Customer Reviews

Shadow Blade (Shadowchasers)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Kira Solomon works for the Gilead Commission (an ancient global organization that governs and upholds the balance between Light [angels, gods, goddesses, spirits, guardians] and Shadow [the Fallen= spawns of Chaos] in the universe) as a shadowchaser; someone of light who is trained to and uses their "extrasense" abilities to track and eradicate Shadow. Kira has the ability of the "touch"; she can see/experience the history of any person/being/object she touches. However, in the accordance with the universes principles of balance, her gift has the adverse effect of siphoning the life-force and destroying any being she makes a physical contact with.

By day Kira is a freelance antiquity expert but at night, she transforms into a shadowchaser with death-dealing tendencies. The story starts off with Kira's mentor Bernie Comstock, requesting she authenticate an Egyptian blade he speculates to be over four millennia. Unfortunately for Kira and Bernie, their find attracts the owner of the blade, Khefar, an ancient Nubian warrior who served in Pharoah's army. Khefar has been on the warpath searching high and low for his blade. But even worse, the power of the blade attracts the Avatar for a powerful fallen who wishes to possess the blade's chaotic energy of creation and unmaking. Despite Kira's many strengths, her fight with the avatar takes a dismal turn when she becomes poisoned with shadow. The infection threatens to alter the mostly light essence running through her veins and replace it with the destructive alien energy of chaos. Time is running out for Kira, and the terms failure and retreat are not in her vocabulary. Looking for an alternative, the old saying, the enemy of my enemy is my friend is Kira's only option when she is forced to team-up with the warrior, in order to try and defeat the avatar.

This book's idea of other dimensions of time and reality existing outside of earth and of the concept of the universal balance fascinates me. That a war took place outside of earth's reality and in the aftermath powerful otherworldly-beings, are trapped here on earth. And thus, have become incapable of manifesting in the flesh, and are forced to fuse their essence with humans and form avatars.

I was completely entertained and intrigued from my first plunge into this book until the very end. The story appealed to and satisfied my appetite for novels that are creatively authentic and dark. The background shadow creatures as such, had a menacing and eerie vibe to them; like they stalked and lurked around every corner. Kira is a kick-butt heroine and a deadly force to be reckoned with. She is powerful in her own right and always gets the job done.

For those wondering what genre this book falls into, I would categorize it as an urban fantasy with a smidge of romance. I savored this story and loved the fact that it was different from the commonly used European culture of fantasy but instead went against the grain and focused on African and Egyptian cultures. Don't get me wrong, I love the widely used European version of fantasy and myths but I also like variety.

This book was one of my highly anticipated January 2010 releases and I'm pleased to say I've added this series to my favorites list. I highly recommend this book to fellow dark urban fantasy readers, and look forward to the next book Shadow Chase due out 7/27/2010.

I also recommend:
Spider's Bite: An Elemental Assassin Book
Bitter Night: A Horngate Witches Book
Spellbent
Darkness Calls
Beneath the Skin: Book Three of The Maker's Song

Quickie POV: Started off with a bang and ended with a fizzle. Shadow Blade had the potential of greatness...but then it drifted and I lost interest. This really upset me, because I was really enjoying the beginning.


Review: Kira is a Shadowchaser. She was abandoned by her adoptive parents after she almost killed their daughter on accident. When Glass introduced Kira and her powers, ROGUE from X-Men popped into my head. Kira can literally suck the life out of people as she reads all of their past deeds.

When her handler is killed by a seeker demon after leaving her with a 4,000 year old dagger, Kira swears revenge and goes on a break neck adventure to get revenge on her handler's killer. She gets derailed very quickly as she comes into contact with a Nubian warrior that claims he is the dagger's rightful owner.

It was when Mr. Nubian showed up that the book went to Hell in a hand-basket. Kira went from this strong kick butt character to an unsure, softie, all contemplative because she can finally touch someone and I could have been like "Oh that's ok," if maybe they would have had a bit of sexual tension, but I found Kira showed more interested in the demigod companion than she did the Nubian. Which was odd.

The writing was excellent though. Ms. Glass has a great voice and Kira's character was well developed in the beginning. There was a lot of interesting back story, with a lot of African mythology references, which was interesting, since this is not an area I'm that familiar with (always got sidetracked by those pesky Greeks).

Recommendations: Adult, urban fantasy readers.

