Shadow World

Shade Assassin #1

by Gaja J. Kos

Even demons have limits.Crina is on the verge of reaching hers.Father branded a traitor. Check.Employers going behind her back. Check.Threats on her life. Check.The shitlist goes on and on.So, really, the last thing Crina needs in her life is another denizen of the Shadow World. Even if he does offer protection in exchange for her deadly services.Because everyone has an agenda.And pledging herself to someone she'd rather see in her bed than on the throne isn't without consequences.

Genres: Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, Demons, Magic

Kindle Edition

Published December 18, 2018

About the author

USA Today Bestselling Author Gaja J. Kos writes steamy urban fantasy and paranormal romance, rich with sizzling tension and soulmates who come in pairs, menage, or reverse harem constellations. Why choose, right?

As a Zodiac enthusiast and shameless summer babe, she thrives on finding magic in everyday life. She loves binge reading high-heat series, seeing her favorite rockstars live in concert, and spending time with her husband and two Chinese Crested dogs.

For more information on Gaja’s books, you can download your free guide and reading checklist at gajajkos.com!

Reviews

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (6/28/2020)! 🎁

[Deborah Snowden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Shade Assassin Series by Gaja J. Kos and I loved it. You are able to get a sense for the character personalities and are drawn immediately into the action of the story. This book is well written, fast paced, full of chemistry and entertaining. This series has everything I love in an urban fantasy. I can’t wait to read book two and see what’s next for Crina and Breccan.

[Aimee Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Unique Urban Fantasy with a cast of characters woven together to leave you anxious about what could happen next in the Shadow World. Look forward to learning what happens to Crina in the next book of the series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Debbie Eyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic urban fantasy read set in a fantastic and amazing world! Well written this has an awesome kick ass heroine as well as some other awesome characters! Complete with a great storyline and some hot and steamy chemistry this book hooked me from start to finish!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Debra Johnson]

December 12, 2022 Amazon purch

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you, Booksprout and the author for a chance to read this novel!

Title: Shadow World (Shade Assasin book 1)
Author: Gaja J. Kos
Genre: Adult fantasy, paranormal romance
Release date: 18th December 2018
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Trigger/content warnings: Violence and gore, sex scenes, swearing



After seeing the hype surrounding "Evenfall" by the same author earlier this year, I knew I had to give this book a go when I saw it on Booksprout. While I am very glad I read it and while I will definitely be trying out more by this author, unfortunately, I didn't love this as much as I was expecting.

First, I am going to talk about the things I really liked, the romance between Crina and Breccan. Their chemistry was off the charts good and I really loved seeing them together, though I would have loved more interactions between them to build their relationship. Crina and Breccan as individuals were just as good as well. Perfectly well established, interesting characters with a lot of depth and personality. These characters are by no means "good" and "innocent" I really liked how to author stuck to her guns in terms of keeping their personalities the same as when the book begun and not "changing" them. Crina is an assassin, and she stays that way. Same with Breccan, he is a demon lord, and he stays that way too. Also, our love interests never tried to change each other, which I appreciated a lot.

Now onto the reason for the lowish rating, the plot. The beginning was very fast paced and entertaining, but by the 40% mark things started to slow down a lot, also, I felt like our main character, Crina, was just going around in circles, doing the same things again and again and the plot just wasn't moving anywhere. I also found that there were too many subplots and at around the 50% mark they all started to merge together and I found it a bit confusing.

Another thing which started to created on me throughout the story was the amount of swearing. Now, I just want to say that swearing in books never really bothers me normally, but I just found that there was so much swearing in this novel and it was enough to make it distracting, enough for me to notice every single time.

To end on a good note, I loved the setting. Set in Slovenia, where the author, Gaja J. Kos, is originally from, it was a lovely change to experience a fantasy/paranormal book set in such a different, beautiful place as opposed to other PR/fantasy. I also loved all the characters we were introduced to, they were all super intriguing and well written.

