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The Shattering Darkness #1
An Heir in Shadow
Morrigan has spent decades hiding in plain sight as a celebrated agent for the Bureau of Preternatural Creatures. As the most powerful fae spell caster alive, she has long stood against the rising tide of evil stalking the innocent people in her home city of Baltimore. When her cover is suddenly blown, Morrigan must finally decide to either embrace the duty of her heritage or to abandon the people she has come to love to one of the greatest enemies she has ever faced.
- GenresFantasy
338 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 24, 2017
11 people are currently reading
162 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 23, 2018
I really like that the author gives us a back story. The picture does not do the cover justice.
The queen of the dragons and the king of the fae were true mates, should be happily ever after, right? WRONG! The dragon queen cared only for gold and wealth, love meant nothing to her. The fae king cared only for power and nothing of love. Humans were nothing but puppets to both races and so there was war. The king's sister, Freya cursed them all for killing her true mate in there petty war.
Morrigan was the child of the last dragon born after the great war. Morrigan carries her mothers looks and Dyrnwyn, her father's sword, but both her parents died when she was 10.
She works for the Bureau of Preternatural Creatures, because she thinks it safe. Connar is her boss and friend, but tells her the Prime Male of Dragon Court has requested her assistance. No knows she dragon and fae except Lucian, and that was accidental. So she tells Connar to deny the request. That's where everything starts to spiral and it's only page 11! In case you didn't notice, this is only book 1.
This book is fast paced. It has action and imagination. The authors descriptive words are amazing, wait until you read about Morrigan's dragon, she is breathtakingly beautiful. The book is superbly written. The plot is well thought out. The story is well put together and flows freely. Sofia Drake deserves all 5 stars for this one.
The queen of the dragons and the king of the fae were true mates, should be happily ever after, right? WRONG! The dragon queen cared only for gold and wealth, love meant nothing to her. The fae king cared only for power and nothing of love. Humans were nothing but puppets to both races and so there was war. The king's sister, Freya cursed them all for killing her true mate in there petty war.
Morrigan was the child of the last dragon born after the great war. Morrigan carries her mothers looks and Dyrnwyn, her father's sword, but both her parents died when she was 10.
She works for the Bureau of Preternatural Creatures, because she thinks it safe. Connar is her boss and friend, but tells her the Prime Male of Dragon Court has requested her assistance. No knows she dragon and fae except Lucian, and that was accidental. So she tells Connar to deny the request. That's where everything starts to spiral and it's only page 11! In case you didn't notice, this is only book 1.
This book is fast paced. It has action and imagination. The authors descriptive words are amazing, wait until you read about Morrigan's dragon, she is breathtakingly beautiful. The book is superbly written. The plot is well thought out. The story is well put together and flows freely. Sofia Drake deserves all 5 stars for this one.
February 6, 2018
This book was so much fun! The plot was exciting and fast paced. It's full of action, romance, dragons, fae and magic. I'm fascinated by this world Sofia Drake has created and I can't wait to find out more!
January 1, 2018
2.5 stars - For my last book of 2017, this was a disappointment. I confess I mainly picked this up due to the cover, but I expected more out of this story.
At the beginning, I thought this would be an urban-fantasy series in the vein of Kate Daniels, but the following pages proved me wrong.
I thought that the characters, including the protagonist, were not developed enough to make me care about them. The plotline was also a little predictable and I did not see the logic behind some of the narrative choices.
Hopefully the next books in the series will improve.
At the beginning, I thought this would be an urban-fantasy series in the vein of Kate Daniels, but the following pages proved me wrong.
I thought that the characters, including the protagonist, were not developed enough to make me care about them. The plotline was also a little predictable and I did not see the logic behind some of the narrative choices.
Hopefully the next books in the series will improve.
