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The Daughters of Dark Root #5
The Shadows of Dark Root
From The Wandering Witch (circa 1892)
In the beginning there was only darkness.
And then the Goddess, in her infinite wisdom, gave us light.
But in those moments when she separated the light from the darkness, she created shadow.
Formed by her divine hands, the shadow grew.
And grew.
Larger than our own world and without the limitations.
Though mortal eyes cannot see the shadow realm, it coexists alongside our own.
It is the realm of dreams and fantasy, of faerie and imp, demon and angel, nightmares and madness.
It is the bridge between the past, the present, and the future.
It is the divide between the living and the dead.
It is The Netherworld.
One gate opens to the next.
Beware!
Beware of the false lure of this shadow world.
For most who wander in, even witches, are never heard from again.
In the beginning there was only darkness.
And then the Goddess, in her infinite wisdom, gave us light.
But in those moments when she separated the light from the darkness, she created shadow.
Formed by her divine hands, the shadow grew.
And grew.
Larger than our own world and without the limitations.
Though mortal eyes cannot see the shadow realm, it coexists alongside our own.
It is the realm of dreams and fantasy, of faerie and imp, demon and angel, nightmares and madness.
It is the bridge between the past, the present, and the future.
It is the divide between the living and the dead.
It is The Netherworld.
One gate opens to the next.
Beware!
Beware of the false lure of this shadow world.
For most who wander in, even witches, are never heard from again.
340 pages, Paperback
Published August 8, 2017
439 people are currently reading
181 people want to read
About the author
April Aasheim
40 books242 followersApril Aasheim is the second oldest of six children. She spent her early years traveling the western part of the country with her mother and step-father. During this time she met a lot of interesting people and developed a love of 'characters'.
April is married and lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and her cat Boots.
April is married and lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and her cat Boots.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
October 24, 2021
Absolutely an adventure
I absolutely loved this series. The adventure in entirety was epic. April Aasheim did an amazing job and I enjoyed every minute of it.
I absolutely loved this series. The adventure in entirety was epic. April Aasheim did an amazing job and I enjoyed every minute of it.
September 24, 2018
Shadows
I have read all Five books and I have throughly enjoyed them. I recommend them highly if you love reading about witches. Can’t wait to get my hands on the next one. Thanks for writing them.
I have read all Five books and I have throughly enjoyed them. I recommend them highly if you love reading about witches. Can’t wait to get my hands on the next one. Thanks for writing them.
September 3, 2017
April Aasheim takes readers back to Dark Root for a short time before diving into the Netherworld. The Maddox sisters are faced with many challenges and obstacles to overcome in this book. The characters are developed deeper in this books, reveling other sides of them that I did not expect and gives readers more insight to why they have become who they are. I would have give a 5 star rating if not for some editing errors (a pet peeve of mine, especially when it comes to errors with character's names). Overall another great book in the Daughters of Dark Root series.
June 3, 2018
April Aasheim developed very strong characters. There is so much that happens during the series - Past, present,and future that makes the characters come alive. The Maddox sisters are faced with many challenges and obstacles to overcome. I can't wait for the next book to be released. The series did slow down a bit in the middle, but recovered quickly. There were also a few editing issues, but It is definitely a good read.
October 26, 2018
This is the last book in the series and it is full of wonder, imagination. When talk of the Netherworld I never expected the places it would take the group. In someways I felt like Alice in Wonderland. I wish it wasn't the end but there is a new series starting about the children that hopefully answers some questions.
August 14, 2017
Travel and truth
Great read! You find out so much in this story. So much happens and so much truth is revealed! Past, present,and future combine in one great book! I look forward to the next release!
Great read! You find out so much in this story. So much happens and so much truth is revealed! Past, present,and future combine in one great book! I look forward to the next release!
October 14, 2018
The Shadows of Dark Root (Daughters of Dark Root)
This book was a total winner kept me in suspense and definitely intrigued I can't wait for the next one to come out
This book was a total winner kept me in suspense and definitely intrigued I can't wait for the next one to come out
June 25, 2018
Conflicting
I truly wanted to love this last novel. The story does have an ending I did not see coming entirely, however I didn't like it.
This novel needed a better editor. Not just for the grammar. Whole words were left out of sentences. Some parts had so much description my head hurt and I found myself just flipping pages just to get on with story. Also some of the things that happened to the characters in the Netherworld did not make since to me, nor were they explained. So I am still scratching my head, totally confused.
I'm so disappointed in this last installment in this series. I expected so much more than what I got.
I'm giving this novel 3 stars because I know the author did a lot of work. It started out great like all the others. Maybe others will understand it better than I.
I truly wanted to love this last novel. The story does have an ending I did not see coming entirely, however I didn't like it.
