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theladyhaxton's review
3.0
This is I think deserves a solid 3. It was fast paced in most parts, dragged a bit in others, had an interesting plot (if somewhat predictable). I will definitely read the remaining books in the trilogy.
jaclynder's review
3.0
The Shadow Revolution is the first in a steampunk trilogy featuring magic, mystery and non-stop action. Simon Archer is a scribe, perhaps one of the last of his kind. Simon’s abilities manifest through inscription, including using his own body as a medium to use magic.
“A carver. It’s a vulgar term for a scribe who practices inscription using his own body as the tablet.”
Simon’s talents are rare and he’s been taught to keep in the shadows (Simon's a bit of a directionless fribble at start of the book). When his former paramour is murdered before his eyes, Simon finds himself neck deep in a much larger battle and he comes to the realization that by keeping to the shadows, he’s actually putting people’s lives in danger when he could actually do something about it.
Joining Simon’s quest to rid London of it’s werewolf pack is werewolf hunter, Malcolm, and Kate, who’s sister has been gone missing. Joining forces for their respective missions, Simon, Malcolm and Kate soon discover that their paths are much more interconnected than they would have imagined. The trio also comes to realize that their family’s pasts might also be playing a part in the larger conflict that is endangering the city.
The Shadow Revolution is an extremely fast-paced and action-packed novel, and I want to put an emphasis on the action-packed nature of the book. For me, there was almost too much action and not enough character development. Simon, Kate and Malcolm were constantly fighting for their lives and readers are treated to the minute detail of each and every fight. The description of all these action sequences are not generally my thing when I’m reading, and in the case of The Shadow Revolution I found the emphasis on the details bogged down the plot a little bit. Further, the emphasis on the fight scenes was also at the detriment of what could have been great characters. Simon, Kate and Malcolm are all interesting characters; however, I don’t think readers went below the surface for any of them.
While I really enjoy the world and the concept of magic in this alternative London, I’m really hoping for more emphasis on the characters in the next installment of the series. There’s so much potential for richness of character. Simon, Kate, Malcolm and the other members of their crew all have promise, for them to be excellent I need to know more about them. Less descriptive action and more character development would go a long way in making this a stand out trilogy for me.
Originally reviewed at The Book Adventures.
*Review copy provided by the publisher via Edelweiss.
“A carver. It’s a vulgar term for a scribe who practices inscription using his own body as the tablet.”
Simon’s talents are rare and he’s been taught to keep in the shadows (Simon's a bit of a directionless fribble at start of the book). When his former paramour is murdered before his eyes, Simon finds himself neck deep in a much larger battle and he comes to the realization that by keeping to the shadows, he’s actually putting people’s lives in danger when he could actually do something about it.
Joining Simon’s quest to rid London of it’s werewolf pack is werewolf hunter, Malcolm, and Kate, who’s sister has been gone missing. Joining forces for their respective missions, Simon, Malcolm and Kate soon discover that their paths are much more interconnected than they would have imagined. The trio also comes to realize that their family’s pasts might also be playing a part in the larger conflict that is endangering the city.
The Shadow Revolution is an extremely fast-paced and action-packed novel, and I want to put an emphasis on the action-packed nature of the book. For me, there was almost too much action and not enough character development. Simon, Kate and Malcolm were constantly fighting for their lives and readers are treated to the minute detail of each and every fight. The description of all these action sequences are not generally my thing when I’m reading, and in the case of The Shadow Revolution I found the emphasis on the details bogged down the plot a little bit. Further, the emphasis on the fight scenes was also at the detriment of what could have been great characters. Simon, Kate and Malcolm are all interesting characters; however, I don’t think readers went below the surface for any of them.
While I really enjoy the world and the concept of magic in this alternative London, I’m really hoping for more emphasis on the characters in the next installment of the series. There’s so much potential for richness of character. Simon, Kate, Malcolm and the other members of their crew all have promise, for them to be excellent I need to know more about them. Less descriptive action and more character development would go a long way in making this a stand out trilogy for me.
Originally reviewed at The Book Adventures.
*Review copy provided by the publisher via Edelweiss.
lora_dolly's review
3.0
I struggled through the first half even though it was interesting and full of action, I think all the unanswered mysteries slowed me down. the second half was much more enjoyable, particularly the last quarter of the book.
coolcurrybooks's review
2.0
The Shadow Revolution just doesn’t work for me, not even as mindless fluff.
The Shadow Revolution is one of those vaguely steampunk Victoriana sort of books. It’s the Victorian era and there’s werewolves plus some magic. That about sums up the world building. More specifically, the uber handsome playboy and mage Simon Archer teams up with Kate Anstruther, a gorgeous alchemist who of course thinks she’s ugly, the rugged Scottish werewolf hunter Malcolm MacFarlane, and the completely forgettable Nick Barker. Together they fight werewolves who for some reason have decided to take over London. The book’s basically action scenes strung together, and it’s remarkable how little I cared about any of them.
This might be a minor thing, but I found it very annoying how The Shadow Revolution spent an inordinate amount of time describing how immensely attractive all its protagonists are. Seriously, I get it. These people are hot. Let’s move on.
The best single idea in the entire book is that the Bastille was a prison for supernatural criminals who were let loose during the French Revolution. That was the high point. Other positives are that it used magic in addition to werewolves, which you don’t always see. There was also more than one female character involved in the plot, although I don’t think female characters were treated very well overall.
Let me elaborate. In the first chapter, Simon’s ex-girlfriend is tragically killed by a werewolf and dies in Simon’s arms, thus inciting the events of the book. Not only is she fridged, this woman apparently had nothing better to do with her life than follow Simon from afar because he’s just that awesome. Seriously, he finds the walls of her bedroom covered in newspaper clippings about himself, which is used a reason to fuel his guilt about her death. I think it’s actually pretty creepy.
Despite the bad start, The Shadow Revolution seemed like it’d do okay with it’s female characters. While Kate was as well rounded as cardboard (like all the other characters) she was allowed to do things and be generally intelligent. One other character, an engineer named Penny, was also allowed to be a badass. Heck, there’s even a female villain, although I’m not sure what to make about the constant comments on how manly she was. Something felt off there. Anyway, the biggest problem is with Kate, the female lead. Skip the rest of this paragraph if you don’t like spoilers. Ready for it? She’s kidnapped and the climax is the other characters having to go rescue her. Wow, way to go the damsel in distress route.
I finished this book on the plane and left it there, in the back pocket of the seat in front of me. I have absolutely no desire to read this again, and its not even worth it to cart it back home to resell or donate.
Basically, this isn’t a book that I’d recommend to anyone.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
The Shadow Revolution is one of those vaguely steampunk Victoriana sort of books. It’s the Victorian era and there’s werewolves plus some magic. That about sums up the world building. More specifically, the uber handsome playboy and mage Simon Archer teams up with Kate Anstruther, a gorgeous alchemist who of course thinks she’s ugly, the rugged Scottish werewolf hunter Malcolm MacFarlane, and the completely forgettable Nick Barker. Together they fight werewolves who for some reason have decided to take over London. The book’s basically action scenes strung together, and it’s remarkable how little I cared about any of them.
This might be a minor thing, but I found it very annoying how The Shadow Revolution spent an inordinate amount of time describing how immensely attractive all its protagonists are. Seriously, I get it. These people are hot. Let’s move on.
The best single idea in the entire book is that the Bastille was a prison for supernatural criminals who were let loose during the French Revolution. That was the high point. Other positives are that it used magic in addition to werewolves, which you don’t always see. There was also more than one female character involved in the plot, although I don’t think female characters were treated very well overall.
Let me elaborate. In the first chapter, Simon’s ex-girlfriend is tragically killed by a werewolf and dies in Simon’s arms, thus inciting the events of the book. Not only is she fridged, this woman apparently had nothing better to do with her life than follow Simon from afar because he’s just that awesome. Seriously, he finds the walls of her bedroom covered in newspaper clippings about himself, which is used a reason to fuel his guilt about her death. I think it’s actually pretty creepy.
Despite the bad start, The Shadow Revolution seemed like it’d do okay with it’s female characters. While Kate was as well rounded as cardboard (like all the other characters) she was allowed to do things and be generally intelligent. One other character, an engineer named Penny, was also allowed to be a badass. Heck, there’s even a female villain, although I’m not sure what to make about the constant comments on how manly she was. Something felt off there. Anyway, the biggest problem is with Kate, the female lead. Skip the rest of this paragraph if you don’t like spoilers. Ready for it? She’s kidnapped and the climax is the other characters having to go rescue her. Wow, way to go the damsel in distress route.
I finished this book on the plane and left it there, in the back pocket of the seat in front of me. I have absolutely no desire to read this again, and its not even worth it to cart it back home to resell or donate.
Basically, this isn’t a book that I’d recommend to anyone.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
graybrit's review
2.0
This book would make a perfectly adequate movie, but its hectic action and thin characters make for a pretty dull book.
krisrid's review
4.0
I liked this. It was a good combination of action, adventure, character-development and paranormal stuff.
This is a werewolf story, but it also has magic and magic-wielders, and it is a creative, exciting, action-packed plot.
There is a large amount of violence in this story, much of it quite graphic and even for this genre, I would describe it as disturbing at times. This is a book not for the squeamish, but if you like non-stop action and good, well-written fight scenes, this book has a lot to offer.
The magical world-building in this book is interesting and inventive, although it only gets a start in this first book in a trilogy. I was very intrigued by the magic aspects, and look forward to learning more about it in the rest of the story as the rest of the books play out.
The characters were very diverse, and each of the main characters have plenty of personality. They are all very different, and their differences add to the enjoyment of the reader as the plot plays out and highlights the differences in how these people respond to the events that are taking place around them.
I liked this, and will read the rest of the trilogy. I'm anxious to see what happens to these characters as the story continues.
This is a werewolf story, but it also has magic and magic-wielders, and it is a creative, exciting, action-packed plot.
There is a large amount of violence in this story, much of it quite graphic and even for this genre, I would describe it as disturbing at times. This is a book not for the squeamish, but if you like non-stop action and good, well-written fight scenes, this book has a lot to offer.
The magical world-building in this book is interesting and inventive, although it only gets a start in this first book in a trilogy. I was very intrigued by the magic aspects, and look forward to learning more about it in the rest of the story as the rest of the books play out.
The characters were very diverse, and each of the main characters have plenty of personality. They are all very different, and their differences add to the enjoyment of the reader as the plot plays out and highlights the differences in how these people respond to the events that are taking place around them.
I liked this, and will read the rest of the trilogy. I'm anxious to see what happens to these characters as the story continues.
maggie_the_reader's review
4.0
A well told story with a great deal of visual appeal. The magical system is interesting and the villains compelling. A great last read of the year.
lsneal's review against another edition
2.0
There was a lot going on in this book, and a lot of the period detail I enjoyed from the Vampire Empire series by the same authors, but somehow I never connected with the characters like I did with Gareth and Adele from VE.
jstudes's review against another edition
3.0
So much of this worked well for me even though I'm not a die-hard steampunk fan. Nick opening his eyes to the need to make more of himself. Penny's gadgets, Malcom's gruff leadership. I adore Kate's alchemy knowledge, brainy demeanor, protective nature towards her sister. So yeah, the characters are great and 90% of the story was totally on-pace. Then you get to the very end and Nick's mentor leaves without a satisfactory explanation... Felt like the steam ran out. Perhaps more of him later but IDK if I'll finish the series.