By: Summer Sullivan
Synopsis
War lingers on the horizon for the former allies Orinth and Auntica. To the north stands the Shadow Wall; the unwavering border between the human realm and the realm of darkness. Nothing can open it, except the death of a single person…
Princess Alida Goulding has only known life inside a palace. When an outside threat arises, she’s forced to abandon it all and flee to far shores. With the help of a rebellious smuggler and the son of a crime lord, Alida embarks on a journey that changes everything she thought she knew.
Sawny Lois has spent the last four years crippled by the unsolved murder of her parents. Deprived of the answers she seeks, she spends her time helping others find their own. When she is hired by a man from her enemy country to find his brother’s killer, Sawny is launched into a treacherous world of danger and deceit. With threats at every corner, Sawny beatles to stay alive, investigating the murder while searching for who she really is.
My Thoughts
This is another author that I met at SC ComiCon this year. She was very nice to talk to. I picked up the first and second books in this series, and she graciously signed them both for me.
The book started with an opening that caught my attention right away. I was quickly curious about where it was going to lead. It led to a story full of characters and mysteries that I wanted to unravel.
I liked most of the characters and enjoyed following their stories. I especially liked Rider and Alida’s friendship. They care deeply about one another, but with no romantic interest there at all. However, because of Rider’s fierce protectiveness of Alida, I found it hard to believe he would have let her travel on her own. I also enjoyed Sawny and Adriel’s burgeoning romance. They are very different, but work well together. As for Sahar and Roman, I am not sure how I feel about them. I started out liking them a lot, but their apparent betrayal has left me confused.
There were several mysteries that I hope get solved in the next couple of books in the series (trilogy?). What is Rider’s lineage and is he really the True King? What’s the story of the man in the forest in Chapter 5? What happened to Dax? Who killed Sawny’s parents and why? Is Rider Sawny’s father? Will Adriel still want to kill him if he is and, will Sawny still help him to do it? Why did Sahar and Roman turn on Alida? I know they are out for the money, but they showed that they can be loyal to those they care about, and they seemed to care for Alida. Who is Cassia Messina?
There were a couple of parts of the story that stuck with me. On page 121 it says, “…Alida was filled for a sense of longing. There was so much she hadn’t seen or accomplished. Her whole life had been spent doing the most trivial of all things…She wanted to see it all, to start living.” I really connected with this side of Alida and felt these words deeply. Also, on pages 136-137, Sawny expresses her disgust at herself for wanting to kill the man. I thought this was a great representation of the internal struggle caused by the shadow, even though she didn’t yet know she possessed it.
I enjoyed the story alternating between the different threads. I am anxious to see how they will all tie together. The book ended on quite the cliff hanger, but I already have the second one, so I will be jumping into it very soon (and looking forward to SC ComiCon next year to get the third).
These are just my thoughts. What are yours?
