Review--The Shattered Dark by Sandy Williams

McKenzie Lewis has a gift. It allows her access to a world few have seen and even fewer can comprehend. It's her secret. And it exists in the shadows...

McKenzie was a normal college student, save for one little twist; she's a shadow reader, someone who can both see the fae and track their movements between our world and the Realm. It's a gift for which she has been called insane, one for which she has risked family and friends--and one that has now plunged her into a brutal civil war among the fae.

With the reign of the king and his vicious general at an end, McKenzie hoped to live a more normal life while exploring her new relationship with Aren, the rebel fae who has captured her heart. But when her best friend, Paige, disappears, McKenzie knows her wish is, for now, just a dream. McKenzie is the only one who can rescue her friend, but if she's not careful, her decisions could cost the live of everyone she's tried so hard to save.

It feels like ages since I last read The Shadow Reader, and it really has been. Sandy Williams' The Shattered Dark picks up a short while after those events and we see McKenzie trying to get into the flow of a normal life, but that idea is shattered before it even begins! In Chapter 1, she along with some fae guards are bombarded by the enemy while gathering some of her personal belongings. It soon becomes a raging battle that only she can see. And trying to defend yourself against the enemy when no one else can see them isn't all that easy, she doesn't want to look crazy again.

McKenzie's life has been one trial after another. She's dealt with a lot of things the fae put her through, including her time being kidnapped by one and then working for the king for the last ten years of her life and falling in love with Kyol. Her world is turned upside down when she was kidnapped by Aren and learned that things were way worse the way they were and she eventually joins forces with them, after many arguments and escape attempts!

Now the game plan has changed, or continues to changed. The king is gone and Lena is doing her best to take over the role, although she hasn't officially been titled queen yet. But McKenzie's problems lie in the fact that her best friend, Paige has been kidnapped by the enemy. McKenzie is sick with worry and yet when she finally finds Paige alive and well, she learns that a lot has happened to her best friend.

This was a very exciting read! Sandy builds the world up to incredible levels! The details she has in the Realm are remarkable. Not only do the descriptions of the world suck you in, she also pays attention to details of other things like how the royal court and politics work. And it's not at all dry or dull, it's very interesting, she shows through examples how vital this or that is. I struggle trying to explain what I mean, but all in all she paints a beautiful and functioning world of the Realm.

The danger and excitement seem to be never ending! McKenzie is always on the move trying to accomplish one battle or another. It hardly leaves time for romance with Aren. I was a little upset by that, but some of the intense interactions the two have more than made up for it. McKenzie also learns more about who Aren was and it's not at all pretty. She questions her feelings if she made the right choice in being with him. And I liked that part. The romance definitely took some building in the first book and instead of going full out romantic between the two in this book, Sandy has more issues coming between the couple. It also doesn't help that they are separated for awhile as they each work to accomplish their own tasks of duty.

The ending was shocking! One of those kinds of endings where you are stunned that it happened! I'm not saying it was bad writing on Sandy's part but I was thinking, seriously?! We had to go there? It was one of those game changing kinds of ending where things are only going to get more complicated by the next (and I do believe final) book in the series. It was just utterly shocking, that's all I can say.

There are still many more problems and complications left unresolved in this one. McKenzie is definitely going to have a whole lot more to deal with next time around. And since that ending still leaves me reeling, I am not even sure how I think the ending might be. I can always make my speculations, but with this one? No clue. And I both like and dislike that! The dislike comes mainly from having to wait til the next book comes out. But all in all, this was a fabulous read!! There was never a dull moment in this one and from the outcome of this, I feel pretty confident that the next one will be just as amazing and exciting!


Overall Rating 5/5 stars