*This title will be released on January 4, 2010*
 | Title: Shadowspell Reading level: Young Adult
Review Copy Source: Author |
Book Description
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?
Review
SHADOWSPELL is YA on the cusp of adulthood. The plotting is more like what you’d expect in urban fantasy, the characters deal with issues more pressing then finding a date to prom (not that that can’t be fun), and the romance significantly pushes the limit for what we usually find with YA.
I said the romance is steamy, and boy is it. In addition to the two romantic interests introduced in GLIMMERGLASS (a bad boy Unseelie fae whose intentions are less then honorable & an angry Seelie fae anarchist who masters in mixed signals), SHADOWSPELL throws yet another criminally hot fey in to the mix: the leader of the Wild Hunt, the Erlking.
The Erlking is bad. Hunt you down, impale-you-with-his-sword-and-dance-around-your-corpse bad. Well maybe. I woudn’t be surprise if he played poker with kittens. He’s the bad guy who makes no excuses for who he is. He’s got this cocky, I’m-evil-so-what attitude that I always seem to fall for. Like Dana, I know he’s trouble, but also like Dana, I can’t deny that there’s something about him that doesn’t completely add up. He may not be the complete scoundrel that everyone claims he is (the verdict is still out). I did have to get over my squeamishness regarding how old he is since he’s pursuing this teenage girl (whatever the reasons). I know Fae don’t age so everyone looks young, but still, it was uncomfortable at times.
Once again I’m impressed by Dana. She keeps her head in situations where people twice her age wouldn’t have been half as smart. That’s not to say she doesn’t still act like a teenager, but she doesn’t give her hormones full control of her body either (even when she really really wants too). She displays a maturity that I have been craving in YA lately.
Overall, the Faeriewalker books have become one of my favorite YA faerie series largely because they reminds me a little of a YA version of Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series. Seriously. Lots of hot Fae guys who all have ulterior motives where Dana is concerned and whose entire life gets flipped upside down when she discovers her unique abilities. The next Faeriewalker book is called SIRENSONG and will be published on July 5, 2011. It’s going up on my Can’t Wait For list immediately.
Sexual Content: Kissing. References to sex. Attempted rape. Scenes of semi graphic sensuality.
My Rating:
4/5
Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now & pre-order the sequel.
Click HERE to read an excerpt
Previous books in the series:
#1 Glimmerglass
#1.5 Remedial Magic (free short story)
Another i have on my list and from the blurb and your review I might have to bump it up- how in the world I am ever gonna get through my tbr pile I will never know.
ReplyDeleteBLHmistress - Just wait til January. It's nuts. I'll never catch up :)
ReplyDeleteRead these books based on your recommendations. I am IN LOVE. I can't wait for the next one. I was a little surprised at the sexual content, but that would have made my 12 year old self VERY happy and makes my 23 year old current self pretty happy too!
ReplyDeleteMorgan - Oh yay! I'm so glad you liked them. They do have a bit more sexual content than other YA books, but as an adult, I loved them!
ReplyDelete