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booshort's review
4.0
I surprisingly really liked this book. Looking back on it, I can't remember why I only gave it 4 stars, but there must be an important reason.
I found this book at my bookstore under the 'New Releases' sign and I was intrigued by the cover, cause let's be serious, we all judge new books by their cover. I read the synopsis and was even more interested.
Let's just do a quick check on what this book has to offer:
Space. Check.
Badass heroines. Check.
A rag tag team of misfits. Check.
A prince love interest. Check.
A mind altering disease that causes awesome powers but also crazy hallucinations that's plaguing the universe. Oh sweet that's here too.
I found this book at my bookstore under the 'New Releases' sign and I was intrigued by the cover, cause let's be serious, we all judge new books by their cover. I read the synopsis and was even more interested.
Let's just do a quick check on what this book has to offer:
Space. Check.
Badass heroines. Check.
A rag tag team of misfits. Check.
A prince love interest. Check.
A mind altering disease that causes awesome powers but also crazy hallucinations that's plaguing the universe. Oh sweet that's here too.
ijill14's review
DNF @ 30%.
I spent most of my time reading this book either confused, a bit bored, or trying to figure out who was speaking. First person Sci-Fi books are just not my thing, apparently.
I spent most of my time reading this book either confused, a bit bored, or trying to figure out who was speaking. First person Sci-Fi books are just not my thing, apparently.
memoryoflife's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book actually has some significance to me; it was the very first book I ever got in my first book box! I was subscribed to LitJoy Crate back in 2017, and this was the book I got in their March box. So when I decided to re-read it after six years, I was equal parts excited and nervous. Would this book hold up? After all, I had originally read it when I was fifteen; this year, I'll be turning twenty-one in June.
Well, I'm rather pleased to report that "Shadow Run" has held up! In a way, it felt like going into it blind because my poor memory meant that I didn't remember much of the book, if anything at all. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this from start to end.
This book's strength is definitely in its characters. The two main protagonists, Nev and Qole, are equally intriguing, with plenty of depth to their personalities. They're not perfect; both of them make mistakes, or lash out, or allow their emotions to get the better of them... but that makes them all the more endearing.
In particular,Nev went through more character development by having his entire worldview challenged; he had to come to the realisation that his family deceived and manipulated him to further goals that he was explicitly against, something that led to him finally choosing to stand for what he believes is right, and go against them. Which was extremely compelling to me; it's not an easy thing to do, to turn your back on everything that once made up who you were, but he does it in the end. In contrast, Qole doesn't go through as massive a journey as Nev — though that's like comparing apples to massive watermelons; they're not exactly the most comparable. I think Qole's journey was more focused on her mysterious Shadow affinity, something deadly that could kill her or drive her insane, but something uniquely hers anyways. And another part of it was... learning to open up, I think. To trust her crew more, to trust Nev, a complete stranger, more. Which was absolutely lovely to see.
In addition, I felt like their relationship developed really well throughout the course of the plot; it felt natural and earned, and I was rooting for them by the very end. Though with that said, I do have one rather big nitpick. The authors often wrote in one-liners around the start of their relationship with observations that felt really... unnecessary. Things like calling a character handsome or cute, and then immediately wondering why you thought of that. Or a character noticing another character looks really good, or smells nice, or that their warm touch feels pleasant, and then also immediately flustering with embarrassment and breaking off. It feels especially out of place during the first part of "Shadow Run" becauseQole and Nev barely know each other when these observations begin to creep in. You're telling me that, while they're both still hostile to each other (because Nev tried to kidnap Qole), Qole suddenly thinks Nev looks good? Or that his warmth feels nice? That she's suddenly embarrassed around him? It just feels odd and jarring. Thankfully, the relationship manages to eek past this issue; the two of them do have scenes where they bond properly, and their relationship shifts into proper territory instead of weird, off-putting observations and reactions. But it was still enough of an issue for me that I was complaining about it to a friend while reading the first half of the story.
Going back to the characters, the side characters are all extremely strong. I genuinely got invested in them all — Arjan, Eton, Telu and Basra. I do wish that Telu got some more development and screentime compared to everyone else, but I still found her extremely endearing! Honestly, they all felt like a genuinely amazing found family along with Qole, and none of them felt grating or boring to read. I think my favourite side character is Basra for sure;he shines like crazy in the last act of the book, where he whips out the revelation that he's the 13th iteration of the galaxy's richest investor, and then uses that knowledge to help get Arjan back, and stop the Dracortes from, well... continuing to torture him? Slaughtering everyone? Both of those things. It's basically the "stoic/not very emotional character tears everything apart to save the one person they love" trope, and my god, it is a trope I am WEAK for. Basra single-handedly brought the book up from 3.75 to a solid 4 stars, turning the last act into an extremely enjoyable ride.
But yeah! I genuinely enjoyed reading Shadow Run. I love all of these characters, and I'm excited to get through the second book. I don't usually gravitate to Sci-Fi, so I'm genuinely pleased when I enjoy a book of that genre.
Well, I'm rather pleased to report that "Shadow Run" has held up! In a way, it felt like going into it blind because my poor memory meant that I didn't remember much of the book, if anything at all. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this from start to end.
This book's strength is definitely in its characters. The two main protagonists, Nev and Qole, are equally intriguing, with plenty of depth to their personalities. They're not perfect; both of them make mistakes, or lash out, or allow their emotions to get the better of them... but that makes them all the more endearing.
In particular,
In addition, I felt like their relationship developed really well throughout the course of the plot; it felt natural and earned, and I was rooting for them by the very end. Though with that said, I do have one rather big nitpick. The authors often wrote in one-liners around the start of their relationship with observations that felt really... unnecessary. Things like calling a character handsome or cute, and then immediately wondering why you thought of that. Or a character noticing another character looks really good, or smells nice, or that their warm touch feels pleasant, and then also immediately flustering with embarrassment and breaking off. It feels especially out of place during the first part of "Shadow Run" because
Going back to the characters, the side characters are all extremely strong. I genuinely got invested in them all — Arjan, Eton, Telu and Basra. I do wish that Telu got some more development and screentime compared to everyone else, but I still found her extremely endearing! Honestly, they all felt like a genuinely amazing found family along with Qole, and none of them felt grating or boring to read. I think my favourite side character is Basra for sure;
But yeah! I genuinely enjoyed reading Shadow Run. I love all of these characters, and I'm excited to get through the second book. I don't usually gravitate to Sci-Fi, so I'm genuinely pleased when I enjoy a book of that genre.
jacquibear's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.75
book_whispers's review
2.0
HER SHIP. HIS PLAN. THEIR SURVIVAL.Those were the only words I knew from the cover and that this was supposed to be some kind of “Firefly” YA mash up. So . . . this book went the average route and I'm disappointed. Though now reading the official synopsis I see the argument for reading the synopsis for books one is excited about. That's always a tough call. Because sometimes you want to be totally surprised by the awesome excitement, hopefully originality, ahead of you.
That said I loved-loved-loved the cast of characters!!! Sure they're all kind of standard to a degree. The coolest character is Basra who is gender fluid and we're never given which sex he truly belongs to. What we do know is that Basra is a badass and since this is clearly the first book in a series (literally the Goodreads page was just updated to series) I need more details darn it!! It was so cruel that Basra wasn't given more page time. (Okay, he/she does have quite a bit, but I wanted more. Then there's Arjan, the poor brother of Qole who is really not given . . . much of anything. Poor guy. Muscle Eton. Computer hack extraordinaire Telu. Nev our handsome prince. Qole the awesome captain!
It's odd to think that despite the character development saving this standard sci-fi for me, the characters are stereotypical. Actually quite a few of the characters could have used more work.
At least Nev really worked as the Prince. Because he wasn't some brooding face that made the lead simper or lose her mind over his good looks. Though he is good looking. Instead he's hopeful and witty. Wow, role reversal! I enjoyed not having a broody male lead for once! Thank you. He stayed awesome even when faced with the reality of his families corruption. (Please, that's not any kind of spoiler.)
Cole is the broody one and a totally awesome Captain of Kaitan Heritage. She's broody and pretty cool. Huh, I just now realized that those are the key points. She's a nice lead. Though now I realize that I read Shadow Run for Nev and Barsa.
Well. This is awkward. Besides some fun humor and Nev and Barsa, oh and Telu's clever comments I didn't like too many other aspects of Shadow Run. I was disappointed by the predictable plot. The romance happened just like it "should". Really I wouldn't liken Shadow Run to Firefly even for the humor. Which I did really enjoy. In the end I probably will check out the next book for more Nev and definitely for more Barsa. Which would mean poor Arjan will—should—actually get some time to become developed and out from the role of Qole's brother.
In the end I will be checking out the next book for Nev, but truly Basra.
Sexual Content: There is a gender fluid character so there might be some homosexual relationship. Mild kissing and mild sexual humor. Really this book is pretty clean. There's some class/caste issues and human rights.
2/5 - It's rough, but there's still some hope.
Originally reviewed at Book Whispers.
leahkarge's review
5.0
***I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.***
SUMMARY:
Qole Uvgamut pilots a ship and, along with her family and friends, fishes for and harnesses the volatile energy, called Shadow, that permeates the atmosphere in the galaxy around her planet. She doesn't just gather it for sale--Qole comes from a long line of people with an affinity for personally accessing the Shadow.
Nevarian Dracorte is a prince, heir to his family's throne. He's sent to retrieve Qole by any means necessary in order to bring her to his home so that they may study the different uses for Shadow.
When a rival family tries to kidnap Qole, the two are forced to work together. Eventually, they make it back to Nev's kingdom, but his family's intentions are not as well meaning as he's long thought.
---------
REVIEW:
SHADOW RUN is an action-packed adventure from the very first page. Intrigue and mystery are the name of the game, leaving you on the edge of your seat and flipping pages even more rapidly with with every passing scene. While some plot may have been a tad predictable, it did not detract from how enjoyable the overall story was, and in fact, these instances lull you into a sense of complacency, thinking you know where something's headed, before coming at you with a wallop of a twist.
Also, this book has essentially everything I love: ragtag group of people forming a found family; space travel; a cinnamon roll boy and a badass, strong, intelligent girl falling for each other; snarky banter; slow burn romance; morality battles; a genderfluid babe and his queer lover; inexplicably strong supernatural abilities; and more!
I'm so intrigued by the Shadow and Qole's ability to access the energy's power, and I cannot wait to see how Strickland and Miller will expand on the characters finding answers. Basra and Arjan are my everything, individually and together. Telu is my small child that I want only good things for, and I'm looking forward to more of grumpy Eton and his endless cache of weapons. And Nev, my prince, I am excited and nervous to see where he'll go from here, after the events of the last few chapters. I want to know everything.
SUMMARY:
Qole Uvgamut pilots a ship and, along with her family and friends, fishes for and harnesses the volatile energy, called Shadow, that permeates the atmosphere in the galaxy around her planet. She doesn't just gather it for sale--Qole comes from a long line of people with an affinity for personally accessing the Shadow.
Nevarian Dracorte is a prince, heir to his family's throne. He's sent to retrieve Qole by any means necessary in order to bring her to his home so that they may study the different uses for Shadow.
When a rival family tries to kidnap Qole, the two are forced to work together. Eventually, they make it back to Nev's kingdom, but his family's intentions are not as well meaning as he's long thought.
---------
REVIEW:
SHADOW RUN is an action-packed adventure from the very first page. Intrigue and mystery are the name of the game, leaving you on the edge of your seat and flipping pages even more rapidly with with every passing scene. While some plot may have been a tad predictable, it did not detract from how enjoyable the overall story was, and in fact, these instances lull you into a sense of complacency, thinking you know where something's headed, before coming at you with a wallop of a twist.
Also, this book has essentially everything I love: ragtag group of people forming a found family; space travel; a cinnamon roll boy and a badass, strong, intelligent girl falling for each other; snarky banter; slow burn romance; morality battles; a genderfluid babe and his queer lover; inexplicably strong supernatural abilities; and more!
I'm so intrigued by the Shadow and Qole's ability to access the energy's power, and I cannot wait to see how Strickland and Miller will expand on the characters finding answers. Basra and Arjan are my everything, individually and together. Telu is my small child that I want only good things for, and I'm looking forward to more of grumpy Eton and his endless cache of weapons. And Nev, my prince, I am excited and nervous to see where he'll go from here, after the events of the last few chapters. I want to know everything.
shereen42's review
3.0
Interesting world and characters, diverse cast, turned white savior complex on its head a bit.
booksandpops4000's review
4.0
I thought this was such a fun science fiction adventure. I really enjoyed the duel pOV for this story and also the complex world building. I thought the crew of this novel was a true highlight. I was equally invested in both POV characters. I really loved how complex this story was but also how easy it was to follow this story. It was such a fun adventure. I really loved also how the aspect of morally gray actions occurred. I really am so excited for book 2. It was a fast pace read and it i really loved all the characters. I just wanted a moments for the world building to be a tad clearer but I am hoping this occurs more in book 2!
marie_lrj's review
I tried, I really did. Three times, but I was just. So. Bored. Finally decided not to waste my time. DNF.
miss_alaina's review
3.0
After reading this book, I must admit that I'm still not sure what shadow is and I cannot visualize how they fish for it. I enjoyed this book overall, especially Basra, but it took me a while to get into it. There's a whole lot of new sci-fi terms to learn and not a whole lot of great explaining happening. I am, in general, really tired of stories where a teenager is the super duper best at something, but I still found this to be an enjoyable book and I like Qole as a character.
What I really need is more Basra, though.
What I really need is more Basra, though.