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stormbee's review
5.0
4.5 stars. A fun romp. As fun as the first book. Though I'm not a fan of first person, the Kate Kane series has more than endeared me and is one of the few books that literally makes me laugh how loud every few pages.
I think the plot was much stronger this time around, with the stakes a bit higher since, ya know, Kate was on trial for murder, the Morrigan raised a vampire army and tried to slaughter all of London, the vamps and werewolves went into civil war, and some dude tried to ascend to godhood. I really want the third book to come out to see how much crazier things will get after that.
The side characters are amazing as always, especially Elise, who's too good for this world. Also Eve, who we finally meet. She's basically a lesbian Batman with a ninja army, and loves D&D, gadgets, and history. She's perfect.
Honestly, all of Kate's exes and love interests are a blast, even the terrible ones that need to be locked up. When Kate shares screentime with Tara, Nim, or Eve, I almost forget how much I like her with Julian, or how much I like her with the any of the others she's not with.
Speaking of, Julian wasn't in this as much. It was for plot related reasons, but I still missed her presence.
Nim and Eve had a very large role helping Kate not get killed during the story, and we find out more on exactly why Eve and Kate fell apart after 5 years together. Though it's prettiest obvious there's still feelings on each end, with the way they talked to each other and interacted, I feel it's a relationship that best remain dead.
On that note, with how much screen time Nim and Kate shared, the end of their relationship still remains a mystery. It interests me greatly, seeing how affectionate they both are to each other while still on good terms. They're relationship is probably the... healthiest? Maybe? As much as Kate is capable of healthy anything.
Julian and Kate are fun, and they definitely care for each other, but they're mostly just sex. Nim and Kate clearly still care a great deal, but there's something holding them back, and I wanna know what it is. I kinda maybe ship Kate and Nim the most. Sorry Julian.
I think the plot was much stronger this time around, with the stakes a bit higher since, ya know, Kate was on trial for murder, the Morrigan raised a vampire army and tried to slaughter all of London, the vamps and werewolves went into civil war, and some dude tried to ascend to godhood. I really want the third book to come out to see how much crazier things will get after that.
The side characters are amazing as always, especially Elise, who's too good for this world. Also Eve, who we finally meet. She's basically a lesbian Batman with a ninja army, and loves D&D, gadgets, and history. She's perfect.
Honestly, all of Kate's exes and love interests are a blast, even the terrible ones that need to be locked up. When Kate shares screentime with Tara, Nim, or Eve, I almost forget how much I like her with Julian, or how much I like her with the any of the others she's not with.
Speaking of, Julian wasn't in this as much. It was for plot related reasons, but I still missed her presence.
Nim and Eve had a very large role helping Kate not get killed during the story, and we find out more on exactly why Eve and Kate fell apart after 5 years together. Though it's prettiest obvious there's still feelings on each end, with the way they talked to each other and interacted, I feel it's a relationship that best remain dead.
On that note, with how much screen time Nim and Kate shared, the end of their relationship still remains a mystery. It interests me greatly, seeing how affectionate they both are to each other while still on good terms. They're relationship is probably the... healthiest? Maybe? As much as Kate is capable of healthy anything.
Julian and Kate are fun, and they definitely care for each other, but they're mostly just sex. Nim and Kate clearly still care a great deal, but there's something holding them back, and I wanna know what it is. I kinda maybe ship Kate and Nim the most. Sorry Julian.
willow1113's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Violence, Sexual content, and Confinement
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Kidnapping, Animal death, Cannibalism, Torture, Misogyny, Child abuse, War, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
genderqueer_hiker's review against another edition
4.0
More fun than the first, with a better flow and storyline
blandrea_reads's review
4.0
Kate Kane is amazing. But Patrick is kinda the star of this book.... I am all for a sexy vampire boyfriend, but in a life where the Vampire's girlfriend moves on without him, and he's still dating 17 year olds, the deeply disturbing creepiness of the age gap becomes SO ridiculously apparent.
Am I here for a vampire boyfriend? Absolutely
Can I also see the ridiculousness of the age gap where a 200 year old can be passionately in love with a 17 year old? Absolutely.
