Official Review: A Shadow Named Envy: Guardians
Posted: 12 Feb 2016, 03:34
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Shadow Named Envy: Guardians" by Kyle Stumpp.]
3 out of 4 stars
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A Shadow Named Envy: Guardians by Kyle Stumpp is a fantasy novel set in our modern-day world. Because of profanity and some adult content (drinking, violence), the recommended age is for 12 and up. I would add that the ending is also unsutible for younger children as they may find it disturbing.
Long before animals and humans roamed the earth, there were shadow people. At odds with the humans, who wielded dangerous light-producing sticks, the shadow people moved underground. Now they only come to the surface for special jobs such as: scavenging for human objects, observing, or mimicking humans.
In the City of Shade, a baby shadow with unusually bright eyes, is thought to be cursed. The Shadow Council comes after him, ready to destroy, but the quick-thinking of his mother saves his life. Hubert, an old janitor, finds and brings the baby home to his wife, Dot. From there things unfold as Hubert and Dot try to raise the baby, who they name Envy, to be a normal shadow. All the while they must keep his identity as the “cursed child” a secret.
There are excellent descriptions and world building in this book. I could easily picture the City of Shade as I read. Sometimes descriptions can bog a book down, but the author does an excellent job making the descriptions flow smoothly. Aside from a few slow parts in the beginning, the book has a nice amount of action. There are some twists in the book and I was never 100% sure what was going to happen next.
I absolutely love the main characters, Hubert and Dot. Not only are they cute together, with their playful bantering, but they are realistic. They both make mistakes and sometimes hurt one another, but you can tell that they truly love each other. The other characters are also well-written, but Hubert and Dot are truly a memorable pair.
Unfortunately, the book does contain a few grammatical errors. There were not many and certainly did not take away from my enjoyment of the story, but there were enough to notice that it could use some more editing.
The ending of a story can either make or break an entire book. I was disappointed with the way the author chose to end this book. I can not say much because of spoilers, but I feel like the end does not fit in with the rest of the story. I was planning on giving the book 4 stars, but with the grammatical errors and the unsatisfactory ending I can only give it 3 out of 4 stars. It is a shame because I really enjoyed the majority of the book and would have liked to give it a perfect score.
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A Shadow Named Envy: Guardians
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3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
A Shadow Named Envy: Guardians by Kyle Stumpp is a fantasy novel set in our modern-day world. Because of profanity and some adult content (drinking, violence), the recommended age is for 12 and up. I would add that the ending is also unsutible for younger children as they may find it disturbing.
Long before animals and humans roamed the earth, there were shadow people. At odds with the humans, who wielded dangerous light-producing sticks, the shadow people moved underground. Now they only come to the surface for special jobs such as: scavenging for human objects, observing, or mimicking humans.
In the City of Shade, a baby shadow with unusually bright eyes, is thought to be cursed. The Shadow Council comes after him, ready to destroy, but the quick-thinking of his mother saves his life. Hubert, an old janitor, finds and brings the baby home to his wife, Dot. From there things unfold as Hubert and Dot try to raise the baby, who they name Envy, to be a normal shadow. All the while they must keep his identity as the “cursed child” a secret.
There are excellent descriptions and world building in this book. I could easily picture the City of Shade as I read. Sometimes descriptions can bog a book down, but the author does an excellent job making the descriptions flow smoothly. Aside from a few slow parts in the beginning, the book has a nice amount of action. There are some twists in the book and I was never 100% sure what was going to happen next.
I absolutely love the main characters, Hubert and Dot. Not only are they cute together, with their playful bantering, but they are realistic. They both make mistakes and sometimes hurt one another, but you can tell that they truly love each other. The other characters are also well-written, but Hubert and Dot are truly a memorable pair.
Unfortunately, the book does contain a few grammatical errors. There were not many and certainly did not take away from my enjoyment of the story, but there were enough to notice that it could use some more editing.
The ending of a story can either make or break an entire book. I was disappointed with the way the author chose to end this book. I can not say much because of spoilers, but I feel like the end does not fit in with the rest of the story. I was planning on giving the book 4 stars, but with the grammatical errors and the unsatisfactory ending I can only give it 3 out of 4 stars. It is a shame because I really enjoyed the majority of the book and would have liked to give it a perfect score.
******
A Shadow Named Envy: Guardians
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Rachaelamb1's review? Post a comment saying so!
