Official Review: Shadow's Kiss by Adria Eustis
Posted: 05 Oct 2015, 14:55
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Shadow's Kiss" by Adria Eustis.]
2 out of 4 stars
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Shadow’s Kiss by Adria Eustis is a fantasy/survival novel for young adults. This standalone novel has really interesting magical lore, exciting action, and overall an exceptional story.
In Shadow’s Kiss, the evil king, blessed by great magic, reigns unchecked over Etath with his “Peacekeepers” who he has blessed equally with magic auras that render them immune to pain and provide accelerated healing, making them unbeatable. The king uses his power to uphold utopian ideals that no human can live up to and any undesirable behavior, no matter if its murder, falling behind on your rent, or talking too loudly, you will receive a life sentence in prison. Your one chance at redemption is to fight your way out in the battle arena.
Janina Ambrose is our heroine of this bleak time, one of three orphans she gives up her own dreams to become their caretaker and primary provider. The pressure doesn’t stop there though, her little sister is sick. Sick in a way that without a miracle drug or a diviner healer, she will die within a matter of weeks. There are no diviner healers left, so when Nina comes by the only medicine that could save her little sister, she steals it. Only somehow she gets found out, thrown in prison, and Peacekeepers take back the medicine, leaving Nina’s sister as sick as ever with even less hope of getting better. Desperate to get back to her sick sister and find a way to cure her, Nina volunteers for the arena, and her fight for freedom begins.
Unfortunately, I have to give this book a 2 out of 4 stars even though I so desperately wanted to give it a 4! This story idea is truly amazing! It could have been so, so good, but unfortunately the execution just wasn’t there. The character development was severely lacking, the editing was practically nonexistent, and there were way too many grammatical errors and nonsensical phrases. It almost felt like this story was originally written in another language and then translated into English and then edited by someone who spoke English as a second language.
I did however, really enjoy the majority of this book. The premise is genius, and I loved the desperation and drama of the story. The action was good, the love interest was really good, and the supporting characters and ideas were all great. I also loved the lore created about the deities and magic and would have really loved to see more development and depth in that area as well. Really, more detail, character depth, and a good editor could turn this book into my new all-time favorite. I hope the author will get some help and re-release it.
******
Shadow's Kiss
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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2 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Shadow’s Kiss by Adria Eustis is a fantasy/survival novel for young adults. This standalone novel has really interesting magical lore, exciting action, and overall an exceptional story.
In Shadow’s Kiss, the evil king, blessed by great magic, reigns unchecked over Etath with his “Peacekeepers” who he has blessed equally with magic auras that render them immune to pain and provide accelerated healing, making them unbeatable. The king uses his power to uphold utopian ideals that no human can live up to and any undesirable behavior, no matter if its murder, falling behind on your rent, or talking too loudly, you will receive a life sentence in prison. Your one chance at redemption is to fight your way out in the battle arena.
Janina Ambrose is our heroine of this bleak time, one of three orphans she gives up her own dreams to become their caretaker and primary provider. The pressure doesn’t stop there though, her little sister is sick. Sick in a way that without a miracle drug or a diviner healer, she will die within a matter of weeks. There are no diviner healers left, so when Nina comes by the only medicine that could save her little sister, she steals it. Only somehow she gets found out, thrown in prison, and Peacekeepers take back the medicine, leaving Nina’s sister as sick as ever with even less hope of getting better. Desperate to get back to her sick sister and find a way to cure her, Nina volunteers for the arena, and her fight for freedom begins.
Unfortunately, I have to give this book a 2 out of 4 stars even though I so desperately wanted to give it a 4! This story idea is truly amazing! It could have been so, so good, but unfortunately the execution just wasn’t there. The character development was severely lacking, the editing was practically nonexistent, and there were way too many grammatical errors and nonsensical phrases. It almost felt like this story was originally written in another language and then translated into English and then edited by someone who spoke English as a second language.
I did however, really enjoy the majority of this book. The premise is genius, and I loved the desperation and drama of the story. The action was good, the love interest was really good, and the supporting characters and ideas were all great. I also loved the lore created about the deities and magic and would have really loved to see more development and depth in that area as well. Really, more detail, character depth, and a good editor could turn this book into my new all-time favorite. I hope the author will get some help and re-release it.
******
Shadow's Kiss
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like amazondanni's review? Post a comment saying so!