February 1, 2018
This book is a refreshing, fast paced, entertaining masterpiece! Sofia Drake's first in the trilogy is captivating and will take you on a thrilling ride into a world of dragons and fae that is completely original and unlike anything you've ever read before. The constant action will have you turning page after page. I appreciate that the book does not have page after page or chapter after chapter of "fluff," or "filler." Everything the main character Morrigan, or Mor as she prefers, goes through is important to her personal story arc AND those of the ones around her. You will find your best friends in Rosalind and Connar and the rest of Mor's inner circle of friends. I actually laughed out loud quite a few times, for example, "...nodding at the bewildered driver who could not understand how they managed to get themselves out here without a car and why she had a sword." However, the author finds a way to relate the book to everyday issues as well! Not only does the book take place in Baltimore, but it references many towns and places in Maryland that you can actually visit! The author's attention to detail will have you daydreaming of dragon battles and courts! If you like action packed books with strong characters, interesting plots, romance, fantasy, and devious plans and battles, then you will love "An Heir In Shadow!" This book is about finding one's strength, the power of wills, love, friendship, dragons, fae, humans, and every variation between them!
February 1, 2018
I was pleasantly surprised by this read. The author is in my book club group but my review is honest. I loved this book!!!
Fast paced, lots of action, romance that wasn't overwhelming and enough mystery that I was left wanting more!
Mor is a great MC, she is brave and strong.... even when she doesn't think so and has the self awareness to not be obnoxious. I was very invested in her story and loved all her ups and downs. The secondary characters were funny and clearly had a tight bond that made you like them even more.
I love a happy ending and there were enough ups and downs in this story that I wasn't sure that I would get one or not.
Overall I thought this was a great read with all the elements to make it a fan favorite!
Fast paced, lots of action, romance that wasn't overwhelming and enough mystery that I was left wanting more!
Mor is a great MC, she is brave and strong.... even when she doesn't think so and has the self awareness to not be obnoxious. I was very invested in her story and loved all her ups and downs. The secondary characters were funny and clearly had a tight bond that made you like them even more.
I love a happy ending and there were enough ups and downs in this story that I wasn't sure that I would get one or not.
Overall I thought this was a great read with all the elements to make it a fan favorite!
April 5, 2018
I won An Heir in Shadow in an author giveaway on Twitter and while it wasn't a requirement to write a review, I'm writing one and saving it for when I need a break or an emergency review. Every girl needs a backup, right? As always, the following review contains my opinions and mine alone.
Sofia Drake provides a prologue (roughly 2 pages) that explains the alternate reality that An Heir in Shadow takes place in. The most powerful spellcaster, Freya, sister to the King of the Light Court, is mated to the cousin of the Queen of the Night Court, right as a war between the courts begins. When her mate is struck down during the final battle, Freya casts a spell, cursing both Courts.
Hundreds of years after the battle between the courts ended, we meet Morrigan Ni Cathalian, a fae-dragon hybrid who passes herself off as a fae-human hybrid working as an agent of the Bureau of Preternatural Creatures and hiding from both sides of her family, her uncle, King Tristan of the Light Court, and her grand-uncle, the Prime Male who took over the Night Court. When the Prime Male requests assistance from the BPC and specifically requests Morrigan, she knows the jig is up. She panics and her boss and friend, Connar, reassures her that she doesn't have to take the job. And then, Morrigan is attacked at home by the Prime Male who confirms, yes, everybody knows she's doubly royal. Then she accidentally-on-purpose transports herself out of danger - and Baltimore. When Connar comes to pick her up, she explains what's what and Connar finds his new queen a dragon-tutor in Rosalind, an exile from the Night Court and unafraid of the upstart Prime Male.
Normally, I'd tell you about the first half of the book and leaving you wanting more, but, well, the action starts like right from the very beginning. So y'all get the bare minimum of whatsits and whosits. *sigh* I guess you'll just have to get your own copy and see what happens. But I will tell you my thoughts and ideas.
I like Morrigan's character a lot. She's the reluctant heroine, you know, the one we rarely ever see but always hope to encounter. She wasn't really wanting to take on the Big Bad, but somebody has to do it and she's the one with the birthmark so it's kinda gotta be her. Morrigan's also one of those people who can get people to like her, even people who dislike her. She's the Great Hope of the halfbreeds and women of the once matriarchal Night Court. As she goes along in the story, she accumulates her own Court made of fae, dragons, and hybrids alike. She's not bigoted towards the halfbreeds like so many of the preternatural world and that's pretty cool. Her motivation to take her crown is to help the downtrodden and she's a tad bit sadistic when it comes to dealing with her ememies.
