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A review by sarahrosebooks
Shadowblade by Anna Kashina
2.0
This was a strange one. Strange in that it was compulsively readable, but also incredibly predictable, with bland characters and no real tension or conflict.
The main character, Naia, was intriguing at first, which is why I kept reading, but she ends up being one of those characters that defeats every obstacle put in front of her. She also falls for the first guy who is even remotely nice to her. The author takes care to note that she's not incredibly beautiful, but most men seem to fawn over her anyway.
Her Super Specialness is joined by Jai Karrim, a shadowblade who helps Naia at the start of the book, and after spending one day with her decides she's the best thing since sliced bread and he wants her. Likewise for Naia. Apparently all you need is one day to become obsessed with someone.
The two spend very little time together, but at the first opportunity jump into bed together and declare their undying love for each other after virtually no time spent together (despite it being over three years since their first meeting). I felt no real chemistry, no build up, no getting to know each other, no nothing. The romance is just there for the sake of it, and it annoyed the hell out of me. I don't mind a well-written romance in a fantasy story, but I hate insta-love romances that are just there for the sake of it.
The plot was completely predictable, to the point where I knew who the villain was almost straight away. As stated before, Naia overcomes what little obstacles appear in her way with little effort, mostly because other people swarm around her to make the journey she has incredibly easy. Naia is also gullible enough to believe everything she's told, which is one of her only faults, really.
The writing was okay, enough to keep me reading, but as said before, I wasn't really enamoured with any of the characters, I predicted the plot, the romance was bland and uninteresting a bit insta-lovey for my tastes, and the ending fell a bit flat.
I should probably note that one of the few good points about this, apart from how readable it was, was the whole 'atmosphere' - set in a desert-like world, it seems to take inspiration from various cultures, and this too made me want to keep reading. I liked the world, what little we saw of it, and I wished the rest of the story could have made it worth my while to keep reading this one.
Overall, I wouldn't really recommend this an outstanding fantasy story - there are much better ones out there. It can pass away a day or so if you've nothing better to do, though.
The main character, Naia, was intriguing at first, which is why I kept reading, but she ends up being one of those characters that defeats every obstacle put in front of her
Spoiler
and only ends up being bettered by hypnosis, and even that doesn't entirely work on herHer Super Specialness is joined by Jai Karrim, a shadowblade who helps Naia at the start of the book, and after spending one day with her decides she's the best thing since sliced bread and he wants her. Likewise for Naia. Apparently all you need is one day to become obsessed with someone.
The two spend very little time together, but at the first opportunity jump into bed together and declare their undying love for each other after virtually no time spent together (despite it being over three years since their first meeting). I felt no real chemistry, no build up, no getting to know each other, no nothing. The romance is just there for the sake of it, and it annoyed the hell out of me. I don't mind a well-written romance in a fantasy story, but I hate insta-love romances that are just there for the sake of it.
The plot was completely predictable, to the point where I knew who the villain was almost straight away. As stated before, Naia overcomes what little obstacles appear in her way with little effort, mostly because other people swarm around her to make the journey she has incredibly easy. Naia is also gullible enough to believe everything she's told, which is one of her only faults, really.
The writing was okay, enough to keep me reading, but as said before, I wasn't really enamoured with any of the characters, I predicted the plot, the romance was bland and uninteresting a bit insta-lovey for my tastes, and the ending fell a bit flat.
I should probably note that one of the few good points about this, apart from how readable it was, was the whole 'atmosphere' - set in a desert-like world, it seems to take inspiration from various cultures, and this too made me want to keep reading. I liked the world, what little we saw of it, and I wished the rest of the story could have made it worth my while to keep reading this one.
Overall, I wouldn't really recommend this an outstanding fantasy story - there are much better ones out there. It can pass away a day or so if you've nothing better to do, though.