Review by felishacb - Shade Spells with Strangers

felishacb 's review for:

Shade Spells with Strangers by S.O. Callahan, Sarah Wallace

3.0

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The relationship between Keelan and Silas starts out with a fiery one-night stand that lacks care and aftercare. They run into each other later as part of the human-fae committee working on the new rubric discussed in the first and second books in this series.

If you get to 50%, you'll see their relationship start to build and get to enjoy a softer side of their love. You do have to endure a lot of mid side characters and their romances.

Keelan is insufferable and, as other reviews state, passive to the point of annoyance. I've read historical books where characters feel pressured into marriage, but they normally have some (perceived) choice. Despite having money and class in a queer-normative world, Keelan acts like he has no agency

to the point that he almost marries a woman who is cruel and power-hungry (like his mother).

The audio narrator for this one was not my favorite, esp with half of the characters. There was also inconsistency with characters' voices.

I like this world, but my favorite remains Breezespells.

Content Warnings