Book Tour, Review & Giveaway: Shadow Fire (The Light Chronicles #1) by Kimber Leigh Wheaton

Shadow Fire (The Light Chronicles #1)

by Kimber Leigh Wheaton

February 24, 2014

310 pages

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Goodreads Summary:

Ashlyn – a free-spirited teenager whose peaceful life is shattered when the village elders honor her with a perilous quest to recover a stolen relic.

Zane – a jaded mercenary, torn by his undeniable desire for Ashlyn and the dark secret that could make her hate him forever.

Delistaire – a malevolent sorcerer driven by an insatiable lust for power.
All three are bound together by an ancient relic supposedly infused with the power of a Goddess.

Shadow Fire - adventure, passion, secrets, and betrayal

As Ashlyn and Zane race to stay one step ahead of the evil lurking in the shadows, their passions are ignited and their bond strengthens. But will they find the relic before Delistaire? Or has their entire quest been orchestrated from the very beginning by a madman in pursuit of ultimate power?

 

Review

When I finished this book, I had very mixed feelings. I did enjoy many aspects of the story but it was also very clear to me that I had problems with many things too. I struggled to keep reading because I couldn't connect with the characters and the writing style was confusing at times. However, I really appreciated the world-building. I've decided to write my review alternating between the things I loved and the things I didn't like so much.

First off, the world was beautiful. I could visualize it in my mind. I was delighted with reading about Ashlyn and Zane's trek across the land because there were very vivid details about the landscape and their surroundings. The plains, the mountains, the bridge were all extremely descriptive. I was especially thrilled with the existence of the inns. Clever little chain stores. I'd love to visit one of those myself. They sound so hospitable. Luxurious even.

With this story, I found there was a lot of info dumping. There wasn't really any build up to a lot of the key plots. For example, Zane's big secret. The way it was revealed felt like we were basically being told. It definitely wasn't as big a deal as the summary made it out to be. It was also easy to figure out I guessed it early on in the book. I really wish his past was more incorporated into the story as a whole. I also wish the important points were more believable because I had doubts about Ashlyn's magic. Again, I felt like we were just told about it. This and that. She's only just discovered her abilities and had a minimal number of practices yet she was able to control it and use it to defeat a sorcerer who's had years of practice. I didn't see any growth in her abilities. It just felt too easy.

Shadow and Freya. You cannot find any lovelier nonhuman companions than these two. I adored how loyal they were to Ashlyn and Zane. The appearances of other characters felt kind of random but was refreshing to meet. They provided a different perspective to look at the situation from. Taranis was a nice addition because of his humour. I welcomed the way he poked and made fun of our overly-in-love main characters which brings me to my next point.

Insta-love was very much present in this book. It was all over this book. I kept hoping that Zane's attraction to Ashlyn would have a better explanation than the superficial one we got but it didn't happen. Their 'love' felt like it was the physically-attracted type so I found it quite difficult to connect with them let alone feel that their love for each other was genuine. I think the thing that was most exciting about their relationship were some very hot and heavy make-out scenes.

The plot twist towards the end was interesting. Up until that explanation, I was completely baffled as to where the Goddess Statue was and how certain characters that briefly appeared but were never fully introduced, played a part. Finally it all connects. Even though it seemed too convenient, it does do a good job at clearing up my confusion. Most importantly, it made sense.

Even though I didn't end up loving this story the way I hoped I would, I still enjoyed it. I'm glad there is a sequel to continue on this beautiful world and I hope to be able to read it some time in the future :)

 

*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinion are my own and not affected in any way.

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