I love Rosalind too. She's very headstrong and loyal to those she swears loyalty to, even going against her own family. And, my favourite, she doesn't take any crap from anybody but she is willing to give second chances. She and Morrigan develop a fast and strong friendship that is pretty much #friendshipgoals if you want to put it into plainspeak.
I had originally hoped for a little love between Connar and Morrigan, but not every ship can sail. But I do love Connar. Again, he's extremely loyal but he's also pushy and anchoring at the same time. I can definitely see why Morrigan makes Rosalind and Connar the first members of her court.
One of my favourite scenes comes later in the book, I won't tell you too much about it but I will tell you this. Morrigan decimates the bigoted council of puffed shirt male dragons who don't think she or her mate belong in charge of the Night Court. I admit, there was cackling while I read this scene. I also really loved that shelter for battered dragons she sets up towards the end of the book. That got me right in the ticker.
Overall, I give An Heir in Shadow a 5 out of 5 stars and 2 out of 5 flames of sexytimes because I truly enjoyed reading it and it was a nice change of pace from the regular seemingly orgiastic dragon/fae books I've encountered throughout the years. But, I do wish there had been some periods where things slowed down and everybody took stock. Once everything started happening, it didn't take a break and I ended up having the worst time finding a spot to pause and check in with reality, walk the dogs, sleep, whatever. I can't wait for book 2 to be available and I hope y'all check out An Heir in Shadow.
Sofia Drake provides a prologue (roughly 2 pages) that explains the alternate reality that An Heir in Shadow takes place in. The most powerful spellcaster, Freya, sister to the King of the Light Court, is mated to the cousin of the Queen of the Night Court, right as a war between the courts begins. When her mate is struck down during the final battle, Freya casts a spell, cursing both Courts.
Hundreds of years after the battle between the courts ended, we meet Morrigan Ni Cathalian, a fae-dragon hybrid who passes herself off as a fae-human hybrid working as an agent of the Bureau of Preternatural Creatures and hiding from both sides of her family, her uncle, King Tristan of the Light Court, and her grand-uncle, the Prime Male who took over the Night Court. When the Prime Male requests assistance from the BPC and specifically requests Morrigan, she knows the jig is up. She panics and her boss and friend, Connar, reassures her that she doesn't have to take the job. And then, Morrigan is attacked at home by the Prime Male who confirms, yes, everybody knows she's doubly royal. Then she accidentally-on-purpose transports herself out of danger - and Baltimore. When Connar comes to pick her up, she explains what's what and Connar finds his new queen a dragon-tutor in Rosalind, an exile from the Night Court and unafraid of the upstart Prime Male.
Normally, I'd tell you about the first half of the book and leaving you wanting more, but, well, the action starts like right from the very beginning. So y'all get the bare minimum of whatsits and whosits. *sigh* I guess you'll just have to get your own copy and see what happens. But I will tell you my thoughts and ideas.
I like Morrigan's character a lot. She's the reluctant heroine, you know, the one we rarely ever see but always hope to encounter. She wasn't really wanting to take on the Big Bad, but somebody has to do it and she's the one with the birthmark so it's kinda gotta be her. Morrigan's also one of those people who can get people to like her, even people who dislike her. She's the Great Hope of the halfbreeds and women of the once matriarchal Night Court. As she goes along in the story, she accumulates her own Court made of fae, dragons, and hybrids alike. She's not bigoted towards the halfbreeds like so many of the preternatural world and that's pretty cool. Her motivation to take her crown is to help the downtrodden and she's a tad bit sadistic when it comes to dealing with her ememies.
I love Rosalind too. She's very headstrong and loyal to those she swears loyalty to, even going against her own family. And, my favourite, she doesn't take any crap from anybody but she is willing to give second chances. She and Morrigan develop a fast and strong friendship that is pretty much #friendshipgoals if you want to put it into plainspeak.
I had originally hoped for a little love between Connar and Morrigan, but not every ship can sail. But I do love Connar. Again, he's extremely loyal but he's also pushy and anchoring at the same time. I can definitely see why Morrigan makes Rosalind and Connar the first members of her court.
One of my favourite scenes comes later in the book, I won't tell you too much about it but I will tell you this. Morrigan decimates the bigoted council of puffed shirt male dragons who don't think she or her mate belong in charge of the Night Court. I admit, there was cackling while I read this scene. I also really loved that shelter for battered dragons she sets up towards the end of the book. That got me right in the ticker.
Overall, I give An Heir in Shadow a 5 out of 5 stars and 2 out of 5 flames of sexytimes because I truly enjoyed reading it and it was a nice change of pace from the regular seemingly orgiastic dragon/fae books I've encountered throughout the years. But, I do wish there had been some periods where things slowed down and everybody took stock. Once everything started happening, it didn't take a break and I ended up having the worst time finding a spot to pause and check in with reality, walk the dogs, sleep, whatever. I can't wait for book 2 to be available and I hope y'all check out An Heir in Shadow.
September 29, 2018
Drake does a wonderful job telling a story, something that is vastly underrated in a world where indie authors are saturated. Drake's main character, Morrigan is a classic protagonist with a modern twist that gives fantasy lovers a flowing page-turner. I was pleasantly surprised that Morrigan was not just Fae, but dragon as well... Something I haven't encountered in this genre. A wonderful debut novel. Fans of Maas looking for their Fae fix with a twist, look no further. It's right here.
February 1, 2018
Really enjoyed this book! It’s so fast paced and had me on the edge of my seat. If you love dragons, action, romance, and true friendship then give this book a whirl!!
February 4, 2018
Very good
I really enjoyed this book. Good characters and magic. I like the blending of fae and dragon. Very imaginative. Highly recommend.
I really enjoyed this book. Good characters and magic. I like the blending of fae and dragon. Very imaginative. Highly recommend.
December 31, 2017
I don’t read many dragon shifter books. They’re all so similar. The hot guy. The badly written intimacy. The verbiage that’s cringeworthy at best.
This is not like those.
An Heir in Shadow follows the story of Morrigan, a Fae/Dragon half breed, as she discovers her true heritage and purpose.
The characters develop well, the action scenes are well written and the story is gripping.
If you’re looking for a great fantasy read with a solid link to Celtic mythology then this book is definitely worth picking up. I’m very much looking forward to the next instalment.
This is not like those.
An Heir in Shadow follows the story of Morrigan, a Fae/Dragon half breed, as she discovers her true heritage and purpose.
The characters develop well, the action scenes are well written and the story is gripping.
If you’re looking for a great fantasy read with a solid link to Celtic mythology then this book is definitely worth picking up. I’m very much looking forward to the next instalment.
August 11, 2021
TW: graphic violence, torture, sex. Can't decide whether this is NA or Adult. Leaning toward NA for the general feel, but definitely good to be informed - the adult content caught me off-guard!
Recommend for fans of Sarah J. Maas. Definitely a lot of similarities to the ACOTAR series - 2 of the characters even have the same names (Morrigan and Lucian). With the "mate" subplot it felt like this could be a spin-off of sorts. Morrigan's friends also feel a lot like the Inner Circle to me. But I feel this book did a much better job with the LGBTQ+ content than SJM did.
The characters made the book for me - Morrigan is a strong, somewhat sassy main character, which is my favorite kind. We don't learn much about Isaac in this book, but he's intriguing and sweet. Rosalind is fun to read about, I love how supportive she is of Mor. What I liked most about the book is seeing the dynamics between this large cast of well-written, realistic characters.
There were a lot of grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors in the book. The paragraphs weren't formatting right in my Kindle edition either, which was a drag. Made it harder to read. (And I bought it from Amazon, too, which doesn't usually give me problems.) It was hard to turn off my inner editor. Definitely could've benefited from another round of editing. I'm giving it 4 stars anyway because the story is captivating enough - but I'm hoping the sequel won't have this problem!
Overall, check this book out if you're a fan of Sarah J. Maas or any epic fantasy. I'll definitely be reading the sequel.
