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Forbidden Magic #1

Court of Shadows

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Join New York Times bestselling author, K.N. Lee on a journey through Rune, where magic and mystery collide.
Elemental. Fairy. Prisoner.

I was born in a world where magic is outlawed. After the mages of my ancestors destroyed the barrier between the living and the dead, the humans were justified in their war against my people. Then, the executions began, and when my parents were taken from me, my life was fated to be forever changed.

The future is a cold, bleak, wasteland and I am prepared to die. The White Tower is my home and my prison, but when the queen of the fairy nation arrives to take me away, I know I am destined for greater things. We've won the war, but the world needs us to banish the evil that haunts us all. That's where the other elementals come in.

Me, three princes, one destiny that binds us as one. Fire, water, earth, and wind. Together, we can restore the balance. Their love for me is unmistakable, and I must make a choice. But, the choice isn't mine. It belongs to the creature who stole my soul.

Download the epic reverse harem fantasy with dark magic, spellbinding romance, and heart-pounding action similar to Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and The Vampire Diaries today!

136 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 23, 2018

425 people are currently reading
1,182 people want to read

About the author

K.N. Lee

132books904followers
K.N. Lee is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who resides in Charlotte, North Carolina. When she is not writing twisted tales, fantasy novels, and dark poetry, she does a great deal of traveling and promotes other authors. Wannabe rockstar, foreign language enthusiast, and anime geek, K.N. Lee also enjoys helping others reach their writing and publishing goals. She is a winner of the Elevate Lifestyle Top 30 Under 30 "Future Leaders of Charlotte" award for her success as a writer, business owner, and for community service.

She is signed with Captive Quill Press and Patchwork Press.

K.N. Lee loves hearing from fans and readers. Connect with her!









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5 stars
130 (23%)
4 stars
143 (25%)
3 stars
161 (29%)
2 stars
85 (15%)
1 star
34 (6%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
Profile Image for Marguerite (M).
767 reviews646 followers
January 24, 2018
Rating : 2 stars?

- Short. Too fucking short. Even shorter than the 200 pages announced. The book ended at 83% on my kindle. Not cool.

- In serious need of some foreplay. Prologue and you're already supposed to know everything: the world, the map, the characters and the fucking customs. You don't? That's your problem.

- But it's pleasantly written. You might not understand shit about the plot but you keep going with hope it will make sense at some point.

So... I guess it was okay.
Profile Image for Jaime (Two Chicks on Books).
825 reviews395 followers
February 3, 2018
This was really good and I can’t wait for book 2! I will say though it’s irritating for you to think a book is longer than it is only to have if end at 84% with some added content at the end...
Profile Image for Tiblu.
1,251 reviews48 followers
April 22, 2018
I didn’t really dislike this but I can’t say I liked/really enjoyed it either....

I didn’t really dislike this but I can’t say I liked/really enjoyed it either....
I know Ms.Lee does seems to be mainly a YA author with all the warning I gotta say I was hoping for more....

