Sci-Fi & Scary

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Shadow Run is a young adult science fiction novel. It’s the first in the Kaitan Chronicles. It’s also a book that I almost gave up on, and ended up loving. I was to the point where I was going to DNF it because it just wasn’t drawing me in. But then somehow, within the space of a few pages, something changed and I was hooked. I can’t even pinpoint what it was, but everything just seemed to click suddenly.

One of the things that I loved about Shadow Run was Basra, and how the authors handle their gender fluidity. It was accepted by everyone in the novel. Sometimes the character was masculine, sometimes feminine, but always Basra, the one in a relationship with the Captain’s brother. There is no drama surrounding the character related to this, no stereotypical bigot to cause a scene. Most of the other characters in Shadow Run are forgettable for most of the book. They only come into their own in the end. Watching Nev grow up was kind of heart-breaking, but well handled.

It’s hard to make sweeping statements about Shadow Run, because of my differing reactions to the beginning and the end. The plot was nothing new, the dialogue not particularly snappy. But the fight scenes were extremely well executed. The authors do a fantastic job in the last half of the book at building up tension and drama. When everything kicks into gear, I was completely invested in what was happening. It went from being a book I could barely pay attention to, to one that had me on the edge of my seat, cheering the characters on. Especially Nev and Eaton.

Shadow Run is a young adult novel, so of course, there is romance. However, the authors do a decent job of developing the relationship slowly. The fact that it didn’t involve large amounts of hormonal thoughts and eyelash flutterings made it much more tolerable. Everything that the characters go through make the base for the relationship feel more sturdy than most portrayed in this type of novel.

Overall, it definitely has its issues, but Shadow Run does end up being worth the time and the money. I honestly believe this is one of those series where each book is just going to keep getting better.

Disclaimer: Received a copy from Netgalley for review consideration.