Review: Shadow Touched

Shadow Touched by Erin Kellison
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a bunch of shorter reads now made into a compilation showing the journey of Cam and Ellie. It is complete and standalone, although I think there are some auxiliary novels that I haven't read in the series. There might be spoilers in my review along the way because it was impossible to talk about all 4 books without discussing the endings of the previous ones. Sorry!

Ellie is out of options when she shows up at Cam's work. She has lived her entire life with a shadow that is separate from her body. Her life has been spent outside of regular society because who could explain a naked shadow of yourself doing all the things you secretly want to do. It is literally a manifestation of her inner self. Uncontrollable and separate, Ellie is desperate enough to try the shadowy institute where Cam works to try to sever the ties. In the first installment, we watch Ellie struggle interacting with even more than one person at a time. We also get to see Cam go out of his way to protect and understand Ellie. What they both believe is Shadow (i.e. Fae) related ends up being something that Ellie may just have to live with and accept. There are angels, fae, wraiths, and all sorts of other goodies lurking in this new world and Ellie just might be one of the strongest.

In the second book we watch the couple continue to grow together. Ellie is now a member of the group, but she is struggling to find her place with Cam and the others. Her shadow, now linked, is only just starting to accept her new place as well. By employing the couple in an investigation to save a child, Ellie and Cam are pushed to the limit and changes occur that cannot be undone. At the end, they are made stronger by their choices and where this journey has taken them.

By book 3 we get introduced to mages who are pretty much the big bad now. They've slaughtered innocents and are still protected by their archaic rules. Cam and Ellie are identified as the two most likely to hunt down their friend's killer while maintaining the peace between the races. Well... they fail pretty spectacularly, but where would we be for book 4 if they all hugged at the end?

In book 4 we are totally at war. The mages are still sort of hiding their involvement in the attacks, but it's all pretty obvious. As things are rapidly escalating, the group is forced to either step up and fight or get killed. With their options dwindling, Cam and Ellie are once again tasked with stopping this war. Their relationship is put to the test and we (thankfully) get rewarded with a great HEA for these two.

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