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Brilliant Shadows
Ethereal beings grant magical abilities to a diversity of human hosts.
- GenresFantasyYoung AdultQueer
Paperback
Published January 1, 2015
1 person is currently reading
32 people want to read
About the author
J.M. Bates
10 books9 followersJ.M. Bates is a fantasy and science fiction writer from Chicago, IL.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 20, 2015
I used to run an underground queer anarchist distro out of Chicago with my partner Liberte called Unbound Books. We carried what we considered to be some of the best independently produced queer, anarchist and feminist books, zines and music. I’ve always encouraged people to support independent artists, so when my friend JM Bates asked me to review their novel Beautiful Shadows before it was published I was extremely honored. Unfortunately due to a series of setbacks I was not able to read it right away. However, when I finally did I was blown away! I was amazed at how professional the writing style was. Bates immediately dropped me into a beautiful, mysterious world with its own established history and lore. Like a layer was peeled back on this ugly, mundane world to show the shiny, glowing, magical reality lurking just beneath the surface.
Beautiful Shadows is essentially a feminist fairy tale which takes place in a world populated by a diverse cast of queer youth, magical beings composed of pure light and an immortal pirate queen named Wild Rose. Which, in and of itself, should be more than enough to make you want to read it. In the intro we are immediately introduced to Rose and Mereida, an interracial same sex couple drinking rum and champagne in a loud dive bar. The two are decked out in fine jewelry and stolen rubies, bathed in the glow of their Shadows- magical, translucent creatures that choose humans to bond with and bestow upon them supernatural powers. Mereida’s Shadows are two playful seahorses who illuminate her in an otherworldly glow, while Rose’s Shadow is a colorful flame suspended above her right shoulder which grants her the gift of immortality. The couple is set to leave the mundane world, invited by the Glass People to enter The Otherworld. Shadows being their keys through the portal to this mysterious alternate dimension.
I was immediately hooked. I wanted to know everything about this world. What were the Shadows? Where did they come from? Who were the Glass People? Tell me everything! I need to know. But Bates only gives us little bits of information at a time. Parceled out like a precious commodity. Enough to keep the reader engaged, but not so much that it destroys the sense of wonder, of awe.
We first meet our hero Anne, or rather I should say one of our many heroes, in chapter two. She is a twelve year old girl experiencing the loss of her mother and the existential dread of knowing that there are real monsters in the world- other people. Anne decides to disguise herself as a monster as means of survival, a self defense mechanism. In a very touching scene Anne meets what she thinks is a vicious, wild animal. She bares her teeth and growls, frightening the creature. When Anne sees what she’s done she immediately feels guilty for inflicting her own anxiety onto another living being.
Anne comes from a family of Supplanters, humans who have the ability to remove Shadows from their human hosts. When her sister breaks the family code and steals someone else’s Shadow, Anne must take matters into her own hands by taking a Shadow her father had removed form a client (which she had secretly captured and kept in a jar).
I really don’t want to give away too much (spoilers, sweetie!), but I will say what I took away from the book. I could be completely wrong, but to me one of the central themes of Beautiful Shadows is redemption and rebirth through finding community. That chosen family not only provides a sense of belonging, but that it’s through each other that we find our strength, our collective power. Themes that I imagine resonate with most people, especially queer people.
When I finished reading Beautiful Shadows the first time (yes, I’ve read it twice now) all I could think of is “Damn, I wish we still ran Unbound Books.” This is exactly the type of book we would have been proud to carry.
Beautiful Shadows is essentially a feminist fairy tale which takes place in a world populated by a diverse cast of queer youth, magical beings composed of pure light and an immortal pirate queen named Wild Rose. Which, in and of itself, should be more than enough to make you want to read it. In the intro we are immediately introduced to Rose and Mereida, an interracial same sex couple drinking rum and champagne in a loud dive bar. The two are decked out in fine jewelry and stolen rubies, bathed in the glow of their Shadows- magical, translucent creatures that choose humans to bond with and bestow upon them supernatural powers. Mereida’s Shadows are two playful seahorses who illuminate her in an otherworldly glow, while Rose’s Shadow is a colorful flame suspended above her right shoulder which grants her the gift of immortality. The couple is set to leave the mundane world, invited by the Glass People to enter The Otherworld. Shadows being their keys through the portal to this mysterious alternate dimension.
I was immediately hooked. I wanted to know everything about this world. What were the Shadows? Where did they come from? Who were the Glass People? Tell me everything! I need to know. But Bates only gives us little bits of information at a time. Parceled out like a precious commodity. Enough to keep the reader engaged, but not so much that it destroys the sense of wonder, of awe.
We first meet our hero Anne, or rather I should say one of our many heroes, in chapter two. She is a twelve year old girl experiencing the loss of her mother and the existential dread of knowing that there are real monsters in the world- other people. Anne decides to disguise herself as a monster as means of survival, a self defense mechanism. In a very touching scene Anne meets what she thinks is a vicious, wild animal. She bares her teeth and growls, frightening the creature. When Anne sees what she’s done she immediately feels guilty for inflicting her own anxiety onto another living being.
Anne comes from a family of Supplanters, humans who have the ability to remove Shadows from their human hosts. When her sister breaks the family code and steals someone else’s Shadow, Anne must take matters into her own hands by taking a Shadow her father had removed form a client (which she had secretly captured and kept in a jar).
