Book Faery: Tori's Review: The Shattered Dark by Sandy Williams

A Note:

6/2/13

I once told myself: IF I am accepted into grad school, this blog would no longer be updated. As it turns out, in April, I received news of my acceptance for the Fall 2013 semester, where I will attain a Master's degree of Science in Nutrition.

Running a blog, as many of you may already know, is a demanding side job once the excitement wears off. And once I fell out of the blogging community's loop (have you SEEN how many blogs there are now? Wow!), it was like the kiss of death. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't get into a blogging routine once this happened due to the disconnect I felt from the community.

So I took a break. I struggled with the loss and with missing my blog. And then I realized I didn't have to run Book Faery to still be a book reviewer; I could read my books and post reviews online. I'm still a book review blogger, just not in the traditional sense.

I'll still be online. You can chat with me on Twitter, where I'll be posting links to my reviews and talking books. I'll also be posting links to nutrition articles. And if you'd like to connect with me where I guarantee I will post reviews, just add me as a friend on Goodreads.

So that's all, folks! It's been a fun and amazing journey, and I thank you all for listening to my thoughts about books. I hope we all can keep in touch elsewhere :)

Tori

Monday, November 19, 2012

Tori's Review: The Shattered Dark by Sandy Williams

Released: October 30, 2012
Paperback: 304 pages
Price: $7.99
Publisher: Penguin
Source: Bought
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: McKenzie Lewis
Buy: Amazon

Add this book to your Goodreads shelf

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.

My Rating:

My Opinion:
I didn't think THE SHATTERED DARK (TSD) was going to blow me away. For starters, I absolutely fell in love with the first book in this series, THE SHADOW READER, and I did not think that any book following could top it. The love triangle was artfully done, the characters were so unique and lovable, and the world was well developed. For those reasons, my expectations were incredibly high.

TSD was good, but unlike the first book in the series, I found many scenes to drag. It seemed like instead of confronting issues, everything was shoved aside for a later date. The beginning was slow for me. It took me a while to get back into the world and to remember everyone's personalities. Once I did adjust, however, I was hooked--even with the slow middle half--because I was reunited with the characters I fell in love with.

One thing is that I wish there was more romance. There were a few teasers, but said teasers were more reflections of the past as opposed to any progress in the present. I took issue with this because the first book in the series set a certain tone, and TSD didn't exactly follow through in the way that I expected. It isn't until the final pages in TSD that we really see any relationship progression, and oh lordy it is heart wrenching. Worth the wait, but now I have to wait until the third book in this series comes out next year in order to find out what happens next.

I'd say that the ending is a reflection of what I fell in love with in THE SHADOW READER. Everything else was a buildup, and while it wasn't my favorite, it certainly got me prepped (without me even realizing it) for what happened.

A good sequel, but THE SHADOW READER is still the best in the series thus far. Regardless of my complaints, this is one series you will want to read because of how well developed and entertaining it is.

Series Order:
1. The Shadow Reader (Tori's Review)
2. The Shattered Dark