Scan barcode
A review by jennieartemis
Shadebloom by Felicia Davin
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
3.0
TL;DR: A more tightly written finale, but still with underwritten characters and fantastic elements
Compared to the slightly wobbly first two books, Shadebloom gets some things right - the style has much greater consistency, and the places the plot takes the magical powers are interesting. However, I still dislike Thiyo, who gets so much attention, and so I just can't get on board with the poly elements (not because they are poly, but because this particular set of relationships doesn't feel right to me). Iriyat, a fascinatingly complex character in book 1, gets a pretty rough deal in the narrative, which is disappointing. As we reach the climax, it is evident that the day/night world really didn't matter, nor did the magical medusas. For me, worldbuilding cannot merely be decorative, but needs to have some kind of significance. Ultimately, what I liked about this series was Alizhan, Iriyat, and to an extent Ev, but apart from the latter, none of these elements felt particularly fulfilled.
4/10 in personal rating system
Compared to the slightly wobbly first two books, Shadebloom gets some things right - the style has much greater consistency, and the places the plot takes the magical powers are interesting. However, I still dislike Thiyo, who gets so much attention, and so I just can't get on board with the poly elements (not because they are poly, but because this particular set of relationships doesn't feel right to me). Iriyat, a fascinatingly complex character in book 1, gets a pretty rough deal in the narrative, which is disappointing. As we reach the climax, it is evident that the day/night world really didn't matter, nor did the magical medusas. For me, worldbuilding cannot merely be decorative, but needs to have some kind of significance. Ultimately, what I liked about this series was Alizhan, Iriyat, and to an extent Ev, but apart from the latter, none of these elements felt particularly fulfilled.
4/10 in personal rating system