A Tempest of Shadows by Jane Washington
Blurb
I was born with a curse that spun a violent storm around me, seizing every beautiful and fragile thing that flittered into my life, tearing it all from my grasp as effortlessly as the wings of a butterfly are torn from its body.
Or so I thought, anyway.
It all changed when they came for me, when they dragged me to trial for my crimes. I should have faced execution, but fate is a fickle and funny thing, taunting me with the knowledge that I was always destined to be so much more.
They know it: the five great masters who took control of my life, and now fight for control over my soul.
He knows it, as well. The golden-eyed warrior whose fate is tied horribly and inexplicably with mine.
From the great cliffs to the wide, violent ocean, they shadow my steps. From the perfumed halls to the quiet, dusty rooms, they push my every limit in cruel and unrelenting ways.
Because we all know…
There is something evil taking root deep beneath the earth, a horror growing behind every shadow, a disease clawing into our midst, the end of the world as we know it drawing close enough to spot on the horizon.
The darkness is coming.
And I might be the only one who can stop it.
My Review
I'll start with Jane Washington is a truly talented and incredible author. There's no question in her credibility to write a creative story. I absolutely loved her Curse of the Gods series and would recommend you read that if you haven't already.
However, this book is darker and a little twisted which made my stomach turn a couple of times. It does need a trigger warning (non-consensual sex) that is not in the author's note. I feel it's important to let the readers know.
In this book, Jane Washington has created not one but three worlds with characters that have powerful abilities, languages that are new and ancient, and a darkness that has come to end it all. It's a lot. Combine that with a fast pace right from the start and it made it a little confusing, hard to follow, and information overload for the brain. Where she made quick strokes to paint the picture with details, I would have loved to have longer strokes that made me feel the depth of it all.
The biggest place I wished she would have slowed down and spent more time on was the development of relationships between Lavenia (heroine), the 5 Masters, and The Captain. There was no real depth here which resulted in an absence of any real romance. I believe the romance is suppose to between Lavenia and The Captain but I just didn't feel the connection. I also believe the male characters hold a lot of answers to Lavenia's story and maybe the author is holding back so not give it all away. Allowing the first book to be mainly setup. I'll be honest and say there's a part of me that is wishing this is a reverse harem (it's not stated in the author's note) because why have the other 5 Masters making claims on her. Why are they involved? Some scenes seemed to have a hint to it. I don't know. I need more. I need more emotion and feelings.
I know I'll get my answers but now I have to be patient and wait until the next book. This is the hardest part of starting a series.
Rating: 4 stars
Recommend: Yes
Books in the series