The first thing I did when I finished reading Shadow Blade earlier this morning was make sure that my memory was correct, and that it was the beginning of a series and not a standalone novel. Not because I didn't like how it ended, but because I was so impressed with Seressia Glass' fully developed and vibrant world rich with ancient Egyptian and Africa history, not to mention the three dimensional characters, zippy narrative, and intriguing plot.

I'm thrilled to say that Shadow Blade hit all my happy spots. All of them. I loved it.

I'm not going to summarize the plot here, as it's been done sufficiently in the product description and in more depth in other reviews. I just need to express what I most enjoyed about it. I loved the setting, Atlanta. I was really impressed with the flawless blend of history and mythology that never - for me - bogged down the story or stuttered the plot. I found the lead character, Kira Solomon, to be a stunning blend of intelligence, confidence, and aptitude with her work (both jobs), devotional commitment to her calling, and refreshing innocence and sense of yearning with everything else. Some reviews have criticized that dichotomy, but for me, it made perfect sense. The poor girl has been able to touch exactly NO ONE in her entire life without it ending in coma or death or pain. Twenty-six years of complete physical solitude unless she's killing. The wounds on a person's psyche under those conditions are unimaginable, horrifying, and entirely well represented by Kira's responses to events in Shadow Blade. I believed it utterly and I sympathized completely with her, as my admiration for her as written grew and grew. And kudos to Glass for the masterful development of Kira through the arc of the story. And for me personally, the development of the relationship between Kira and Khefer not only worked and was realistic and believable, but it was laden with both tenderness, hope, and at one point, one of the most sizzling kisses I've read in any novel this year. Exceptionally well done, I thought.

Also tremendously well done - and refreshing for the very sense it made - was Khefer's reaction to Kira's inquiries and curiosity about his four thousand years on the planet. BRILLIANT scene and truly...finally addressed one of the most niggling issues I've ALWAYS had when books include long-lived races or individuals. I've gotten so used to just accepting that a thousand year old vampire has perfect recollection of his time as a human because that's how it almost always seems to be written. But it doesn't make sense if you think about it. A four thousand year old Nubian warrior who didn't even need to learn to read or write prior to the Roman empire?? EXCELLENT! I can't remember what I was doing fifteen years ago on this day. Why should Khefer remember what he was doing fifteen HUNDRED years ago? Brilliant! And I absolutely loved that line about history happening when you're just living your life. There were some real truism gems in that whole scene.

And while I was being impressed by the deft storytelling, the world building, and the character development, I also appreciated that the book included humor. Nansee (Anansi is my favorite secondary character in a book in ages) was a perfect foil in that regard, but even Kira had a sardonic sense of humor that tickled me.

All together, Shadow Blade is definitely standing out as one of the most thoroughly satisfying - on every level, from technical to emotional - books I've had the pleasure to read this year. I had one...not complaint, really, more like an issue. I felt the final conflict with the Avatar was never fully realized. It seemed a bit short and underdeveloped for all the build up. That one issue is not enough to dim my deep appreciation and admiration for Shadow Blade as a whole, however. If you're interested in a genuinely unique and richly pleasurable urban fantasy series, I'd highly recommend you give Seressia Glass' Shadow Blade a try.

Review courtesy of [...]

When I was little I wanted to be Indiana Jones (not his girlfriend, him) and I dabbled a bit with Lara Croft envy in my teens (the video game version more than the movie version) because I was obsessed archaeology, Egyptology in particular. When I heard about a new urban fantasy series featuring an antiquities expert, I got a little giddy. When I saw the cover featuring an Egyptian pyramid in the background I was downright euphoric.

"The dagger reeked of ancient magic. Kira Solomon stared down at it, trying not to salivate with longing." -Shadow Blade

Kira Solomon is an antiquities expert who moonlights as a Shadowchaser, a member of the Gilead Commission who hunts down the Fallen from Light (aka Demons). Kira has a unique ability that sets her apart from other Shadowchasers, she can sense the magic and history of an object just by touching it. But that ability that is so invaluable professionally, is deadly personally. Touching people can force them into a coma or even take their life.

One such object that Kira touches is a 4,000 year old Egyptian dagger with a magical bloodlust that has the ability to destroy the soul of whoever is strong enough to wield it. When the equally ancient (though not in terms of appearance) owner of the dagger comes calling, and a formidable Fallen power starts attacking, Kira may have to reach out and touch someone for the first time to save a life rather than take it.

Kira's personal history and the burdening effects of her gift were fascinating. Everything she touches effects her. Even food that she doesn't harvest herself can make her physically ill because of all the people who have touched it. Also the inclusion of the Egyptian pantheon of gods was a fresh and unique source of magic in the urban fantasy genre. The concept of Light and Chaos, and the Universe's need for balance made for an interesting world to play in.

"Guardians are the higher beings of Light: angels, gods, goddesses and spirits who embody good. Shadow beings are the Fallen: spawns of Chaos who fought in the First Battle- the upper echelon demons, gods and goddess who sow discord and chaos. Both use Avatars in this dimension." -Shadowchasers website

I have to say I was a little disappointed by the lack of Indiana Jones/Lara Croft style adventure in this book. Kira didn't get to raid a single pyramid. I know that antiquities expert doesn't automatically mean Indiana Jones, but I was hoping.

Overall, the concept and unique world building are the clear strengths of this novel. Kira's gift/curse was a little to easily overcome in terms of the romantic subplot, and while to the story never dragged, the excitement level never really took off in the way it could have. Shadow Chase (Shadowchasers, book 2) is due out July 27, 2010 and there is enough promise here that I'll be watching out for it.

Sexual Content: References to sex.

My Rating: 3 out of 5

At first the story started out really slow and boring, but eventually came into its own. I first also had trouble
relating to Kira, but her growth and progression was great. The last few chapters really ramped it up. Living in Atlanta as I do I'm always interested in stories which are set i.e Kate Daniels series. I laughed at Kira's taking the Marta and envisioning the sights that were mentioned also made things interesting. I was impressed with the world creating and the friendly demi-god Nansee was fascination as was Balm. I would love to know who Balm really is. I'm hoping that there will be a second book for me to read.

Shadow Blade by Seressia Glass had great potential to be something unique in the urban fantasy genre but it fell far short. Some of the characters fall flat and are kinda boring and the writing wasn't all too great adding to the problem.

Kira has been training to be a Shadow Blade since she arrived at the Gilead Commission headquarters. Her gift makes her unable to touch people, anyone, and if she does she drains the life out of them. Until she meets Khefar an ancient warrior who has been given the chance to make up for his mistakes by saving a life for everyone he took. Though she doesn't know why they can touch she does her best not to let her hormones get the best of her, and since someone is trying to kill her and get Khefar's special blade they don't have much of a choice but to work together.

The book fell short of what it could have been, but overall it was an okay story.

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I picked up Shadow Blade because it was a new urban fantasy book and I was pleasantly surprised to find out it had ancient Egyptian themes. Learning about the characters and their history was enjoyable in the beginning. I instantly liked Kira and found her supernatural power interesting. The introduction of the mysterious ancient dagger and the mystery that followed were also interesting to me. I started to lose a bit of interest during the middle of the novel, however. All of the characters became friendly, the mystery lost steam, and everything stagnated. It felt like there was no reason to continue. Sure, there is the big show down between good and bad still to come, and possibly a romance, but after wading through page after page of not very stimulating conversation, I had to force myself to finish. The characters in Shadow Blade did not wow me enough for me to be able to love the novel after the conclusion of the simple mystery. Since the beginning was interesting, and I enjoyed the inclusion of ancient Egypt, I give Shadow Blade 3 stars. A little more action and a little less banter around the middle of the book would have done wonders for my enjoyment.

There were definitely things that I liked about Shadow Blade. I liked the world that Glass created and how she wove Egyptian and other African myth into the story, I liked the leading lady warrior for the Light, Kira, and the cast which surrounded her were good. And there was a decent conflict leading up to a climatic finish, but somehow even though Shadow Blade seems like it should have been fabulous, it ended up being good but not great.

The only thing that I can put my finger on is that the relationship between the leads Kira and the almost-immortal-but-its-complicated Khefur is central to the story but they don't quite connect. There even a suggestion that there might be a touch of romance between them but other than the fact that Kira, who is psychometric and conducts electrical charge through her skin - which makes human contact a 'no no' - hungers for Khefur to touch her -because for some reason he is the only one who can - it doesn't seem personal. She doesn't need him, just someone. I know I read a lot of PNR, but I didn't really need a romance, I just would have liked to have seen more of a relationship growing between them - a deepening friendship at least - considering the sacrifices they are willing to make for each other at the end.

