Slow start, becomes action-packed midway. 3.5 stars. The Shattered Dark was one of my most anticipated releases of 2012. I loved The Shadow Reader and I could not get enough of author Sandy Williams’ world of the fae. Oh, and with heroes like Aren and Kyol, what more could I ask? The Shattered Dark picks up right after the events of the first book. The fae realm is in turmoil; a group of dissenters calling themselves The Remnants are not happy with the new ruler. There is a lot of political intrigue and jostling for power in this book.I had difficulty with the first half of the novel. Perhaps it was because some time had passed since I read the first book, or maybe because the pacing was a little slow at first. There seemed to be so many characters and several story lines to keep track of.A little niggling annoyance I had with the book was that the love triangle should have been resolved. It was, for the most part, and I agreed with the choice even though I missed the other character terribly. BUT – and I am sorry for shouting – the love triangle has a little monkey wrench thrown into it. Why, oh, why?The book clicked for me during the second half. Suddenly, I was at the edge of my seat and I had difficulty putting the book down. Now, THIS was the book I was expecting. There were battle scenes, complete with fae against fae, fae against human, swashbuckling sword fights, hand to hand combat, really scary stuff. These scenes were extremely well done. What draws me to this series is the fascinating take on the fae and the fae realm. The world feels complete with its complex issues and political maneuvering. I liked how the characters were able to travel between the human and the fae realms through fissures and gates. Overall, I liked The Shattered Dark. I’m curious to see where the author takes this series in the next book. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books for a review copy of this book. Review posted on Badass Book Reviews.Check out Sandy Williams' Halloween guest post on The Five Things I Can't Write Without on Badass Book Reviews.
