A review by dtaylorbooks
Shadow's Lure by Jon Sprunk
4.0
I find myself really enjoying this series despite the fact that this particular book was chock full of pain and death at pretty much every turn. I did long for a little bit of a reprieve from it because Caim or Josey always seemed to be some experiencing level of hurt but it didn’t detract me too much from the story. It just became a little much.
I liked how it alternated between the two storylines and kept Josey involved in Caim’s quest to find himself while keeping her story almost wholly separate. I still think her personality wins over Caim’s any day but with their stories separated like they were Caim was able to stand out more on his own and come into his character more without Josey getting in the way. While I felt Caim grew significantly in SHADOW’S LURE I didn’t feel the same about Josey. Sure, she had a little growth but it was mostly clustered at the end when her hand was forced. For most of the book I felt she was kind of stagnant. That’s not to be confused with me not liking her. I still adore her but this book was much more Caim’s story than Josey’s and I was really happy to find out that she was still involved.
While Josey’s coasting along in her castle Caim’s being broken down (sometimes literally) and rebuilt as a warrior and a leader for people seeking justice against a too-power ruling hand. He also finds out more about his history and his family and it’s a lot for him to take in. He plays the act of having a hard time accepting everything but when he’s thrust into a position to make change he takes to it immediately, begrudgingly or not.
I’m still rather unsure about Kit and her purpose in this story. She really still doesn’t do a whole hell of a lot and she arrives with some interesting news for Caim that fuels the next book in the series (I think) but she’s still not much more than a scantily clad, testy character that plays lookout every once in a while. Not a whole lot going on there.
As for Caim and Josey, I totally sail on that ship. To the point where a potential adversary for Josey came into Caim’s life and I was like OH HELL NO. The other chick was dealt with in a rather not nice way (which I wouldn’t wish on a fictional character, even if she were trying to sink my ship) but I don’t think she was all that much of a contender anyway. The whole book I wanted to have Josey and Caim reunite because they obviously still want each other but no. Romantic frustration ensues. And, SPOILER ALERT, it doesn’t get resolved. But where SHADOW’S LURE ends seems promising for where book three could go.
I find the SHADOW SAGA growing on me more and more and while I find myself want my fantasies to be a bit more diverse at this point in my life instead of your standard white, European-esque fantasy I still like this series. The language is still wholly relatable and I find the characters growing on me more and more (except for Kit, really). It’s a good, solid fantasy story that I think deserves more exposure than what it’s had.
4
I liked how it alternated between the two storylines and kept Josey involved in Caim’s quest to find himself while keeping her story almost wholly separate. I still think her personality wins over Caim’s any day but with their stories separated like they were Caim was able to stand out more on his own and come into his character more without Josey getting in the way. While I felt Caim grew significantly in SHADOW’S LURE I didn’t feel the same about Josey. Sure, she had a little growth but it was mostly clustered at the end when her hand was forced. For most of the book I felt she was kind of stagnant. That’s not to be confused with me not liking her. I still adore her but this book was much more Caim’s story than Josey’s and I was really happy to find out that she was still involved.
While Josey’s coasting along in her castle Caim’s being broken down (sometimes literally) and rebuilt as a warrior and a leader for people seeking justice against a too-power ruling hand. He also finds out more about his history and his family and it’s a lot for him to take in. He plays the act of having a hard time accepting everything but when he’s thrust into a position to make change he takes to it immediately, begrudgingly or not.
I’m still rather unsure about Kit and her purpose in this story. She really still doesn’t do a whole hell of a lot and she arrives with some interesting news for Caim that fuels the next book in the series (I think) but she’s still not much more than a scantily clad, testy character that plays lookout every once in a while. Not a whole lot going on there.
As for Caim and Josey, I totally sail on that ship. To the point where a potential adversary for Josey came into Caim’s life and I was like OH HELL NO. The other chick was dealt with in a rather not nice way (which I wouldn’t wish on a fictional character, even if she were trying to sink my ship) but I don’t think she was all that much of a contender anyway. The whole book I wanted to have Josey and Caim reunite because they obviously still want each other but no. Romantic frustration ensues. And, SPOILER ALERT, it doesn’t get resolved. But where SHADOW’S LURE ends seems promising for where book three could go.
I find the SHADOW SAGA growing on me more and more and while I find myself want my fantasies to be a bit more diverse at this point in my life instead of your standard white, European-esque fantasy I still like this series. The language is still wholly relatable and I find the characters growing on me more and more (except for Kit, really). It’s a good, solid fantasy story that I think deserves more exposure than what it’s had.
4