Review: The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski + Giveaway

26 September, 2012 Giveaways, Reviews 42 comments

These days, every time I go to pick up another Paranormal Romance, I know I’ll end up with some form of vampire, werewolf, zombie or ghost. And while there is nothing wrong any of those types of characters, it tends to get a little “tell me something I don’t know, would ya?” I wanted something different, creative and imaginative. So when I first discovered The Shadow Society, I was really excited to read a novel that featured an entirely new Paranormal creature: Shades, children of the shadows (badass tagline, right?).

Now even though in my bio it says I love reading Paranormal Romances, I am so picky with that genre because it has the biggest habit of falling into tropes that either annoy me or disturb me. At first I thought that would be The Shadow Society’s fate as well. When our main character, Darcy, an orphan with a mysterious past, meets the new boy at school, Conn, they lock eyes and she finds herself thinking about him from that point forward. Do you see where this could have gone? Straight to my Did Not Finish list, that’s where. But then I noticed something. Darcy and Conn started spending good, ol’ fashion time together, getting to know each other without claiming their undying love. And just when I thought this would be a simple cutesy novel, betrayals, revelations, and mysteries ensue and I found myself wrapped up in the plot.

If there is one thing that I have to commend Rutkoski on, it’s how the novel is crafted around one real life story involving a knife and a fish tank. When Darcy discovers that she is really a Shade from an alternate dimension and that her kind are terrorists, she is heartbroken. All her life she has wanted to know about her past she couldn’t seem to remember, but the longer she spends in the alternate division the more she discovers that it’s filled with more that just shadows. I could easily sympathize with Darcy and loved how the book was told through her point-of-view. She doesn’t always make the best decisions in the novel, but unlike other heroines, I have to give her credit for trying to fix her mistakes.

The highlight of the novel is easily the secondary characters. They were hilarious with vibrant personalities, especially Jims. I LOVED him so hard. I only wish I could have seen a lot more of him and Darcy’s friends. Conn, the love interest, was a confusing character for majority of the novel. It’s understandable given his role in the plot (which I won’t spoil for you even if you beg!), but it made it harder to connect with him. However, I did enjoy the romance and readers can rest assured that insta-love is absent from The Shadow Society. And while it is an important factor in the story, it never drove the plot, which I liked.

Of course, this isn’t a perfect novel. There were a few times where the story did slow down significantly and while I wasn’t bored, it could be an issue for other readers. I also found the third boy’s romantic interests in Darcy a bit unnecessary. She already had two admirers, one who reminded me of Blake from Onyx (if you’ve read Onyx, you’ll know that isn’t a compliment to that character), and Conn, the good guy. And no, there wasn’t a love triangle. Then there was the issue of the friends somehow finding the alternate dimension and making a life there in such a short amount of time. But when Jims referred to himself as “Daddy,” I quickly let that little issue slide. LOL. And finally, I felt that the ending’s resolution ended a little too swiftly for my liking after so much build-up.

If someone were to ask me if I’d recommend The Shadow Society, I think I would tell them to sample the first few chapters first. The Shadow Society gives me the same feelings Throne of Glass did in that it’s very readable with an interesting premise. It won’t change your life, but being a standalone read, it works well for one of those rainy days where you want to read something a little lighter with a satisfying ending.

ARC was provided by Macmillan. Thank you!

 

 

Giveaway

We are giving away one ARC of The Shadow Society!

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42 Responses to “Review: The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski + Giveaway”

  3. Ciuva

    I’ve never heard of this book before, but it definitely sounds interesting. I love stories with alternate dimensions or “the world is not like you know it.” And I just love the cover 🙂

  4. Samantha Marie

    Shades, chil­dren of the shad­ows (badass tagline, right?)Badass indeed..Going to Amazon to see if I can grab the first few pages with a fancy look inside 

  5. LeeLou

    I have not heard of this book before. Thank you for this review, the book looks exciting. Thank you for this giveaway!

