Review! The Shadow Weave: Spell Weaver Book 2, by Author Annette Marie

The Shadow Weave
Annette Marie
(Spell Weaver #2)
Publication date: January 12th 2018
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy


Clio might be a nymph living in exile among humans. And she might possess the rare ability to mimic any magic she sees. And she might have just seriously ticked off the most powerful family of spell weavers in the Underworld.

But she is not in love with an incubus.

Lyre is the rebellious black sheep of said weaver family, and he’s the only reason she survived her recent Underworld “vacation.” He’s also the sexiest thing she’s ever seen. Together, they have to track down a catastrophically dangerous magic—a magic he created, she sort of stole, and they both lost—before his family gets their hands on it. And that means fighting alongside him in a desperate attempt to avert complete disaster.

But she is definitely not in love with him. At least, she’s pretty sure she’s not.

Mostly sure. Maybe sure? …Crap.


My Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was given a copy of this novel for an honest review.
Warning: There might be a few spoilers brewing here.

After reviewing book one, it seemed sensible to continue on with the Shadow Weaver and the Lady Nymph, and I'm glad I did, because it's been a long time since I didn't want to put a story down. I was up most of the night reading. 

This story has action at every turn. The tension is high throughout. Annette Marie is not afraid to making her characters jump through hoops of fire, and bring them out the other side a little scratched up and worn out, and she manages to keep the story moving forward as she does it. Her descriptions are a vivid canvas, leaving you with the feeling that you are there in the midst of a fight, dodging fire and other forms of magic, or in flight when there's nothing left to fight with.

While there is almost always room for sculpting characters a little more, Ms. Marie has done an excellent job. Clio, our heroine is traveling with an incubus, Lyre in an attempt to save the world from what could become a terrible tragedy. She is alone, and strong, but not without her own demons to fight. She deals with them as they unfold at every turn, shaping her into the strong young woman we all love, not just in fiction, but in real life. She's also become very fond of the companion she travels with, and has to face the dangers he presents, as well as her past, head on. 

Although our sexy incubus, Lyre would normally be the stronger character, we find out that he has much in common with Clio. Being abandoned and hunted by his family has left Clio as his only true companion, but while he has to deal with his own problems, he also has to go against his nature and hold the magic within him back. Both character's know the dangers, and skirt them carefully.

Then there is Ash, one of my favorite characters from The Night Realm. The one who strikes fear in everyone he gets close to. He reminds me of other favorites like Lucivar from Anne Bishop's Black Jewels series, although at the same time, he's not the same at all, but an impossible character to ignore or walk away from, but Clio and Lyre must find a way to do so, or die.

Clio's half-brother Bastian also makes an appearance, but not in that way readers expect. Unfortunately, sharing about him would be too much information, so I can't go there. He might be a touch overdone, but is still well thought out and strong.

There were a couple of small disappointments. The first is that the reminders from book one are minimal and sometimes missing. While that might not be an issue for most, it's not uncommon for me to read books out of order, and I feel like those reminders would have increased pulling new readers into the story, and lift the emotional value of some scenes. 

Another issue was that I had to re-read things at the end, because it moves really fast sometimes. My final issue is simply that I would have liked a little bit of down time. Not boring, but the slower, endearing moments that makes us get deeper into a character's head, not just the main characters, but others we meet along the way. These are almost all reader's preference, so it didn't effect star value.

The Shadow Weaver by Annette Marie is a highly recommended read for those who like a blend of paranormal fantasy with adult circumstances. 18+.




About the Author

Annette Marie is the author of the Amazon best-selling Steel & Stone series, which includes Goodreads Choice Award nominee Yield the Night, and fantasy trilogy Red Winter. Her first love is fantasy, but fast-paced adventures and tantalizing forbidden romances are her guilty pleasures. She lives in the frozen winter wasteland of Alberta, Canada (okay, it's not quite that bad) with her comparatively sensible husband and their furry minion of darkness—sorry, cat— Caesar. When not writing, she can be found elbow-deep in one art project or another while blissfully ignoring all adult responsibilities.




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Comments

  1. Great review, Jena! This sounds like an entertaining and fun read overall! Glad you liked it! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Giselle, I like the way these books are being released too. You don't have to wait a long time for the next in the series.

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