Iron Flame left you craving more enemies-to-lovers tension, dragon-drenched danger, and the pulse of a deadly war college, Kingdom of Shadows and Wings by Nina Frost might just be your next obsession. In this spellbinding fantasy romance, we follow Lark Axton. A sheltered girl thrust into a brutal academy built for warriors and winged beasts.
With echoes of the Empyrean series, Carissa Broadbent’s fierce heroines, and the sweeping magic of Divine Rivals, this fantasy book series delivers high-stakes political intrigue, forbidden magic, and a slow-burn lovers’ romance that simmers beneath every betrayal.
Set in a world where gods, dragons, and destiny collide, this debut takes the tension of romantasy favorites and infuses it with raw heart, dangerous secrets, and a heroine fighting to rewrite her fate. If you’re searching for your next favorite fantasy read, this series comes with claws, secrets, and a flight instructor you’ll love to hate.
Title: Kingdom of Shadows and Wings (Dragons of Tirene, 1)
Author: Nina Frost
Publisher: Independently Published
Format: physical
Genre: Fantasy, Enemies to Lovers, Dragons, Romance
Release Date: December 3, 2024
Pages: 426
Star Rating: 3 stars
Spice Rating: 1 chili pepper
For Readers Who Crave Dragons, Secrets, and Slow-Burns That Sting
• Anyone obsessed with Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, and still Googling “books like Empyrean series”
• Those who crave slow-burn enemies-to-lovers tension that simmers under every sword clash and side-eye
• You live for fantasy books with dragon flight schools, forbidden magic, and heroines stepping into their power
• One who wants a fantasy romance series with political intrigue, divine secrets, and emotional stakes
• You’re still emotionally recovering from Divine Rivals, Carissa Broadbent, or Onyx Storm
• You love your fantasy with claws, secrets, gods… and a little bit of spice
This isn’t just a book — it’s a world you’ll want to get lost in.
From Frustration to Obsession: My Complicated Love Story with Kingdom of Shadows and Wings
When author Nina Frost reached out to me on Instagram to review Kingdom of Shadows and Wings, I was immediately intrigued and added it to my June TBR. I’m a mood reader, so I dove in with curiosity, and about 50% in, I had to put it down.
Not because I wasn’t enjoying it. But it wasn’t giving me the kind of reading experience I craved at that moment. And honestly? Putting it down was the best thing I could have done.
The beginning of the book felt uneven. It over-explained simple concepts. We didn’t need that much detail about the diamond flyer formation. And at the same time, it under-explained terms that felt important. What even is “AW”? In a fantasy world, where language is everything, assuming your reader knows something that’s never clarified just pulls you out of the story. As someone who loves fantasy worlds and pays attention to detail, I wanted that clarity.
“I wonder what it’s like to fly.”
The pacing in the first half is slow, and not in a simmering, romantic way. More like a story still searching for its rhythm. At times, it felt like the book wasn’t trusting its reader. And Lark, our main character, didn’t help. She’s naive—understandably so, given her sheltered life—but frustratingly blind to the most obvious truths. The characters at Flighthaven, the war college, are written like moody children, not hardened young adults, and their hostility toward Lark lacks any real foundation. It made it difficult to feel invested in their dynamics.
So, I walked away. I read other books (Sadist by Chaos Davies was one of them), and waited until I felt ready to give this book my full attention again. When I returned, everything shifted.
Once the story finds its footing, Kingdom of Shadows and Wings becomes incredibly addictive. I went from pausing halfway to devouring every available book in the Dragons of Tirene series over two days on my Kindle. While the world-building in this first book felt shallow at first, it expands beautifully in later installments. The land of Tirene begins to breathe, and once Lark steps into her true home, the story—and she herself—comes alive.
A Dragon. A Dragon crashed in our training field. But how? Why?
That’s the turning point. Lark begins to see herself, and we start to see her. She discovers secrets that change everything about her mother, her sister, and the boy she thought she could love. The betrayal? It stings. Especially from Sterling, her arrogant and brooding flight instructor. Their relationship is labeled enemies-to-lovers, but it reads more like fated mates. There’s tension, yes. But not hate. Just this magnetic, irritating, undeniable pull. As someone who’s head over heels for grumpy-love interest dynamics, Sterling’s chaotic energy worked for me… even if I wanted to karate chop him at times.
The romance is low on spice, but high on angst, and while that might not work for everyone, I found it emotionally satisfying. Sterling is frustrating. Lark is stubborn. And yet, there’s something tender that threads between them.
I will say, Nina Frost’s writing is a mix of beautiful descriptions and jarring modern slang that doesn’t always blend with the story’s realm fantasy setting. One moment you’re immersed in a court of magic and dragons, the next someone drops a phrase that feels like 2025 Twitter. It pulled me out at times.
But what kept me grounded—what I loved—was the way dragons were handled. In this world, dragons aren’t glorified—they’re controlled, institutionalized, and treated like property instead of partners. That twist on dragon lore gave this fantasy book an edge, and it broke my heart in a way that surprised me.
The ending? A cliffhanger. A good one. And now I’m deep in this book series, searching for answers, rooting for Lark, and ready for the world of Tirene to burn wide open.
Don’t forget to grab yourself a copy of Kingdom of Shadows and Wings from your local indie bookstore!
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