But not just sex or violence or anything just more period..
More world 🌎 building:
Ok, we have the Fae, and humans ( being ignorant stupid prejudiced bigoted pains in the rear as always it seems in stories like these ) servers kingdoms,the seelie,the unseelie,the veil, darkness and death,long drawn out wars,several different races and elemental’s etc...
Soo much going on but, but despite this feeling like more of a prequel,( to me anyway ) than a true first part of series ( which is f a r too short ( stopping at 83% to show us other things) nothing is really explained ,I felt like I was supposed to have been with Celeste all this time in the tower soo I too would understand the different divisions in these worlds,why exactly they were at war and what all existed and why...
It was weird some of the thoughts in Celesta ‘s head were repetitive and yet at the same time I felt I was learning very little....
I found this very frustrating as well,most the story is taken up just traveling from her tower prison to her new home and place in a far off land...
She meets her 1st prince an air elemental but she isn’t allowed ore than a few hours with him ( they met at night and go off to restless sleep alone) and a few chaste kisses on her hands or forehead, when she’s kidnapped ,which was very confusing for a while,then returned to her new kingdom and meets and gets reacquainted two more of her princes everything kept very chaste and g rated...
Then later that night of meeting her earth elemental Maxim, they get very frisky in the garden but just as it getting good it fades to black and it’s the next morning ,where she wakes up In his arms and your just given a hint that they’ve had lots of fun but she’s still a virgin,unlike Stellan what sounds like he’s a man whore ....
Note: not a fan of the H’s being MW’s while the h is forced to be a virgin...
Anyway that was odd, why ? One minute she’s chaperoned and watched, her virtues seeming to be closely watched when she met her air prince and she’s nervous and fluttery and next she’s off alone doing things we don’t even get to see and spending the night w/a guy she’s met ,betrothed or not...
Nervous, guarded ,never been around a man one minute and kinda slutty but hidden from us the next....
All the while we’re fed all this doom and gloom and nothing is really explained or shown...
Not sure if I want more,since this wasn’t a prequel and it wasn’t very helpful or fun and despite the warning ( I don’t understand,weren’t really needed,not G rated I guess but not really PG either) ( better safe than sorry ?) felt way to YA for my tastes...
I still don’t get the whole nervous guarded virgin thing one minute and diving into unseen sex acts the next....
Okkkkkk...
Thank you Ma. Lee, while I think your very talented,I didn’t enjoy myself and I’m not sure I’ll return...
Profile Image for Ashley Martinez (ilovebooksandstuffblog).
2,902 reviews82 followers
January 22, 2018
An interesting start to a new and sexy series! I enjoyed the fast pace and the introduction of all the different characters. It was far too short in my opinion though, I wanted more! I can’t wait to see what happens next.
I voluntarily reviewed an arc from the author.
Profile Image for Lou-Lou Belle.
572 reviews6 followers
February 24, 2018
I would love to give this a better rating, but it felt more like a summary of a book than a book itself.
I really loved the premise - but honestly you don’t learn much more about the idea even by the end of the book.
Who are the princes? Can’t really answer that, the story didn’t elaborate.
Why are the unseelie hated? Don’t know that either. I guess we must just take ideas from other stories to sort that out.
Zero worldbuuilding - and I mean absolutely zero. Which is a waste as the story just had so much promise. I wish the author would remove this book, write more (as this was more of a draft) and then re-release it.

Profile Image for Susan.
1,455 reviews
August 1, 2018
3.5 stars. This set contains Court of Shadows and Court of Dragons which are the first two books in the Forbidden Magic series. These are not standalones and have a soft cliffhanger ending for the next book in the series. They are short quick reads. There is some violence and sex.

The book blurb adequately describes the storyline so I'm not going to repeat that all of that info here. There are clues in the storyline that keep you guessing what will be revealed next. It definitely kept me reading. Overall it is an interesting storyline and worth taking the time to read. I look forward to reading more in this series.
Profile Image for Brittany.
67 reviews21 followers
March 2, 2018
Would’ve given more stars if the book was longer. It is really good so far but reads more like the introduction or set up to a book rather than an actual book itself. It was just too short and ended before it ever actually started. Other than that it was great start so I’ll definitely keep reading the series.
Profile Image for OneDayI'll.
1,565 reviews40 followers
February 6, 2018
A small tease

Celeste has been a prisoner of war for a decade (or 11 years, both are mentioned). Locked in a warded tower in the human realm, her only crime was to be born into magic. With only Kala at her side she sees no one else other than the guards until the day her freedom comes. But with that freedom comes the fulfilling of an agreement that will unite the magical kingdoms of Seelie and Unseelie, light and dark. The dark court is not happy about this and seeks to stop it at all costs. The humans still hate all magic. And to top it all off Celeste is supposed to be the greatest magical being ever born as well as the ruler of all magical beings. So far she can't even sense her magic, let alone access it.

While we get a little bit of the background story in this novella we don't get a real sense of who the characters are. The POV changes and the scenes are short. I know this is an introduction but it seems very brief for the depth I feel the series will try to convey. What started the war? Why did the Unseelie toss Celeste's family out? I'd love some cultural references, too. Poly marriages are mentioned, both 1f/multiple males and 1m/multiple females but not whether that is the norm or not. Especially as a couple parties in both don't seem thrilled. Why was the human prison tower warded if humans hate magic? Tell us more about these elemental kingdoms and the beings there. There's so much more I would like to know and this feels almost more like a prequel than the 1st of a series. Also, a decade or more in solidarity confinement changes a person. They either burrow deep inside themselves or become almost desperate to live life to the fullest. She goes from being cowed in the carriage after her release to kidnapped to flirty (damned near an exhibitionist) pretty quickly with barely a hiccup in between gears.
Profile Image for Elizabeth Connor.
1,414 reviews34 followers
March 23, 2018
I'm a big fan of KN Lee and was pleased to receive an ARC of this book. I think this may be my favorite book from her thus far. In this book, KN Lee’s description of scenes is visceral. The plot is intriguing and I'm anxious to find out what happens next

At times, I had difficulty discerning reality from dreams states. However, it was just a small part of the story and so it did not interfere with my enjoyment of it. The characters, though complex, left me wanting more information about them and their backgrounds. In fact, I believe that a separate book could be written about each of these characters, leading up until the time that they come together.

