A Book Obsession..: Shaedes of Gray (Early Review)

Shaedes of Gray (Early Review)

, by Kt Clapsadl

Shaedes of Gray by Amanda Bonilla

Shaedes Assassin #1

In the shadows of the night, Darian has lived alone for almost a century. Made and abandoned by her former love, Darian is the last of her kind-an immortal Shaede who can slip into darkness as easily as breathing. With no one else to rely on, she has taught herself how to survive, using her unique skills to become a deadly assassin.

When Darian's next mark turns out to be Xander Peck, King of the Shaede Nation, her whole worldview is thrown into question. Darian begins to wonder if she's taken on more than her conscience will allow. But a good assassin never leaves a job unfinished...

Darian is an immortal Shaede who can slip into shadow at will. She wasn't always this way, she used to be human. But her former lover changed her, and then abandoned her, making her believe she was the last of her kind. She did what she had to in order to survive and is now an assassin who never misses her mark. However, things get a little sticky when her latest job leads her to not only others like herself, but the very King of her species. Her entire world view is turned upside down as she is thrown into a nefarious plot with all sides clambering to claim her for her own. Trouble is, she vowed to never be controlled ever again, and she isn't about to start now.

I absolutely loved Darian's character. Yes in the beginning she is extremely arrogant and quite overconfident. However, even as she gets knocked down a few pegs by all that she didn't know, she never really loses that iron will. She goes through an incredible character growth as she stumbles upon all the lies she has been told, and for once in her life starts to make choices based on knowledge rather than ignorance. Of course she still has a lot of her independent nature, making it next to impossible for her to accept help when she needs it. But even there, by the end of the book she had made huge strides as she started to open herself up, making me love her even more.

There were stirrings of a love triangle possibility, although if you ask me I don't think one of them stands a snowball's chance. I just wasn't feeling anything than a desire for possession from the new guy. Definitely a turn off. On the other side of things, the sexual tension between Darian and the original guy was practically off the charts, even if she was in denial about it all. To be honest, I don't blame her one bit for being so wary and for trying to keep her distance from everyone. After all the lies she has been fed, along with everyone seeming to have an agenda to use her for themselves, it's a wonder she is able to feel anything at all besides anger and resentment. But somehow, something does slowly grow in the romance department. Of course, these obstacles, both emotional and physical, once overcome will make the final romance all the more meaningful and gratifying in the end. If something comes easily and never has to be fought for, you can't truly appreciate it. Trust me, Darian will fully appreciate everything in her relationship when all is said and done because nothing is going to come easy here. I just can't wait to see how things turn out!

As much as I loved Shaedes of Gray, there was a part of the book that became incredibly confusing for me. I was following everything well, reveling in learning everything right alongside Darian. However, in the last third of the book prophecies started getting sprouted and a whole bunch of other reveals were made, leading up to the big final fight. Unfortunately everything seemed too jumbled together and I got lost. I'm still really not sure what was going on and why certain events happened. Although, to be honest I don't think Darian or her allies have much of a clue either. It was just a little bit of a let down since I had been completely immersed into the book prior to that point, and the confusion drew me out a little. Perhaps the next installment will make things a little more clear, and in the grand scheme of things it really is only a small complaint. All in all, Shaedes of Gray is a great debut that is completely fresh and original, a rare find in the Urban Fantasy genre. I eagerly await the next installment, and I highly recommend it!

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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