THE SHATTERED DARK (A Shadow Reader Novel)

by Sandy Williams

PUBLISHER: Ace US

RELEASE DATE: 21 February 2013

GENRE: Fiction - Fantasy

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 lives of everyone she's tried so hard to save.

 

My thoughts: 

The Shattered Dark is the second book in the Shadow Reader series. I haven't actually read the first, The Shadow Reader, and although that didn't place me at a disadvantage in terms of getting to grips with the World, the characters and the backstory, I really, really wish I had, as I think it would have affected how I felt about this book.

The biggest problem this book faces is it's too fast-paced; the action starts straight away and doesn't let up at all. I know that probably sounds weird but it feels like the author chose action over developing the characters and their relationships and as a result, I didn't feel particularly invested in any of their missions.

 

About half way through the book, I noticed the plot started to feel a bit awkward and lumpy. This wasn't helped by the use of short, choppy sentences and a lot of repeated words. Plot twists are introduced, which I won't go into detail about as I don't want to spoil the book for anyone, but to be honest, several of them didn't sit right with me and it felt like they'd been thrown in for the sake of it, to pad the book out a bit.  

 

Saying that, there is one very, VERY significant event that occurs quite late in the book, which I think will rescue it for a lot of readers and encourage you to carry on with the series. There are also a few other loose ends, which will carry on through to the next book, but to be honest, they're much less interesting!

To be clear though, I didn't dislike this book but I didn't love it either. It reminds me of The Lord of The Rings : The Two Towers - an in-between story, a stop gap until the main event kicks off. I think if I'd read The Shadow Reader first then I'd probably hang on in with the series to see what happens next but as I didn't, I won't be jumping to read book 3 once it's released.

Read this if ... you loved The Shadow Reader, you're a fan of fantasy involving the fae, and you like stories which include a love triangle

Don't read this if ... you haven't read The Shadow Reader, and you like your fantasy to include a good helping of sex

One of the goals mentioned in my previous post Missing : a sense of direction was to join the grooving mums, which is captained by Kate over at Kate On Thin Ice. The perfect opportunity arose when Kate tagged me to take a look back over 2011 and share my highs and lows. 

The "rules" are :

1. Answer the 12 questions set by Kate

2. Tag as few or as many people as you like to do the same

3. Leave a comment on Kate's original post here so she can have a read of your answers

1. What was your happiest event?

There wasn't one overshadows-all-others happiest event this year but some of my high points were:

My first son : seeing him take his first steps; seeing his confidence grow; hearing his first words; watching his relationships with others develop.

My second son : his birth; his first smile; watching his personality develop; watching the bond with his brother grow.

My husband : passing a particularly difficult exam; significantly improving his health and fitness by losing 7.5 stone since April 2010 and by maintaining his new healthy eating and exercise regime.

2. What was the saddest thing to happen?

Although not an actual event, I think it was the moment I realised the way I've been feeling isn't right. I hesitate to use the words postnatal depression because I don't know if I am or if I'm just sleep deprived. Whatever it may be, I'm off to see my doctor this week to talk about my physical and emotional issues.

3. What was the most unlikely thing to happen that actually went ahead and did?

I had a gut feeling my second son would be born before his due date. What I didn't expect was for him to arrive 3 weeks early and for the labour to be so quick that I delivered him in our en suite bathroom before the paramedics had chance to arrive. Very unlikely and not an experience I'm keen to repeat!

4. Who let you down?

Without wanting to go into any detail, I was let down in the sense there was an occasion where I was misjudged and never given the chance to give "my side of the story". I did, and still do, feel incredibly saddened by the whole thing.

5. Who supported you?

My husband was my greatest source of support. He did everything he could to help make my life easier when I was pregnant and after the birth, when I was establishing breastfeeding. He regularly reminds me that this tough baby stage will soon pass and I'll be able to do things for myself again before I know it.

6. Tell us one thing you learned

Giving birth without any pain relief is not for me!

7. Tell us one thing that made you laugh

My first son learning to say "mummy/daddy/nanny did it". The funny thing is the way he looks around the room to assess who isn't there before promptly proclaiming that they did it.

8. Tell us one thing that made you cry

Lots of things made me cry. I can safely say it wasn't my year physically or mentally/emotionally and I'm sad about that. I really want 2012 to be different.

9. Tell us three things your child or children did to make you feel proud

I can't narrow it down. They're so little that everything and anything they do makes me proud.

10. Tell us one thing that made you proud of yourself

I know the answer should be giving birth but weirdly, I feel particularly proud that I started and completed my 12 days of Buffy challenge, as it's well known that both starting and finishing projects is not one of my strong points.

11. Tell us one challenge you overcame

I made it through the year without having any kind of breakdown.

12. Tell us three things you would like to change about your life in 2011

• I would like to sort out my physical health issues.
• I would like to find and embrace a healthier and more balanced mental/emotional state.
• I would like to make some space in my life that's just for me.

I'm now going to tag the following bloggers to see what they want to share about 2011:

Liz at Margot And Barbara

Mistress Mummy

Kate at Life, Love And Living With Boys

Jude at Jude Wharton

Karen at Missing Sleep

Otilia at Romanian Mum