by Terrance Mc Arthur
Details on how to win a copy of Shadowbound at the end of this review.
Miranda is a rock star. Miranda is a vampire. Miranda and David, her Prime who rules the undead of large parts of North America, have been given mega-powers by a goddess, but her life is not all sunshine and butterflies…or even moonbeams and batwings, in Dianne Sylvan’s newest novel of the Shadow World, Shadowbound.
The Morningstar society is out to annihilate the bloodsuckers, starting with the leaders, all over the world, one ritual at a time. To keep her new powers, David and Miranda have to drain a victim each month, which isn’t a big deal for David, but Miranda didn’t become a vampire to become a killer. One of the Primes is tired of being a vampire, and he needs a kind of magic to pull his spirit back together. Then there’s a same-sex union that needs some serious decision-making, and a witch in the vampire stronghold who can’t go home.
This series centers on the subject of acceptance, and the struggle to get it. Miranda worries about keeping her human image and dealing with her problems in being photographed and filmed. She worries that her fans would reject her if they found out that she has a fondness for fresh hemoglobin. Devin has to accept his long-held feelings for another that nearly wrecked his relationship with Miranda. One vampire discovers new power and must accept a more active role in the world than her delicate role of the past.
An outsider enters the mix, and needs to accept his own future while he rejects the life he has always known. The Morningstars won’t accept vampires, and they would definitely have problems with alternative-lifestyle vampires.
This is the fifth Shadow World book, and the series continues to surprise. The characters may be acquiring new powers, but it doesn’t make them invincible, which happens to some authors. The heroes can do anything, so the baddies are no threat, just an inconvenience to be swept aside at the plot’s convenience. Under Sylvan’s hands, the enemies are getting (and stealing) strength as well, and the vampires are dealt some serious blows. The future and victory are still in doubt.
With four previous books of prior world-building, knowledge of the whole series would definitely help, but the information dumps in Shadowbound are small and spread thinly. On top of that, something else is going on here, revealed a scene or two per volume. here is a lot going on, and you’re bound to find several plotlines that will keep you coming back for more.
To enter to win a copy of Shadowbound simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “Shadowbound,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen June 7, 2014. U.S. residents only.
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We have a winner
Lorie Ham, KRL Publisher