Shadowfell

Author: Juliet Marillier

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

After suddenly being orphaned, Neryn begin a long journey to a place that might not even be real–Shadowfell. But Neryn is also hiding an incredible magical ability that would not be looked upon kindly by the cruel king that has taken over her country, Alban. As Neryn moves forward, she encounters challenge after challenged that test her in many ways...including Flint, a strange soldier and friend of the king that she can completely trust...or can she?

Shadowfell is a book that would be enjoyed by middle school girls. Since the main two genres in this book are fantasy and romance, readers that enjoy reading those genres will definitely like this book. Anyone who has every lost a family member will be able to empathize with Neryn and her struggles as she attempts to put her past behind her and move on.

I can’t say that I didn’t like Shadowfell, but I didn’t really like it either. I wasn’t impressed with the beginning, which was very slow and boring. After you got through the beginning, it wasn’t a bad book. However, for some reason I couldn’t get into the book–I couldn’t relate to the characters very much, it lacked the suspense and foreshadowing that lots of readers crave when reading, and I lost sight of Neryn’s main goal in the beginning of this novel. Another thing I didn’t like about this book was that it was almost exactly the same basic plot as another book I’ve recently read, making it harder to really get into. 

Note: On page 180, there is a sentence that begins with "fPut on your cloak...".