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Shadow and Light #1-3
The Shadow and Light #1-3
Broke and living in a one-bedroom apartment the size of a closet is not what you’d expect from an elite Hunter like me. But Hunting demons and half-breeds isn’t your average nine-to-five job with benefits. The hours are long and the pay usually sucks.
I didn’t think I was going to make rent again until the Council, the group of angel-born who’d shunned me all those years ago, offered me a job—a paying one.
I could either tell them to shove it, or take the job. So what’s a gal to do? Take the gig, of course.
Everything would have worked out fine if the Council hadn’t forced me to work the case with Jax—an angel-born warrior who happened to be way too pretty to be legal. Turns out Jax has an agenda of his own and is determined to make my life hell, but I’m stuck with him. For now.
And things went downhill from there when I found out the demon I’m Hunting is a Greater demon. And yeah, it’s Hunting me too. Swell.
*Recommended for mature YA+ due to language
The Shadow and Light series are sassy, fast-paced urban fantasy filled with demons, angels, vampires, werewolves, witches, fae, leprechauns, jinn, and shifters.
I didn’t think I was going to make rent again until the Council, the group of angel-born who’d shunned me all those years ago, offered me a job—a paying one.
I could either tell them to shove it, or take the job. So what’s a gal to do? Take the gig, of course.
Everything would have worked out fine if the Council hadn’t forced me to work the case with Jax—an angel-born warrior who happened to be way too pretty to be legal. Turns out Jax has an agenda of his own and is determined to make my life hell, but I’m stuck with him. For now.
And things went downhill from there when I found out the demon I’m Hunting is a Greater demon. And yeah, it’s Hunting me too. Swell.
*Recommended for mature YA+ due to language
The Shadow and Light series are sassy, fast-paced urban fantasy filled with demons, angels, vampires, werewolves, witches, fae, leprechauns, jinn, and shifters.
784 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 3, 2019
278 people are currently reading
110 people want to read
About the author
Kim Richardson
205 books1,267 followersKim Richardson is the award-winning author of the bestselling SOUL GUARDIANS series. She lives in the eastern part of Canada with her husband, two dogs and a very old cat. She is the author of the SOUL GUARDIANS series, the MYSTICS series, and the DIVIDED REALMS series. Kim's books are available in print editions, and translations are available in over 7 languages.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
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June 28, 2021DARK HUNT (Book 1)
I was a little disappointed in this one and I really thought I was going to love it. It has everything I love; supernatural creatures, blurred lines between good and evil, a kickass heroine with attitude, a swoony hero who needs the heroines help and a baal demon sidekick in the form of a Siamese cat (a dream I didn't know I had)!!!!
I'm not even sure what went wrong for me. It all comes down to a lot of little things in the execution really.
Maybe it's that the world building was sloppily set up, making the reader feel as though everyone was learning about everything at the same time and there seemed to be a lot of contradictions. For example, within the first few pages it was stated that Rowyn was a hunter (since she went rogue from the council at 18) and the implication was that since she wouldn't tow their line, there was a price on her head, which is why she had to leave town (and her sweet grandmother). Moments later Jaxson is telling her that the council wants to hire her for a high paying job. I'm still left with far too many questions about the set-up that actually distracted me from the story. Why her? Why now? Why with him? Why offer so much money? I could go on and on. If you don't want to get into it don't bring it up, but if you open Pandora's box be prepared to deal with the contents.
Maybe it was that the snark was too quippy and without any real substance. I like snappy dialogue as much as the next person, especially from a sassy heroine, but a lot of the back and forth seemed to feel like too much effort was being put into making Rowyn sound tough, when she was getting her ass kicked (all talk no action). Sometimes I felt like I was reading a reality show script.
Maybe it was that everything was overly dramatic, going from zero to sixty in many cases without a clear motive, there was a lot of jumping from one action scene to another without much downtime to drive the plot forward. I sometimes felt like the author had highlights of scenes or conversations she wanted to have but struggled to connect them seamlessly.
Maybe it was that the hero, Jax, was a handsome hothead without anything really going for him other than his looks and at the end his skill as a hunter which until that point he had failed to demonstrate. I didn't find him particularly likable or sympathetic, which isn't really his fault since he was only written about in superficial terms of his looks. I felt almost no chemistry between him and Rowyn.
Heck, maybe it was Rowyn. I know the author was trying to make her seem strong and kickass with a chip on her shoulder from her past but having a smart mouth isn't how you achieve that. It pains me to say I didn't find her to be particularly likable or sympathetic either if I'm honest (I guess that makes her and Jaxson a good match). The whole business with the theft of the dark witch's grimoire really made me lose respect for her.
Maybe it was the plot holes and inconsistencies that you could drive a truck though (and I'm a pretty lenient reader)
Whatever it was, this book just didn't quite land for me. Heck as I finish writing this review I dropped my rating from three to two stars as I can't really think of much that I liked about it. I didn't think it was bad necessarily, I enjoyed the angel-born warrior angle. I thought it was pretty original and I was looking forward to exploring how Rowyn fit. I like the shades of grey apparent throughout the world, not all demons are pure evil, not all angels are full of goodness. I just didn't think it was properly executed.
If it were a standalone I would say it was tolerably okay, recommend it as a fun quick diversion and move on. I'm conflicted because I'm not sure I can push through another five books, I would like to see where it's going, I just really don't want to join this cast of characters (other than Tyrius the Baal demon in Siamese cat form) on the ride.
Edit: I popped this back up to three stars because I looked back at the truly abysmal reads I gave two stars to. Upon reflection this book was a like a cheesy B horror movie that you wish had been done the way it deserved to be done. The author kept me reading and I don't really regret my time spent with these characters. I may even try the next installment of the series.
Edit: Six months later and I still haven't read books 2 or 3...
I was a little disappointed in this one and I really thought I was going to love it. It has everything I love; supernatural creatures, blurred lines between good and evil, a kickass heroine with attitude, a swoony hero who needs the heroines help and a baal demon sidekick in the form of a Siamese cat (a dream I didn't know I had)!!!!
I'm not even sure what went wrong for me. It all comes down to a lot of little things in the execution really.
Maybe it's that the world building was sloppily set up, making the reader feel as though everyone was learning about everything at the same time and there seemed to be a lot of contradictions. For example, within the first few pages it was stated that Rowyn was a hunter (since she went rogue from the council at 18) and the implication was that since she wouldn't tow their line, there was a price on her head, which is why she had to leave town (and her sweet grandmother). Moments later Jaxson is telling her that the council wants to hire her for a high paying job. I'm still left with far too many questions about the set-up that actually distracted me from the story. Why her? Why now? Why with him? Why offer so much money? I could go on and on. If you don't want to get into it don't bring it up, but if you open Pandora's box be prepared to deal with the contents.
Maybe it was that the snark was too quippy and without any real substance. I like snappy dialogue as much as the next person, especially from a sassy heroine, but a lot of the back and forth seemed to feel like too much effort was being put into making Rowyn sound tough, when she was getting her ass kicked (all talk no action). Sometimes I felt like I was reading a reality show script.
Maybe it was that everything was overly dramatic, going from zero to sixty in many cases without a clear motive, there was a lot of jumping from one action scene to another without much downtime to drive the plot forward. I sometimes felt like the author had highlights of scenes or conversations she wanted to have but struggled to connect them seamlessly.
Maybe it was that the hero, Jax, was a handsome hothead without anything really going for him other than his looks and at the end his skill as a hunter which until that point he had failed to demonstrate. I didn't find him particularly likable or sympathetic, which isn't really his fault since he was only written about in superficial terms of his looks. I felt almost no chemistry between him and Rowyn.
Heck, maybe it was Rowyn. I know the author was trying to make her seem strong and kickass with a chip on her shoulder from her past but having a smart mouth isn't how you achieve that. It pains me to say I didn't find her to be particularly likable or sympathetic either if I'm honest (I guess that makes her and Jaxson a good match). The whole business with the theft of the dark witch's grimoire really made me lose respect for her.
Maybe it was the plot holes and inconsistencies that you could drive a truck though (and I'm a pretty lenient reader)
Whatever it was, this book just didn't quite land for me. Heck as I finish writing this review I dropped my rating from three to two stars as I can't really think of much that I liked about it. I didn't think it was bad necessarily, I enjoyed the angel-born warrior angle. I thought it was pretty original and I was looking forward to exploring how Rowyn fit. I like the shades of grey apparent throughout the world, not all demons are pure evil, not all angels are full of goodness. I just didn't think it was properly executed.
If it were a standalone I would say it was tolerably okay, recommend it as a fun quick diversion and move on. I'm conflicted because I'm not sure I can push through another five books, I would like to see where it's going, I just really don't want to join this cast of characters (other than Tyrius the Baal demon in Siamese cat form) on the ride.
Edit: I popped this back up to three stars because I looked back at the truly abysmal reads I gave two stars to. Upon reflection this book was a like a cheesy B horror movie that you wish had been done the way it deserved to be done. The author kept me reading and I don't really regret my time spent with these characters. I may even try the next installment of the series.
Edit: Six months later and I still haven't read books 2 or 3...
March 6, 2022
The Shadow and Light Series, Books 1-3: An Urban Fantasy Boxed Set
LOVED 🥰 THIS SERIES…. I loved Rowlyn, Gareth, and especially Tryius, and definitely loved Danto, can not wait to see what happens with Lisbeth in the next end of the series….. I was glued to this book…..
I definitely recommend this whole series and each book was better than the last book….
❤️🔥🖤💗💜💝💙💛💚
LOVED 🥰 THIS SERIES…. I loved Rowlyn, Gareth, and especially Tryius, and definitely loved Danto, can not wait to see what happens with Lisbeth in the next end of the series….. I was glued to this book…..
I definitely recommend this whole series and each book was better than the last book….
❤️🔥🖤💗💜💝💙💛💚
February 3, 2019
Just wasn't quite my cup of tea. Decent story but a bit boring.
May 15, 2019
Good book!
This is the first three books in this series and it was excellent.
I've already downloaded book four, it's that good.
This is the first three books in this series and it was excellent.
I've already downloaded book four, it's that good.
July 3, 2019
The books were a good read, basic Urban Fantasy. The characters were well developed, but the plot seemed to jump around a bit and there seems like I missed something between books 2 and 3.
January 27, 2020
Absolutely loved this series - particularly the cat
September 15, 2020
Fantastic Read!
I could have read all the books in the series non stop! It’s fast paced and the heroine is kick-ass! I couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait to read more!
I could have read all the books in the series non stop! It’s fast paced and the heroine is kick-ass! I couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait to read more!
December 7, 2020
Light reading
Great boook for if you’re in a reading Slump. Fast paced but still interesting I’ve read three of them so far
Great boook for if you’re in a reading Slump. Fast paced but still interesting I’ve read three of them so far
March 6, 2023
Wow! Constant twists and turns!
This series moves fast. Lots of twists and turns. Honestly I finally had to cheat and read ahead. You're killing me with suspense Ms. Richardson.
This series moves fast. Lots of twists and turns. Honestly I finally had to cheat and read ahead. You're killing me with suspense Ms. Richardson.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews