The Shadow Reader by Sandy Williams

     The Shadow Reader by Sandy Williams
          Kindle Edition: $7.99
          Print Edition: $7.99
          Length: 320 pages
          Reading Level: Adult
          The Shadow Reader on Amazon (opens in a new window)

And now we foray into the realm of Urban Fantasy. A relatively new genre that shows a lot of promise. This is a great book to get started with. I would also like to make it known that I'm fairly sure prices have changed since I purchased books. Just saying.

The first time I saw the cover for this book was actually when I was finding the image for this entry. It's...fine, I guess. It remind's me a lot of Ann Aguirre's Sirantha Jax series, which is fitting since Aguirre condones this novel. There's nothing inherently wrong with the cover at all. It's colorful, and accurately represents McKenzie. It even seems to show the setting of one of the first scenes, which is helpful. But it's forgettable, as far as covers go. When I think of memorable book covers, I think of Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Twilight, and, yes, Under the Never Sky. I don't think of this one.

McKenzie Lewis is a college student, desperate to finish her undergrad. But it's a little difficult to get your degree when you're constantly being called away by the Fae to take part in their civil war. For ten years McKenzie has helped the King in his pursuit of the rebels that would take his thrown. For ten years she's been in love with the King's sword-master Kyol. But when a leader of the rebels, Aren, the Butcher of Brykeld kidnaps her, she learns the hard way that there are two sides to every war.

I gave this one the rating of "Adult" not because it's porn-tastic, but because the language is a little bit coarser than what one would usually find in YA fiction. And the sex scenes are a little more graphic than what YA usually has. But it isn't something that you'd be ashamed to have someone read over your shoulder a la Fifty Shades of Grey. Of course, if you're on a kindle, it's a bit easier to be discreet.

I really like McKenzie as a character. She's sarcastic. strong, and confused. Her whole world gets rattled, and her indecision is completely believable, because while she tries to logically weigh her choices, her heart interferes. Like it always does. The biggest problem I have with McKenzie is actually her relationship with Kyol. There's nothing shown that indicates why she loves him. In fact, much of what we see is her being rejected by him because "relations" between Fae and humans are strictly forbidden. And she loves this about him. Now, I can understand that she loves his honor, but come ON, girl! He'd rather keep his job than his so-called love. I can't help but think there's a problem with that.

The story is told through McKenzie's eyes, so it's a typical first-person perspective. Which is all well and good, but it's a little odd when she goes out of her way to explain aspects of the Fae, like chaos lusters and what shadow reading really is. I mean, I'm grateful for the explanation for sure. But because of the nature of first person perspective, it seems a little forced at times.

My favorite character, though, is Aren. He is clearly complex, as shown by the way that McKenzie doesn't understand him at all. He's supposed to be a bad guy, but the more we are shown of him, the more McKenzie sees of him, the less convinced we are of that. And thus, McKenzie's world gets even more convoluted than it already was.

This book has everything Urban Fantasy should. It's sexy, there's action, there's humor, and there are characters who you want to believe in. The Fae aren't so otherworldly that you feel like you're in full-on Tolkien land, but they are foreign enough to know you aren't in Kansas anymore. It's the perfect balance. And much like Under the Never Sky, it has sequels but functions as stand alone. So go onto the frontier of the internet, and pick it up. You'll have a good time.

-Kayla