Recommend for fans of Sarah J. Maas. Definitely a lot of similarities to the ACOTAR series - 2 of the characters even have the same names (Morrigan and Lucian). With the "mate" subplot it felt like this could be a spin-off of sorts. Morrigan's friends also feel a lot like the Inner Circle to me. But I feel this book did a much better job with the LGBTQ+ content than SJM did.
The characters made the book for me - Morrigan is a strong, somewhat sassy main character, which is my favorite kind. We don't learn much about Isaac in this book, but he's intriguing and sweet. Rosalind is fun to read about, I love how supportive she is of Mor. What I liked most about the book is seeing the dynamics between this large cast of well-written, realistic characters.
There were a lot of grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors in the book. The paragraphs weren't formatting right in my Kindle edition either, which was a drag. Made it harder to read. (And I bought it from Amazon, too, which doesn't usually give me problems.) It was hard to turn off my inner editor. Definitely could've benefited from another round of editing. I'm giving it 4 stars anyway because the story is captivating enough - but I'm hoping the sequel won't have this problem!
Overall, check this book out if you're a fan of Sarah J. Maas or any epic fantasy. I'll definitely be reading the sequel.
December 24, 2018
3.5* I liked this book, despite some issues (which, to be fair, may just be bothering me). The storyline is entertaining, the characters sassy and believable, though they sometimes lack some depth. Possible character development or social interactions are glossed over quickly, while other moments were dragged out in a way that, to me, felt unnecessary. But then, this is the first in a series, so maybe it is build up for the next few.
I loved the dragon lore, and how fae and dragons kind of just fit into the modern world, so extra star for originality!
The issues mentioned above are that it seems to not have been edited much, as some grammatical conventions are completely, if consistently, ignored. I found this quite distracting, sometimes to the point of taking away from the story. Having said that though, that is fixable, and if you can look past that, this is a great debut novel.
I loved the dragon lore, and how fae and dragons kind of just fit into the modern world, so extra star for originality!
The issues mentioned above are that it seems to not have been edited much, as some grammatical conventions are completely, if consistently, ignored. I found this quite distracting, sometimes to the point of taking away from the story. Having said that though, that is fixable, and if you can look past that, this is a great debut novel.
June 27, 2022
The book starts with a Foreword, presumably written by one of the characters, which seemed odd, especially as there was no name attached to the Foreword. In fact, it read more like a prologue which makes me wonder if it was referred to as a Foreword since not everyone likes prologues.
In chapter one, the books starts off well, and we get into the action pretty fast while getting a decent amount of explanation of some world-builing. As this is urban fantasy, set in the real world but over-laid with magical elements the world-building is more how things are within this alternative history.
We are introduced to the protagonist instantly and her character is well-defined. The book is in 3rd person limited (mostly) which I normally enjoy, however it sometimes comes across fractured. Like there are parts where the POV is clearly not the main character but not identified as anyone else either.
Also, towards the end, there is at least one chapter that is suddenly in a different character's POV, this felt messy and I would have preferred that character to have had several POV scenes. Firstly, it could have given an interesting balance and second, it wouldn't have feel so jarring to suddenly be in someone else's head.
The book's formatting is just awful. Instead of typical indented paragraphs and chapters starting part way down the page. There are no indents and all the paragraphs are broken up by spaces which completely ruined the flow of the read and also means that there are no soft breaks. The chapters all start at the top of the page again, this gives the overall look of the book an awkward feel.
There was also a glaring error of the main character's name being misspelled. I'm surprised this wasn't caught in any of the edits.
The plot was interesting and kept me reading, though with the formatting issue it seemed to take me far longer to read. I loved the policies between the two factions, Dragon and Fae. And the description of the magic was great.
The latter half of the book gets pretty dark, which I'm fine reading, it was just such a surprise from where the book started from. It certainly added some extra depth to the characters, especially the protagonist and antagonist.
There was some areas I felt could have been better written, when the protagonist, Morrigan met and befriended Rosalind, it seemed to be a sudden and quick friendship without any development. I think it would have been nice seeing these two strong women buttheads a little before finding their footing with each other.
Some of the other friends around Morrigan were a little less developed, though they will most likely come into their own in the sequel and beyond.
Overall, the alternative history of this book, the magical system and the plot were enough to keep me interested and I love the cover.
