Customer Reviews

Shadowfae

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Disclaimer: I rarely provide a story synopsis and haven't done so for Shadowfae. Other people do--and they do it better than I can. Amazon itself always offers a professional review. Why should I reinvent the wheel?

I should point out, too, that I definitely prefer the more erotic side of the bigger paranormal/dark urban/fantasy/etc romance field. If a book doesn't have some colorful sexuality in it, I get bored. (I have relatively little time for pleasure reading and when I can read, I want what I want.) In this book, with Jade the succubus and Rajah the incubus as protagonists, there is definitely a bunch of sex.

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So--GOOD book! Go buy/read it!

The author offers a fully-realized world contained within a delightfully unique premise. This is a valuable setup because romance books in general and urban/dark urban/erotic/supernatural/paranormal romance books in particular, seem to be suffering from a stupendous lack of creativity these days. Many, far too many, books written inside this genre have become boringly derivative of each other. Like lemmings, the majority of what is out there follow one another right over the "I Am An Utterly Predictable Romance Genre Book" cliff.

But Shadowfae breaks away from that stultifying sameness with one masterstroke of plotting: All the protagonists are amoral. Everyone in the book is a "bad guy", so to speak, at least in the beginning. Everyone is highly sexual. Furtive (e.g., dark alley, back room, and hallway) acts of grasping sexuality between entities most often results in damage of some kind to one or both. In fact, dark and abusive sexuality seems to be one of the coins of the realm for those who inhabit this world.

The other is magic. And oh does the magic sizzle! It's dirty, the Shadowfae magic. It pollutes what it touches, then it crackles back to sully its user in some way. But magic is everywhere and used all the time. Magic is a part of the fabric of this world, and of those who inhabit this world.

Pros:
1. Definitely unusual world-building.
2. First-class writing/editing.
3. Excellent characters, from the major protagonists right through those who are small and transitory in the larger arc of the story.

Cons:
1. Probably way too gritty for a small segment of readers who prefer refined or veiled sexuality.
2. The sexual situations are so well-written, and get better and better (more and more intense, hotter and hotter, more and more deeply emotional) as the book progresses, that they sometimes leave the other parts of the story behind.
3. Hmmm. I cannot come up with#3.

In this stunner of a wonderful book, all the people are amoral. They are all victims. They are all struggling in a world where death or enslavement can happen at any moment and come from any direction.

But in all worlds there are survivors.
In all worlds there is the possibility of love.
Even among the Shadowfae.

Both leading lady succubus Jade and leading man incubus Rajah are enslaved to a demon and both long for the end of their servitude, they are forced to seduce and sometimes kill unable to resist the compulsion of their master's orders. But Rajah has discovered the way to win his freedom, a secret he shares with Jade - to be free, four special souls must be harvested, the only catch is one of the key souls is the same for both Jade and Rajah which means that only one of them can be free.

Shadowfae was an interesting read, and Aussie writer Erica Hayes' tale blurs the line between good and evil. Almost all of the characters in Shadowfae are predators, and even the `good' characters are morally gray. Just as Jade falls under the control of one of the villains of the tale, who uses his vampiric thrall as sort of a date rape drug, eventually the predator falls prey to the sensual power which allows Jade and Rajah to enrapture their victims. And that blur allows for moments where it is possible to actually feel sympathy for the villians even as they pay the price for their misdeeds and also for moments where Haye's reminds us that the leads, though capable of sacrifice and love, are not classic hero/heroine material.

With an incubus and a succubus in the starring roles, it is not surprising that sex plays an important part in Shadowfae, making it somewhat erotic as well as dark. But the sensual language is not as in your face crude as most of the few erotic books I've attempted - I tend to stick to the steamy side of main stream paranormal romance - and not all of it is meant to titillate, much of it is almost setting and texture. But if you are not an erotic reader, you should be forewarned that the sexuality woven throughout Shadowfae comes in pretty much every flavor.

On the whole, I liked Shadowfae, it felt very original and actually had one very poignant scene that captured me. And since Haye's barely scratched the surface of this Fae inhabited alternate Melbourne, there is much left to explore when the Shadowfae Chronicles continues with [[ASIN:0312578016 Shadowglass: The Shadowfae Chronicles] ]in April 2010.

Plot Summary: Jade is a succubus. She was betrayed and sold to a demon lord, and now she must serve him for a millennia. While on a job, she runs into fellow incubus Rajah, and their attraction is undeniable. Rajah believes he's found a way to break the demon's hold and live a mortal life in freedom, and he shares his secret with Jade. They must collect four souls each, but Jade's quest is made harder by her latest assignment - cozying up to a brutal vampire gangster.

Shadowfae is hot, hot, hot. This is a deeply erotic paranormal romance, where almost every scene tingles with forbidden naughtiness. Some of the sex scenes are somewhat unconventional, so if you like the standard script in the missionary position, you might want to skip this one.

What I admire about this book is how Erica Hayes doesn't gloss over, or glamorize stuff that's quite nasty. In here, a vampire's bite is as disgusting and painful to endure as it would be in real life if somebody with sharp canines gnawed on your neck. Her acute descriptions of skin breaking and veins popping had me squirming a bit, but I enjoyed that touch of horror. It should be gross I say! I'm bored with writers who romanticize it, so perhaps that's why I found it so appealing.

The sexual acts that Jade must perform for duty's sake are portrayed as distasteful and full of despair. Juxtaposed with that is her relationship with Rajah, which is beautiful on both a physical and emotional level. There's a real romance to be found here. I applaud the ending for giving the reader a `happily-ever-after' they can live with, but it still managed to surprise me too, because it wasn't what I was expecting.

The second book in the Shadowfae Chronicals, Shadowglass: The Shadowfae Chronicles, was just released. Going by the blurb, it sounds like each book will focus on a different paranormal couple. I'm looking forward to reading it.

Jade, a succubus tricked into sexual servitude to a demon for a millennium, and Rajah, an incubus enslaved to the same demon team up to try and out wit their contract with the demon lord.

Jade and Rajah had great chemistry. The plot was entertaining with an abundance of mystery, suspense and intrigue; including a great combination of many supernatural races; from fae to demons to vampires. Just a forewarning, there is a lot of sex but those scenes were easy enough to skip over.

My initial reaction when first reading this book was confusion. For some reason I thought this was suppose to be a solid urban fantasy but it is more like a hybrid urban dark paranormal romance fantasy.

Regardless of the classification I really enjoyed this book and I recommend this to dark urban fantasy readers. I also look forward to the next book ShadowGlass due out 3/2/2010.

I also recommend:
A Kiss of Shadows (Meredith Gentry, Book 1)
Succubus Blues (Georgina Kincaid, Book 1)
Soul Catcher (The Outsider Series)
They Call Me Death
The Devil Inside (Morgan Kingsley, Exorcist, Book 1)

****11/30/09 Addendum- I forget to mention, check out the author's site for a free download of the short story Prequel- Hellcursed.

Dark, seductive and erotic are the perfect words to describe, Shadowfae, the debut release from Erica Hayes. Jade is a one-hundred forty year old succubus who is indentured to the demon lord Kane for a thousand years. She is forced to seduce and suck out the soul of the current victim she is with. She uses sex as a weapon, known as the rapture. Jade hates her immortal life but has no choice to do what Kane orders her to do. Kane loves Jade and wants her to love him, but because of his evil and somewhat degrading ways, she refuses to give him any piece of herself. And because of that, Jade suffers.

Jade is forced to go undercover and find out what one of Kane's enemies has up his sleeve. If Jade has to use her body to do just that, she will, even if she continues to lose her own soul in the process. What she doesn't know is that she has a possible way out. Rajahni Seth is an incubus also serving Kane who's found a way to break away from Kane's hold. Rajah wants to team up with Jade because he believes she can help him achieve his goal. Jade doesn't trust Rajah because he can use his sex magic to enthrall her. But after Rajah explains that all they need is to harvest four special souls, Jade makes a pact with him.

Jade and Rajah enter a very dark world filled with dark erotic and sexual horrors. Vampires use their blood to conquer their victims sexually and one such vampire has Jade in his sights because he wants revenge against Rajah. As Jade slowly loses her own sanity because of the intense lust she has for Rajah and those supernatural creatures who tap into her desires, Rajah must make a decision where he can either manipulate Jade into giving him what he wants, or save her soul and find a small taste of happiness for them both.

Shadowfae is not comfortable reading. Sex and desire is used as a weapon and I couldn't help cringe while reading certain scenes because of the almost violent undercurrent as Jade and Rajah use their powers as a means to and end. Everyone comes across as victim in Shadowfae and Jade suffers most of all. The sex scenes with Jade are almost forced acts even though Jade may seem to be in control. This is mainly how she uses her body, but in regards to her mind, she comes across as almost childlike; scarred and ruined. At least Rajah is there to give her compassion and the strength to go on.

I'm not sure what genre Shadowfae would be. There is a great mix of eroticism; paranormal elements as well as an almost gothic horror type feel that taps into the readers psyche. I can really see Erica Hayes going on to writing great erotic horror. I would have liked to see more interactions between Jade and her demon master Kane, who is underused and not written in a well-rounded way. Also, because sex is used as a violence act, I could find no real enjoyment in Jade and Rajah's lovemaking.

