I loved this book so much. I am not a big fantasy reader, in fact it is my least read genre because most of the time, the writing feels inaccessible to me. This book was written in modern language, modern grammar, not some crazy archaic format like so many fantasy authors like to utilize. Rowan did a wonderful job, they are a master of language.
Within the first page or two, I was hooked on the world and the characters, and I couldn’t get enough. I’m a slow reader, so to many I wouldn’t have devoured it like they might have, but every time I sat down to read it I couldn’t stop, I had to force myself to put it down to get other things done. It was so easy to get sucked into the drama and lives and adventures of these characters.
So, let’s talk about the book, shall we?
It’s thick, it isn’t a light read at all, and I think that’s something everyone needs to know before going into it. Because thick books can be daunting. But, with the switching of POVs every chapter, the adventures everyone is going on, the court intrigue, the betrayals around every corner, it just keeps pushing you on and on and on until you’re at the end and you’re left with a WTF moment of “My Gods, what just happened?” It’s a whirlwind of action. There ARE Trigger Warnings, not a shopping list but still you should read them and be prepared for some gore and violence. Another possible turn off is the implied incest, so I’ll make a note of that here because I know a lot of people aren’t into that. But seriously, if you liked A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones, I’d definitely give this a chance. It’s a little lighter than that series, but still serious in its tone and a worthy addition to any fantasy readers library.
The characters were phenomenal. I loved them all, but seriously to be honest my favorite has to be MAURA. Shadow Mommy. That’s all I am going to say. Well, maybe not, because this character has given me so much inspiration for my own Shadow Afflicted character that I am definitely going to acknowledge the author in SLAUGHTERHOUSE. I learned so much from reading this book, about how to write my own characters, how I enjoyed characters being written, and just what sorts of things I really look for in a favorite character, and in a book, I am willing to hype the f*ck up.
I cannot wait for the second book in the series to come out, Vessel of Shadows. I am religiously following the author and their updates on the series. I am so excited.