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Of Shadows and Crows
To be a Sister of the Assembly is a birthright, but to be an elite assassin is a legacy.
Bria Allen is not an ordinary vampire. She is a Sister of the Assembly of Shadows, a coven of vampire assassins who hunt rogue vampires and leave the crows to feast on their dead bodies. It is Bria's dream to become an elite assassin and walk in her parents' shoes. Until one day, she discovers the truth.
The Assembly of Shadows isn’t what it seems.
Sava Herstoj, High Priest of the Assembly of Shadows, is the real rogue vampire. He has been plaguing the minds of assassins for years, trying to create a world where humans are mindless thralls and ritualistic sacrifices, instead of living in harmony.
It becomes Bria's personal mission to stop him at all costs and face the hardest decision of her standing up to Sava Herstoj and bringing shame to her family or keeping her secrets to herself. No matter which one she chooses, everyone has something to lose.
Bria Allen is not an ordinary vampire. She is a Sister of the Assembly of Shadows, a coven of vampire assassins who hunt rogue vampires and leave the crows to feast on their dead bodies. It is Bria's dream to become an elite assassin and walk in her parents' shoes. Until one day, she discovers the truth.
The Assembly of Shadows isn’t what it seems.
Sava Herstoj, High Priest of the Assembly of Shadows, is the real rogue vampire. He has been plaguing the minds of assassins for years, trying to create a world where humans are mindless thralls and ritualistic sacrifices, instead of living in harmony.
It becomes Bria's personal mission to stop him at all costs and face the hardest decision of her standing up to Sava Herstoj and bringing shame to her family or keeping her secrets to herself. No matter which one she chooses, everyone has something to lose.
366 pages, Paperback
First published September 18, 2021
3 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
About the author
Aimee Shaye
20 books451 followersI am no longer publishing under this pen name. To keep up with my new work, please visit me on my new Goodreads profile:
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 23, 2021
When I first heard about this book, I was drawn to it because of the author and blurb. It sounds really exciting, making me want to read it.
The story starts off a bit slow, which will give you time to get used to the writing style. After that the story builds up and Aimee Shaye puts some tension in the story. However, in my opinion the tension levels stay superficial and the story is a bit predictable, since the blurb does already give a lot away.
The worldbuilding is nice, and you will get to know only the places that are important, which I really like.
This book only knows a small amount of important characters, however lots of names are mentioned making it hard to understand who is who sometimes. In addition, there are also two kinds of vampires, which I found hard to keep apart since it wasn't really made clear what made them different.
Is this book a book that could be the start of a nice series? Yes, it is
Is this an easy read? For me, no
Did I enjoy reading this book? Yes, but not as much as I would love to because of the lack of depth
All in all, I think I can say this book for sure has a good potential, but it just wasn't fully my cup of tea
The story starts off a bit slow, which will give you time to get used to the writing style. After that the story builds up and Aimee Shaye puts some tension in the story. However, in my opinion the tension levels stay superficial and the story is a bit predictable, since the blurb does already give a lot away.
The worldbuilding is nice, and you will get to know only the places that are important, which I really like.
This book only knows a small amount of important characters, however lots of names are mentioned making it hard to understand who is who sometimes. In addition, there are also two kinds of vampires, which I found hard to keep apart since it wasn't really made clear what made them different.
Is this book a book that could be the start of a nice series? Yes, it is
Is this an easy read? For me, no
Did I enjoy reading this book? Yes, but not as much as I would love to because of the lack of depth
All in all, I think I can say this book for sure has a good potential, but it just wasn't fully my cup of tea
November 11, 2021
"Blood is my salvation, Death is forbidden"
Well where do I start 🤔.....firstly amazing,,,,AMAZING,,,and for those in the back A...M...A...Z..I...N...G!!!! yes as you can tell I loved this book. Aimee shaye has a natural flow with her writing that never fails to draw me in, the depth within her stories and the fantastic characters she creates make it so easy to get lost within the words on these pages.
Of Shadows and Crows is an unpredictable read full of action and suspense keeping you on your toes with every new turn the story takes, with secrets and lies everywhere is their such a thing as a trustworthy vampire?
Of Shadows and Crows is in my opinion Aimee Shaye's best work yet!!..... with each new release her writing has gone from strength to strength but shadows takes it to a whole new level, the world and character building is excellent and the storyline is gripping and entertaining, I for one am extremely excited for what the future may bring.💜
If you are a lover of plot heavy storylines and characters that make you laugh and curse 🤣 then this is definitely one for your TBR .
Well where do I start 🤔.....firstly amazing,,,,AMAZING,,,and for those in the back A...M...A...Z..I...N...G!!!! yes as you can tell I loved this book. Aimee shaye has a natural flow with her writing that never fails to draw me in, the depth within her stories and the fantastic characters she creates make it so easy to get lost within the words on these pages.
Of Shadows and Crows is an unpredictable read full of action and suspense keeping you on your toes with every new turn the story takes, with secrets and lies everywhere is their such a thing as a trustworthy vampire?
Of Shadows and Crows is in my opinion Aimee Shaye's best work yet!!..... with each new release her writing has gone from strength to strength but shadows takes it to a whole new level, the world and character building is excellent and the storyline is gripping and entertaining, I for one am extremely excited for what the future may bring.💜
If you are a lover of plot heavy storylines and characters that make you laugh and curse 🤣 then this is definitely one for your TBR .
November 9, 2021
Amazing book! The characters were believable and fun, there is a good balance of action and rest without the story being boring, and it's unpredictable! Definitely a new favorite for me! Can't wait to get my hands on book 2!!!!
November 23, 2021
Thank you Aimee Shaye for providing me with an ARC!
I read this book rather quickly, and talked with Aimee as I was reading it. Even though there are some flaws, I was immersed in the story.
Bria starts as a flat character, seeing as how she was raised, it's totally understandable. As the story progresses, she begins questions her up-bringing, noting that not everything is as dandy as everyone is led to believed. She's had the potential to be this great, bad ass character, I believe she will get there, if this ending is any indication.
I'm missing out on the romance build with Xander, even still he became a favorite character. I have on good authority though, that he will indeed be getting more "screen time."
If I say much else I'm afraid it will lead to spoilers, but I'll leave it with is: Aimee is going to be a great author to follow - Of Shadows and Crows is imaginative, fresh, and nothing close to the vampire stories you've read before.
I read this book rather quickly, and talked with Aimee as I was reading it. Even though there are some flaws, I was immersed in the story.
Bria starts as a flat character, seeing as how she was raised, it's totally understandable. As the story progresses, she begins questions her up-bringing, noting that not everything is as dandy as everyone is led to believed. She's had the potential to be this great, bad ass character, I believe she will get there, if this ending is any indication.
I'm missing out on the romance build with Xander, even still he became a favorite character. I have on good authority though, that he will indeed be getting more "screen time."
If I say much else I'm afraid it will lead to spoilers, but I'll leave it with is: Aimee is going to be a great author to follow - Of Shadows and Crows is imaginative, fresh, and nothing close to the vampire stories you've read before.
November 20, 2021
Thank you Aimee Shaye for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
First and foremost, I loved the idea behind the plot of this book. The events which occurred throughout were intriguing and are the main reason I continued through to the end of the book.
Of Shadows and Crows by Aimee Shaye follows Bria Allen as she strives to become an elite assassin of the vampire community in which she lives. As she continues her training, Bria learns more about those she has considered family and friends all of her life and must choose what to do with what she learns.
Where Of Shadows and Crows fell short for me, and the main reason I'm rating this as two stars, is the prose and characterization. In regards to the prose, I was missing the drama, the emotion, and often felt too distanced from our pov character. I never truly felt meshed into the story. Part of this is because oftentimes I was told how Bria thought of other characters or events rather than entirely experiencing those moments and reactions with her. Also, the info dumping throughout the story got distracting.
As for characterization.... Bria started out strong willed and a bit stubborn, and then accepted a lot of major changes with what was, in my honest opinion, not enough evidence. Aside from Bria, the other characters all appeared static to me. That and I didn't feel a connection between Bria and anyone else aside from how much she disliked Elder Mara.
I'm sad because I really wanted to enjoy this story more than I did.
First and foremost, I loved the idea behind the plot of this book. The events which occurred throughout were intriguing and are the main reason I continued through to the end of the book.
Of Shadows and Crows by Aimee Shaye follows Bria Allen as she strives to become an elite assassin of the vampire community in which she lives. As she continues her training, Bria learns more about those she has considered family and friends all of her life and must choose what to do with what she learns.