Shadowfae is the type of read for those who are interested in reading about dark nightmares. Leave all thoughts of happy joyful romantic love to the side when reading this book.

Katiebabs

In Melbourne, vampire mobs control whole neighborhoods and fight one another over disputed territory, which makes much of the Australian city unsafe for humans and other paranormal beings though some people and others enjoy being part of the mob. Succubae and incubi seem to be everywhere in the city offering sexual pleasures to mortals in exchange for their souls or in the case of immortals their essence; many partake of the "Rapture". Meanwhile everyone avoids fairies who are dying in epidemic numbers from some sort of unknown disease that no one else contracts.

Demon Lord Kane owns succubus Jade and incubus Rajahni Seth under an agreement that is for a millennium. Both want to be free of their assignation, but each is bound unless they can offer up the right soul needed for a separation freedom spell. Jade and Raj need the same spell, but as they fall in love, each wants to let the other have the essence to escape their indentured servitude.

This is an intriguing Australian erotic urban fantasy in which vampire gangs, other immoral immortals acting like teens, and Rapture sexual encounters seem genuine. The story line comes across as an intriguingly dark paranormal version of The Gift of the Magi due to the change from teen like behavior to an adult relationship of the lead couple. This reviewer never fully understood the celestial laws guiding the taking of souls nor the contract laws guiding indentured demon servitude (especially the consideration on the part of the heroes), but readers will thoroughly enjoy this entertaining tale of forbidden love. Erica Hayes has a great future ahead of her as a bestselling author.

Harriet Klausner

Jade, a succubus, in thrall to a demon lord for a thousand years is sent on an assignment to kill one of his minions. Someone beats her to it. An incubus, Rajah, also enslaved to the same demon lord, holds the minion's soul.

The pages heat up instantly as these two intense beings finds themselves uncontrollable attracted to each other, physically and emotionally. They also discover a secret to end their enslavement, but there's a hitch. Of the souls each needs to capture, one soul they both need to obtain their freedom.

Erica Hayes creates a world unlike anything that has come before. The world and the people are all colorful. It will be exciting to learn more about this world Ms. Hayes has created in future novels.

I found Shadowfae exciting and sexy. An underlying sense of urgency and danger made it thrilling. And frequent passionate and erotic scenes satisfied my love of paranormal romance. It has a certain Buffy appeal. Erica Hayes is an Australian author and despite small amounts of slang, her storytelling translates well to all audiences. There is no transparency to her writing. The plot was well rounded and kept you guessing.

I love the main heroine, Jade. She is sweet and innocent, or as innocent as a succubus can be, yet still a great kick ass chick. All heroines should be kick ass if need be, in my opinion. She is tired of being a trophy and tool for the undead. She wants to be done with her demon lord and burns for real love. But can she learn to break her bonds of thrall without breaking her heart?

The romance scenes are still my favorite part. One of my guilty little pleasures in reading is all that is sexy and lustful. Let's be realistic, a healthy dose of lust between characters certainly adds a level of suspense and satisfaction.

I most admit that despite my love affair of all things fantasy and paranormal, this is the first book/series I have read about succubus or incubus. I found them intriguing. Since I had no prior knowledge of the terminology, I did find it a tad confusing. Usually if I don't understand a word or part of a story, it will eventually make sense. But with Shadowfae I had to keep stopping and goggling things. This is the last thing I really want to do while reading. A simply worded explanation woven into the writing would have gone a long way.

Conclusion:
Although I am not spellbound to this series, I am eager to start the next book. This series has incredible potential and I am definitely eager for more of Jade's sexiness. The more I think about the other characters, the more I want to find out what happens with them too. Shadowfae is a promising read if you are looking for a new paranormal series.

This highly erotic title has more going for it than steamy sex and a delicious hero. The author's voice is such a treat. Her descriptions leap from the page and stick with you long after you close the book.

This was a unique story compared to all the others out there. I liked the story, but it was a little choppy for me. There were some parts of the story that jumped without explanation. I almost wish this story was a little longer, so that the relationship between Jade and Rajah could build a little more. I almost started wondering at one point if Dante was supposed to be the love interest. Overall this wasn't a bad read.

On a side note: I bought this for my Kindle and the Kindle version was a mess. Every chapter and some paragraphs were missing the first letter. I contacted the help desk, but what they suggested I do, didn't work. I know that this problem has nothing to do with the author. Hopefully Amazon will get it fixed.