This novel needed a better editor. Not just for the grammar. Whole words were left out of sentences. Some parts had so much description my head hurt and I found myself just flipping pages just to get on with story. Also some of the things that happened to the characters in the Netherworld did not make since to me, nor were they explained. So I am still scratching my head, totally confused.
I'm so disappointed in this last installment in this series. I expected so much more than what I got.
I'm giving this novel 3 stars because I know the author did a lot of work. It started out great like all the others. Maybe others will understand it better than I.
June 20, 2019
Dark Root
I have read the entire series and for the most part I enjoyed it, but the editing sucks in these books. It was kind of frustrating at times. I feel at times the story fell flat with too much scenery description. I liked Maggie but at times she seemed to act so immature. I did love the first four books. This last book was so long and drawn out that it took me a few days to read. I feel there are a few things left unanswered, like Jason and Merry's story. All in all it was a good read.
I have read the entire series and for the most part I enjoyed it, but the editing sucks in these books. It was kind of frustrating at times. I feel at times the story fell flat with too much scenery description. I liked Maggie but at times she seemed to act so immature. I did love the first four books. This last book was so long and drawn out that it took me a few days to read. I feel there are a few things left unanswered, like Jason and Merry's story. All in all it was a good read.
February 11, 2024
The Shadows of Dark Root (Daughters of Dark Root Book 5)
The Shadows of Dark Root (Daughters of Dark Root Book 5) The conclusion to the curse mysteries. The action was intense with many twists. The questions raised in the previous books were answered. It was a good read and hard to put down. I recommend all 5 books if you like or interested in the paranormal. This series rocked, now on to another series she has written so many to choose from but will see if anything collates with this series first.
The Shadows of Dark Root (Daughters of Dark Root Book 5) The conclusion to the curse mysteries. The action was intense with many twists. The questions raised in the previous books were answered. It was a good read and hard to put down. I recommend all 5 books if you like or interested in the paranormal. This series rocked, now on to another series she has written so many to choose from but will see if anything collates with this series first.
December 24, 2024
What a great story, but alot of information, I think the author was trying to pack everything in for the last finale. We had Goddesses, different realms, pasts being revealed and more. You could tell that there were so many thoughts she wanted to put to paper because the last couple of chapters felt rushed and the proofreading was atrocious. Do Better!!!!!
I feel like there was more left to be told on this story, but the next book is the children of dark root so I am assuming we will be learning about Montana and others.
Overall a good series, I recommend.
I feel like there was more left to be told on this story, but the next book is the children of dark root so I am assuming we will be learning about Montana and others.
Overall a good series, I recommend.
February 9, 2025
So they all travel through the Netgerworld and spend 75% of the story bickering and being all judgemental over each other's secrets. I don't think enough was done to go into why Michael was so pure, he prayed... and...? It was kind of washed over. What happened to Paul? He was a decent character before, but there was nothing to him in this one. I think maybe it was all too rushed. There was a lot going on in their quest. And after all 5 books, that's the ending that Larinda gets? I mean, it's not awful, just not great either.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2017
Another great Dark Root book!
I loved delving back into this world! From the first moment I felt "home" again! This book delivered just as well as the others, & I look forward to the next!
The only reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the poor editing once again. Missing words & quotation marks were enough to distract me from the plot throughout the book, but they weren't so major that I had to put the book down.
I loved delving back into this world! From the first moment I felt "home" again! This book delivered just as well as the others, & I look forward to the next!
The only reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the poor editing once again. Missing words & quotation marks were enough to distract me from the plot throughout the book, but they weren't so major that I had to put the book down.
August 27, 2018
The end of one chapter...
So this appears to be the end of the story of Maggie, her sisters , etc. as she searched for her son in the Netherworld. I will admit that this story did drag somewhat for me. It was enlightening to see what everyone’s secret was and how they were going to work around Armand’s curse. Interested to see where/how the story picks up with the Children of Dark Root when it comes out.
So this appears to be the end of the story of Maggie, her sisters , etc. as she searched for her son in the Netherworld. I will admit that this story did drag somewhat for me. It was enlightening to see what everyone’s secret was and how they were going to work around Armand’s curse. Interested to see where/how the story picks up with the Children of Dark Root when it comes out.
January 2, 2019
Honesty, I went back and forth between liking this series and thinking "why am I still reading this". The series kind of sucks you in and it eventually answering of the lingering question I had but some parts of the story and too drawn out or just strange. I don't think it need to be a 5 part series, it could have left out some of the wackier parts and been a nice trilogy maybe. Overall a long and just play read for me.
January 4, 2019
Some mojo lost
This easily could have been the best book of the series but it fell flat. The author had a lot to fit in. I think her vision for the story was incredible but much got lost in the telling. Cuz thats what she did - a lot of telling instead of showing, turning a potentially grand adventure into lusterless tale. I loved this series and am disappointed by this entry, which should have been the best. Oh well. The series is worth reading.