Also, just to note that this book does leave on a cliffhanger, which is worth a mention as I know a lot of people don't like cliffhanger endings!

Overall, I am super glad that I had the opportunity to read this book and I will definitely be trying out more by this author in the future. I would recommend this to anyone who likes paranormal/fantasy romance.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Dorothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captivatingly sexy with a twist of demons and action, an absolute page-turner!

As an avid reader of YA fantasy, the first chapters of the book were hard to read, since I didn't quite understand the world building. The protagonist just gave out names and information like it's so natural for us readers to know. Despite that minor set back, I read through it and was hooked when I was a fourth into it! Other than all the assassin action going on, there was also a lot of steamy, sexy sessions that made my hormones go wild. Although the author may have did those way too far, since Carin, the main character, almost has a sexy session with some of the supporting male characters mentioned— Reiner, Ilya, and Beccarin— and have a few flirts with Simon too. I think that those sexy scenes overpower the main plot and overall distracts the main character from her mission as an assassin. That maybe so, I still enjoyed reading the book and its story. I love how the setting is somewhere in a country I've never read that much about, Slovenia. Overall, I think the book did great, but it could've done better.

I only gave this book a 3 and a half stars, and not a solid four, because as much as I loved the sexy session and it made me crazy, I would've loved it even more if Crina focused on her mission. I also feel that the book should expand more on the depths of its world, more detail on the history and purpose of the Shadow World would be great. But who knows? This is just the first book and I might come to love the whole series! I recommend this book to anyone wanting some bit of adrenaline in their soul on a cold and calm day.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crina is a half breed assassin, sold to Queen Yelena, by her father Vuyasin to pay a debt.

She is hired by a small coven of witches to retrieve an amulet they fear could be dangerous in the wrong hands.

Breccan, a high demon lord, asks her help in dealing with a business issue related to non shadow world holdings. Crina fears her efforts might bring her to the attention of Yelena, as she is sworn to aid no other demon liege besides Yelena.

Unfortunately, another scheme of her father Vuyasin draws ire from Yelena to Crina. Then it draws worse.

Yelena is a bit off the rails without the guidance and control of her nearest adviser, who died in her stead.

Things for Crina have all the potential to only get much worse.

Can she survive? If she is connected to Breccan, can she more than survive?

What does her troublesome werewolf ex Reiner have to do with the mess that tangles so many aspects of her life together?

Darkness and pain are heard for even a half demon to bear.

S steamy, edge of your seat adventure!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tiffany Copple · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for Shadow World by Gaja J. Kos. This is book one in the Shade Assassin Series and also my first book from this author. I am not sure how this author has escaped me for so long but that will not be the case anymore. I am in love with the world Kos has immersed me in. Crina is part demon/ part something else but a total bada**. She is an assassin and a private investigator of sorts. She lives more in the mortal realm than in the demon world. I like how she does and takes what she wants and makes no apologies for who she is. Breccan is a sexy demon lord who comes to Crina for help. Ilya is a vampire who runs the crime world for demons, he and Crina used to be together. Reiner is a werewolf assassin who has it out for Crina. I enjoyed all the sexy scenes, and boy are there a lot. I feel this book gives us the run down on everyone and sets up the story for the next books. I will say that I love Breccan and Ilya and I am not sure which one I like better. I feel like if I say too much, I could give something away and the suspense and not knowing what to expect is what made this story great.

[Philleys Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this author's Nightwraith series and I absolutely loved it! Is it any wonder that I am reading another book set in the same world with a recurring character...or two? It is worth it! The kickass heroine of this series is a hybrid demon. Crina is the top assassin to the Shadow World court of Queen Yelena (mother of the awesome Nightwraith sisters). Yet she loves the mortal world where she owns a gun shop. She has taken on a job to recover an artifact, a powerful amulet, for the witch's coven and, at the same time, tasked by Yelena to find and retrieve Crina's missing demon father. Now enter the yummy demon lord, Breccan, with a job for Crina, a job that links to the amulet and to her missing father. Crina has her work cut out for her while her relationship with Breccan sizzles throughout the story. This book is just the beginning of a most intriguing storyline and I can't wait for the next installment!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Amber Christiansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would recommend this book for 18+ only. It's not an erotica, but there are several scenes that get pretty steamy and there is a lot of graphic violence. That being said, I really enjoyed this story. Crina is a half demon assassin and following her life was pretty crazy. I love how the author took seemingly unrelated events and tied them together. My only disappointment was at the end. I liked the surprise revelation, but I wish it would have cut out the doubts Crina formed afterwards. I feel that it would have been better to save the downward note for the next book and leave it with just the tension that came before that.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Douglas Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

She is the top assassin in the Shadow World, but some people just don't know when to leave well enough alone.

This is an urban fantasy book with a kickass female lead and fascinating world. There is action and intrigue aplenty, coupled with well developed characters and a world that I want to know more about. Every answer provides several new questions which sucks you in and keeps you reading well after you should have left for work.

The book was very well written, easy to read and very much a page-turner. I can't wait for the next book and might have to explore the author's other stories to tide me over.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for review purposes.

[Denise Wengert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this author's Nightwraith series and loved the books in that series. I was happy that this book and series takes place in that same world. Crina is the top assassin to the Shadow World court of Queen Yelena, who had her trained since Crina was a child. Yet Crina has chosen to live in the mortal world and run a gun shop. Crina is hired by a witch's coven to retrieve a missing and extremely powerful amulet, while also being tasked with trying to find her missing father. There is also Breccan, a demon lord, who wants Crina to look into something for him... the girl is busy.

I was very impressed with this book and how quickly it drew me in. Crina is a kickass female lead and I can't wait to find out more about her and the other characters. Desperately waiting for the next book!

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is one thing I really enjoy about Gaja's stories is that you are captivated from the start.
With her word building and plot developement, the story keeps you guessing and involved throughout.
I also appreciate the way she writes the main characters, i.e. the female characters are badass, but likeable and the male characters are just so alpha and irresistible.
In her stories there is always multiple plots going on, so there is a lot of action.
So far all of her series have been a hit with me and I really want to know what happens next with Crina.
There are so many unanswered questions and I look forward to reading more.
A must read author if you enjoy paranormal stories.

[Caroline Doig · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Gaja J. Kos’s stories they are always action packed and this story Shadow World is book 1 to the Shade Assassin series and I absolutely loved it. Sorry guys I’m not going to give any spoilers but if you want to know more then read Gaja’s blurb and that will give you the gist to this story. I love these characters Crina and Breccan they have pretty intense chemistry, fantastic world building I like it when you can actually see in your mind the places that the author writes about and Gaja does it real smoothly. So if your looking for a fantastic urban fantasy then this is the one for you and I highly recommend this book it’s definitely well worth the read.

[Rambling Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great urban fantasy with loads of potential. The world-building is a bit weak, but apparently this is a spin-off to another series in the same world. It’s a bit lazy to not reintroduce the world to new readers, but it didn’t dissuade my interest in the storyline. The lack of world-building did make it difficult to develop an interest in the story, but the writing was strong and the heroine captured enough of my interest for me to trudge through a few chapters until the plot line pulled me in. My final thoughts - this was just the kind of gritty urban fantasy I like, coupled with some saucy tidbits, and I can’t wait for the next book!

[Cathy P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting start to series.

Loved Crina's character. She is loyal, kick butt, but can get hurt as well. She's not some oper the top superhero. The story line itself is a different concept on the paranormal. I like the different abilities of the characters. I like the world building so far, but I hope it expands and book two. There is steam in this book. Story is told from FMC POV. Ends in a little bit of a cliffhanger, but this entire story is gonna be one long ongoing arc. The story was fast paced and extremely interesting. Can't wait to dig on more with the characters and the story in next book.