The story's ending is incomplete. However, it is not a typical cliffhanger because it does not truly leave the reader hanging, merely anxious to find out the rest of the story. In my opinion, this story could be told through many many volumes. Due to the unique qualities of each character, I believe this series of stories could maintain a reader's interest for a very long time.
Profile Image for The Mysterious Reader.
3,586 reviews63 followers
January 26, 2018
K.N. Lee has done it again. Her “Court of Shadows: A Reverse Harem Epic Dragon Fantasy (Forbidden Magic Book 1)� pretty much gives you everything In that title. The publisher’s blurb is totally correct in labeling this as”sexy, action-packed coming of age journey ... where magical faeries, dragons, elves, and giants collide.� Add on that Celeste, the lead character, is simply superb, as are the men (or, rather, four hunky faerie princes) of the promised reverse harem (yum). Will Celeste be able to escape banishment in the human realm and use her power as the supreme Elemental to banish the horrible dark evil sweeping through the lands?! Read on to see - and be prepared to (greatly) enjoy the trip.

Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Susan.
1,455 reviews
January 23, 2018
3.5 stars. Court of Shadows is the first book in the Forbidden Magic series. This is a not a standalone and has a soft cliffhanger ending for the next book in the series. It is a short quick read. There is some violence and sex.

The book blurb adequately describes the storyline so I'm not going to repeat that all of that info here. There are clues in the storyline that keep you guessing what will be revealed next. It definitely kept me reading. Overall it is an interesting storyline and worth taking the time to read. I look forward to reading more in this series.
4,165 reviews18 followers
January 23, 2018
A good start to a new series full of magic creatures. It is the story of Celeste and her 4 Elemental mates that will save their various kingdoms. That is if they survive. I liked the writing and the story line itself. For a novella it was fast paced full of action but did not feel rushed to me. It ended in a bit of a cliff hanger but it is book 1. I read it in one sitting to see what would happen next and was not disappointed. It did keep me guessing on exactly what would happen. You know something had to go wrong. I enjoyed the story and cannot wait to see what happens next.
Profile Image for Linda Hamonou.
Author7 books29 followers
July 7, 2018
My first time reading a reversed harem story and it was fun. The relationship still feel kind of weirs as destiny arranged multiple weddings but it sort of make sense.
I like the world building in this story and the fact that we don't have to wait to see multiple part of the world like we generally do in fantasy novels.
The main characters were really likeable making it easier to see the court of shadows actually work as a team even if one of the prince feels like he is going to be on his lonely side as the unseelie of the team.
Profile Image for Aneesa Bhayat.
177 reviews2 followers
November 15, 2018
Fast paced fantasy book. Has you turning page after page...
Wow, just WOW! This storyline is fast paced and has you hooked from the first line in the book. Mystery, evil threats that could end it all and coping with affections from FOUR princes she’s betrothed to! I kept reading and turning the pages to discover what would occur. This is a great fantasy with touches of romance, mystery and of course evil in the background. The end was a kick and a half!!!! Didn’t see that coming, At. All!! Definitely a must read.
Really looking forward to Book 2
Profile Image for Patti.
1,503 reviews13 followers
January 24, 2018
Overall rating: 4.6

Book one of the shadow court, and I found this did a wonderful job bringing to life all the applicable characters that make up the shadow court. The scene has been carefully crafted as to what alliances are being formed and which characters are against their goal for peace. This skilled author created this magical world and set the targeted storyline. Every chapter held my attention beautifully. Looking forward to book 2 in the spring
Profile Image for Anne .
405 reviews31 followers
January 24, 2018
This is such a great intro to the series. At first, actually, I don't understand much about what's happening but that isn't deterrent to my reading flow. Until it's over. And I'm like, oh god, I actually really like it. it's. not. fair. But yeah, I guess this is that-an introduction to the series. PS I really like the heroine, too. She might be weak and a little sheltered but I would like to see her grow into what she's meant to, a rather powerful queen.
Profile Image for Christy deSade.
465 reviews11 followers
May 8, 2018
Lazy writing