They are not mutually exclusive.
The established relationship of Julian and Kate was also nice to see. They are both complete people with their own lives and goals and can co-exist without needing to be codependent. Come to think of it, maybe I'm here for Vampire Girlfriends?
All in all, a good mystery with a fully fleshed out backdrop of interesting characters, (most of them Kate's exs).
I'm excited to see where things go with Elise... because if she doesn't find someone in the upcoming books, I may need to do some fan fic shipping of my own.
Am I here for a vampire boyfriend? Absolutely
Can I also see the ridiculousness of the age gap where a 200 year old can be passionately in love with a 17 year old? Absolutely.
They are not mutually exclusive.
The established relationship of Julian and Kate was also nice to see. They are both complete people with their own lives and goals and can co-exist without needing to be codependent. Come to think of it, maybe I'm here for Vampire Girlfriends?
All in all, a good mystery with a fully fleshed out backdrop of interesting characters, (most of them Kate's exs).
I'm excited to see where things go with Elise... because if she doesn't find someone in the upcoming books, I may need to do some fan fic shipping of my own.
bookishexpat's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
iam's review against another edition
4.0
Shadows & Dreams is just as hilarious and high-stakes as its prequel, introducing new characters and revisiting much-loved (and not-so-much loved) faces.
Content warnings include: violence and death, graphic injury, semi-explicit sex on-page, kidnapping, past and ongoing relationships between a minor and someone of age, toxic family and friendship dynamics.
One of my favourite things about this series is Kate's humor. It's ever-present and while maybe not the most original for a novel with noir-vibes, I love her voice and being in her head, plus, really, a lesbian protagonist alone is already a vast improvement to most out of that genre.
I adored how the vast majority of power players are women, thought the amount of men in important roles is higher in Shadows & Dreams than in book 1, [b:Iron & Velvet|46284528|Iron & Velvet (Kate Kane, Paranormal Investigator, #1)|Alexis Hall|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1560489416l/46284528._SY75_.jpg|25492234].
Some of the iffy side things, like how Kate's ex is now together with another seventeen year old girl, or his toxic family dynamics, or the murder obsession with pretty much all of the paranormal world, could have been reflected more critically, though it's all definitely condemned on-page by Kate.
I also feel like the many parallel running plots could have been tied together a bit more neatly, with some parts not having much consequence in the long run and seeming kind of pointless - though who knows, there's another book in the series upcoming, after all.
Speaking of, I'm super excited for [b:Fire & Water|47822683|Fire & Water (Kate Kane, Paranormal Investigator #3)|Alexis Hall|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1570472343l/47822683._SY75_.jpg|72953764], which will tie closely into events of Shadows & Dreams.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
Content warnings include: violence and death, graphic injury, semi-explicit sex on-page, kidnapping, past and ongoing relationships between a minor and someone of age, toxic family and friendship dynamics.
One of my favourite things about this series is Kate's humor. It's ever-present and while maybe not the most original for a novel with noir-vibes, I love her voice and being in her head, plus, really, a lesbian protagonist alone is already a vast improvement to most out of that genre.
I adored how the vast majority of power players are women, thought the amount of men in important roles is higher in Shadows & Dreams than in book 1, [b:Iron & Velvet|46284528|Iron & Velvet (Kate Kane, Paranormal Investigator, #1)|Alexis Hall|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1560489416l/46284528._SY75_.jpg|25492234].
Some of the iffy side things, like how Kate's ex is now together with another seventeen year old girl, or his toxic family dynamics, or the murder obsession with pretty much all of the paranormal world, could have been reflected more critically, though it's all definitely condemned on-page by Kate.
I also feel like the many parallel running plots could have been tied together a bit more neatly, with some parts not having much consequence in the long run and seeming kind of pointless - though who knows, there's another book in the series upcoming, after all.
Speaking of, I'm super excited for [b:Fire & Water|47822683|Fire & Water (Kate Kane, Paranormal Investigator #3)|Alexis Hall|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1570472343l/47822683._SY75_.jpg|72953764], which will tie closely into events of Shadows & Dreams.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
cj_parsley's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
lauren_reads_outside's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
charliebrazen's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
3.0