But even though Glass's Shadowchasers didn't steal my heart, there is so much potential here - I loved the Spider god - that I am hoping that the next book, Shadow Chase (Shadowchasers), makes it past Shadows Blades' birthing pains to deliver on all of that promise.

Kira Solomon, agent of the Gilead Commission, balances the good against the Fallen in modern day Atlanta, Georgia. When her friend and art dealer, Bernie Comstock is killed by an Avatar, Kira has to enact vengeance. A dagger presented to Kira by Comstock seems to be desired not only by the Fallen but also the attractive and mysterious Khefar, a 4,000 year old Nubian warrior that has his own commission to fulfill.

Kira's tortured past, unknown parentage, and being mentored by the engima Balm, provides enough meaty background and future to keep the reader guessing and wanting more from future works (a sequel is forthcoming in this series).

This book profiles two black characters as the main protaganists - a really nice addition (and long overdo) in our fantasy and sf selections. However, their ethnicity isn't intrusive or just a plot device, though of course Khefar's Egyptian history is a main thrust of the story.

One thing I've found is a lack of women authors who can write believable male characters. Glass does well with Khefar's character - making him intriguing enough but also strong, practical and able to have a strong woman in his life. While the romance between Khefar and Kira is obviously going to happen sometime, it is not blasted out in the first book. It has a nice pacing to it's unfolding of their overall relationship.

Balm - as head of the Gilead Commission is a generous, concerned mother figure that doesn't know it all. I like seeing more women of power who aren't a villian, bitch or a goddess figure that has all the answers. Some of the best fantasy scenes in this story come about when Balm and Kira interact.

Demoz - is intriguing as an emotional vampire who I also would like to know more about in future books. Since I'm rather anti-vampire on principal you know that this author won me over even with my prejudice against vampire stories.

Nansee - Khefar's sidekick who doesn't want to be called a sidekick - is another great character who could have the power to get everyone out of trouble but we know he can't for good reasons.

The weakest part of this story was the irritating inclusion of the husband-wife team of Wynne and Zoo. They came across as condescending instead of caring. The Tatoo shop theme (done in another recently published book - Amazon Ink by Lori Devoti - but much better) and the helpful Wiccan (also done better by Margaret Ronald in Spiral Hunt) just don't come across as real figures we would want to hang with or call as friends.

Wynne and Zoo are too much the K-9 device (Doctor Who) which provides a neat and tidy solution when you need a fake dagger or too.

Perhaps it was me, but I also found the reference to "fluffy bunnies" at the New Age shop rather ironical - considering that this takes place in a fantasy book with nothing "real" about it, as well as probably being read by many Fluffy Bunnies...

The author, Seressia Glass, has experience in writing published works (in romance) and her skill for plotting, pacing, action and character relations is very apparent in what seems, on the surface, a newcomers' work. I am definitely interested in reading more by this author - and my only request would be for the books to get even more complex as well as killing off the characters of Wynne and Zoo.

I had a hard time getting into this book when I first got it. As I said in a post before, it took me a while to just want to read it. But that night, after I wrote that post, there was action ... And it was glorious. Kira is a 20 something (25-26ish) Shadow Chaser who works for the Gilead Commission ... Basically, the good guys. She happens upon a piece of chocolate thunder, Khefar, whom she reads wrong in the beginning, but makes her tingle by the end.

Kira is like a black version of X-Men's Rogue ... Being that she can't touch people or she zaps their strength from them, maims them or kills them. Which is awesome because I always thought Rogue was the business.

This book uses Egyptian and West African folklore and mythology. Which is a major plus in my book because it seems like no one will touch that ... Probably because a lot of people don't pay attention to African mythology of any kind.

My gripes for the book are, it moved a little slow in the beginning ... But I won't count it against the book TOO MUCH because there was a lot of back story that we needed to know about before we could get to the ass kicking nature of the book. However, it was a bit repetitive, like we didn't remember anything. Another gripe would be that the characters are boring. Kira isn't. She's lovely. Khefar ... Who is 4000 years old is a bit boring but yet surprising. I love the fact that even though he's 4000, he keeps up with the Joneses. Lol.

The most colorful characters for me were Wynne and Zoo ... Wynne more than Zoo, but I love them both.

Am I getting the next book? Yes ... Did it leave off at a cliffhanger? No ... GOOD, I hate cliffhanger endings but Glass ended this book in a great way. Tied up the loose ends and the next book will take us through another adventure, as if it were a tv show.


+++ Deva at The Urban Paranormal Book Blog