Book Review: The Shadow Order, by J.S. Malcom

Somewhere around the internet, I picked up an Audible code for a copy of J.S. Malcom‘s The Shadow Order.

Either I defeat the monster or I become the monster.

As if being locked up in the crazy house wasn’t bad enough, I wake up to discover that the person I trust most in the world just morphed into a bloodthirsty monster. My only chance for escape comes in the form of two women calling out from within a shimmering tunnel. So, it’s either stick around and get murdered or jump through some kind of portal.

I take the option that doesn’t involve dying and find myself ushered into an ancient society of witches. I’m given a choice: I can either go it alone and take my chances or join their magical training program. The problem being I didn’t even know I had magic, never mind the kind that can open a doorway between realms. But that’s exactly why I’m being hunted by a Fae demon looking to settle an old score. Now, I either find a way to defeat him or he’ll be using my magic to bring in the rest of his kind. If that happens, it won’t only mean the end for the world of witches. It’ll mean the end of the world.

This is very clearly a spin-off of something else. Because the reader is just as clearly expected to know some of the characters and the world. Plus, there comes a point where the story, from, what I assume is the previous books, is reported from one character to another. I did not know it is a spin-off.

I have not read the previous series. I did not know the characters. I did not know the world. That means I spent almost 9 hours listening to a story about people I didn’t know or care about in a world that had no limits or explanations. Further, I couldn’t even tell you with any certainty if Amaya or Cassie was supposed to be the main character!

It’s probably unnecessary to now say that this was a 100% flop for me. I think that even if I had read the previous series, I would have given this, at best, a 3-star rating. It’s just too based on a confused girl accidentally doing things and people reacting to it. Nothing felt as if it was moving toward any end-point. The ‘training’ was unbelievable, and…again…random. Which just makes the whole Shadow Order a joke. I do not think I would have enjoyed it, even if I hadn’t been uninvested. Amy Hall did a fine job with the narration.

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Book Review: Bloodlaced, by Courtney Maguire

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Blood Bound, book three of Courtney Maguire‘s Youkai Bloodlines, was over on Sadie‘s Spotlight earlier in the year. So, when I stumbled across a copy of book one Bloodlaced—which was later on Sadie’s Spotlight as a BBNYA finalist—I opted to start the series.

Kanjin hardly view their servants as human. Even less so when they are different.

Asagi is different. Both a man and a woman.

In the wake of his failure to protect a boy he saw as a son from their abusive master, Asagi is sold into the house of a young nobleman, Mahiro, who is the opposite of everything Asagi has ever known—gentle, kind, and generous.

Mahiro bonds with Asagi and their friendship blooms into a deep and profound love. But when Asagi is poisoned out of jealousy, Mahiro reveals himself to be youkai, a demon who feeds on blood, and he has no choice but to turn Asagi to save his life.

Asagi awakes reborn, strong, and eternally youthful. But the price for Asagi’s new life is high.

The blood of the innocent.

Just as Asagi’s trust in Mahiro falters, the boy he failed to protect, now a man, reappears.

New master, same threat.

With both a literal and proverbial monster at the door, Asagi must decide what it means to be human to protect what he loves most.

Oh man, this book was a rollercoaster for me. I took one look at the cover and the fact that it’s about vampires in ancient Japan (to use a western for them) and thought, “I am in!” I expected to love it. Then, I hated the first 25%. It’s basically trauma porn. Granted, the abuse is off-page, but it’s very clear what is happening, and the main character martyred themself more than once. So, I thought, “Oh, this isn’t for me, after all.”

Then, things balanced out, and I got a little bored. Then, at the 50% mark, the plot shifted, and I was interested again. Then, the romance (and the whole plot, really) went off in a direction I didn’t expect, and I was uncertain but invested. And THEN, I cried at the end before being given a little ray of hope on the last page. Rollercoaster of emotion!

As I said, I’m not into victimized hero(ine) plotlines. I’m not saying it’s bad in any objective way; I just don’t enjoy reading it. I did get a bit bored in the middle; the pacing is a bit off. And I have to admit that I’ve never really understood why, when a book is supposed to be happening somewhere that speaks another language (Japanese in this case), authors sometimes still throw the occasional that-language word into the English narrative, usually as expletives. It always stands out to me, breaking the flow. But overall, I will be looking forward to continuing the series.