Will Ahraia lose herself and her shadow?
Between the Shade and the Shadow by Coleman Alexander is a book that quickly compels you into reading it. I was able to read this book in two days, and ordinarily, dark fantasy books aren’t my thing. Mr. Alexander was able to write a great book that makes you believe that you are right there with the characters. Experiencing the same things that they do. We have Ahraia, her shadow and a bunch of other characters that feel like they are alive.
Ahraia
Ahraia grows a lot throughout the book. When we first see her, she is just trying to find her shadow. After that, it’s a domino effect on how she has to deal with everything people throw at her. She has had a rough life, since bonding to her wolf. However, Ahraia is quick on her feet and doing things that a natural shade or sprite will not think to do. After all this time, she has genuinely bonded to her shadow, and she has been dreading her shadow test. Now, something happens, that makes her the oldest, and she has no choice but to start her shadow test.
She doesn’t like anything that the shadow test is making her do, or what she is feels she is becoming. She grows to know not only her shadow but herself; this makes her realize that she wouldn’t do the tasks in the shadow test if she had a choice. What I like about her is that despite all the rules, Ahraia is still willing to test the boundaries. Another thing that I love about her is that she isn’t afraid to venture out in places that shade or sprite would avoid at all costs. The thing that I dislike about her is that she doesn’t stand up for her family or even to tell off the leader of her clan.
Losna
Losna is Ahraia’s shadow. In the book, you couldn’t find Ahraia without Losna around, and these two are the best of buds. They should be as they are an extension of each other. Losna is a gorgeous wolf who is a great runner and huntress. What I like about Losna is that she is Ahraia’s conscience which is pretty cool. She is also Ahraia's voice of reason. What I don’t like about Losna is that she knew from the beginning that shade has to cast out her shadow at some point, but Losna didn’t want to be cast out.
The Others
The others are everyone else that Ahraia and Losna have encountered in the book. These are the bad guys, good guys, and all the neutral guys. Ahraia and Losna have struggled a lot, and a lot of these people had a hand in Ahraia’s fate.
What I like about some of them is that they are either protecting her or helping her because they know it’s the right thing to do. The other thing that I also like about them is that they trust that she and Losna won't kill them.
What I dislike about some of them is that they are using Ahraia to move further up a food chain or to get something that they wouldn’t have otherwise gotten. Either way, nothing happens the way that Losna and Ahraia thought or anyone else wanted.
Five Stars
Between the Shade and Shadow by Coleman Alexander is an excellent book about sprites. It was the first thing that drew me in since I have never read a book about a sprite before. Well really of one turning into a sprite or a sprite.
The book is fast-paced and had me thinking about it constantly. It even kept me up at night. I am giving this book five stars since I enjoyed it so much. I am delighted with the ending of this book.
If you are still on the fence about this book, check out the excerpts.
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This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove