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A review by booksandjules
Shadow & Storms by Helen Scheuerer
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
2 / 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
This series ending was extremely underwhelming. I knew it would be difficult for the author to follow “Fate & Furies” I just didn’t realize it would be quite so disappointing.
The main theme of this last book was plot holes, unanswered questions, and just lackluster conclusions.
⚠️(MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD)⚠️
My main gripe with this book is regarding the banished female Warswords of Thezmarr; they show up to help prevent the realm from falling to evil and darkness after being MIA for over 30 years. So if you’re like me, you wanted some interaction with them, maybe a little bit of information regarding what they’ve been up to, just something! But no. We see them in the final battle, they kick ass, and we never hear about them again. Thea never talks to them, we don’t find out where they were the past 30 years, where they are going after the battle, nothing. Just “they came, they conquered, they left”. No closure, no explanation, not details, nothing.
Jasira being the real villain was a neat plot twist, albeit predictable, but she had shallow motivations for her use of unmatched power other than an unresolved inferiority complex and daddy issues. Kind of lame to be honest, but entertaining. Like, I don’t know why she would even want to live in a world of shadows and darkness other than to prove that she could. Seems kinda dumb to me…
I also hated how quickly Wilder’s trauma from the Scarlett Tower was resolved and overlooked. There were a handful of chapters where he would disassociate, question his reality, and pull away from the group, but one good romp in the sheets and he was good a new. Mkay…
Anya being the Embervale sister that was fated to die at 27 was honestly a plot twist I didn’t see coming, but felt appropriate yet devastating. All the sisters had just found each other only to be torn apart again, this time permanently. Dratos’s response to her passing was heart wrenching and unexpected. I would love for him to get a spinoff story.
One positive plot point of this story was the prelude to Wren and Torj’s lovestory; his storm-touched transformation was super cool and unexpected, even though it felt like a scene from an Avengers movie. I can’t wait for their spinoff story/series.
Overall, I enjoyed this series. The ending was good/happy, just a bit unsatisfying for me personally. I would still recommend it if you’re fans of The Witcher and Shadow and Bone, because this series is basically their love child
2 / 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
This series ending was extremely underwhelming. I knew it would be difficult for the author to follow “Fate & Furies” I just didn’t realize it would be quite so disappointing.
The main theme of this last book was plot holes, unanswered questions, and just lackluster conclusions.
⚠️(MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD)⚠️
My main gripe with this book is regarding the banished female Warswords of Thezmarr; they show up to help prevent the realm from falling to evil and darkness after being MIA for over 30 years. So if you’re like me, you wanted some interaction with them, maybe a little bit of information regarding what they’ve been up to, just something! But no. We see them in the final battle, they kick ass, and we never hear about them again. Thea never talks to them, we don’t find out where they were the past 30 years, where they are going after the battle, nothing. Just “they came, they conquered, they left”. No closure, no explanation, not details, nothing.
Jasira being the real villain was a neat plot twist, albeit predictable, but she had shallow motivations for her use of unmatched power other than an unresolved inferiority complex and daddy issues. Kind of lame to be honest, but entertaining. Like, I don’t know why she would even want to live in a world of shadows and darkness other than to prove that she could. Seems kinda dumb to me…
I also hated how quickly Wilder’s trauma from the Scarlett Tower was resolved and overlooked. There were a handful of chapters where he would disassociate, question his reality, and pull away from the group, but one good romp in the sheets and he was good a new. Mkay…
Anya being the Embervale sister that was fated to die at 27 was honestly a plot twist I didn’t see coming, but felt appropriate yet devastating. All the sisters had just found each other only to be torn apart again, this time permanently. Dratos’s response to her passing was heart wrenching and unexpected. I would love for him to get a spinoff story.
One positive plot point of this story was the prelude to Wren and Torj’s lovestory; his storm-touched transformation was super cool and unexpected, even though it felt like a scene from an Avengers movie. I can’t wait for their spinoff story/series.
Overall, I enjoyed this series. The ending was good/happy, just a bit unsatisfying for me personally. I would still recommend it if you’re fans of The Witcher and Shadow and Bone, because this series is basically their love child