Review: Destined for Shadows

Destined for Shadows by Susan Illene
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I should start with the fact that I have not read any of the original series, of which this world is based upon. That being said, I don’t think it hindered by enjoyment of this book. The world was rich with characters who had unique stories and you could tell that there was a history there. It was nice to get thrown right in and meet the awesomeness that is Cori.

Cori is the best. No, really, she is an absolutely wonderful main character. She’s tough, independent, and has been through an awful lot. It would take a serious strength of character to survive as a regular old human surrounded by massively powerful paranormals. To further prove her strength, she is also determined to pull a reclusive half-angel out of his shell. Bartol was tortured for way too long and now he’s got some pretty big issues with relationships of any kind. He’s built some literal and metaphorical walls around himself to ensure he doesn’t hurt others or get hurt again himself. The only person who seems to ignore them is Cori. She’s using all her considerable talent to try to lure him out.

These two are just… awesome. Sure, Bartol is gruff and stubborn, but I think that’s exactly what Cori needed. He’s the challenge that she’s sure she can rise to and he’s slowly warming to having her in his life. Of course, something forces the issue to the surface when Cori’s supposedly dead ex-husband shows up threatening her life. Who would’ve thought that the good guys in this story had such dark and disastrous pasts? It was kind of refreshing to see some damaged “heroes.” Fair warning, this book does not end with things all neatly tied up. This is clearly meant to be the start of a series that joins this story with the next. I didn’t find it jarring or annoying, just something that was a little unexpected in this world of paranormal romance.


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