  6. GabyLafara

    I haven’t heard of this either, thanks for the giveaway and the chance to  get to read this book.

  8. bamayankee

    I cannot wait to read this book, it sounds so good! Thanks for the giveaway : ) 

  9. Erika

    This looks very good and is new to me.  Thanks for the introduction and giveaway!

  11. BrandyDing

    Good review I am excited to read this book… Also loved your Leigh Bardugo interview!

  13. deadtossedwaves

    I’ve been keeping my eye on this book for a few weeks. Sounds really promising!

  16. Georgiabb6

    This book sounds interesting, I’d love to chech it out. Thanks for the giveaway!

  17. Georgiabb6

    This book sounds interesting, I’d love to check it out! Thanks for the giveaway!

  18. Kara_M

    I have this ARC coming up for review soon. Glad you sort of liked it, Steph. That’s always a good sign! 🙂 I am looking forward to it more now.

  19. MaiaOV

    i like the sound of this! and you just reminded me to finish onyx- i have a habbit of starting a few books at once :S

  21. AnimeGirlAlex

    Well, I’m basically paranormal-ed out, but the story sounds pretty good, though I’m not sure I would pick it up, just on an overload basis 😀 

  23. erinf1

    thanks for a great post and giveaway! This book sounds very interesting 🙂

  24. Anna

    Ah awesome review! I’ve been wondering if this one was worth picking up, I mean I really want to read it, but this is the first review I’ve seen. So good job! 😀 I’ll be looking out for this one! 
     
    Anna
    <a href=”http://www.literaryexploration.com”>Literary Exploration</a>

  25. Lisa FicTalk

    I’m a lover of PNR myself so when you say that you’re picky, I know what you mean.
     
    This sounds just okay to me, not really feeling it as much now. At least there was no insta-love, right?
     
     

    • Stephanie Sinclair

       @Lisa FicTalk Yeah, no insta-love, though there is a bit of insta-attraction. I was a little leery at first, but I liked the way the relationship progressed. 

      • Lisa FicTalk

         @Stephanie Sinclair Insta-attraction isn’t so bad. That can happen right away but it’s usually based on looks, not whether you have something in common with tha other person. Like, I’M ATTRACTED TO YOU CUZ YOU ARE SUH HAWT! *drool* (lol)

  26. Misty32905

    really want to read this book. On all my wishlists and spoke to the author Looks great

  28. cynicalsapphire

    Sadly, I think this is the most positive review of this one I’ve seen thus far. I may end up DNFing, because the good stuff doesn’t really quite sound worth it.

      • cynicalsapphire

         @Stephanie Sinclair Oh, I haven’t started yet. This is in my NG pile of fail. I’ve stopped using NG, and, to reduce my stress levels, I’m just going to read them when convenient and not worry about it.

  31. Istalkbooks

    Thanks for the giveaway!The book sounds so good. Can’t wait to read it. 🙂 

  32. JeepinJaime

    The cover is what drew me to the story to begin with. I love it. And the premise definitely sounds interesting. But I haven’t heard the best things about it. I have heard some good things and some not so good things, and then some really crap things. And your review, which isn’t awful, but still confusing. Either way, I will have to check it out and see what I think for myself. Thanks for the giveaway! 

    • Stephanie Sinclair

       @JeepinJaime I think this is just one of those love it or hate it books. I think the very beginning may turn some readers off due to a few clichés, but it does pick up when she gets to the alternate dimension. 

  34. Danielle D

    I have been wanting to read this book, even with the mixed reviews that I have seen.  Thanks for the reivew and the giveaway

  35. _Sandra_

    I’ve heard some mixed reviews about this one, but still want to read it and found out if it’s yay or nay for me. Thanks for a chance to win it! 🙂

  36. Neyra

    Ooh Awesome! First review I read on this book! >.< I’ve had it on my tbr list for a while. Glad that there’s no insta-love and that the story is engaging! Great review Steph! 😀