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The Fianna Trilogy #1
The Shadows
Grace Knox is about to turn seventeen, and the world of Victorian New York society should be opening to her—a time of dances and parties and boys vying for her heart and her hand. Instead, Grace’s world is closing in: the family business is gone; her brother is drinking and gambling away whatever is left; her widowed mother cannot cope; and her grandmother is slipping into madness. And now Grace is having disturbing dreams of ancient battles.
Grace’s only hope is to marry Patrick Devlin and let his fortune save them all. But she isn’t sure she loves Patrick, and she doesn’t share his passion to free Ireland from British rule. Why look to Ireland when there is so much poverty and despair here?
Then Grace meets Diarmid, an Irish stableboy. Being with him means losing everything. But the secrets and mystery surrounding him are too compelling to ignore. Soon Grace is drawn into his world of legend and heroes, magic and prophecy—the world of her dreams—where her own choice between faith and fear holds the greatest power of all.
Grace’s only hope is to marry Patrick Devlin and let his fortune save them all. But she isn’t sure she loves Patrick, and she doesn’t share his passion to free Ireland from British rule. Why look to Ireland when there is so much poverty and despair here?
Then Grace meets Diarmid, an Irish stableboy. Being with him means losing everything. But the secrets and mystery surrounding him are too compelling to ignore. Soon Grace is drawn into his world of legend and heroes, magic and prophecy—the world of her dreams—where her own choice between faith and fear holds the greatest power of all.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 3, 2014
488 people are currently reading
1723 people want to read
About the author
Megan Chance
32 books709 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Megan Chance is the bestselling, critically acclaimed author of several novels. Booklist calls her writing “Provocative and haunting.” Her books have been chosen by Amazon's Book of the Month, Borders Original Voices and IndieNext. A former television news photographer with a BA from Western Washington University, Megan Chance lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband. Visit her at www.meganchance.com
Megan Chance is the bestselling, critically acclaimed author of several novels. Booklist calls her writing “Provocative and haunting.” Her books have been chosen by Amazon's Book of the Month, Borders Original Voices and IndieNext. A former television news photographer with a BA from Western Washington University, Megan Chance lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband. Visit her at www.meganchance.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews
September 28, 2017
I received this book via Goodreads’ First Reads Giveaways.
The book starts off with a glossary of terms and a pronunciation guide. A cautious optimism spread through my cynical, cold little heart. This book promised me exotic sounding deities from Irish Mythology, druids, sidhe/fairies, runes, epic, legendary warriors etc. I was sold.
The only things I know of Ireland and its folklore have been gleaned from Lucky Charms commercials and repeat viewings of Leprechaun 5: In the Hood. So needless to say, I was excited to start this book. And then that initial joy slowly died in my throat.
We meet our heroine Grace Knox. A prudent young girl on the cusp of her debut into 19th century New York Society, Grace makes for an inoffensive, if not justifiably dour main character. When not playing martyr and caring for her ill mother, mad grandmother, and drunk brother, she daydreams of romance and a White Knight with shining armor. Apparently there was a BOGO sale because she winds up with not one but two White Knights to deliver her from her own personal, poverty-stricken hell of bill collectors and tattered frocks. White Knight #1 just so happens to be Diarmid Ua Duibhne, newly awakened legendary warrior from centuries past, but you wouldn't know it from the way he flirts like a teenage boy straight out of high school.
This insufferable love triangle was alluded to in the book’s blurb. Love triangles make for trite, distracting sub-plots, but they seem impossible to escape from in the YA genre. What was not mentioned in this book's blurb was that eventually this love triangle mutates and metastasizes into a love quadrilateral and then inexplicably, a love pentagon. Excellent.
But still I dutifully read on. You see I was promised epic battles and magic and legendary warriors and the blood of Britons flowing freely down the Emerald Isle. And so I waited. And waited. And waited some more. It got to the point where at the beginning of every chapter I would hold an imaginary conversation with myself that went something like this:
Why hello there, Mr. Chapter 15. Is anything exciting and plot-advancing going to happen here? Oh, I see. Grace and her friends are going to go to the fair. Oh, okay. Maybe something exciting will happen next chapter.
Why hello there, Mr. Chapter 20. Are there gonna be any epic battles here? I mean surely you couldn't have a group called Finn's Warriors and have them never do battle. That would just be silly. Oh, I see. Grace and White Knight #1 whom she totally doesn't have feelings for are going to have a totally illuminating, truly riveting conversation whilst going for a stroll. Guess, I'll have to wait for the next chapter for exciting things to happen.
And so on and so forth. I was disappointed to say the least. There are hints of things to come. Prophecies. Spooky nightmares. Rituals and summonings. But it all leads to a whole lotta nothing. And still I kept reading to the bitter, anti-climatic ending.
Every aspect of this book that could have elevated it above and beyond its fellow YA ilk is woefully underdeveloped and mismanaged. There are some tantalizing opportunities for social commentary that are wholly glossed over. White Knight #2, Patrick Devlin, is a second-generation Irish transplant who still feels strong ties to Ireland and aims to fund a rebellion to liberate it from British rule. Patrick, like so many failed freedom fighters before and after him, naively believes that throwing enough money at a problem and throwing around words like Freedom with a capital "F" will make for a successful revolution. His gung-ho, self-professed role as Ireland's savior is magnified by his liminal status. He's not quite a New Yorker,but he's not really Irish either. And so he over-compensates. He obsessively collects Irish relics and antiques. He gives Grace books by Irish poets filled not with love sonnets but with rousing war songs of rebellion.
Grace, who also has Irish blood, couldn't care less. She's a New Yorker now through and through. In fact, she seems unfazed by signs outside storefronts that read "Irish Need Not Apply." There is a sometimes unsteady relationship between the children of immigrants and their adopted motherlands. The interplay between maintaining cultural identity versus assimilating would have been a great topic to explore in further depth. But is this topic ever really explored? Nope. Let's have Grace and Diarmid do some more of their little awkward dance of hate-hate-kiss-kiss-guilt-longing-kiss-kiss-slap.
There comes a point in the reading of this book where the reader notices that the page count keeps decreasing, yet the number of plot issues that need resolving keeps increasing. Odd. "How ever will Megan Chance wrap all this up?" The reader asks. Turns out she can't. Because this shit is a trilogy. So if you really wanna know how this story really ends you're going to have double down and then triple down to ever see a return on your investment. Spare me. The first book of a series should set the tone for the rest of the series. If this first book is any indication of the quality of the next two books, then I expect them to be plodding, mostly plot-less soap operas with teenagers in petticoats and wholly unworthy of my time and probably yours too.
The book starts off with a glossary of terms and a pronunciation guide. A cautious optimism spread through my cynical, cold little heart. This book promised me exotic sounding deities from Irish Mythology, druids, sidhe/fairies, runes, epic, legendary warriors etc. I was sold.
The only things I know of Ireland and its folklore have been gleaned from Lucky Charms commercials and repeat viewings of Leprechaun 5: In the Hood. So needless to say, I was excited to start this book. And then that initial joy slowly died in my throat.
We meet our heroine Grace Knox. A prudent young girl on the cusp of her debut into 19th century New York Society, Grace makes for an inoffensive, if not justifiably dour main character. When not playing martyr and caring for her ill mother, mad grandmother, and drunk brother, she daydreams of romance and a White Knight with shining armor. Apparently there was a BOGO sale because she winds up with not one but two White Knights to deliver her from her own personal, poverty-stricken hell of bill collectors and tattered frocks. White Knight #1 just so happens to be Diarmid Ua Duibhne, newly awakened legendary warrior from centuries past, but you wouldn't know it from the way he flirts like a teenage boy straight out of high school.
This insufferable love triangle was alluded to in the book’s blurb. Love triangles make for trite, distracting sub-plots, but they seem impossible to escape from in the YA genre. What was not mentioned in this book's blurb was that eventually this love triangle mutates and metastasizes into a love quadrilateral and then inexplicably, a love pentagon. Excellent.
But still I dutifully read on. You see I was promised epic battles and magic and legendary warriors and the blood of Britons flowing freely down the Emerald Isle. And so I waited. And waited. And waited some more. It got to the point where at the beginning of every chapter I would hold an imaginary conversation with myself that went something like this:
Why hello there, Mr. Chapter 15. Is anything exciting and plot-advancing going to happen here? Oh, I see. Grace and her friends are going to go to the fair. Oh, okay. Maybe something exciting will happen next chapter.
Why hello there, Mr. Chapter 20. Are there gonna be any epic battles here? I mean surely you couldn't have a group called Finn's Warriors and have them never do battle. That would just be silly. Oh, I see. Grace and White Knight #1 whom she totally doesn't have feelings for are going to have a totally illuminating, truly riveting conversation whilst going for a stroll. Guess, I'll have to wait for the next chapter for exciting things to happen.
And so on and so forth. I was disappointed to say the least. There are hints of things to come. Prophecies. Spooky nightmares. Rituals and summonings. But it all leads to a whole lotta nothing. And still I kept reading to the bitter, anti-climatic ending.
Every aspect of this book that could have elevated it above and beyond its fellow YA ilk is woefully underdeveloped and mismanaged. There are some tantalizing opportunities for social commentary that are wholly glossed over. White Knight #2, Patrick Devlin, is a second-generation Irish transplant who still feels strong ties to Ireland and aims to fund a rebellion to liberate it from British rule. Patrick, like so many failed freedom fighters before and after him, naively believes that throwing enough money at a problem and throwing around words like Freedom with a capital "F" will make for a successful revolution. His gung-ho, self-professed role as Ireland's savior is magnified by his liminal status. He's not quite a New Yorker,but he's not really Irish either. And so he over-compensates. He obsessively collects Irish relics and antiques. He gives Grace books by Irish poets filled not with love sonnets but with rousing war songs of rebellion.
Grace, who also has Irish blood, couldn't care less. She's a New Yorker now through and through. In fact, she seems unfazed by signs outside storefronts that read "Irish Need Not Apply." There is a sometimes unsteady relationship between the children of immigrants and their adopted motherlands. The interplay between maintaining cultural identity versus assimilating would have been a great topic to explore in further depth. But is this topic ever really explored? Nope. Let's have Grace and Diarmid do some more of their little awkward dance of hate-hate-kiss-kiss-guilt-longing-kiss-kiss-slap.
There comes a point in the reading of this book where the reader notices that the page count keeps decreasing, yet the number of plot issues that need resolving keeps increasing. Odd. "How ever will Megan Chance wrap all this up?" The reader asks. Turns out she can't. Because this shit is a trilogy. So if you really wanna know how this story really ends you're going to have double down and then triple down to ever see a return on your investment. Spare me. The first book of a series should set the tone for the rest of the series. If this first book is any indication of the quality of the next two books, then I expect them to be plodding, mostly plot-less soap operas with teenagers in petticoats and wholly unworthy of my time and probably yours too.
January 22, 2015
3.5 stars
This was an enjoyable story, although I did find it a bit confusing in places.
Half of this book revolved around Grace, and the fact that she had to get married because the family’s money was gone (remind anyone else of The Luxe by Anna Godberson?). Anyway, she was to have a debut, and was to marry this man called Patrick who happened to be her best friend’s brother, and thus save her family from ruin, as her brother had drank and gambled away all their money.
“Aidan wasn’t drunk now, but there was a look in his eyes that I recognised; pinprick pupils. He’d been into Grandma’s laudanum, no doubt.”
The other half of the book was about a group of ancient warriors, called forth by the sounding of a special horn, and their plight to work out who had called them forth and why. It was these bits that were a bit confusing!
“The veleda will see the path,” the archdruid sang. “She will weigh the task and choose the worthiest side.
The storyline in this was okay otherwise, and I did manage to work out what was going on eventually, the ending did leave us with a bit of a cliff-hanger though, so it will be interesting to see what happens in book 2.
7 out of 10.
