Shadowfell Review

416 pages
Release date: September 11th, 2012

Its name is spoken only in whispers, if the people of Alban dare to speak it at all: Shadowfell. The training ground for rebels seeking to free their land from the grip of the tyrannical king is so shrouded in mystery that most believe it to be a myth. But for Neryn, Shadowfell's existence is her only hope. She is penniless, orphaned, and utterly alone - and concealing a treacherous magical power that will warrant her immediate enslavement should it be revealed. She finds hope of allies in the Good Folk, fey beings whom she must pretend she cannot see and who taunt her with chatter of prophecies and tests, and in a striking, mysterious stranger, who saves her from certain death but whose motives remain unclear. She knows she should not trust anyone with her plans, but something within her longs to confide in him. Will Neryn be forced to make the dangerous journey alone? She must reach Shadowfell, not only to avenge her family and salvage her own life, but to rescue Alban itself.

Review (ARC):
I have to say I wasn't the biggest fan of this novel. Something about the writing and the overall storyline didn't keep me tied to the story. Most of it was a long journey that seemed to go on for a bit too long. I usually love fantasy novels but the world building here didn't catch my attention as much as it should have. Neryn is a weak character for most of the novel but she begins to grow as a character by the end. Neryn's love interest is a guy named Flint and he has a lot of secrets which makes the story more interesting. The fey in this novel are different from the typical "fairies" and they have different personalities which helps them to stand out as characters. This wasn't necessarily a bad story, it had a lot of interesting parts, but I am curious to see if it will improve as a whole in the next book in this series. If you like fantasy novels with magic and fey then you might want to check this novel out.