#72 The Shadow Cats by Rae Carson
Elisa may be the chosen one, but her older sister Alodia, the crown princess of Orovalle, has her own responsibilities and concerns
for the realm. These concerns bring her to the important marriage of Conde Paxon and Lady Calla. When she arrives, she discovers that the land is barren and the people live in fear of the mythic Espiritu, a viscous creature that kills without leaving any mark behind. Can Alodia discover the true cause behind the attacks?
The Shadow Cats is a prequel novella to the young adult fantasy novel, The Girl of Fire and Thorns. One thing I enjoyed about this novella is how well the author fleshed out the character of Alodia, who was only a secondary character in The Girl of Fire and Thorns. I found her to be a strong, likable lead, and quite different that Elisa. Alodia comes across as mature and pragmatic, although she can also be a bit harsh. I appreciated the focus on the often strained relationship between the two sisters, and felt Alodia's hints of jealousy over not being the chosen one were very realistic. I also felt that the novel was very well paced. It's sixty-four page length pretty much flew right by. The story was very suited for the novella length, instead of feeling like a drawn out short story or rushed novel. Also worth mentioning is that The Shadow Cats was my first ever ebook (or enovella). Although it took me a little while to adjust to reading something lengthy off of the screen of my kindle fire as opposed to an actual paper book, I found that it was a pretty positive experience.
As someone who enjoyed The Girl of Fire and Thorns, I found The Shadow Cats to be a nice little nugget to keep me tied over until the publication of The Crown of Embers, the second book in the trilogy. As the novella is a prequel to the series and deals with a secondary character, I suspect that it would also be very approachable to people who haven't read the series yet. The Shadow Cats is a nice addition to the series, but also a pretty good introduction to the characters and the world that surround them.
Rating: four and a half stars
Length: 64 pages
Source: amazon.com (kindle ebook)
Other books I've read by this author: The Girl of Fire and thorns
Next I will be reviewing Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong and The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong (it's a Kelley Armstrong double feature!)
xposted to temporaryworlds, bookish, and goodreads
for the realm. These concerns bring her to the important marriage of Conde Paxon and Lady Calla. When she arrives, she discovers that the land is barren and the people live in fear of the mythic Espiritu, a viscous creature that kills without leaving any mark behind. Can Alodia discover the true cause behind the attacks?
The Shadow Cats is a prequel novella to the young adult fantasy novel, The Girl of Fire and Thorns. One thing I enjoyed about this novella is how well the author fleshed out the character of Alodia, who was only a secondary character in The Girl of Fire and Thorns. I found her to be a strong, likable lead, and quite different that Elisa. Alodia comes across as mature and pragmatic, although she can also be a bit harsh. I appreciated the focus on the often strained relationship between the two sisters, and felt Alodia's hints of jealousy over not being the chosen one were very realistic. I also felt that the novel was very well paced. It's sixty-four page length pretty much flew right by. The story was very suited for the novella length, instead of feeling like a drawn out short story or rushed novel. Also worth mentioning is that The Shadow Cats was my first ever ebook (or enovella). Although it took me a little while to adjust to reading something lengthy off of the screen of my kindle fire as opposed to an actual paper book, I found that it was a pretty positive experience.
As someone who enjoyed The Girl of Fire and Thorns, I found The Shadow Cats to be a nice little nugget to keep me tied over until the publication of The Crown of Embers, the second book in the trilogy. As the novella is a prequel to the series and deals with a secondary character, I suspect that it would also be very approachable to people who haven't read the series yet. The Shadow Cats is a nice addition to the series, but also a pretty good introduction to the characters and the world that surround them.
Rating: four and a half stars
Length: 64 pages
Source: amazon.com (kindle ebook)
Other books I've read by this author: The Girl of Fire and thorns
Next I will be reviewing Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong and The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong (it's a Kelley Armstrong double feature!)
xposted to temporaryworlds, bookish, and goodreads