Library Book: Shadow's Master

After a bit of a wait, I finally got to read the final book in Jon Sprunk's Shadow Saga: Shadow's Master.  This time around, Caim is in search of his mother, who he knows for certain is alive in the frozen north.  Armed with this knowledge, he sets out with a couple of friends he made in the previous book (as well as Kit) searching for Erebus, the citadel in which his mother is held.  There he will confront his grandfather: the Shadow Lord.

Meanwhile, Josephine has taken an army north.  She received word of an invasion from that direction and hopes to halt it in its tracks.  Of course, she also secretly hopes to find Caim while she's at it.  Unfortunately her army is tiny compared to the opposing force she finds.  And at the head of the horde from the north is Talus, the Thunder Lord, a sorcery who has destroyed all who oppose him using his magic.

While helping Caim out here and there, Kit is also left with a big decision to make.  At the end of Shadow's Lure, Caim declared he loved her.  But being Fae, they cannot touch one another.  And so she struggles with a difficult choice: does she love him enough to give up her immortality?

As with the previous two books, I really enjoyed Shadow's Master.  I liked that less time was spent with Josephine (in the previous book, I found that her chapters tended to drag on a bit).  But I also liked her chapters a bit better; they were shorter and filled with more action.  As I said before, in Shadow's Lure her chapters are full of political intrigue, which is fine but not what I personally wanted out of the Shadow Saga.  In Shadow's Master Josey has gone to war, and so her chapters have more action and less intrigue.  I also have to add that unlike the previous two books, Caim doesn't spend most of his time grievously injured.  Sure, he gets cut up in fights and whatnot, but no bear this time (I know, I'm a big fan of Caim's rotten luck from the previous two books). 

So overall, having read the entire trilogy, I really enjoyed it.  I look forward to whatever Sprunk works on next!

Library Book: Shadow's Lure

Luck was with me: the library ordered Jon Sprunk's Shadow's Lure immediately after getting Shadow's Son; I only had to wait a couple of weeks to read it!

Shadow's Lure takes place only a few weeks or months after Shadow's Son. Caim has struck off into the Northlands with only Kit for company, leaving Nimea in the hands of the new Empress, Josephine.

Caim must be the unluckiest guy in the world. He starts his adventure by getting mauled by a bear. He then stumbles his way into a conflict. The northern country of Eregoth is being taken over by a self-proclaimed Duke and his witch paramour. They have started a reign of terror, with the witch's son (known as "The Beast") murdering villages across the country.

Back in the south, things aren't much better. Josephine is on the throne, but the deposed Church refuses to lose its power without a fight; they are encouraging the people of Othir to riot against Josey. On top of that, a shapeshifting assassin is after her, making it very difficult to know whom to trust.

I enjoyed reading Shadow's Lure, but I did find Josey's chapters a bit of a drag. To me, they seemed to take away from the fun that is Caim's life. About half way through the book, I also ran into a problem with Josey's character that bothered me (I don't want to give spoilers, but it involves things that happened to her in Shadow's Son), so that made it even tougher to get through them. But her story is full of lots of political intrigue, so if you enjoy that you will enjoy reading about what happens to her.

That being said, the rest of the book was great! Caim managed to get into one scrape after another, and also really grew with his powers. He was also separated from Kit for a good portion of the book, and her sections were interesting as well. I will admit though, I was rather confused about where Shadow's Lure was heading, but it really kept me reading! I would love to read the final book, Shadow's Master, but unfortunately I'm going to have to wait until next summer for that.

Library Book: Shadow's Son

I picked up Jon Sprunk's Shadow's Son at the library several weeks ago. It sounded intreguing, so I thought I'd give it a read. But then I got busy and almost sent it back. Lucky for me, I actually read the first few pages before doing so and was hooked!

Shadow's Son is the story of the assassin Caim. He is given a job where he is set up to take the fall while other men rise to power in the city. But with the help of Kit, his spirit friend who only he can see, and Josephine, the daughter of a man Caim was supposed to kill, and with his own ridiculous luck, Caim sets out to find whoever set him up and stop them.

I really liked all the characters in this book. Kit was hilarious, and I wish she didn't wander off quite so much. Josephine was the spoiled aristocrat's daughter, but she had a core of steel that refused to be put down. And Caim himself was great. Like Josephine says, "Take away the fact of his profession and he was the finest man she'd ever known" (206). Caim is loyal, repeatedly risking his own life to save this girl whom he barely knows. And I really liked that he wasn't invulnerable; he gets hurt rather early in the story, and the wound hampers him throughout the tale.

Needless to say, I really enjoyed reading Shadow's Son. I've got the sequel, Shadow's Lure on hold at the library; I can't wait to read more of Caim's story!