[Anita Hanekom · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author has woven together an urban fantasy that will sweep you away to a fantastical world filled with unique & colourful characters who will entertain and delight you.

The chemistry between Crina & Breccan is explosive and the two, individually, were fantastic, but together were perfect! I enjoyed the plot, I felt that it moved along at a good pace and has enough action and suspense to keep you glued to the pages.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Pamela Gramlisch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crina is an assassin and a spy. Plus she is half demon and half she doesn't know. She has lovers, but don't know if they are good or bad. Yes, good lovers but will they turn on here ur are they just using her. Reiner the werewolf, Breccan the Demon Lord and Ilya the vampire. So many secrets will be appearing plus more killings. You'll be shocked by some deaths and secrets that have yet to be revealed.
I can't wait for the next one. This is a series of books I will definitely get.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Darcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a magnificent story. It has so much action, drama, suspense, and mystery throughout it. The story kept me on the edge of my seat. I just had to continue to find out what happened. I absolutely loved Crina. She is this kick butt, take no names kind of lady. Yes, at times she has some struggles but she definitely is one that doesn’t give up. I love her attitude and feisty personality. The support characters are stunning as they play their roles perfectly. The story is extremely well written and developed. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

An assassin for hire

Crina is an assassin who has been hired to find an amulet for some witches. This book is her adventure to finding it only to have it slip through her fingers. She’s hunted down and nearly slaughtered only to find love with someone else. A new daemon lord is in the picture and they bond. She does some work for him successfully. Then she gets handed a letter from her dead father that tells her a lot more about herself. And it’s a mystery who her parents are.

[Tera Comer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book by this author that I have read and I must say WOW, I will be reading more of her work. The world building and characters are perfect for this unique urban fantasy. There is plenty of action and suspense with some steamy romance blended in. I can not wait to see what happens in the next book and how Crina handles it.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Scarolet Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shadow World by Gaja J. Kos is a wonderful story to read. Shadow World is book number one and a wonderful start to a brand new series that I fell so in love with. I love the wonderful strong characters and the wonderful story line. I can not wait to see what book number two will bring, I highly recommend this story to everyone I loved it.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Victoria (nocturnalintimacy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kindle Unlimited.

I struggled with the world building and general rules of the universe. To be honest, I finished the book, and I'm still not 100% clear on them.

Crina is a cool character, and the story was interesting. I enjoyed this, despite the uncertainty of how the Shadow World works, what the limitations and interactions of each of the species are, and what happened in the war that was repeatedly mentioned. I probably would

[Dew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beyond Belief

This book did not keep my attention. I am not a huge fan of the RH genre from the outset and find it rather distasteful when the female protagonist is 21 or younger and is paired with older men. It’s also hard to suspend disbelief when authors posit that young protagonists, whether teens or new adults, are experts at literally everything.

On the upside, although the protagonist transforms into a nebulous cloud, the author handled it well.

[Lucinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another great and very creative book by the author. I loved the flow of the book and the characters were well developed. It is a great start to the series and I cannot wait to get my hands on book 2!! I would recommend this book to all!!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

What? What happens next? If this was a movie, you would describe this book as non-stop action. There are no boring parts. Crina is a different kind of heroine - totally kickass and a bit bloodthirsty. I would really like to know what’s Breccan up to. Where’s the next book? [I received an advanced copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.]

[Shweta · Rating 5 out of 5]

When nothing in your life seems to be working, you have to a chance on the unknown.

The unknown though scary can sometimes be the only chance at survival. Or is it really a trap?

Find out in this fast paced, story of a girl beats the odds to claim back her life.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even she has her limits and she has just about reached it. Everything seemed against her and now he has arrived. He wants her help even though he was good looking. She knew he was going to be trouble. So what will happen next? How are they going to get on? See what will happen

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Faye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once started to read grabbed my attention from the start could not put it down, I loved the strong characters and storyline looking forward to see what is going to happen next. She is the top assassin in the Shadow World, but some people just don't know when to leave well enough alone.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.