The Shadow Hour - Book Review

The Shadow Hour - Book review

Melissa Grey

YA Fantasy

The Girl at Midnight #2

UK PUBLISHER: ATOM

Other books in the series:

The Girl At Midnight #1 - Review HERE

Synopsis:

Everything in Echo’s life changed in a blinding flash when she learned the startling truth: that she is the firebird, the creature of light, the bringer of peace.

But the firebird has not come into the world alone. Echo can feel a great and terrible darkness rising in the distance: Cosmic forces that threaten to tear the world apart.

Echo has already lost her home, her family, and her boyfriend. Now her path is filled with even greater dangers than the ones she’s already overcome. Echo must decide: can she wield the power of her true nature—or will it prove too strong for her, and burn what’s left of her world to the ground?

Welcome to the Shadow Hour.

Review:

Once again, Melissa Grey swept me away with her beautiful prose and world building. With a fast paced plot and the return of a fabulous cast of colourful characters, this was a most enjoyable read. A fantastic second book to THE GIRL AT MIDNIGHT trilogy.

Echo succeeded in waking the firebird, but her selfless act also unleashed a terrible evil on the world. Taking the form of a dark shadow, it spreads death and disease upon all it touches. Mindless and cruel, it has but one desire. To Kill the Firebird. To kill Echo.

Now with the death tolls rising, Echo undertakes a journey to discover the true extent of her powers. But with the shadow close on her heels and the ones she loves in great peril, can Echo save the world once again? Or will the end of the world be on her hands…

My favourite thing about this series is Echo’s love of words. The prose is full of new and interesting adjectives (thank goodness for the kindles built in dictionary!) that I needed to keep a notebook next to me  just so I could keep track of them all. However while such words can make the writing a little flowery at times, I found the descriptions of places and people so interesting that it didn't really bother me.

In terms of plot, this story is fast paced with each character thrust from one situation to the next. Just like the last book there are many fight scenes, break ins, run ins… along with lots of general mayhem and magic. 

I still really enjoyed Echo as a character. I loved how this book delved more into Echo’s past, however I felt she lost some of her self-assured sparkle along the way. In this story Echo was more solitary and full of doubt. I really hope the next book brings back more of her shaper wit and humour. 

Caius and Echo’s romance also was a little plain, and by that I just felt it didn't develop any more depth despite the pronounced I love you’s. I think that is partly due to the re-introduction of Rowan (Echo’s ex-boyfriend) as a love interest. I’m not a huge fan of love triangles and this three-way relationship was a large undercurrent of the story.

What I absolutely adored though was Jasper and Dorian’s relationship. Not only is Jasper a literal peacock and my favourite character, but watching him kindle a romance with the stoic draconian, Dorian - well let’s just say it was heartwarming to watch Dorian melt. Huge cheers for Jasper and Dorian!

My biggest nit-pick however was the ending. It’s a cliff-hanger! Those evil plot devices that I both love and hate. While it does ensure I will be  counting down the days to the next and final book, it’s also going to drive me crazy. 

A tantalisingly delicious binding of words! I give THE SHADOW HOUR 4 stars!