Review: Pleasantly Surprised
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 12, 2014
First of all, fantasy is NOT my favorite genre. A long time ago, I read The Dresden Files because one of my friends said he refused to talk to me until I gave it a try. While not talking to him was a bit tempting, I figured that I would still go ahead and give The Dresden Files a try and I fell in love with them. I thought that nothing would ever measure up to that series. But I was pleasantly surprised with Shadow Fire. More than, actually.Right off the bat, you're thrown into Ashlyn's survival-of-the-fittest world. This amazing lady is carrying a leopard back home from her hunting trip. She had taken this beast out when it threatened her life! Can you imagine tangling with a leopard? "So what did I do today? Oh, I just took out a freaking leopard and then dragged it home. YOLO!"As messed up as this will sound ... in that first chapter, you meet a broken Ashlyn and ... I LOVE IT! She's poor and worn down and tired and victimized ... truly broken. Until she is thrown together with Zane, at least. Zane seems to complete her and the way that he was written, I can totally see it. This isn't a far-fetched tale. Sure, there's magic and weird creatures but the meat of the story, the foundation, is based on this amazing relationship that Wheaton has created for her readers. The rapport between Zane and Ashlyn really speaks volumes and I think that it is something a lot of readers will be able to connect with.Let me take a moment to clear something up. Yes, this is a series. Yes, this novel can stand alone. Now, is it truly a stand alone? Man, when I finished this, it really seemed as if everything was buttoned up pretty neatly and unless the next novel branches off to be about a secondary character (which would be totally awesome ... especially if it is' about a certain pirate ... hint hint ...). I suggest not even worrying about whether it is stand alone or not and just give it a try. You won't be disappointed.