Mundie Moms

Friday, July 15, 2016

THE SHADOW HOUR by Melissa Grey / Blog Tour: Book Review / Giveaway


Welcome to the final stop in THE SHADOW HOUR blog tour, hosted by Irish Banana blog tours. I'm so thrilled to share my review for Melissa Grey's sequel to The Girl At Midnight. Check out my review below, and be sure you to enter to win the giveaway at the end of this post!

ABOUT THE BOOK


By: Melissa Grey
Published by: Delacorte Press
Released on: July 12th, 2016
Series: The Girl At Midnight #2
Add it to: Goodreads
Rating: 4 stars - I enjoyed it

Everything in Echo's life changed in a blinding flash when she learned the startling truth: she is the firebird, the creature of light that is said to bring peace.

The firebird has come into the world, but it has not come alone. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and Echo can feel a great and terrible darkness rising in the distance. Cosmic forces threaten to tear the world apart.


Echo has already lost her home, her family, and her boyfriend. Now, as the firebird, her path is filled with even greater dangers than the ones she's already overcome.

She knows the Dragon Prince will not fall without a fight.

Echo must decide: can she wield the power of her true nature--or will it prove too strong for her, and burn what's left of her world to the ground?

Welcome to the shadow hour.

A fantastic follow up to The Girl At Midnight. The Shadow Hour is a sequel that has everything I had hoped it would have, and than some. Rich character development, and world building, a romance I wanted more of, and a fascinating history/mythology I couldn't get enough of. Nothing about this book was what I thought it would be. There are things I loved, things that were okay, and things I wanted more of. This is a book that gives it's readers a much more in-depth look into the heart of the story and all that it encompasses.

The Shadow Hour has the character journey I had hoped it would have. I liked that with Echo, it focuses on her coming to terms with who she is now, and what her abilities allow/force her to do. She's not the same girl she once was. She's something fierce, and stronger than ever, and just as brave as she's always been. I liked the journey she goes on, even though it's difficult at times. She's never alone, nor is she the only one who goes through grueling trials. I loved that along with Echo, there's so much more we get to see with Caius, Dorian, Jasper and Ivy. Together these characters prove they are something fierce, and individually we see just how much they have changed and grown through out this book. I don't think I could have loved each of these characters more.

While this book may lack in action/battles scenes, it definitely does not lack in the mythology, and world building. I loved the in-depth history into the Avicen and Drakharin lore. Things are darker and a lot more dangerous for the characters. Friends and enemies are forced to work together to fight a new creature or else they face the the threat of being killed. I liked the uneasy truce this forced the characters into. Not everything is as it seems with some of the characters. I liked the surprising revelations that were exposed with some. I also liked that through this new creature, readers also learn more about the Firebird, and her role in the war between the Avicen and Drakharin. Things are definitely a lot more dangerous for Echo and her friends. Many times through out the book I was worried about what the out come would be for some of my favorite characters, but through it all, I loved how it made them not only stronger individually, but together. Their friendships, and relationships were tested, and tried, but they grew so much closer because of it. 

Speaking of relationships, the romances in this book are good. Not as good as The Girl At Midnight, but still good none the less. I am not a fan of love triangles, and there was definitely some of that going on in this book. I get the whole Rowan and Echo thing that happens, but I wasn't impressed with the fact that Echo wasn't more honest with herself or more upfront with Rowan and Caius about how she felt, even though it was obvious who really had her heart. There's a different between loving someone, and being in love with someone, and it felt like Echo got confused with that when it came to Rowan. I love Caius and Echo. I missed seeing more of them together through out the book, though when they are together, there's definitely a chemistry between them that wants to ignite the pages. I love the stolen glances, and those small touches. I wanted to shove them together and tell them to make out already. I liked what transpires between Dorian and Jasper. Their romance was definitely the main focus of this book, and I like that these two, who seem to be polar opposites, compliment each other well. 

Melissa Grey has once again proven what a fantastic writer she is. She has this ability to effortlessly bring her world to life, and create characters I wish I could really befriend. She gave me what I hoped she would in this sequel, and left me wanting so much more. I can not wait for the next book in this series. That ending was brutal, and leaves me wishing book three was already out! 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR



Melissa Grey penned her first short story at the age of twelve and hasn't stopped writing since. As an undergrad at Yale, she learned how ride a horse and shoot a bow and arrow at the same time, but hasn't had much use for that skill since graduating in 2008. 

Her debut novel, THE GIRL AT MIDNIGHT (Delacorte/Random House), is out now. The second book in the trilogy, THE SHADOWHOUR, will be published July 2016. The third and final book of the series will come out summer 2017.


To learn more about Melissa, visit melissa-grey.com and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.



ENTER TO WIN
2 lucky winners will each receive a copy of Girl At Midnight and The Shadow Hour. Open to residents of the US / Canada. To enter, please fill out the form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


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