This was put together in a very lazy way. There are huge chunks missing, the only real challenge is glossed over and the world building was crap. There was no character development, the relationships between the MC's were stupidly superficial. This is listed on the author's website as a standalone series, but all of the backstory takes place as an aside while alluding to other books.
Profile Image for Lexie Winston.
Author41 books884 followers
January 25, 2018
This was a good start to a new series. Not much happens, although you do meet the main characters and it establishes what the story will be about. It was fairly short and I feel it's missing some detail as to why this story is happening, it could have done with a bit more backstory. All in all a fairly decent read that I enjoyed and hopefully more is cleared up in the next book. Recommended.
Profile Image for Caroline Doig.
5,427 reviews47 followers
January 26, 2018
Fantastic read and I don’t need to give any spoilers because ms Lee says it all in her blurb. I really enjoyed this story and the characters were fantastic, I can’t wait to read more about Celeste and her men and who doesn’t like a Reverse Harem?! I highly recommend this book it’s well worth the read.
170 reviews12 followers
January 31, 2018
Fun & Adventurous

I was hooked from the beginning. The author hooked us in with the tragic story of Celeste's past. Then, she gets freedom with the visit of the seelie queen. While growing up, she always knew what she was destined to become. Read on and live her adventure with her. Now becoming the new queen, and ruling w 4 handsome kings. Can't wait for the next book.
Profile Image for Savannah Laegen.
234 reviews17 followers
April 9, 2018
Wonderful

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the concept of the court and how it was decided who was in the court. This is the perfect start of a series. It laid out the perfect foundation for an intriguing series.

The only thing I didn’t like was that it ended too soon. I was at like 83% (says my kindle) into it when the book was over.
Profile Image for Jessica Williams.
128 reviews10 followers
August 12, 2020
This books has so many things .magic, dragons, intrigue, fae, war, clashing kingdoms, romance and an mc that is powerful enough to destroy them all. I love that even though Celeste was imprisoned for 11 years she came out swinging. There is so much happening and there’s no way of k owing which way it’s going to go.
Profile Image for Kimberly Gordon-Bercich.
1,818 reviews5 followers
September 22, 2020
Prison

Adult content, reader discretion advised. What kind of life would a child have who fee up in a prison? Only to be released to a guided cage of leadership. Celeste was born a princess, in-prisoned as a child’s seven years old and released at eighteen to be a leader she is barely prepared for.did she just trade one prison for another?
Profile Image for Piros OlaSz.
549 reviews2 followers
January 5, 2024
Very strong goood!
✅The setup s amazing

� 4 luv interest with elemental power. ( the redhead is not fire and he shaved �> extra ⭐️)

� heroine not insta poweful and has a learning curve

� no overthinking

� intriguing bad guy (?!)

What else!

I wasn’t in the mood but it actually made me forget and turn off so Im up and running for the next in series!

xoxo a book later�
5 reviews
January 20, 2024
The characters were likable and the story was intriguing; however, there were many editorial errors (misspellings, wrong verb tenses, forgetting which person was talking in which perspective) and the story ended suddenly with a twist that had no build up to it. It was like the author hit a deadline or just got tired of writing and gave up.
4,113 reviews19 followers
January 23, 2018
This is a good reverse-harem story. The storyline is very good with strong, developed characters. The blurb does say it all when describing this book. I enjoyed this installment. I voluntarily read an ARC and this is my honest review.
Profile Image for Ola Adamska.
2,881 reviews25 followers
January 25, 2018
This book left me craving for book 2.
So Many questuons left after that Great story. World was created caregully and with so Many details.
I enjoyed each character- they are likealan and not flawless.
Great book.
Profile Image for Ann.
329 reviews5 followers
January 29, 2018
This book was a good start to a new series. Celeste is the one person who can stop the evil jasper but she has been held captive for the last 11 years and has no idea what to do. She will be a great mc and her men will be interesting to watch as well.
Profile Image for nat _lovestoread.
917 reviews11 followers
February 19, 2018
Great start of the series

Great introduction of the characters, love that a woman is the main and most powerful of them, also the love trama promises to be a really good one, can't wait for the next book to see how all develops 👏👏👏
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews

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