The Shattered DarkAuthor: Sandy Williams
Release Date: Oct. 30, 2012
Publisher: Ace Books
Shadow Reader #2
ISBN: #978-1937007812
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Format(s): Paperback (304 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher
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About the book:
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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 between 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.
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What Gikany is talking about:
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The Shattered Dark is the second book in the Shadow Reader series. It picks up with the rebels trying to establish themselves as the legitimate government following the death of the king at the end of The Shadow Reader.
McKenzie Lewis had hoped to be able to pick up the pieces of her normal life now that the civil war is over and the rebels have won. She soon learns that things aren’t so simple: the remnants of the Court fae have continued to try to take back the palace from the rebels and the high nobles have yet to confirm Lena as their new queen. In the midst of all of this turmoil, the remnants of the Court fae have kidnapped McKenzie’s friend Paige.
Most of this novel consists of McKenzie and Aren rushing around putting out fires as they start. They jump from place to place with barely a moment to breathe. This makes it difficult for their budding romance to find time to grow. McKenzie has doubts about her feelings towards Aren, and every time she starts to get a handle on her feelings, she learns something new about his past which puts her right back at square one. She’s trying to come to terms with all of this while resolving her lingering feelings towards Kyol.
The Shattered Dark is a transitional novel and it does an excellent job as such. I really liked that the end of the fae civil war didn’t magically make everything better. The battle for the palace was, in some ways, the simplest step for the rebels. Now that they have to establish a new government, they are forced to forge new ties with the existing aristocracy while keeping the remnants of the fae Court from overthrowing their fledgling government. With all of the twists and turns that this novel has taken, I’m not sure who’s on which side anymore.
I can’t wait for the next novel to arrive so I can find out what happens between McKenzie and Aren and Kyol. If you have not read this series I strongly recommend starting with the first book The Shadow Reader so that you will have the background to follow all of the twists and turns in The Shattered Dark.
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Gikany’s Rating:
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Liked it – recommend (B+)
Purchase Info:
