Shadowglass by Erica Hayes

Book Summery:
For Ice, a compulsive fairy thief, life is a wild party of mayhem, fae trickery and magical confidence scams. She's never cared about rules or warnings, so when she filches a demon's beguiling magic mirror, she can't resist taking a peek. Malicious enchantment strikes, and Ice can no longer tell a lie. If she can't undo the spell, she'll have to turn respectable. Two words: no way.

It sounds simple, especially when Indigo, a frosty metalfae thief, agrees to help her, as he too has fallen foul of the mirror's mischief. But when the mirror's victims start turning up dead, it seems someone doesn't want Ice or Indigo cured. As they draw closer to answers — and to each other — Indigo remains stubbornly silent about the nature of his enchantment. Is he the killer's target? Or does he harbor a more chilling secret?-goodreads.com

Book Trailer:



My Review:
I highly anticipated Shadowglass after reading Hayes' debut novel Shadowfae and prequel (short story) Hellcursed. Unfortunately, Shadowglass didn't quite live up to it's precedent counterparts. I have read many stories of faeries and fae, but I honestly had a difficult time with this one. The main character, Ice, was a bit too naive and trite for me. She would decidedly make horrible decisions and then be upset about their outcome. I found it a bit irritating and honestly repetitive to read. Another vexing component is that narratively, Ice would think intelligently with proper grammar and complete thoughts, but then speak poorly in broken sentences and incomplete thoughts. It was like reading about 2 different characters altogether. I also found the flow of Shadowglass a bit too choppy for my liking. Shadowfae had a smooth flow with good direction, plot-wise. I found the narrative in Shadowglass a bit tedious at times, which made for slow reading. Overall, I enjoyed the world Hayes has created. I was happy to see Kane back in this second installment and continue to look forward to the next book in the series. I am hoping that this was just a minor setback in the series. For more information and to download the prequel to the series Hellcursed, check out the author's website.

Cover Art Commentary:
I think the biggest draw of this book is its beautiful cover. The books look gorgeous next to each other.

Overall Rating:

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:




Check out other reviews of Shadowfae at:
SciFiGuy.ca