This easily could have been the best book of the series but it fell flat. The author had a lot to fit in. I think her vision for the story was incredible but much got lost in the telling. Cuz thats what she did - a lot of telling instead of showing, turning a potentially grand adventure into lusterless tale. I loved this series and am disappointed by this entry, which should have been the best. Oh well. The series is worth reading.
December 24, 2020
When a witch's son is taken to the Netherworld, then it's only expected that his mother, plus her sisters, and friends, should follow after, and there is the whole drama of this tale.
Netherworld, where souls go to rest, before their final destination.
It's not a place for mere mortals, and those with secrets, well be prepared to have your worst deeds exposed.
A good tale, one that has been very entertaining, throughout the whole series.
Netherworld, where souls go to rest, before their final destination.
It's not a place for mere mortals, and those with secrets, well be prepared to have your worst deeds exposed.
A good tale, one that has been very entertaining, throughout the whole series.
January 15, 2018
I enjoyed following the characters in this book as they found out even more about each other. They had quite an adventure into the netherworld. April does a wonderful job drawing you in and keeping you there. This is an amazing series and this was a superb addition to it! I was happy to find out that the series will be added to with the children of Dark Root.
March 9, 2019
Witches Jump the Shark
I did like the end, but I skimmed everything else as fast as I could. As with the previous books in the series, errors in usage (pronouns!) and vocabulary were numerous. Unlike the other books, the plot dragged, in my opinion. I’m sorry to say this, truly. But again, I really did like the end of the book, and for me, it is the end of the series.
I did like the end, but I skimmed everything else as fast as I could. As with the previous books in the series, errors in usage (pronouns!) and vocabulary were numerous. Unlike the other books, the plot dragged, in my opinion. I’m sorry to say this, truly. But again, I really did like the end of the book, and for me, it is the end of the series.
September 19, 2020
This book was kind of off compared to the other books. It didn't quite fit and it was hard to finish. I didn't feel engaged, but I felt compelled to at least try and see how it ended. I don't think I will continue the next series, children of dark root, if this book was indicative of the flow and theme.
September 23, 2017
Glad the series is done. So many parts I enjoyed and she tells a good story. But I was always having deja vu of other stories, this one was wizard of oz. The magic of this series is great and I enjoyed the spells/poems throughout. But after the first one, they got more irritating.
November 4, 2017
Great book!
This was a great book. I couldn't put it down. Kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way thru it. Maggie has to rescue her son from the Netherworld with the help of her family and friends. Will she get him back?
This was a great book. I couldn't put it down. Kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way thru it. Maggie has to rescue her son from the Netherworld with the help of her family and friends. Will she get him back?
August 18, 2019
2.5 stars. Decent finish to this series but just as the series should have been at least two books shorter, this book had a lot of unnecessary bloat. I stuck it out but am glad to be done with this series.
August 24, 2019
Wow!
This is my favorite book in a really long time! I love how they meet the goods, goddesses and some of the arch types of women. As real living breathing beings! I have recommended this book to several of my friends as it really rocks! I may read it again!
This is my favorite book in a really long time! I love how they meet the goods, goddesses and some of the arch types of women. As real living breathing beings! I have recommended this book to several of my friends as it really rocks! I may read it again!
Read
April 30, 2020Another creative installment in the Dark Root story! Love comes to each sister in a different package and each sister's love will be tested as they strive to protect a child loved by all. Don't miss this tale of mythology and altered reality. Another great escape from April Aasheim.
December 26, 2021
Enjoyed the series!
This is a well written series, each book a combination of humor, suspense and romance. The characters are complex and compatible. The ongoing storyline has kept me entertained throughout. Well done!
This is a well written series, each book a combination of humor, suspense and romance. The characters are complex and compatible. The ongoing storyline has kept me entertained throughout. Well done!
March 30, 2018
Oh my god!
That is all I can say,is on my god. This series is so good and gets you wrapped into so much, you become very invested in every character. Love it, must read.
That is all I can say,is on my god. This series is so good and gets you wrapped into so much, you become very invested in every character. Love it, must read.
April 7, 2018
Great read
Great series!!! Edge of your seat book. I love the strong women of this series. Hope for more in the near future!
Great series!!! Edge of your seat book. I love the strong women of this series. Hope for more in the near future!
June 11, 2018
Love this series
Great book! Great characters and I loved how the sisters were there for each other. Can't wait for the Children of Dark Root to come out!
Great book! Great characters and I loved how the sisters were there for each other. Can't wait for the Children of Dark Root to come out!
May 24, 2019
I enjoyed the series although I think this was my least favorite. Still an enjoyable read though!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews