Author: Richelle Mead
Summary: In The Fiery Heart, Sydney risked everything to follow her gut, walking a dangerous line to keep her feelings hidden from the Alchemists.
Now in the aftermath of an event that ripped their world apart, Sydney and Adrian struggle to pick up the pieces and find their way back to each other. But first, they have to survive.
For Sydney, trapped and surrounded by adversaries, life becomes a daily struggle to hold on to her identity and the memories of those she loves. Meanwhile, Adrian clings to hope in the face of those who tell him Sydney is a lost cause, but the battle proves daunting as old demons and new temptations begin to seize hold of him. . . .
Rating: 4/5 stars
Review:
Okay, so, as it says in the title, I will remain spoiler-free in this review. As much as I may want to talk specifics of this book, it still hasn't even hit the shelves in some places while I type this (one perk of living in Australia!). So, if you still haven't got your hands on the book, don't worry! You are safe for now! (Although, let me know if you'd be interested in a separate post where I delve into spoiler talk).
Anyway! After being left a few months back on the huge cliffhanger at the end of The Fiery Heart, I had to keep myself from opening Silver Shadows and beginnning to read right in the middle of the bookstore. To say this book was a highly anticipated read for me this year would be an understatement. But from the beginning, it did not disappoint.
Richelle Mead upped the stakes in this novel. With the previous novels, we've had Sydney and Adrian treading on egg shells but they have well and truly shattered them now. This novel takes these characters and tears them down to see what they're made of. They fight for their lives and for each other. It was as thrilling as it was heart-wrenching. I especially loved watching Sydney transform throughout the book. She is one of my favourite book protagonists and she just keeps getting better. Her intelligence and strength of will is really tested but under impossible circumstances, we see her character shine.
And Adrian. Poor, poor Adrian. We see him slipping in this one. He's spiralling down a dangerous path with his spirit and addiction and I'm not sure what's going to be able to stabilise him. But despite it all, his love for Sydney always prevails. It was so touching to see his admiration of her and his determination to find and help her. If only the universe would give them a bit of a break for a minute.
I also appreciated many of the surrounding characters we got to see: Lissa, whose strength and ability to make hard decisions I admired despite everyone's complaints (the pressure she is under as queen must be insane); Rose and Dimitri, who I always look forward to seeing (particularly in a scene with Adrian and Dimitri, even if it was short); Duncan and Emma, who are newbies but whom I found really interesting and hope to see more of them in the next book; and, lastly, a character whose name I won't mention but is deeply tied to Adrian and whose support at the end of the book I just really loved.
Overall, even though I'm not exactly fond of certain parts of the ending, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It served as a brilliant continuation of this series and reminded me why I not only love these characters, but love the love they have for each other. Now if I could just fast forward to the release of The Ruby Circle, that would be nice. I'm not sure how long I can do this waiting game after reading that last page. Then again, knowing that the last book marks the end of the books in this world, I'm not quite sure I'm ready to say goodbye.
Anyhow, have you picked up Silver Shadows yet? What are your thoughts? Let me know your favourite bits in the comments below but be sure to give spoiler warnings!
Until next time!
Jess, xxx
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