I really don’t want to give away too much (spoilers, sweetie!), but I will say what I took away from the book. I could be completely wrong, but to me one of the central themes of Beautiful Shadows is redemption and rebirth through finding community. That chosen family not only provides a sense of belonging, but that it’s through each other that we find our strength, our collective power. Themes that I imagine resonate with most people, especially queer people.
When I finished reading Beautiful Shadows the first time (yes, I’ve read it twice now) all I could think of is “Damn, I wish we still ran Unbound Books.” This is exactly the type of book we would have been proud to carry.
August 8, 2015
Brilliant Shadows is an engaging, fun, and fast read. Her characters are well thought out and easy to relate to. The magical concept of the Shadows is a welcome change in pace from the normal magic systems found in fantasy novels. This book is filled with girl power and pizzazz! I am very much looking forward to more stories in this universe.
March 18, 2016
Friends of the author sent me this book and I'm so glad they did! It is a lovely bit of world-building- one I expect more stories from. So many queers and ladies and people of color!
That being said, when describing the characters and in some other parts of the book, the author does a lot of telling, not showing. Maybe another editing round could suggest ways to describe characters without just saying "she had brown skin and x, y, z." I found myself thinking up invented parts of scenes where the character's physical traits could have been introduced without the blunt descriptors. It could have been helped even more by descriptors besides brown and white (I think an olive skin tone was thrown in there, too). Is this universe only black and white? No other people of color?
And there were the normal typos you'd expect with a self-published book.
That being said, I both wish it was longer (more stories, please!) and am grateful it was short because I don't have much time to read for pleasure lately. I really think with more developed writing skills and more stories, this could be a much more fleshed out and deeper story!
So great!
That being said, when describing the characters and in some other parts of the book, the author does a lot of telling, not showing. Maybe another editing round could suggest ways to describe characters without just saying "she had brown skin and x, y, z." I found myself thinking up invented parts of scenes where the character's physical traits could have been introduced without the blunt descriptors. It could have been helped even more by descriptors besides brown and white (I think an olive skin tone was thrown in there, too). Is this universe only black and white? No other people of color?
And there were the normal typos you'd expect with a self-published book.
That being said, I both wish it was longer (more stories, please!) and am grateful it was short because I don't have much time to read for pleasure lately. I really think with more developed writing skills and more stories, this could be a much more fleshed out and deeper story!
So great!
January 6, 2019
This fantasy novella deals with humans who have shadows, magical beings who give them powers. These humans were invited to go to the Otherworld, a lush place that is decreasing in magic. We meet a few characters who decide to make this journey.
It took me a long time to start reading this book but I knew I wanted to read it and I finally did. Unfortunately, while the idea is very neat, the writing wasn't and the plot was a bit rushed. This was a short novella and I think the author tried to do a lot at once. I am not sure whether this will be part of a series, as it is, it would make more sense if it was the beginning of one.
The writing and vocabulary was okay, but there weren't memorable quotes. The conversations gave too much information as if they were telling the reader directly. All the character descriptions were at once when they were introduced. I'm a believer of showing rather than telling. There were also too many characters and we were introduced to two new ones also at the end. The action was rushed and not that action-y.
I still think it's a good idea and want to see more. Authors aren't perfect from the start and I believe in seeing them progress:)
It took me a long time to start reading this book but I knew I wanted to read it and I finally did. Unfortunately, while the idea is very neat, the writing wasn't and the plot was a bit rushed. This was a short novella and I think the author tried to do a lot at once. I am not sure whether this will be part of a series, as it is, it would make more sense if it was the beginning of one.
The writing and vocabulary was okay, but there weren't memorable quotes. The conversations gave too much information as if they were telling the reader directly. All the character descriptions were at once when they were introduced. I'm a believer of showing rather than telling. There were also too many characters and we were introduced to two new ones also at the end. The action was rushed and not that action-y.
I still think it's a good idea and want to see more. Authors aren't perfect from the start and I believe in seeing them progress:)
November 17, 2015
This was OK. I backed this book on Kickstarter, and read a digital copy. I mostly enjoyed it. It has a reasonably interesting premise, with some people having magical spirits that bond with them and grant them certain gifts, and some of those people going to live in a magical world. The book has a very strong dedication to LGBT representation, and to racial representation (or, at least, black representation). The narrative is fairly interesting, though it does, at times, feel more like world-building than story-telling.
There were weaknesses with the writing, however. For one thing, there were too many typos and mistakes. That sort of thing always takes me out of a story. Beyond that, however, I think another draft would've helped to tighten up the writing as a whole. Some word choices were weaker or more awkward than they could've been. Some sentences ended up grabbing my attention for the wrong reason.
Still, overall, I did mostly enjoy this story.
There were weaknesses with the writing, however. For one thing, there were too many typos and mistakes. That sort of thing always takes me out of a story. Beyond that, however, I think another draft would've helped to tighten up the writing as a whole. Some word choices were weaker or more awkward than they could've been. Some sentences ended up grabbing my attention for the wrong reason.
Still, overall, I did mostly enjoy this story.
December 19, 2015
In Brilliant Shadows, J.M. Bates has created a world that is at once mysterious and tender and funny, and a story that you won’t want to end. Characters and their “Shadows”—powerful familiars that grant access to a secret, alternate dimension—are tangled together in a web that they at first do not fully understand, but that Bates weaves and then unravels in the most skillful and satisfying ways. Nattie, Anne, Rose and Merida, among others, are embodied with sexiness and humor and style in a beautiful spectrum of different expressions that belies the bland sameness of female characters in most fiction. Brilliant Shadows is a rollicking and magical ride and I can’t wait to accompany the characters on future odysseys.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews