Shadowfae by Erica Hayes

Summery:
Jade's soul has been gambled away to the demon lord Kane, by her former lover no less. For one thousand years, Jade must relent to Kane's will. As a succubus, Jade seduces a myriad of supernatural creatures on Kane's whim and feeds solely on the souls she collects (and promptly sends to hell) during the final moments of copulation. She desperately yearns to be free from her enslavement, and would like nothing more than live out the rest of her once mortal life. Her sole opportunity presents itself as Rajah, an incubus who shares the same fate as Jade. Rajah and Jade find solace and meaning in one another as they fall madly in love. Rajah has developed a plan to escape Kane's hellish claws. Unfortunately said plan can only save one of them. Jade must decide if she can survive another 800 years in Kane's enslavement, or if she can sacrifice the one man she loves for the freedom she so desperately craves.

Trailer:


Review:
Shadowfae is full of deception, passion, greed, and longing. A most refreshing take on the world of the fae. These ain't no sparkly, happy fairies. ;P I enjoyed the good guys as well as the bad guys, which there is no shortage of. I really sympathized with Kane's character, and didn't despise him as much as I originally thought I would, considering he is the source of Jade's (and Rajah's) pain. This of course did not stop me for cheering on Jade, as well as Rajah. I zipped through this book with eagerness and intrigue. I absolutely cannot wait for the next installment of the Shadowfae!

*Disclaimer* This book is very sexual and extremely graphic as the nature of a succubus is, well sex. Although, I don't think the next installment of the Chronicles will be as sexually charged.

Also, if you go to the author's official site (conveniently linked here), you can download the short story Hellcursed, which is the prequel to Shadowfae. It tells the story of how Jade fell into Kane's enslavement. You don't have to read it to enjoy Shadowfae, but it does enhance the story. I, personally, read it before starting the novel.

Cover art commentary:
I love the colors. They are quite rich. I also like the design around the title. The only problem I had was that due to the more mature nature of the cover, I wouldn't be comfortable taking this book with me outside the house. I usually take books with me when I go pretty much anywhere, doctor/dentist appointments, lunch, whatever. However, that wasn't really a problem as I read this book rather quickly. :P

Overall Rating:




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