I absolutely loved this book. I love faerie lore (both traditional and reimagined in a second world setting), and Shadowfell is full of faerie creatures. While there are your more well-known creatures like will-o-wisps, pixies, brownies, and redcaps, there were a few new ones to me, such as the stanie mon, brollochan, and urisk. Probably my favorite was the Guardian of the South, a trickster figure of fire that can shift between an old man, a young boy, and a fierce warrior. He definitely reminded me of Loki, and I’m anticipating reading more about him as the series goes on.
In addition to the lore, the world building was very imaginative. I love anything with rebels working to undermine corrupt leaders. While the main bad guy (who is mentioned but does not yet appear in this book) was almost a bit too evil (I prefer more morally gray bad guys), I appreciated that the author made it clear that not all of his Enforcers are entirely corrupt. I also appreciated the nuance of the common folk. Some are fearful and quick to betray their neighbors to survive another day, while others are willing to stand up for what’s right, even if that means being cut down (and it almost always does in this world).
The romance was a slow burn, which is exactly how I like it. I feel that Neryn and Flint truly build up a camaraderie over time, even though they both have difficulty trusting the other and opening up too much. I especially love how Flint cares for Neryn through a life-threatening illness and nurses her back to health. This even involves him feeding her, bathing her, and helping her to use the bathroom. As embarrassing as such a situation can be, true love requires the other person to see you are your weakest and most helpless.
Normally I find characters who are fated/chosen to be heroes annoying as a trope. However, it was well-executed in this book. While Neryn’s Calling ability is rare and she must fulfill certain “prophecies/tests,” she can fail or reject her gift at any time, as others have done. Even though her family expected great things of her from birth, every step to meet the seven requirements to become a Caller is her decision (and she doesn’t even know what they are), so she very much maintains her agency, unlike similar fictional characters. I especially love that while her world has taught her to be mistrusting and even selfish to survive, her innate nature is compassionate.
If I had any complaint, it would be that I wanted to see more of the urisk. While ignoring the urisk’s weeping is supposed to be part of her trial, it did seem to run counter to Neryn’s compassionate nature. I expected her to interact with it like she does the other faerie and supernatural creatures that she encounters, helping it in some way or even allowing it to follow her, even if means being constantly bombarded with its wailing. It just felt like an interesting creature that I wanted to see more of. Perhaps it will make another appearance in the next book.
I am excited to read the sequel!
