Jan 14, 2011

Review--Shadowspell by Jenna Black

On top of spending most of her time in a bunkerlike safe house and having her dates hijacked by a formidable Fae bodyguard, Faeriewalker Dana Hathaway is in for some more bad news: the Erlking and his pack of murderous minions known as the Wild Hunt have descended upon Avalon. With his homicidal appetite and immortal powers, the Erlking has long been the nightmare of the Fae realm. A fragile treaty with the Faerie Queen, sealed with a mysterious spell, is the one thing that keeps him from hunting unchecked in Avalon, the only place on Earth where humans and Fae live together. Which means Dana’s in trouble, since it’s common knowledge that the Faerie Queen wants her – and her rare Faeriewalker powers – dead. The smoldering, sexy Erlking’s got his sights set on Dana, but does he only seek to kill her, or does he have something much darker in mind?

So I so didn't plan on reading Jenna Black's Shadowspell in one day, I planned on reading 1/2 today and 1/2 Monday so I was totally ready for Shadowfever. Well, that plan got shot down hard! I couldn't stop reading this one because I had to know what was going to happen. Needless to say the halfway mark--or really the 200 page mark--left me wanting more.
Another book in 1 day, usually a cause for celebration, but not so much this time. And I really don't see myself going ALL day Monday without reading.

Moving on! I read Glimmerglass way back in May last year when it first released and I remember I saw the cover flap early at RT and was amazed by it! And I loved this one and the little deer figure drove me nuts prior to reading because I didn't know what it was supposed to mean, and don't worry it does get explained!

It was a rather interesting read as well. It picks up shortly after Glimmerglass, so my mind was a bit fuzzy on some details, but for the most part the important things are recalled so we can remember. And boy did it help me remember. I remember my feelings about certain characters and whatnot as well.

The Erlking has come to Avalon and that spells trouble, because he is on The Hunt, which is definitely not a good thing. Like the BOC describes he sets his sights on Dana for some reason and will do whatever is necessary to get what he wants. And he does do drastic things.

The Erlking is one complicated character, granted he is fae so that might explain the majority of it. There are times when I can't figure the guy out and Dana is in the same boat. But she's beginning to learn the rule of fae: Don't trust the fae! Of course Dana doesn't really have the privilege of knowing this fact because, well, she likely doesn't read UF books as much as I do, along with my fellow readers!

The romance in the book was more of a tension only. I won't lie, there are a few kisses here and there, but nothing really further. There were definitely some intense scenes, but I won't elaborate. I can't really say that I am a fan of Ethan. I read my friend Cem's review and I don't think it biased my opinion of Ethan. I generally try not read reviews of books I want to read prior to reading them for this reason. But I just didn't care for his character and I still don't. I'm wary of him. We are reminded of his actions in Glimmerglass and it amazes me that Dana keeps giving him these second chances. I truthfully don't think I could've done that if I were in her position.

But overall it was still very entertaining! There was quite a bit of suspense laced into the action scenes. But mostly suspense and tension. Tension is soooo good! And the ending was filled with one surprise after another after another. It just didn't seem to stop. And when it did, I was really wishing it was July 5 already so I could read Sirensong, the next book in the series. Which has an amazing cover!

Overall I give the book 4.5/5 stars. The whole thing stopping me from giving it the perfect rating is that I disliked Dana's decisions at times. I understood the reasons for some of them, but there was one that I really didn't like...won't say what. And it just irritated me a little too much. But still LOVE this series and can't wait to read more!

2 comments:

  1. Hi, there! I'm a new follower. I wanted to let you know how much I LOVE your blog. I know you don't accept awards, and I don't blame you for that. I know it's time consuming to pass them on. But if you WERE accepting them, I sure would give you the Stylish Blogger Award, because your blog style is just BEAUTIFUL!!

    You have a predominance of blue, and blue happens to be my FAVORITE color! And I really like this particular shade, too!

    I think your blog layout is very nice, as well.

    Visual appeal is very important to me in a blog. I tend to gravitate toward those that have a lot of that. Blogs that use a lot of white (or black, for that matter), don't attract me at all.

    Now on to this review. This book happens to be one of the ones I selected for my January New Paranormal Releases picks. Of course the cover pulled me in -- it's mostly blue! Lol. The design is also very, very nice. However, it wasn't just the cover I liked. I also read a couple of synopses of the book, and thought the story sounded very intriguing. Now I've read your wonderful review, and I'm totally sold on the book!

    You've analyzed the major plot elements and characters in depth, giving your honest opinion of them, and I really appreciate that!

    You've also made it very clear that you really enjoyed the book.

    In short, this was a great review!

    GREAT blog!! Keep up the good work!! : )

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great review Jess!
    This series is on my TBR and Im looking forward to reading it =D

    ReplyDelete

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