Blurb:
This isn't a happy story. Not at all. It's a sad story filled with lust, trauma, and dark magic.
Terra.
Fernestia has destroyed everything, leaving only ashes and the new Shadows that teem beneath our skin. My lovely assassin claims I'm his Shadow mate and has agreed to help me find my brother and ex-boyfriend-if they're still alive.
Finn.
After my village is destroyed, I'm trapped in an enemy camp surrounded by other survivors. Blood and magic are twins here, and there's a dark itch coming from deep within me. If I ever want to see Terra again, I must become invincible.
Edgar.
I wake up in a lavish estate with my memories stolen. All I know is that my parents and sister are gone. A sinister boy haunts me, pushing me to uncover the truth of this strange place.
Although separated, our hearts are tied. The Shadows running through our veins call to each other, demanding answers. If we're ever to reunite, we must uncover the truths of Fernestia.
My thoughts:
I have decided in celebration of the next book coming out next month that I will reread this first and give you all a more detailed review and break down. Stay tune!
Disclosure: I received an ARC copy for ‘Of Deathless Shadows’ Book one of the Alkrose Academy in exchange for an honest review.
SPOILERS BELOW!
This is a novel by the lovely K.M. Moronova, the first of the series (book two is being released next month) it follows three characters, the first being the MFC Terra who lives in the country of Navasik. She has a boyfriend named Finn who leaves her to impress his father by joining him for the war against the people of Fernestia.
When Finn leaves Terra at the edge of the woods and turns back home, back his gloomy future she turns into the woods to find comfort from the mountains as she has done time and time before. It is there on those snowy banks where she meets her shadow fated enemy—Elias. This our first look at a Fernestia, and this is the first we learn about the shadows and their desires.
While Terra is running away from Elias—because he is trying to kill her. Her home of Navasik is being attacked. Finn is front and center for said attack giving us an insider's look at the weapon the Fernestia are using before rounding up the survivors and taking them to Alkrose Academy.
This is where I have stopped reading, and here are my thoughts on the writing/ her rendition of what is happening. There are far too many curse words in this book, I am only on chapter six, and I have read the word Fuck or other renditions of it at least four dozen times. Aside from the overuse of the word I am enjoying the book thus far. Will come back to refresh my blog/review.
April 8th, 2024: I have continued reading and all I can say is how did the first go around run so smoothly? Perhaps it was the hype, the excitement or something more I don't know. Even so, the writing style is fighting with itself, or should I say K.M. Moronova is fighting with her writing style in this book. Let me explain; there is a mixture of beauty and then there is an element of childishness. It is a far cry from her other books, those were consistent and full of visual wonder. This book though is a mashup of childishness and whimsical, but the mess isn't combining well, at least for me it isn't. Alas I am going to continue with this book and all it has to offer before writing more of my findings here.
Also, off note: Elias needs to work on his delivery of bad news, even if the news isn't necessarily bad to him.
Same day update - I read some of it while I was at the nail salon: Alrighty, while I understand the shadow part of Terra is taking the pain of her parents being dead--amongst others--away I find it rather annoying. She just lost her whole world and isn't the least bit concerned. To add, the way her brother Edger is acting is also strangely annoying, especially when the statement of; "His green eyes are disturbingly wide, like he's seen something traumatizing, and it's ruined him." ... Literally just above that sentence it is explaining the green-eyed boy is holding a skull in his hands while the flesh is melting off of it. We know he is traumatized; I would be to!
As I sit here in bed with the book lying beside me all I can think of is, 'What nonsense is going to be thrown at me now?'
End note: I am going to start a bingo card and see how many times I can fill the 'Tactical Gear' slot alongside any variation of the word 'Fuck'.
Another stop in: Alrighty, so Edger is on Grimrose Island and Nora (a lady sitting at the bedside of a young boy she doesn't know.) wakes him up, tells him to dress and join the 'others' for breakfast. He has that strange vision of turns out himself at seven years old. Brushes it off heads into the cafeteria area meets the others and then somehow starts to have a crush on a girl he just met named, Lucina because of her white hair, blue eyes and spicy attitude. He describes her captivating him like this: 'Aurora-like vibe'. What? I am really trying here, and these characters are not making it easy!
April 9th, 2024: Alrighty roo. I am riding the struggle bus hard right now. I want to love this as much as I did the first time reading but I can't and that alone makes me sad. I have found that the way we are getting information i.e. of the world, conflict etc. isn't happening organically its being thrown at us with the expectation of retention. Along with that the multiple POV's within (4 to be exact, Terra, Elias, Edger & Finn) are starting to get hard to keep up with.
Let me clarify though, I LOVE the stories we are getting from Finn and Edgar, the problem is I do not like the story we are getting from Terra herself, she just seems to be thinking with her desperate desire to have sex all the time and it doesn't matter who it is with. This book had so much potential to be amazing like K.M.'s pervious works.
Still my love for the authors work has changed very little, my new rating reflects sole on what I read in this book, not the future or past works.