Where Of Shadows and Crows fell short for me, and the main reason I'm rating this as two stars, is the prose and characterization. In regards to the prose, I was missing the drama, the emotion, and often felt too distanced from our pov character. I never truly felt meshed into the story. Part of this is because oftentimes I was told how Bria thought of other characters or events rather than entirely experiencing those moments and reactions with her. Also, the info dumping throughout the story got distracting.
As for characterization.... Bria started out strong willed and a bit stubborn, and then accepted a lot of major changes with what was, in my honest opinion, not enough evidence. Aside from Bria, the other characters all appeared static to me. That and I didn't feel a connection between Bria and anyone else aside from how much she disliked Elder Mara.
I'm sad because I really wanted to enjoy this story more than I did.
November 20, 2021
Bria is a vampire who is a part of a coven who hunt rogue vampires. The Assembly of Shadows is an organization she has wanted to be a part of since she was little, but it's not all it seems to be. Sava is the high priest of the assembly, and he is the exact thing they are designed to hunt. Bria must choose to either go against him or stay quiet to keep from bringing shame to her family.
The plot was so intriguing and had my attention the entire way. I loved the concept of vampires elites hunting vampire rogues, but the leader is a rogue. There were a couple of twists that made the story a little unpredictable, which just makes you want to dive in even more.
The writing was a little dull in some places, and created a lull in the reading, especially when inner monologues were happening.
The plot was so intriguing and had my attention the entire way. I loved the concept of vampires elites hunting vampire rogues, but the leader is a rogue. There were a couple of twists that made the story a little unpredictable, which just makes you want to dive in even more.
The writing was a little dull in some places, and created a lull in the reading, especially when inner monologues were happening.
January 11, 2022
The fmc is part of a vampire coven/nest that hunts rogues of their kind. Think police of vampires. I hope characters develop more through series theres potential but not yet. Theres good plot and some great twists. I can't wait to see how this story and characters evolve in the next book.
January 28, 2022
The idea behind this book and the world is interesting, which saved it from a one-star review. It's complex, there are very interesting pieces of the Allen family that kept me flipping pages, and again, the idea was very intriguing.
Bria Allen is an assassin, one that must learn which side to stand on and support. She is a neat idea, but poor execution. She goes from being your classic stubborn lead to just agreeing and changing her mind with little to no information to support the mind change.
The prose in this piece is very first-novel level at best. The first page alone has so many errors, I couldn't really understand why. The first line alone has repetition that is, well, something anyone should have picked up. Using the same phrasing twice in one sentence, anachronisms all over the place; it was a good attempt, but not great.
I think the author has potential, and one day could be a great writer, but for now, it reads like a middle-schooler's creative writing assignment. I'll be looking out for the sequel, and I hope to see improvement! Because this world WAS intriguing enough to make me try again one day.
Bria Allen is an assassin, one that must learn which side to stand on and support. She is a neat idea, but poor execution. She goes from being your classic stubborn lead to just agreeing and changing her mind with little to no information to support the mind change.
The prose in this piece is very first-novel level at best. The first page alone has so many errors, I couldn't really understand why. The first line alone has repetition that is, well, something anyone should have picked up. Using the same phrasing twice in one sentence, anachronisms all over the place; it was a good attempt, but not great.
I think the author has potential, and one day could be a great writer, but for now, it reads like a middle-schooler's creative writing assignment. I'll be looking out for the sequel, and I hope to see improvement! Because this world WAS intriguing enough to make me try again one day.
December 7, 2021
Vampires, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
I guess I am not that big of a vampire fan. I thought this book sounded really good, but I did not like the rituals and the worshipping of other gods and such. I did like the storyline of the friendships and closeness of real family. It just seemed strange for some of the vampire traits to be more like humans. I liked the light romance of some characters. Probably a good book for those that adore vampires. Interesting read. Just realized it's not my thing. Thanks anyway.
I guess I am not that big of a vampire fan. I thought this book sounded really good, but I did not like the rituals and the worshipping of other gods and such. I did like the storyline of the friendships and closeness of real family. It just seemed strange for some of the vampire traits to be more like humans. I liked the light romance of some characters. Probably a good book for those that adore vampires. Interesting read. Just realized it's not my thing. Thanks anyway.
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February 2, 2022Thank you all so much for all of your reviews. Of Shadows and Crows is currently back in the editing process as I have taken all feedback provided and heavily agreed with you after sitting back down with this book. When the new edition is uploaded, I will post an update :)
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews