“Shadowfell follows the journey of a gifted young woman who has had a hard life in a cruel and terrifying world that is under the tyrannical rule of King Keldec. The plot and story are really good and interesting. I loved the little Good Folk who help Neryn out along the way and when she starts to develop her gift as a Caller. The magical, mythical aspects of the story are really special.
The only reason I cant give this story 4 stars is because of the characters. Its not that I didn't like them, because I did. But I felt like Neryn and Flint's relationship needed to be developed more, which I suppose the second book could resolve. Additionally, I found both Neryn and Flint extremely frustrating at times. Flint's character seems like he is almost good at everything - he finds her when no one else can, hes gifted, hes always right, he selfless, hes a hero despite the extreme and horrific burdens of his life, hes gentle with Neryn...an on and on. But at the same time, he hardly speaks to her, is always depressed and surly. Through most of the book he offers NO explanation to Neryn and expects her to trust him, which she doesnt until the end, which just ends up making her look like the bad guy.
Which is the issue I have with Neryn; she can do nothing right. She journeys on her own most of the time but can hardly survive without help, she gets caught, gets sick, is wrong about Flint, and even her amazing gifts cant seem to do her whole deal of good. I like that she has an innate strength, an open and giving heart, and determination, but she does seem very incompetent most of the time, and its really annoying. I hope her abilities get ramped up a bit more in the next book. Also, the only other female character of any import, the warrior woman at Shadowfell, immediately dismisses and dislikes Neryn. Lets just perpetuate the stereotype of women not getting along and being bitchy to each other yeah? Maybe I just found her attitude annoying. ”