This was an enjoyable story, although I did find it a bit confusing in places.
Half of this book revolved around Grace, and the fact that she had to get married because the family’s money was gone (remind anyone else of The Luxe by Anna Godberson?). Anyway, she was to have a debut, and was to marry this man called Patrick who happened to be her best friend’s brother, and thus save her family from ruin, as her brother had drank and gambled away all their money.
“Aidan wasn’t drunk now, but there was a look in his eyes that I recognised; pinprick pupils. He’d been into Grandma’s laudanum, no doubt.”
The other half of the book was about a group of ancient warriors, called forth by the sounding of a special horn, and their plight to work out who had called them forth and why. It was these bits that were a bit confusing!
“The veleda will see the path,” the archdruid sang. “She will weigh the task and choose the worthiest side.
The storyline in this was okay otherwise, and I did manage to work out what was going on eventually, the ending did leave us with a bit of a cliff-hanger though, so it will be interesting to see what happens in book 2.
7 out of 10.
July 27, 2014
I should get an award for being able to finish books like this. Nothing happened, really... nothing :( .
There are the Fianna that want to save Ireland and they need a sacrifice and they have a gang in SUA because they're not sure who called them yet. Why does Ireland need saving? Because she's under the command of another country. Do we get to find out the bad parts about what's going on in Ireland? NO.
Meet Grace Knox; she has lost everything and now she needs to marry for money. That's fine because Patrick (who is rich and her childhood friend) has come back to save her. He loves her regardless. We never really see them interact, we just know he loved her forever and she fell for him when she realized how handsom he is. Shallow relationship no. 1 check.
Now meet the love triangle when Diarmid comes into the picture. He's handsome, but he's a stable boy and seems to have an affair with Lucy, Patrick's sister. He falls for Grace without a reason, she likes his face. Awesome romance development there as well.
And during the entire book you know they need to save Ireland, but nothing besides that is ever mentioned. And they have to find the priestess who will be sacrificed in order for the Fianna to be successful in their battle. It's not that hard to guess who the priestess is, right?
A dull, interminable read. Not a book I would recommend.
There are the Fianna that want to save Ireland and they need a sacrifice and they have a gang in SUA because they're not sure who called them yet. Why does Ireland need saving? Because she's under the command of another country. Do we get to find out the bad parts about what's going on in Ireland? NO.
Meet Grace Knox; she has lost everything and now she needs to marry for money. That's fine because Patrick (who is rich and her childhood friend) has come back to save her. He loves her regardless. We never really see them interact, we just know he loved her forever and she fell for him when she realized how handsom he is. Shallow relationship no. 1 check.
Now meet the love triangle when Diarmid comes into the picture. He's handsome, but he's a stable boy and seems to have an affair with Lucy, Patrick's sister. He falls for Grace without a reason, she likes his face. Awesome romance development there as well.
And during the entire book you know they need to save Ireland, but nothing besides that is ever mentioned. And they have to find the priestess who will be sacrificed in order for the Fianna to be successful in their battle. It's not that hard to guess who the priestess is, right?
A dull, interminable read. Not a book I would recommend.
June 8, 2014
I have never read this author before but I am a big fan of YA historical fiction/fantasy and Celtic Folklore.
This book is breathlessly compelling, I was frantically turning the pages to see what would happen.
There was almost a Gothic tone to the story which I love.
The narrative is told by three characters :
Grace- a 17 yo girl whose family is newly impoverished. She has mysterious dreams and flash backs and holds together her family. Although she doesn't know it, she is a descendant of a Druid priestess and tied to the Fianna ( a group of ancient Celtic warriors).
Patrick- One of Grace's love interests. He is passionate about supporting the Irish cause against British rule.
Diarmid- an ancient Celtic warrior who along with his co-warriors, the Fianna, was put into eternal sleep by a Druid and a priestess. They have awakened after being called by Grace's horn at the hands of Patrick.
This is a very simplistic summary for a wonderfully complex plot steeped in Celtic folklore.
I couldn't put the book down!
Be warned, the book ends on a big cliff hanger- I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel.
Although I am definitely not in the YA age group anymore, I really loved it!
This book is breathlessly compelling, I was frantically turning the pages to see what would happen.
There was almost a Gothic tone to the story which I love.
The narrative is told by three characters :
Grace- a 17 yo girl whose family is newly impoverished. She has mysterious dreams and flash backs and holds together her family. Although she doesn't know it, she is a descendant of a Druid priestess and tied to the Fianna ( a group of ancient Celtic warriors).
Patrick- One of Grace's love interests. He is passionate about supporting the Irish cause against British rule.
Diarmid- an ancient Celtic warrior who along with his co-warriors, the Fianna, was put into eternal sleep by a Druid and a priestess. They have awakened after being called by Grace's horn at the hands of Patrick.
This is a very simplistic summary for a wonderfully complex plot steeped in Celtic folklore.
I couldn't put the book down!
Be warned, the book ends on a big cliff hanger- I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel.
Although I am definitely not in the YA age group anymore, I really loved it!
August 31, 2019
I have to admit that this book was a little confusing - I don't think I'm giving too much of the story away here, but I'm going to hide it with spoilers just in case.
As I said, this story was pretty confusing to navigate. It did get pretty interesting as things progressed and I'm even a bit hooked to find out what happens next. However, the FMC is a bit annoying. Grace is fickle but worse, she doesn't think she is. She hasn't figured out how to be true to herself or her emotions yet, so it is hard to know whether she is worth liking. I actually have more warm and fuzzy feelings about Diarmid than anyone else. At least his perspective was constant. If I read the next book, it will be to find out if his situation improves.
As I said, this story was pretty confusing to navigate. It did get pretty interesting as things progressed and I'm even a bit hooked to find out what happens next. However, the FMC is a bit annoying. Grace is fickle but worse, she doesn't think she is. She hasn't figured out how to be true to herself or her emotions yet, so it is hard to know whether she is worth liking. I actually have more warm and fuzzy feelings about Diarmid than anyone else. At least his perspective was constant. If I read the next book, it will be to find out if his situation improves.
January 8, 2015
Irish lore meets spine-tingling romance, The Shadows is a must read!
August 28, 2019
In all honesty, there isn't anything premise wise about this book that I don't like. Grabbed this off KU as a read and listen and ended up downloading it on audible in order to speed this along. The narration moved incredibly slow, honestly the story itself was really slow with the reveals. We spend the entire first book, as the reader, having all the knowledge for the most part just not exactly knowing how it fits together but the characters take for freaking ever to figure everything out. It really made the plot for the most part drag out. I personally am not the greatest fan of the FMC, at this moment. She is a little on the whine and complain side, completely self righteous and judgmental. Maybe it fits with her original station but you would think after being on hard times for a bit she could learn a little humility. She is also a spaz in dangerous situations, which kind of sucks considering the hints about her predecessors being quite awesome. We have the start of the love triangle scenario here and it looks like its going to be between 2 goods? Maybe?
Grace Knox, our FMC, is approaching her 17th birthday. Her family has a history of being well off and part of society but has fallen on hard times after her father's passing. Her elder brother seems to do nothing but drink what little money they have away and the debt collectors are coming calling. Its up to Grace to save the family through marriage, or at least so she thinks. Grace's family has even more problems than debt collectors it seems. Their history is steeped into the supernatural and her grandmothers murmurs about the sidhe turn out to not just be murmurs. As her brother gambles away one of Grace's heir looms an old hunting horn sets off a chain of events that can only lead in Grace's death if she chooses a righteous cause.
Premise wise I love the mythology and magic involved here, honestly I wish there was less of Grace whining about marriage and her predicament and way more about the magic and her role in what is happening. More about Finn and the guys would be great as well. Everything else in the book seemed kind of more like filler shoved around the supernatural aspects. I feel like now that everything is out in the open this series has a chance to really pick up so I'm going to give it a continuing for now.. but if nothing changes I feel like this is going to be one more unfinished, and forgotten series thrown to the wayside.
Grace Knox, our FMC, is approaching her 17th birthday. Her family has a history of being well off and part of society but has fallen on hard times after her father's passing. Her elder brother seems to do nothing but drink what little money they have away and the debt collectors are coming calling. Its up to Grace to save the family through marriage, or at least so she thinks. Grace's family has even more problems than debt collectors it seems. Their history is steeped into the supernatural and her grandmothers murmurs about the sidhe turn out to not just be murmurs. As her brother gambles away one of Grace's heir looms an old hunting horn sets off a chain of events that can only lead in Grace's death if she chooses a righteous cause.
Premise wise I love the mythology and magic involved here, honestly I wish there was less of Grace whining about marriage and her predicament and way more about the magic and her role in what is happening. More about Finn and the guys would be great as well. Everything else in the book seemed kind of more like filler shoved around the supernatural aspects. I feel like now that everything is out in the open this series has a chance to really pick up so I'm going to give it a continuing for now.. but if nothing changes I feel like this is going to be one more unfinished, and forgotten series thrown to the wayside.
November 18, 2019
The Shadows was a blend of early American colonies and ancient Irish lore. Grace Knox was gifted a horn that could summon the Fianna. When her drunkard of a brother loses it gambling, Grace is distraught at the loss of the artifact. Grace is scrambling to keep her family together, they've already lost the family business and her father, and they don't have much left to give. Grace's childhood friend Patrick Devlin may be her only hope to save her family, but Patrick has made terrifying deals in order to secure Ireland's future.
I have a small-ish background in Irish lore, so I loved recognizing the tales of Finn McCool and the Fianna. What I didn't know was how much of the tales I missed. Granted a 19 day trip to Ireland isn't going to teach you everything you want to know. Mythology and legends is something I love in stories and The Shadows certainnly spun a wonderful tale of danger, love and the pursuit of freedom.
Grace was a lovely protagonist. I loved how level headed she was, even when her emotions were turbulent she almost always managed to keep a calm visage. Her relationship with her brother was so twisted and sad, but I loved how much she tried to help him and save him from himself.
A character I wish I could've learned more about was Grace's grandmother. The family constantly wrote her off as mad, but I think there was much more to her. It was very hard to tell what dear old Granny was trying to say, but it made me all the more fascinated. I'll definitely need to pick up the next book in the series after that tempestuous ending!
I have a small-ish background in Irish lore, so I loved recognizing the tales of Finn McCool and the Fianna. What I didn't know was how much of the tales I missed. Granted a 19 day trip to Ireland isn't going to teach you everything you want to know. Mythology and legends is something I love in stories and The Shadows certainnly spun a wonderful tale of danger, love and the pursuit of freedom.
Grace was a lovely protagonist. I loved how level headed she was, even when her emotions were turbulent she almost always managed to keep a calm visage. Her relationship with her brother was so twisted and sad, but I loved how much she tried to help him and save him from himself.
A character I wish I could've learned more about was Grace's grandmother. The family constantly wrote her off as mad, but I think there was much more to her. It was very hard to tell what dear old Granny was trying to say, but it made me all the more fascinated. I'll definitely need to pick up the next book in the series after that tempestuous ending!
wants
September 17, 2021It’s YA…but it’s also Megan Chance, & the backdrop/PNR aspects are an unusual mix. So maybe I’ll give it a whirl. ^__^
February 22, 2021
(...) nothing stays gone. Everything circles 'round and 'round about, over and over again. The end is only another beginning."
4/4.5 stars
I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this and couldn't put it down! It's a paranormal historical romance, set in 19th century New York and heavily inspired by Celtic mythology, which I loved!
I'll post a longer review later :)
4/4.5 stars
I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this and couldn't put it down! It's a paranormal historical romance, set in 19th century New York and heavily inspired by Celtic mythology, which I loved!
I'll post a longer review later :)
Read
August 6, 2021Pretty sure elevenish-year-old me liked this.
Eighteen-year-old me reading the blurb is, needless to say, skeptical.
Eighteen-year-old me reading the blurb is, needless to say, skeptical.
March 17, 2017
I gobbled up Megan Chance's Fianna trilogy like it was candy--reading so quickly through it that I didn't even take the time to review the first book before going on to the second book (and then the third) and by the end of it all, I was kind of overwhelmed by the thought of reviewing the first book in a trilogy when I've already finished the trilogy and so I just never reviewed it at all. But you know, I got to thinking tonight that I'm not sure if anyone actually reads my reviews or not, but if they do, I probably should tell them just how awesome this series was.
Prior to reading this book, I had never heard of the Fianna warriors of Irish mythology. Yes, I'd dabbled into books about Celtic druids and the sidhe, but I had never heard of Diarmid Ua Duibhne or the Fianna leader, Finn MacCumhail, or any of the rest of the warriors and gods of ancient Ireland. The Fianna trilogy was set in 1870's New York, rather than Ireland, as one would expect. While this is somewhat of an urban fantasy/romance novel, there are also a lot of great historical detail that the history junkie in me loved. New York in the late 1800's was a pretty dark and tumultuous city, full of gangs (think "Gangs of New York", that Leonardo DiCaprio film in which literally everybody died in gang fights) and starving immigrants living in filthy tenements. This made for a really awesome setting as New York society's elite clashed with the poor in a fight between ancient warriors and gods.
While I loved all of the above, I must admit that my favorite element of the trilogy was the tale of star-crossed, yet fated lovers, Diarmid and Grace. There was the classic battle between Grace's head and heart and ancient prophecies that made the love triangle that much more suspenseful. I loved every single character. I can even say that I loved the audible narration of this book (I mostly listened to the first book, listened to half of the second, and read most of the third myself). The accents were on point and really enriched the story.
This trilogy is a total winner winner chicken dinner.
And yes, I'm using this review on all three books, which I admit may be cheating.
Prior to reading this book, I had never heard of the Fianna warriors of Irish mythology. Yes, I'd dabbled into books about Celtic druids and the sidhe, but I had never heard of Diarmid Ua Duibhne or the Fianna leader, Finn MacCumhail, or any of the rest of the warriors and gods of ancient Ireland. The Fianna trilogy was set in 1870's New York, rather than Ireland, as one would expect. While this is somewhat of an urban fantasy/romance novel, there are also a lot of great historical detail that the history junkie in me loved. New York in the late 1800's was a pretty dark and tumultuous city, full of gangs (think "Gangs of New York", that Leonardo DiCaprio film in which literally everybody died in gang fights) and starving immigrants living in filthy tenements. This made for a really awesome setting as New York society's elite clashed with the poor in a fight between ancient warriors and gods.
While I loved all of the above, I must admit that my favorite element of the trilogy was the tale of star-crossed, yet fated lovers, Diarmid and Grace. There was the classic battle between Grace's head and heart and ancient prophecies that made the love triangle that much more suspenseful. I loved every single character. I can even say that I loved the audible narration of this book (I mostly listened to the first book, listened to half of the second, and read most of the third myself). The accents were on point and really enriched the story.
This trilogy is a total winner winner chicken dinner.
And yes, I'm using this review on all three books, which I admit may be cheating.
September 5, 2014
I might have enjoyed this more if I was in a different mood. The beginning of this was promising, albeit a tad confusing. The events in the story follow the span of about 2 months and each chapter is broken up by POVs of Diarmid, Grace or Patrick. This is set in 1874 New York so there was a lot of Victorian etiquette and social stuff. I usually don’t mind period stories, but found the talk about what is proper and what isn’t bothersome.
Diarmid is part of an ancient Irish group of warriors, The Fianna, that have awakened after 2,000 years in sleep and find themselves in NY. Grace is plagued by dreams of an ancient time but doesn’t understand them. Patrick was indoctrinated at a young age about the struggles of Ireland, the history, mythology and folklore. After 3 years in Ireland he returns with two purposes; to marry the girl of his dreams, Grace and to help save Ireland from oppression.
There was a lot of hints to magic and the whatnot but overall the story didn’t go anywhere. Add to it that right away a love triangle is established between the dreamy Diarmid, the alluring Grace and sensible Patrick. There are lots of dinners, stolen kisses and un-chaperoned conversations. *YAWN*.
Another character that really bothered me was Aidan. He is Grace’s older brother and is a drunk. After the death of their father, he gambles and sells most of their possessions leaving the family with nothing and Grace to pick up the slack. In all fairness, there is a reason for his behavior, but we don’t learn this until about 75% into the book. In the meantime we’re nudged to feel sorry for him. Didn’t work on my part and I usually skimmed his parts. I don’t say this often but he was a horrible character.
Overall, I would have enjoyed this is the pace was faster, there was no love triangle. HATE love triangles and the characters had been a bit more interesting. Doubt I will continue the series.
Diarmid is part of an ancient Irish group of warriors, The Fianna, that have awakened after 2,000 years in sleep and find themselves in NY. Grace is plagued by dreams of an ancient time but doesn’t understand them. Patrick was indoctrinated at a young age about the struggles of Ireland, the history, mythology and folklore. After 3 years in Ireland he returns with two purposes; to marry the girl of his dreams, Grace and to help save Ireland from oppression.
There was a lot of hints to magic and the whatnot but overall the story didn’t go anywhere. Add to it that right away a love triangle is established between the dreamy Diarmid, the alluring Grace and sensible Patrick. There are lots of dinners, stolen kisses and un-chaperoned conversations. *YAWN*.
Another character that really bothered me was Aidan. He is Grace’s older brother and is a drunk. After the death of their father, he gambles and sells most of their possessions leaving the family with nothing and Grace to pick up the slack. In all fairness, there is a reason for his behavior, but we don’t learn this until about 75% into the book. In the meantime we’re nudged to feel sorry for him. Didn’t work on my part and I usually skimmed his parts. I don’t say this often but he was a horrible character.
Overall, I would have enjoyed this is the pace was faster, there was no love triangle. HATE love triangles and the characters had been a bit more interesting. Doubt I will continue the series.
September 2, 2015
This book had a lot to recommend it. I really enjoyed the Celtic legends and the history of the time period the book was set in. I really felt as if I was THERE.
I was made FURIOUS by the "Harry Potter syndrome", where those who know what is going on refuse to tell the MC ANYthing, even though they are rather important to what is going on around them. The MC made a really poor decision to me, but I couldn't blame her, because she wasn't privy to the same information that the reader was. She made the only decision that made any sense given the information she had been given. If the good guys had only told her the truth and explained things to her, things would have gone much differently.
But then I guess there wouldn't be three books and only the one if misunderstandings didn't occur and mistakes weren't made.
Not a bad book, but highly frustrating. I hope the next book lets things become clearer to the MC, because if not, I'm going to be more upset and knock another star off of the next review.
I would recommend this book to those who like history in their magic and enjoy Celtic mythology. It's a bit on the YA side of things, but good for adult readers too. A solid 3.5 stars, rounded up because I read this in practically one sitting and it grabbed me.
My thanks to NetGalley and Skyscape for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
I was made FURIOUS by the "Harry Potter syndrome", where those who know what is going on refuse to tell the MC ANYthing, even though they are rather important to what is going on around them. The MC made a really poor decision to me, but I couldn't blame her, because she wasn't privy to the same information that the reader was. She made the only decision that made any sense given the information she had been given. If the good guys had only told her the truth and explained things to her, things would have gone much differently.
But then I guess there wouldn't be three books and only the one if misunderstandings didn't occur and mistakes weren't made.
Not a bad book, but highly frustrating. I hope the next book lets things become clearer to the MC, because if not, I'm going to be more upset and knock another star off of the next review.
I would recommend this book to those who like history in their magic and enjoy Celtic mythology. It's a bit on the YA side of things, but good for adult readers too. A solid 3.5 stars, rounded up because I read this in practically one sitting and it grabbed me.
My thanks to NetGalley and Skyscape for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
September 17, 2015
Grace Knox should be living a worry-free life, dating boys and hosting tea parties, but her family's situation has taken a turn for the worse. Since her father's death, debt collectors have been visiting her house everyday and her brother, who is now head of the household, is throwing away what money they do have on booze and gambling. They have practically sold all of their family heirlooms and her mother even took a job as a piano teacher to make ends meet, but what they really need is for Grace to marry well. So, now Grace is going to enter society early and thankfully her debut has good timing, because her life-long friend Patrick is back from Ireland. She hasn't seen him in years, but he confesses that he has feelings for her. Could he be the answer to her prayers? To complicate matters even more, Grace finds out that Patrick is part of the Fenian Brotherhood which supports Irish independence, but their brotherhood is more than that. Grace also meets Diarmid, or Derry, and he seems to be inconveinantly popping up everywhere. Megan Chance's The Shadows is an entertaining historical fantasy filled with Irish folklore.
Read the rest of my review here:
http://www.confessionsofabookaddict.c...
Read the rest of my review here:
http://www.confessionsofabookaddict.c...
August 7, 2015
4.5 stars
It was such an enthralling story, the kind that made me believe I was actually there in Victorian New York with Grace and Derry; when I stopped reading, I was disoriented and confused as to why I was still in my bedroom.
I'm excited to see where the story leads.
It was such an enthralling story, the kind that made me believe I was actually there in Victorian New York with Grace and Derry; when I stopped reading, I was disoriented and confused as to why I was still in my bedroom.
I'm excited to see where the story leads.
May 14, 2021
At first you read this book completely confused about what is going on. However, unlike some books it did an excellent job explaining things throughout so that I did not feel lost. That being said. I will not read the other two. I hated this book. I gave it a 2 star because it wasn’t completely awful. I’m just so sick and tired of love triangles and good girls wanting to cheat on their good guys for a not good guy. Where does that get them? Pregnant, alone, living in a trailer park with no money. But sure, let’s ditch security because the no good guy is completely dazzling and mysterious.
May 5, 2021
I hesitated whether or not I wanted to give this book a 2 or a 3 star rating.
I’m not a fan of Victorian romance novels to begin with, but what really bothered me about this book was the fact I was reading from a naïve 16 year old girl and her thoughts. I wish more books would be written from a girls perspective who is in her 20’s. It would be more relatable and believable when it comes to maturity and “power”.
I’m also picky about characters and I didn’t feel like Grace had much to her that really made me love her character or the book.
Also, the idea of the book was fantastic, I like the magic twist to it, but it was disappointing how little of it there was in this book and in my opinion not done well.
I’m not a fan of Victorian romance novels to begin with, but what really bothered me about this book was the fact I was reading from a naïve 16 year old girl and her thoughts. I wish more books would be written from a girls perspective who is in her 20’s. It would be more relatable and believable when it comes to maturity and “power”.
I’m also picky about characters and I didn’t feel like Grace had much to her that really made me love her character or the book.
Also, the idea of the book was fantastic, I like the magic twist to it, but it was disappointing how little of it there was in this book and in my opinion not done well.
March 3, 2017
I went into this book with a little trepidation. Despite normally not doing so, I had managed to stumble across a few of the other Goodreads reviews before I started, and they weren't all glowing. Pacing seemed to be a major concern from a number of reviewers and lack of plot driven excitement.
Well, I'm happy to say that while the story as a whole was slow, I didn't find it dull. When working with trilogies or series it can be difficult to get the world building and plot driver levels correct to keep your readers engaged and provide the information they need.
Megan managed to introduce a large cast of characters, each with complex backgrounds in a way that didn't overwhelm the reader, provided teaser information and whetted the appetite for books 2 and 3.
Complexity of characters was lacking in some of the later introduced characters, but I'm sure they'll be explored in more detail in the next book/s. The main cast had quite a lot of time to unfold their natures to the reader and do so in a manner that I don't really trust yet, but I feel that was the intention.
It feels to me that Megan will portray a character in a certain way to start, only to have that original idea smashed by some later revelation. This is quite ingenious as it allows for character growth that the reader experiences too.
I loved the Irish history and legends that coursed through this book and long to delve further into the Sidhe and Fianna.
The biggest blow to this book was the love triangle. I am hoping it is redeemed later in the trilogy, but I'm not holding my breath.
**Note: I was provided an electronic copy of this book through NetGalley in return for an honest review**
Well, I'm happy to say that while the story as a whole was slow, I didn't find it dull. When working with trilogies or series it can be difficult to get the world building and plot driver levels correct to keep your readers engaged and provide the information they need.
Megan managed to introduce a large cast of characters, each with complex backgrounds in a way that didn't overwhelm the reader, provided teaser information and whetted the appetite for books 2 and 3.
Complexity of characters was lacking in some of the later introduced characters, but I'm sure they'll be explored in more detail in the next book/s. The main cast had quite a lot of time to unfold their natures to the reader and do so in a manner that I don't really trust yet, but I feel that was the intention.
It feels to me that Megan will portray a character in a certain way to start, only to have that original idea smashed by some later revelation. This is quite ingenious as it allows for character growth that the reader experiences too.
I loved the Irish history and legends that coursed through this book and long to delve further into the Sidhe and Fianna.
The biggest blow to this book was the love triangle. I am hoping it is redeemed later in the trilogy, but I'm not holding my breath.
**Note: I was provided an electronic copy of this book through NetGalley in return for an honest review**
July 20, 2021
It was fun to dive into imaginative Irish folklore with legendary heroes, old magic, fantasy, mystery, suspense, devil-may-care warriors and ancient prophesies, Victorian era romance....and a young “damsel in distress” in search of her “white knight”, who is discovering through sacrifice and adversity that she may need to chart her own way and trust her own heart. Seventeen year-old Grace is pulled by magical, mysterious ties to one “knight” while trying to be true to another; and the author makes both choices so compelling, I may have been on the edge of my seat rooting for both! The author wrote the book well, with inspiration from Irish poetry and history, unraveling an exciting, magical world, irresistible relationships and captivating perspectives and characters.
The struggle of brother, sister, mother, friend, navigating loss and ruin, scrambling for hope and salvation, with a little help from some Irish magic, historical relics, fierce warrior ancestry and fabled fairytale soulmates to mix things up...it provided a truly fun young adult fiction. I would easily recommend this book to anyone I know who loves fiction and historical romance.
The struggle of brother, sister, mother, friend, navigating loss and ruin, scrambling for hope and salvation, with a little help from some Irish magic, historical relics, fierce warrior ancestry and fabled fairytale soulmates to mix things up...it provided a truly fun young adult fiction. I would easily recommend this book to anyone I know who loves fiction and historical romance.
August 12, 2015
I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.
Let me say this is the 1st YA book in a while to really grab my interest. This book gives me some of all my favorite things. A love triangle, gods, and of course a good old prophecy that has been lost in the sea of time. There is a slow build in this book that I enjoy has the characters come more alive this way. I enjoyed the twist towards the end, I was taken totally off character with it!( I LOVE WHEN THIS HAPPENS). I cannot wait to start book 2. One of the better reads this read for me. <3.
Let me say this is the 1st YA book in a while to really grab my interest. This book gives me some of all my favorite things. A love triangle, gods, and of course a good old prophecy that has been lost in the sea of time. There is a slow build in this book that I enjoy has the characters come more alive this way. I enjoyed the twist towards the end, I was taken totally off character with it!( I LOVE WHEN THIS HAPPENS). I cannot wait to start book 2. One of the better reads this read for me. <3.
January 12, 2015
So I recently won The Shadows from a giveaway and was pleased that I had won.The Shadows was a really good and interesting story!
The plot was really great and the characters all made the story come together! What captured my attention the most was the Irish background and culture that was included throughout the story. I was asked for my honest review and it was a really good book who I would recommend to anyone looking for a ya novel with mystery,fantasy,history, and some steam punkish victorian style covers, which by the way, looked awesome!
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
The plot was really great and the characters all made the story come together! What captured my attention the most was the Irish background and culture that was included throughout the story. I was asked for my honest review and it was a really good book who I would recommend to anyone looking for a ya novel with mystery,fantasy,history, and some steam punkish victorian style covers, which by the way, looked awesome!
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
June 20, 2015
a basically unremarkable book. lots of unpronounceable names - a huge storytelling pet-peeve of mine - coupled with an at times annoying main character and a very slow moving plot. i like the idea of mixing old Irish legends with a victorian setting, but ultimately the delivery just fell short. however, as so often happens in lack luster novels with sequels, something happened in the last few pages that made me forget the slog it was to get through the book and have me reaching for the next in the series to "see what happens." the curse of the cliffhanger strikes again.
October 13, 2015
I don't have much to save about this novel other than I just didn't like it. I didn't like the writing style. The story was too predictable and I didn't connect with any of the characters. Nothing really happens in this book to pull me in and keep my interest.
*I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
*I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
July 30, 2014
This was... pretty bad. The mythology it is based on was really interesting, but Grace was indecisive, obtuse, and passive. At no point did she take control of her destiny. Also, this author seems to think romance is about letting overbearing men take your choices from you. Which is gross.
June 28, 2015
Fabulous! I was so delighted to be given this gem by local author Megan Chance. She made Irish mythology fun and accessible in a way it's never been for me before. I just ordered the second book and can't wait for it to arrive.
November 3, 2016
Fast and thought provoking read about recognizing and taking advantage of the unpredictability of success in life (professional and personal). Writing style reminds me of Gladwell.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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April 19, 2019
[Quick and short review from memory before I re-read and review at a later date:
No memory, unlikely to re-read. Probably just badly written YA.]
No memory, unlikely to re-read. Probably just badly written YA.]
February 15, 2017
A really good book. Full review over here: https://rickusbookshelf.wordpress.com...
October 12, 2017
Fantasy, mystery and romance are intermingled in this engrossing tale of Celtic lore brought to the 19th century world of New York City.
Megan Chance’s, “The Shadows; The Fianna Trilogy Book One” is targeted for teenagers and young adults. However, older adults like myself can enjoy it as well. The author’s writing is easy and fluid, and I found myself enchanted. Megan really knows how to set the ambience of each scene.
When Grace Knox’s father dies, her family is left destitute. Her father’s once profitable business goes under. Her brother, Aiden, finds solace in whiskey. Drunk and raving about screaming and thundering in his head, he goes out at night and gambles their possessions away. Grace has disturbing dreams of ravens, screaming, and ancient battles. Her mother has lost her ability to deal with their situation and is occupied with taking care of Grace’s ill grandmother. Grace suspects her grandmother, who recounts bits of ancient Celtic legends in her confusion, is going mad. Grace, as the responsible one in the household, tries to deal with their financial situation and keep the debt collectors at bay. They have no money to pay her grandmother’s medical bills, and when the doctor plans to take legal action against them, Grace’s mother persuades her to agree to a match with Patrick Delvik, whose wealthy family has the means to save them from ruin.
Patrick is involved with a group whose aim is to free Ireland from British rule. His group uses incantations with a Celtic hunting horn, the "dord fiann", to summon the Fianna, an ancient Irish group that fought for Ireland 2000 years ago. Thinking that the summons did not work, since the Fianna did not appear in the room where the incantations were done, Patrick summons the Fomori, another ancient group that fought the British but enslaved the Irish. Patrick then finds that the Fianna did arrive after all; they arrived in a tenement building in a bad area of town. Patrick discovers his stable boy, Derry O’Shea, is one of them. Derry is really Diarmid Ua Duibhne, a great legendary warrior.
Diarmid thinks that Patrick’s sister Lucy is the "veleda", a Druid priestess with special powers. In order to cast a love spell on her, he uses the power of his "ball seirce", a love spot hidden behind the hair hanging over his forehead. When Lucy sees this love spot, she falls madly in love with him. However, Diarmid abruptly leaves her when he discovers that Grace is the veleda.
Grace, as the veleda, must decide between the Fianna and the Fomori, a legendary group of chaos and betrayal. She must choose between the two groups and, in accordance with the legend, must be sacrificed on Samhain, Oct. 31st, to give them her power. According to the legend, Diarmid is under a "geis" that will make him kill the veleda as he is asked; he is supposed to cut her throat. Without the sacrifice, all members of the Fianna will die. Patrick is determined to keep her from the Fianna and save her from death. He believes that the Fomori will not demand her sacrifice.
Grace is torn by her feelings of love and safety with Patrick and her attraction and feeling of belonging to Diarmid. Patrick aligns himself with the Fomori, and she agrees to marry him.
The Fomori agree to work with the Fianna. However, the Fianna reject the idea of allying with the Fomori to fight the British. A battle between them ensues.
Note that in the beginning of each book, there is a helpful list of Celtic character names and definitions.
I bought the Audible as well as Kindle version and could switch between them. There is also an audio version in sync with the pages that you can listen to as you read. Karen Peakes does an excellent job with the various voices in the narration.
Megan Chance’s, “The Shadows; The Fianna Trilogy Book One” is targeted for teenagers and young adults. However, older adults like myself can enjoy it as well. The author’s writing is easy and fluid, and I found myself enchanted. Megan really knows how to set the ambience of each scene.
When Grace Knox’s father dies, her family is left destitute. Her father’s once profitable business goes under. Her brother, Aiden, finds solace in whiskey. Drunk and raving about screaming and thundering in his head, he goes out at night and gambles their possessions away. Grace has disturbing dreams of ravens, screaming, and ancient battles. Her mother has lost her ability to deal with their situation and is occupied with taking care of Grace’s ill grandmother. Grace suspects her grandmother, who recounts bits of ancient Celtic legends in her confusion, is going mad. Grace, as the responsible one in the household, tries to deal with their financial situation and keep the debt collectors at bay. They have no money to pay her grandmother’s medical bills, and when the doctor plans to take legal action against them, Grace’s mother persuades her to agree to a match with Patrick Delvik, whose wealthy family has the means to save them from ruin.
Patrick is involved with a group whose aim is to free Ireland from British rule. His group uses incantations with a Celtic hunting horn, the "dord fiann", to summon the Fianna, an ancient Irish group that fought for Ireland 2000 years ago. Thinking that the summons did not work, since the Fianna did not appear in the room where the incantations were done, Patrick summons the Fomori, another ancient group that fought the British but enslaved the Irish. Patrick then finds that the Fianna did arrive after all; they arrived in a tenement building in a bad area of town. Patrick discovers his stable boy, Derry O’Shea, is one of them. Derry is really Diarmid Ua Duibhne, a great legendary warrior.
Diarmid thinks that Patrick’s sister Lucy is the "veleda", a Druid priestess with special powers. In order to cast a love spell on her, he uses the power of his "ball seirce", a love spot hidden behind the hair hanging over his forehead. When Lucy sees this love spot, she falls madly in love with him. However, Diarmid abruptly leaves her when he discovers that Grace is the veleda.
Grace, as the veleda, must decide between the Fianna and the Fomori, a legendary group of chaos and betrayal. She must choose between the two groups and, in accordance with the legend, must be sacrificed on Samhain, Oct. 31st, to give them her power. According to the legend, Diarmid is under a "geis" that will make him kill the veleda as he is asked; he is supposed to cut her throat. Without the sacrifice, all members of the Fianna will die. Patrick is determined to keep her from the Fianna and save her from death. He believes that the Fomori will not demand her sacrifice.
Grace is torn by her feelings of love and safety with Patrick and her attraction and feeling of belonging to Diarmid. Patrick aligns himself with the Fomori, and she agrees to marry him.
The Fomori agree to work with the Fianna. However, the Fianna reject the idea of allying with the Fomori to fight the British. A battle between them ensues.
Note that in the beginning of each book, there is a helpful list of Celtic character names and definitions.
I bought the Audible as well as Kindle version and could switch between them. There is also an audio version in sync with the pages that you can listen to as you read. Karen Peakes does an excellent job with the various voices in the narration.
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