Guest Review – A Sliver of Shadow by Allison Pang

Today we are so lucky to have a guest reviewer, Marq from Love to Read for Fun. She is going to give us the scoop on Allison’s Pang A Sliver of Shadow, the second book in the Abby Sinclair Series.

Publisher: Pocket
Publish Date: Feb 28th
How we got this book: ARC from publisher

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Just when her new life as a TouchStone – a mortal bound to help OtherFolk cross between Faery and human worlds – seems to be settling down, Abby Sinclair is left in charge when the Protectorate, Moira, leaves for the Faery Court. And when the Protectorate’s away…let’s just say things spiral out of control when a spell on Abby backfires and the Faery Queen declares the Doors between their worlds officially closed.

The results are disastrous for both sides: OtherFolk trapped in the mortal world are beginning to fade, while Faerie is on the brink of war with the daemons of Hell. Along with her brooding eleven prince Talivar and sexy incubus Brystion, Abby ventures to the CrossRoads in an attempt to override the Queen’s magic. But nothing in this beautiful, dangerous realm will compare to the discoveries she’s making about her past, her destiny, and what she will sacrifice for those she loves.

Review:

It is six months later and Abby Sinclair has a live-in Fae Prince bodyguard, a snarky unicorn that sleeps in her underwear drawer and is nanny to a half-fae/half angel baby. Abby’s life is as complicated as ever. With Moira gone, things become chaotic when the Queen closes the Doors between the worlds. Not only is Abby tasked with trying to reopen the doors but she is also forced to deal with her nightmares, the death of her mother and startling revelations about her family.

A Sliver of Shadow is a great follow up the A Brush of Darkness. While there’s still the resolute snarky humor, A Sliver of Shadow takes a more serious turn. With the Doors closed, the Fae are fading and everyone is looking to Abby to fix it. In the meantime, Abby has her own issues that she is dealing with and personal demons that she is fighting. Abby has matured a lot since the first book but still has insecurities about her abilities. She is constantly learning while on the job and because of this, tends to stick her foot in it a lot. I would think that the one thing that Abby has learned is that you can’t trust the fae. They cannot lie but they are some tricky people and she falls into their trap several times, revealing things that were later used against her.

Throughout the book, I felt that Abby was seriously getting the short end of the stick. I wanted her to stand up for herself but she was constantly being volunteered to be the one to save the fae. Her willingness to help is being taken advantage of and it aggravated me. At least Brystion had the balls to tell her that she needs to stop helping the fae even though she wasn’t very receptive to his advice.

I loved Brystion in book 1 and was weary of there being a new love interest in A Sliver of Shadow but Abby’s and Taliver’s relationship completely worked for me. They are both people who are not perfect; their bodies physically injured and scarred. They have a lot in common and I liked that their romantic relationship slowly grew over time, unlike Abby’s relationship with Brystion.  I am not a fan of love triangles and I’m not sure if Abby, Taliver and Brystion are headed in that direction. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

There is a lot going on in this latest installment and at times I felt like there was too much.  Abby’s stay in faerie slowed down the book a little and for awhile I lost interest. Being in faerie was integral to the overall plot arc, but I felt that it could have been condensed.           I found myself wishing they were out of faerie already. We learn more about fae politics and social hierarchy. There are a lot of plot twists and revelations that keep you on your toes and a cliff-hanger that has me anxious for the next book.

Overall, I enjoyed A Sliver of Shadow. I love the way Pang integrates snarkiness and humor with the seriousness of the plot. As usual, Phin steals the show. He has to be the best side-kick ever. I hope to see in the next book a stronger, more confident Abby who tells the fae to go suck it. She has already sacrificed more than enough for people who don’t give a damn about her.

Rating: B

 

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