5 Star Book Review: Shadow's Edge (Night Angel, #2)

Author: Brent Weeks

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Edition: Paperback

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Related Reviews: Way of Shadows

Rating: 5 Stars

This review will be spoiler free (for this novel at least; there are SPOILERS for book one, so read at your own risk).  If you're interested in a more in-depth review where I talk about spoiler stuff, let me know in the comments!

Shadow's Edge picks up nearly exactly where Way of Shadows left off.  Kylar, Elene, and Uly are leaving their country to try and carve a new life for themselves.  Kylar has sworn to give up killing.  Of course, peace can't last in this war-torn world.

Here are the three most important things you need to know going into this book:

1) Kick-ass ladies.  I think, almost subconsciously, the fact that there were very few women in the first book was killing me.  There wasn't very much room for me to connect with anyone, and the male dominance was boring.  This one throws several old characters into a new light and also introduces new ones that I love.  I was actually surprised how much I enjoyed some of these characters, and several that I started off disliking had such incredible character growth that by the end I adored them.

2) Magic takes center-stage.  In the first book magic is a bit confusing and not really super prevalent.  There are a lot of different orders and the rules of magic don't make sense.  That's quickly rectified by this novel.  All the different orders aren't too different, and now that Kylar can use magic it's easier for the reader to see how it all works.  I actually really enjoyed the way the magic works in this series, now that I can understand it.  It's not as defined as something Brandon Sanderson might create, but it's also structured to be a bit undefinable.  Looking forward to seeing how magic progresses in the final book in this series.

3) War.  I've read several books about wars, whether real or fantasy.  Of the the fantasy ones, this one takes the cake.  Never before have I felt so transported into a war, a real war with real consequences and political maneuverings and good generals and bad generals and spies and everything else, that didn't actually exist.  The plot was constantly moving, carrying the characters down their (unexpected) paths.  There were several moments when reading that I had to remind myself this wasn't actually real.

In a nutshell, this is a fantastic read.  If you picked up the first book and weren't completely thrilled with it, neither was I.  But this changes everything and is worth a go.

December TBR

Wow, it's December already!  That's so crazy, it only feels like January.  Okay, maybe it doesn't feel like January, but I still can't believe how quickly the year has passed.  Well, now I'm on break for a month (yay for me!) and it's really great to be in my own bed, surrounded by all (or at least most) of my books.  And the food.  Man, I missed the food so much.  The books on my TBR shouldn't change too much this month, but the order might.

1. Cress

Okay, quick confession.  When I wrote up my TBR on a list, and started the month early this morning, this book was totally part of my TBR pile.  And, well, I had already started it last month, but still.  Well, I finished it.  So it's not really to-be-read anymore.  But guys, it was so good!  Why did it take me so long to read this one!!  I'm absolutely breathless!!!  I just thought I would include it on this list in case you were wondering where it disappeared to in between my November Wrap-Up and this post.

2. Soundless

Surprised to see this one on here?  I actually am a little.  But it was black Friday, and while I hadn't exactly planned to pick this one up for a while, I just couldn't prevent my fingers from clicking buy when I was perusing Barnes and Noble.  But I used a coupon, so hey, not a bad choice.  This should arrive tomorrow (fingers crossed) and I'll be starting it ASAP.  I know it's a bit of a shorter book so I don't think it will take me very long to read at all.

3. The Golden Braid

Yes, this is another Rapunzel retelling.  I'm behind on the ARCs I need to read, and I thought this would be a good fit for the month.  This is another shorter one, so I'm hoping it doesn't take long at all to get through.  I'm looking forward to reading it, since when I requested it I was super stoked.

4. Shadow's Edge

This is the biggest book on my TBR, but if it's half as good as the first in this series (which I read last month) I should be able to fly through it.  I've had plenty of time to read, and that won't be changing.  My roommate, who recommended the series, promises it's even better, though, which makes me unbelievably excited to start it.

5. White Night

Harry, I have missed you so much.  Can you believe it's been since June when I picked up a book in this series?  I can't!  I don't really know why I haven't picked it up sooner, since I've probably had it since then as well.  The Dresden Files are one of my favorite series and every book is just so enjoyable.  This one won't take me long to read at all- they never do.

6. Bentwhistle the Dragon in a Threat from the Past

I received copies of the first three books in this series from the author, Paul Cude, and I plan to get to at least the first one this month.  I'm really excited to explore these!  I peeked at some reviews on Goodreads (which I rarely do, since I try to stay unbiased in my reading and bad reviews can really screw with my mind) and found mostly positive reviews.  It sounds like a fun ride, and is a rather moderate size, so it shouldn't take me super long.

I have a few other books I might read if I finish all of these (which actually seems sort of likely right now), including Iron Warrior, The Retribution of Mara Dyer, and The Death of Dulgath.

Manga's I'm looking to read: Noragami volumes 8 and 9 (which releases later this month) and Noragami: Stray Stories.  I also want to read volumes 4 and 5 of Hawkeye.  If there's still time, I'll be picking up the first two volumes of Pandora Hearts and the first two volumes of Blue Exorcist.  I'm eager to read them all, but I must pace myself.

TV wise, I need to catch up on Flash and watch the crossover events for both Flash and Arrow.  I also want to catch up on SHIELD, Once Upon a Time, and Doctor Who.  Besides these shows I don't know what I'll be watching.

What books are you guys planning to read this month?  Any the same as me?  Let me know in the comments and thanks for stopping by!