“If you trusted me to hold you while you slept , it would be the greatest honor of my life.”
First thing's first, Carys finally chooses between Duncan“If you trusted me to hold you while you slept , it would be the greatest honor of my life.”
First thing's first, Carys finally chooses between Duncan and Lachlan, and she chooses CORRECTLY. Never doubted you, Carys, I knew you'd make the right choice. My life = made.
But waiting for her to get to that point was agonising (in a good way), the tension between the two of them has been building since book one, and it only increased it book two. The steam factor did too, in case anyone was wondering.
So, The Shadow Path picks up almost where First Light left off, except it's been several months since we last saw our beloved characters. Now they have to return to the Shadowlands for something seemingly routine, which turns out to be anything but.
Just as I was obsessed with the first book, I'm enthralled by this one. There's something so addictive about Elizabeth Hunter's writing that keeps you wanting to read more and more until you've finished the whole book.
And then you're left screaming because of the cliffhanger, naturally. And to think I was convinced we'd get a somewhat peaceful ending...
I'm really exited about book three, some pieces were taken off the board, but some were added as well. I'm anticipating the final battle will be the greatest one yet.
I loved how Carys handled the one we got here, that was so smart of her (and the extra help, lest we forget). I know she doesn't want to be a queen, but, like a certain someone said, maybe that's why she should be.
She and the others grow as characters in each chapter, and the world grows with them. I will never get tired of all the details, or the mythology. If you thought the Shadowlands couldn't get any more intriguing, think again.
We also have a little side romance between Carys's best friend and a wonderful dragon we all know and love, as well as Dru and someone I won't spoil. But I also caught some ~vibes~ from a character we're just getting to know, so I'm not totally sure how that will go, but I'm along for the ride.
So many questions were answered, and I feel like I have a clearer picture of how Carys came to be now, but there's still so much left to uncover.
I started crying when she was talking to Leuca (one of the best characters, by the way) about her mother and horses, because I associate my own mother with horses too. I love how much they're featured throughout this book, the author couldn't have picked a better animal and Goddess to represent.
Speaking of Goddesses, one of my absolute faves to read about made an appearance, or perhaps she was always there...DUN DUN DUN. I have to admit that I didn't guess it, despite the signs, until Carys put two and two together, I kinda love the chaos she's causing though.
The Shadow Path was a proper sequel, not a filler book, but even if it was the latter, I know I would've enjoyed it anyway. It sets things up nicely for book three, while still wrapping up a few important bits. All in all, it was perfect, and, considering Elizabeth Hunter's track record, Broken Veil will be too.
*Thank you to the author and Valentine PR for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*...more
I'm a big fan of Paul Sating's The Zodiac and Rev Carver series (which you should totally check out if you like urban fantasy), and I'm happy to reporI'm a big fan of Paul Sating's The Zodiac and Rev Carver series (which you should totally check out if you like urban fantasy), and I'm happy to report that his unique writing style carries over into epic fantasy just as well.
This time around we have a female main character, and I gotta say, I love how she was written. She's super cool (obviously), and feels like a real person. More importantly, she feels like a girl, as in, you won't find any of that "men-writing-women-horribly" thing here.
I knew Mr Sating would do her justice based on other female characters of his, but we've never had a female lead character before, so yeah, extra points!!
Now, what would you do if you woke up as a blood red demon one morning, horns and all? I know some of you, like me, are going HELL YEAH right now, but our dear Thornbane doesn't see it that way.
It takes her a looot of time to accept her new self and powers. But that's what friends are for, and she has three. They're more of a found family, really, and it's hard to pick a favourite.
Iden, who may or may not be the future love interest, was the first to join. I feel like he would go through hell and back for Thornbane and say "thank you" at the end. Massive golden retriever energy, I love him.
Next up is Brorm who's the comedian of the group, and a goblin! I don't often see goblins is positive roles. She had some really funny lines and I badly need her to call me "stupid human" at least once so I can die happy.
Stearc is someone I wasn't expecting would be added to the motley crew (I just figured they'd find him, then be on their merry way), but he's growing on me. It would be cute if he and Brorm ended up together by the end. I'M JUST THROWING THAT OUT THERE NO PRESSURE.
The book was also really fast paced, I blinked and was a third of the way through, then another third and then boom, done. It was so easy to get into the world, the story was engaging from the get go.
I appreciate the world building so much too, is there a limit to this author's creativity? Highly unlikely.
I'm super exited for the next book, I can't wait to follow Thornbane and her friends on yet another adventure.
*Thank you to BookSirens for providing me with an e-ARC for which I'm leaving a review voluntarily*...more