Review: A great choice for YA readers who love fantasy
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 18, 2014
Shadow Fire is a unique new YA fantasy, where magic and monsters come together to create a dangerous world.Ashlyn has been chosen by her village to go on a quest to find an ancient stolen statue that will save her world. She is accompanied by a handsome mercenary named Zane, who vows to protect her at any cost. Together, they face horrible monsters and dark magic on their quest.The negatives:Focus on Zane and Ashlyn.While I really loved Zane and Ashlyn together, I thought the first half of the book focused just a little too much on their growing relationship. They spend most of the first half of the book passionately kissing (and moaning, etc. - and often wishing they could do more - I thought the book was going to head into NA territory sometimes, but the fact that Ashlyn had to remain "pure" for their quest kept it all YA appropriate). Since there was no real tension or conflict to their relationship, I actually got a little bit bored with the passionate scenes - I found myself thinking, "Yep, they like each other (oh, sorry, love each other), and they really like to kiss a lot. Got it. I'm ready to move on." Luckily, the second half of the book picked up quite a bit and the true plot got underway.Modern dialogue.For a fantasy story in a somewhat medieval setting, the dialogue in this book occasionally felt a bit too modern. This might be a bit nit-picky, but it took me out of the story from time to time.What I loved:The worldbuilding.I thought that Wheaton created an incredibly intriguing world with its own complex history and magic. I especially loved the inventiveness behind the monsters that Zane and Ashlyn often encountered while on their perilous journey. I also enjoyed the magic element to the story, and loved pretty much any part of the book where magic was the focus.Ashlyn and Zane.Like I said, while my personal preference would have been a little less of a focus on the budding romance between these two in the first half of the book, it's not because I didn't like them - or because I didn't like them together. Ashlyn was a strong character who could take care of herself. She was adept with a bow and arrow and found that she also had a strong magical ability. There were definitely times where she let Zane protect her when she probably didn't need to, but there were plenty of times where she stepped up and saved the day herself. Zane was everything you could wish for in a book boyfriend - strong and handsome and devoted to his paramour, but sometimes vulnerable. And I did appreciate that Wheaton kept her book clean without making her characters seem chaste - this is actually perfect for YA readers. (Characters who show self-control! Yay!)Taranis.This cheeky pirate popped up in the last third or so of the book. At first it seemed that Wheaton was aiming for a love triangle, but luckily things between Ashlyn and Taranis never got beyond flirtatious banter. Taranis was my favorite character in the book - his sometimes goofy antics were refreshing, and he was just an incredibly likable guy (he was sort of a pirate with a heart of gold). I kind of hope that we'll be seeing more of Taranis in future books!The second half.The second half of this book really picked up for me. This is where the plot really thickened and we started to get a sense of real danger and excitement from Zane and Ashlyn's journey. The last third, especially, was full of twists and turns and lots of action and adventure!I think that Shadow Fire is a great choice for YA readers who enjoy fantasy. I love that each installment in this series is a standalone story (no cliffhangers!). I give this book 3.5/5 stars.***Disclosure: This book was provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given. All opinions are my own***