Shadow Queene

The Shadow Girls Saga #2

by Kate Ristau

While Áine returns to the light, Hennessey falls into shadow. Just when her dreams are about to come true, Hennessey's world is torn apart. She is dragged into the Shadowlands, while Áine is forced into the light. But in a world of magic and darkness, where the fae whither and monsters reign, Hennessey finds a power all her own. She embraces the shadows and enters the endless night.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy

173 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 28, 2020

About the author

Kate Ristau is an author and folklorist who writes young adult and middle grade fiction. In her ideal world, magic and myth combine to create memorable stories with unforgettable characters. Until she finds that world, she'll live in Portland, Oregon with her husband, her son, and her dog.

Reviews

[Karen Eisenbrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been eagerly awaiting this sequel since I read Shadow Girl in 2018, and it does not disappoint. Picking up where Shadow Girl left off with Aine, her old friend Ciaran, her sister Keva, and her new human friend/love interest Hennessy trying to cross from the dangers of the human world to relative safety in the Aetherlands. But it can’t be that easy. Shadows drag Hennessy to the Hetherlands (fairy hell) while the Eta (magical light particles) shove Aine through to the Aetherlands and destroy the crossing. Both girls spend the book surviving, learning, fighting, all with the goal of finding each other again.

I loved Hennessy in Shadow Girl, so I was excited to see her get her own story arc. This spitfire of an Irish teenager had been raised on fairy stories and wanted them to be real, but not like this: bones and monsters and darkness. But those stories and other memories of her Nana help her pay attention and make choices that increase her chances of survival. Those, plus a mysterious spear and an ugly dragon puppy named Rego. Meanwhile, Aine returns to a home that is out of balance and she may be contributing to the problem. She makes a drastic choice that sets her on an unknown path to restore balance and find Hennessy again.

Like Shadow Girl, this book ended before I was ready. The way things were left, this must be the middle act with a rousing conclusion still to come. Looking forward to it!

[Maren Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shadow Queene by Kate Ristau is a beautifully written book. The story is the second book (After Shadow Girl) about two friends who have found the entrance to the world of the Fae. Upon entering it, they are thrown two different directions, one into the light, the other into the darkness, to each fight her own battles so they can come together again. Ristau takes her heroines (and her readers) into dangerous worlds of fancy and adventure. Would definitely recommend.