A review by memoryoflife
Shadow Call by Michael Miller, Adrianne Strickland

adventurous emotional fast-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 was such a good read!

Right off the bat, "Shadow Call" launches straight into the action, kicking off with a first chapter from the POV of
Solara, who is set up to be the main antagonist of the book.
And it doesn't slow down from there; within a few chapters, the inciting incident has occurred, triggering a chain of events that doesn't slow down until the very end of the book. Honestly, this book was much more fast-paced than the previous one — not that that's a bad thing, by any means, merely an observation!

Much like "Shadow Run," the characters are the real highlight of the story. Since everyone has already been established in the first book, "Shadow Call" takes the time to delve deeper into the characters, exploring more of them and their backstories. I'd say everyone got a good amount of screen time, though I am a little miffed at less Basra than before — but then again,
he did have a lot to do in the final act of "Shadow Run" so I'm willing to let it slide.
Telu got some more focus, with plenty of moments spent interacting with both Qole and Nev. But it's Eton who finally gets the spotlight; the book delves into more of his backstory, a backstory I won't touch on here. But it's well worth the wait to find out more about him. Aside from that, I enjoyed
Devrak
a lot;
his presence in the story felt natural and I really liked his character.
Also,
Solara is a FANTASTIC antagonist! I enjoyed how stubborn she was, how much she worked for her own selfish gains. She felt like a genuine threat and was a great addition to the story.

I really liked how much greyer everyone’s morals felt in this book. Things like
Eton taking matters into his own hands and sabotaging Nev to save Qole, against Qole’s wishes,
but also
Nev finally internalising the lesson he rejected in the first book, that there will always be sacrifices for the greater good. In the end, the thing that makes him different from his father, from the people before him, is what he chooses to fight for — in his case, the people he loves.
In the end, it felt much more complex, and that added to my enjoyment of the novel.

One thing I appreciate is that “Shadow Call” wraps things up at the end. That’s not to say everything is done and over with; there are plenty of loose plot threads that seemed to have been setting up for a third book, one that I doubt we’ll get considering it’s been five years without another addition to the series. But the story doesn’t end on a cliffhanger. It ends with a moment of peace and tenderness, and a feeling of finality, despite the fact that there so obviously could be more. And I do truly appreciate that.