[Book Review] Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan

Reign of Shadows

Author: Sophie Jordan 

Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Young Adults

Pages: 304 (Hardcover)

Released: February 9, 2016 

Publisher: HarperTeen 

Targeted Audience: Teens

How I Heard About It: Die hard Sophie Jordan fan. 

Seventeen years ago, an eclipse cloaked the kingdom of Relhok in perpetual darkness. In the chaos, an evil chancellor murdered the king and queen and seized their throne. Luna, Relhok’s lost princess, has been hiding in a tower ever since. Luna’s survival depends on the world believing she is dead.

But that doesn’t stop Luna from wanting more. When she meets Fowler, a mysterious archer braving the woods outside her tower, Luna is drawn to him despite the risk. When the tower is attacked, Luna and Fowler escape together. But this world of darkness is more treacherous than Luna ever realized.

With every threat stacked against them, Luna and Fowler find solace in each other. But with secrets still unspoken between them, falling in love might be their most dangerous journey yet.

Happy six month anniversary Reign of Shadows!

I should start off by saying that even though I am barely reviewing the book now, I didn’t just read it. It’s been months. In fact, I read it when it first came out and destroyed the book in three days. I mean that in a good way. Once I got my hands on the book, I only put it down when I absolutely had to.

Because Sophie Jordan is a local Houston author, I’m able to go to several of her book signings. While she was promoting her Uninvited Series, she talked about another future project. Reign of Shadows was that series. Without giving too much away, she spoke about writing Luna and the challenges in writing someone who wasn’t your normal protagonist.

I had to applaud Sophie Jordan’s talent in writing that very important aspect of the book and character. I went in thinking this was the book she was talking about. By page 10, I wasn’t so convinced it was because she had done such a good job of being subtle about such a big thing. So, even though I was sort of expecting it, by the time the big twist was reveal, and that’s about 40 pages into the book, there was still some shock to it. 

While reading a book, there are a number of things I look for; storyline, character development, relationships, plot twist. There was a perfect combination of all of those in this book. 

Storyline/Writing. 

Before I read the book, I saw a bunch of reviews comparing it to the story of Rapunzel & the Disney move, Tangled. While I saw some similarities, I felt like it was a story of it it’s own. I’ve been a fan of Sophie Jordan’s for many years and always find myself loving her writing. She did a great job of writing this story.  

Character Development:

I hate books that don’t have character development. I feel that the main characters should be changed in some way or another by the obstacles they face in the book. That happened exactly to Luna and Fowler. They aren’t the same people at the end of the book that they were at the beginning of the book.

Relationships:

There was two types of relationships that played an important role in Reign of Shadows. First the relationship that Luna has with the two people who took care of her for all those years. They obviously care about her beyond the wall of duty. Again, without spoiling anything, I really hope we somehow get to see some more of that in book two. 

Then there’s the relationship between Luna and Fowler. Both for their own reasons are very untrusting of the other for a good part of the book. That was the aspect of their relationship that had my attention. I was waiting for that moment when they would both acknowledge that they need and want the other person there. If that moment happens or not, you’ll have to read for yourself. 

Plot Twist: 

There was a big reveal at the end that I did not see coming at all. In fact my sister was in the next room and asked if everything was okay. To which I answered, “The book!” Luckily, she’s a bookworm herself and completely understood. Looking back, there were many signs leading up to this big reveal. As someone who reads a lot, I should have picked up on them, but I didn’t. So, GOOD JOB, SOPHIE JORDAN! Another great book! 

5 OUT OF 5 STARS FOR REIGN OF SHADOWS BY SOPHIE JORDAN

[Book Review] Uninvited by Sophie Jordan

Summary (from Goodreads):

The Scarlet Letter meets Minority Report in bestselling author Sophie Jordan's chilling new novel about a teenage girl who is ostracized when her genetic test proves she's destined to become a murderer.

When Davy Hamilton's tests come back positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome (HTS)-aka the kill gene-she loses everything. Her boyfriend ditches her, her parents are scared of her, and she can forget about her bright future at Juilliard. Davy doesn't feel any different, but genes don't lie. One day she will kill someone.

Only Sean, a fellow HTS carrier, can relate to her new life. Davy wants to trust him; maybe he's not as dangerous as he seems. Or maybe Davy is just as deadly.

The first in a two-book series, Uninvited tackles intriguing questions about free will, identity, and human nature. Steeped in New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan's trademark mix of gripping action and breathless romance, this suspenseful tale is perfect for fans of James Patterson, Michelle Hodkin, and Lisa McMann.

Author: Sophie Jordan

Series: Uninvited #1

Edition: Hardcover

Pages: 384

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian

Published: January 28, 2014 by HarperTeen

Reading Level: Teens 

So, it a given that anything Sophie Jordan writes, I’m going to read. It’s an even bigger given that if it’s a YA book, I’m going to start reading it after I’ve bought it and in the car on the way home. 

Plot: 

I hate to admit this, but I’m not a fan of dystopian books (and by fan I mean it’s not my favorite genre because I’ve found myself liking a couple of them). So, when I heard Sophie Jordan was going to write one, I didn’t know how to feel about it because I knew it would be an awesome book if her name was attached to it.

Uninvited ended up being one of my favorite “dystopian” books that I’ve read. During her book launch party, Sophie Jordan referred to it as not being dystopian, but more pre-dystopian. That’s the perfect way to describe it. While it is in the future, it’s not too far off. 

  

Setting: 

I always like books that are set in Texas. Call it my weird way of relating to the book or whatever. I was 100% fine with it until half way into the book. 

“A ____ _______. At a mall and stadium in Houston.” 

Without giving away too much of the book, I’ll say that THAT was the sentence that made me close the book just for a little bit. The situation hit close to home. I got chills reading it. That just goes to say how good Sophie Jordan’s writing is.     

Characters:

In the beginning, even before the reader find out about Davy’s “kill gene” the reader learns about her plans for her future. It almost felt like Sophie Jordan could have written a book about Davy without the kill gene and just going off to college and that would have been a good book too. She does it so well that when all her dreams start falling apart because of her newly discovered kill gene, I actually sorry for this person that didn’t really exist. 

 

Relationship:

I starting the book liking Davy’s relationship with Tori. Davy’s best friend seemed to be jealous of her spending so much time with her boyfriend. I liked where that was going. However, that changes very fast. 

I loved Davy’s relationship with her brother, Mitchell. There seemed to be an unconditional love between them that sometimes lighten the mood when things were dark with the rest of her family. 

I also loved Davy and Gil’s relationship. It was genuine from the very start and it’s obvious that they care a lot about each other. 

Romance:

For a majority of the book, there isn’t really the lovey dovey romance. If you’re looking for a book where the characters are going to spend a lot of the time making out and telling each other how much they love one another, this isn’t it. However, if you’re looking for a book where there is lots of getting to know about one another as schoolmates/friends and dare I say sexual tension, this is perfect for you.

I’ll give you a *little* spoiler and how I reacted when I read it. When the two main characters finally do kiss, my sister just happened to be telling me something. I was so caught up in what was going on in the book, that I told her if she could please tell me once I finished the chapter. Luckily, as an extreme reader herself, she understood.  

Creative Way of Writing: 

It was the writing that really stuck out for me. 

Sophie Jordan has a way of writing that makes me want to continue reading. Usually, I pick up a book and it’ll take me about a month to read it cause well, I’m lazy at reading. The first night after I bought the book, I found myself on page 80 or so. I believe (and if I’m wrong and it was another author that said it, oops) Sophie Jordan once said that she likes when readers take their time to read her books. At the rate I was going, I knew I was going to finish fast. So, I had to put the book down for a couple of days. Then pick it back up. Put it down. That was pretty much how I went about it. 

I can’t really tell you what *exactly* it is about Sophie Jordan’s writing that is very fast paced about it. I guess you’re just going to have to find out for yourself. 

5 OUT OF 5 STARS FOR UNINVITED BY SOPHIE JORDAN.   

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