Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan (Reign of Shadows #1)
Young Adult Fiction // Categories: Fantasy, Romance
Release Date: February 9, 2016
Publisher: HarperTeen (HarperCollins)
Format: ARC* • 292 pages
Rating: 2 stars
Links: Purchase from The Book Depository or Amazon • Add to Goodreads
To be completely honest, this book left me scratching my head. I literally finished the last sentence and said, "WHAT. THE. HECK." It took me a while to get into it, due to the slow beginning and unremarkable writing, and then the ending takes the story into a whole, different territory ...
Luna, the forgotten princess of Relhok, has been hiding in an isolated tower with her two guardians after her parents are killed and the world becomes covered in darkness. After an encounter with a mysterious boy named Fowler, trouble arrives. Now, Luna must leave the tower and fight to stay alive.
Despite her circumstances, Luna is brave and headstrong—but perhaps too much for her own good? She has been sheltered her whole life and while she knows how dangerous it is outside, she still makes a lot of foolish decisions. In contrast, Fowler is very guarded and contemplative. Past experiences hold him back, and he refuses to let his emotions guide him. I like the idea of two very different people connecting with each other, but I'm not convinced of their "chemistry." Fowler spends half the book ignoring her, and then he wants to kiss her? How does that make any sense?!
Another issue I had with Reign of Shadows was the quick dismissal of some secondary characters. Many of them crossed paths with both Luna and Fowler, but there was no significance (as we know of so far) in their interactions. All may be revealed in book two, but I don't think it helps to keep so much a mystery. This is why I felt so confused at the end—something crazy happens but I didn't know the characters enough to care.
I will admit that it got interesting in the last half (and strangely enough, it left me curious and wanting more!) but there are plenty of other books I'd recommend over this one.
* Thank you to my dear friend Alia at HarperCollins for sending me this book! I am so very thankful :)
I totally understand where you're coming from! While I thought Reign of Shadows was so interesting, and while I thought it got stronger towards the end, I didn't particularly feel that magical "click" where I fall in love with a story. I definitely feel like I'll check out the sequel though!
ReplyDeleteGlad I'm not the only one who wasn't 100% invested in the story! It's funny how we still want to read the sequel though :p
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