In chapter one, the books starts off well, and we get into the action pretty fast while getting a decent amount of explanation of some world-builing. As this is urban fantasy, set in the real world but over-laid with magical elements the world-building is more how things are within this alternative history.
We are introduced to the protagonist instantly and her character is well-defined. The book is in 3rd person limited (mostly) which I normally enjoy, however it sometimes comes across fractured. Like there are parts where the POV is clearly not the main character but not identified as anyone else either.
Also, towards the end, there is at least one chapter that is suddenly in a different character's POV, this felt messy and I would have preferred that character to have had several POV scenes. Firstly, it could have given an interesting balance and second, it wouldn't have feel so jarring to suddenly be in someone else's head.
The book's formatting is just awful. Instead of typical indented paragraphs and chapters starting part way down the page. There are no indents and all the paragraphs are broken up by spaces which completely ruined the flow of the read and also means that there are no soft breaks. The chapters all start at the top of the page again, this gives the overall look of the book an awkward feel.
There was also a glaring error of the main character's name being misspelled. I'm surprised this wasn't caught in any of the edits.
The plot was interesting and kept me reading, though with the formatting issue it seemed to take me far longer to read. I loved the policies between the two factions, Dragon and Fae. And the description of the magic was great.
The latter half of the book gets pretty dark, which I'm fine reading, it was just such a surprise from where the book started from. It certainly added some extra depth to the characters, especially the protagonist and antagonist.
There was some areas I felt could have been better written, when the protagonist, Morrigan met and befriended Rosalind, it seemed to be a sudden and quick friendship without any development. I think it would have been nice seeing these two strong women buttheads a little before finding their footing with each other.
Some of the other friends around Morrigan were a little less developed, though they will most likely come into their own in the sequel and beyond.
Overall, the alternative history of this book, the magical system and the plot were enough to keep me interested and I love the cover.
Read
February 10, 2019DNF - not rating. I really couldn't get past the writing even though I really was interested in the story. The poor formatting and grammar was hard to look past. I tried pushing through it to see what happens but when the writing isn't that great it ruins the story. I'm sad to say I can't finish this book. My first thoughts below....
Initial thoughts as I'm still reading...
- The formatting for the book makes it hard to read. The dialogue between 2 people are in the same paragraph and I don't realize it's the other person until after reading it.
- I don't think this book was ever edited. If it was, fire them. JS. Grammatical errors galore, odd sentance structures.
- "a Uber"; "I've run for most of my life" doesn't sound right...
- Very interested where the story is going tho. Love the cover.
Initial thoughts as I'm still reading...
- The formatting for the book makes it hard to read. The dialogue between 2 people are in the same paragraph and I don't realize it's the other person until after reading it.
- I don't think this book was ever edited. If it was, fire them. JS. Grammatical errors galore, odd sentance structures.
- "a Uber"; "I've run for most of my life" doesn't sound right...
- Very interested where the story is going tho. Love the cover.
March 22, 2019
Bad cover. I liked the first half, but things went downhill after Morrigan was kidnapped. She went all evil, and it was kind of annoying. Not a huge fan of the third person writing style here. Also, there was an overabundance of stuff like "she was death incarnate" or "beautiful darkness", etc. It was irritating, and unnecessary. World building was okay. Honestly, I didn't love Morrigan or any of the other characters. Rosalind was okay though. I think Drake didn't spend enough time building relationship between characters, and that wasn't great. Also, when Morrigan went dark, to go back to that, she went real dark. I pretty much skimmed from that point onward (around seventy percent) as I just wanted to finish the book and move on. Not super impressed, which is sad as there was a great premise. I feel like there was too much telling and not enough showing. 3 stars.
November 27, 2018
A story packed with action, as Morrrigan, a fae/dragon shifter, who lives and works in a world of humans, discovers her true lineage. The story is a fast-paced fantasy mystery dealing with honor, deceit, friendship and a bit of romance. The characters are well developed, as is the plot line that will leaving you aching for a sequel.
April 24, 2018
I absolutely loved it. There is drama, romance, good fight scenes, and magic; everything that I want in an Urban Fantasy novel. I can’t wait too read more of her work. I highly recommend the book!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews