Urban Fantasy Investigations: Feb 9, 2016

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Review: Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan

Reign of Shadows

Author: Sophie Jordan

Release Date: February 9, 2016

Publisher: Harper Teen

Reign of Shadows Book #1

ISBN: 0062377647

ISBN13: 9780062377647

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Review Copy Source: Edelweiss

Seventeen years ago, an eclipse cloaked the kingdom of Relhok in perpetual darkness. In the chaos, an evil chancellor murdered the king and queen and seized their throne. Luna, Relhok’s lost princess, has been hiding in a tower ever since. Luna’s survival depends on the world believing she is dead.

But that doesn’t stop Luna from wanting more. When she meets Fowler, a mysterious archer braving the woods outside her tower, Luna is drawn to him despite the risk. When the tower is attacked, Luna and Fowler escape together. But this world of darkness is more treacherous than Luna ever realized.

With every threat stacked against them, Luna and Fowler find solace in each other. But with secrets still unspoken between them, falling in love might be their most dangerous journey yet.

With lush writing and a star–crossed romance, Reign of Shadows is Sophie Jordan at her best.

I'm having a hard time deciding if I truly liked REIGN OF SHADOWS or if I just liked the ideas behind it.

I very much enjoyed the characters in REIGN OF SHADOWS. Both of the main characters were strong willed with a lot of fight in them even though they had lived very different lives and have very different roles. One was hard while the other was soft and they somehow ended up complimenting each other even as the bumped heads. Their romance is more sweet than fierce and even though it seems to come on fast, it is really drawn out too. The story was interesting and made me want to read and find the answers the author was slowly doling out.

So where is my problem with REIGN OF SHADOWS? There was a lot of nothing going on between the meat of the story and there were a lot of things I didn't feel were explained. Sure we learn some things about the characters and the world as they are slowly traveling and nothing is happening, but I would have loved more things to happen or for them to find a way to travel along faster. At the pace they are going right now, they will never get anywhere. I honestly can't tell you more than a handful of things that happened in the 304 pages I read. I am glad I got the points of the story, but it didn't feel like enough happened.

Of course then REIGN OF SHADOWS had to end on the cliffhanger that it ended on. It was one of those WHAT juts happened moments and I WANT to know what will happen next, so now I feel like I want to read book two even though book one had its issues.

I gave it 3/5 stars

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Cover Reveal + Giveaway: Hound's Bite by E.J. Stevens

I am excited to reveal the cover for HOUND'S BITE, the fifth full-length novel in the Ivy Granger urban fantasy series by E.J. Stevens. We also have a giveaway and a sneak peek book excerpt to share!

Cover Reveal: Hound's Bite

Hound's Bite Ivy Granger urban fantasy by E.J. Stevens

Hound's Bite (Ivy Granger, Psychic Detective #5) by E.J. Stevens

Ivy Granger thought she left the worst of Mab's creations behind when she escaped Faerie. She thought wrong.

In a cruel twist of fate, Ivy has unleashed a powerful horde of Unseelie beasts upon her city, turning her homecoming into a potential slaughter of innocents. Now Ivy must gather her allies to fight a reputedly unstoppable force—The Wild Hunt.

Will the training Ivy received in her father's court be enough to save her city, or will Harborsmouth be forced to kneel before the Lord of the Hunt? She is willing risk her own life, but some sacrifices come at a cost worse than death. When an ally is bitten by one of The Wild Hunt's hounds, Ivy must face the possibility that winning this battle may mean killing the one person she has come to love most.

Release Date: July 12, 2016

Genre: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

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Hound's Bite Book Excerpt

“Are you saying we should run?” I asked, eyebrows raised. “Because you should know me better than that.”

“What he’s saying, Princess is that you woke up something too big for the three of us to defeat alone,” Torn said.

That made me pause. We’d fought faerie queens, pyro demons, a lovesick necromancer, and a psychotic lamia, to name a few. I may not have come through those battles unscathed, or with all my guts still on the inside, but with my friends at my side, and a new arsenal of wisp powers at my fingertips, I felt nearly invincible.

I looked to Ceff, hoping he’d grab his trident and join me for some quick monster cleanup. I may not be on the clock for this one, but I didn’t let hungry fae prowl the streets of Harborsmouth. And if Torn was right, I’d somehow let this one follow us out of Faerie. No way was I turning tail, no matter how tired I was.

But Ceff didn’t reach for his weapons.

“We need allies,” he said.

“And larger weapons,” Torn said, with a wink.

The cat sidhe looked excited, which was a clue that I wasn’t going to like the answer to my next question.

“And what monster do we need to gather our allies and weapons against?” I asked.

“Haven’t you guessed yet, Princess?” Torn asked, eyes gleaming. “We’re not just facing one howling beast.”

Ceff turned to me, closing the space between us. In the moonlight, I could see my reflection in the dark pools of his kelpie eyes—eyes that were tight with worry.

“What are they?” I asked.

Ceff’s voice was low and reverent, and tinged with the taint of fear.

“The Wild Hunt.”

Hound's Bite Cover Reveal Giveaway

To celebrate the Hound's Bite cover reveal, we are giving away a $10 Amazon Gift Card!

To enter, please use the Rafflecopter form below. This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL. Giveaway ends February 23, 2016 midnight EST.

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What do you think of the cover?

E.J. Stevens is the author of 14 works of speculative fiction, including the Hunters' Guild urban fantasy series, the Spirit Guide young adult paranormal series, and the award-winning Ivy Granger urban fantasy series. She is known for filling pages with quirky characters, bloodsucking vampires, psychotic faeries, and snarky, kick-butt heroines.

Connect with E.J. Stevens by following her on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter, Blog, Goodreads, and Amazon.