Title: Shadow BladeAuthor: Seressia Glass
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: 01/26/10
Summary:
For Kira Solomon, normal was never an option.
Kira's day job is as an antiquities expert, but her true calling is as a Shadowchaser. Trained from youth to be one of the most lethal Chasers in existence, Kira serves the Gilead Commission, dispatching the Fallen who sow discord and chaos. Of course, sometimes Gilead bureaucracy is as much a thorn in her side as anything the Fallen can muster against her. Right now, though, she's got a bigger problem. Someone is turning the city of Atlanta upside down in search of a millennia-old Egyptian dagger that just happens to have fallen into Kira's hands.
Then there's Khefar, the dagger's true owner —- a near-immortal 4,000-year-old Nubian warrior who, Kira has to admit, looks pretty fine for his age. Joining forces is the only way to keep the weapon safe from the sinister Shadow forces, but now Kira is in deep with someone who holds more secrets than she does, the one person who knows just how treacherous this fight is. Because every step closer to destroying the enemy is a step closer to losing herself to Shadow forever...
Plot: 3.5 Stars
The action and the plot were very engaging; the weaponry was very cool, especially the idea of infusing Lightblades with magic. I really enjoyed the Egyptian lore that was interlaced throughout the whole plot. My only complaint is that the idea of Light and Shadow was a little vague. There were so many terms for beings of Light and Shadow, and many weren't explained that in depth.
Pace: 3.5 Stars
The book had a pretty steady pace; I never wanted to take a break because I was getting bored. But I feel like there could've been a bit more description in some areas. There was a point where Kira went up against the Shadow Avatar and he injected her with Shadow. The scenes after that were very chaotic and confusing and, in my opinion, lacking in some explanation because I'm still kinda confused.
Characters: 3 Stars
As I was reading, I was really left using the cover model (whose face was cut off) as a guide for what the main character looks like because the author gave almost no description of Kira. There was a physical description given for every other character that played a big part in the action, but I think the only physical description of Kira was her height and braids. On the other hand, we really got to know Kira's personality and past. The author really incorporated the past well into the story.
Cover: 4 Stars
Although I normally like when I don't see a cover model's face so that I can base the image in my head more on the description, I think the model's face was cut off at a very weird point. I do like that the model was dressed in leather and had a blade; it was very acurate to how Kira dressed for Shadowchasing.
Overall: 3.5 Stars
Disclosure: I bought this book for my own enjoyment.
