Tempered Illusions

Shadows of Otherside 10 BOOK SERIE #6

by Whitney Hill

Arden Finch’s big dreams for her future risk becoming nightmares.

After stopping the Wild Hunt and preventing the end of the world, Arden thought she could take a break. But the mundane backlash against supernaturals is getting worse, and Otherside abhors a power vacuum.

When someone dumps a vampire-bitten corpse at the North Carolina governor’s mansion, tensions boil over. With rioting humans on one side and invading vampires on another, Arden must decide how far she’ll go to secure her authority as Arbiter.

A step in the wrong direction will bring war to the Triangle and threaten everything Arden has built. And with the trickster gods stirring, all her illusions about power will be tested to see if they can stand the weight of this new world—or if they’ll shatter under the pressure.

Arden, Troy, Maria, and your other favorites are back in the first book of the Shadows of Otherside Trickster Cycle. The stakes are higher and the danger is greater than ever before, forcing Arden to lean into new powers and leave the Triangle to deal with new threats.

This book is set a year after the epilogue in Eternal Huntress and continues Arden Finch's story in the Otherside universe. If you'd like to start at the beginning of the series, read Elemental.

Content warnings: This book contains strong physical violence and gore, on-page death, swearing, slurs (not toward any real racial or ethnic group/identity), alcohol use, knife violence, threat of sexual violence, mention of past abuse by a guardian, deadnaming, kidnapping, state-sanctioned violence, blood-drinking, and consensual on-page sex scenes.

Genres: Fantasy

319 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 14, 2023

About the author

Whitney Hill (whitneyhillwrites.com) is the author of the Shadows of Otherside contemporary fantasy series. The bestselling first book in the series, Elemental, was the grand prize winner of the 8th Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published E-Book Awards.

Whitney is also the founder of Benu Media (benumedia.com), an indie publishing imprint and creative consulting business. She leverages over a decade of marketing experience to offer resources that help indie authors rise and shine.

When she’s not writing or consulting, Whitney enjoys hiking in North Carolina’s beautiful state parks and playing video games.

Join Whitney on Twitter and Instagram: @write_wherever.

Reviews

[Locd_and_Lit · Rating 4 out of 5]

So it’s a brand new day in Otherside. Callista is gone *bye Felicia!* and Ms. Arden Finch - Excuse me, Ms. Arden Finch Solari. No wait that’s High Queen Arden Finch Solari for those who want to mess around and find out - Is the Arbiter of an ever-expanding territory in North Carolina. But you know what they say, mo’ money, more problems… and boy does Arden have 99 of them thangs. Arden is still battling her Imposter Syndrome, while also juggling her role as protector and leader within Otherside, working with local law enforcement (who are not friends), and also maneuvering political machinations within the supernatural world that makes Game of Thrones seem like child’s play.

Now this is a Whitney Hill stan account, so I’m probably super biased, but I think Tempered Illusions is another solid installment in the Otherside series. I’ll admit the first quarter of the book did take a little while for me to get into (which surprised me because I gobbled up the previous 5 books back to back without feeling like there was any slog), but Arden was annoying me a little bit in the beginning. She was coming off whiny and I wasn’t enjoying her inner dialogue like I usually do. But I do give credit to Hill’s craft as there was major character development and growth for Arden and other characters throughout the book. So as the story goes on, the action kicks in, and I was definitely invested by the end.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read and if you are not familiar with Whitney Hill’s work then I suggest that you fix that - asap. She’s an excellent indie urban fantasy author serving up strong female leads, a diverse representation in a genre where that can be hard to find.

Thank you to NetGalley and Whitney Hill for the e-ARC.

[Ilia Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the stars

This series just keeps getting better! Six books in and Arden and Troy are now one of my fav power couples. The world building and story is rich and engaging. I love the real growth of character and power we see in Arden and Troy. I can’t recommend this series enough.

[ARETHA REYNOLDS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Happy Camper

I am so happy that Arden and Troy and the gang are back in action. Even happier that Ms Whitney is addressing those story lines hinted at in the first series. I re-read the first five books and the two "short stories" that followed before diving into this one. Now, of course, I'm kicking myself because I have to wait for the release of the 7th book. SMH

[Trey richardson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another lost strong women

Just ewww. Another romance novel wrapped in fantasy. I don’t understand the obsession with putting supposedly strong women with egotistical overbearing men. I hate the trope and hope folks can find originality. This is my last book from this author.

[Tasha Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite book in the series so far. Characters are well done. World building is good. Interesting take on elementals & vampires. Touches on many of today’s issues. Read content notes in book descriptions.

[Derelict Space Sheep · Rating 4 out of 5]

There should have been nowhere for Otherside to go after Eternal Huntress, yet Hill has managed not only to continue the series but also to up the sense of peril and urgency—humanity’s unceasing bigotry proving more problematic than the gods’ ire.

[Anika Best · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn Good

Bought this book as soon as it came out but it sat waiting for me to be ready and to delve into it; the wait was well worth it.

I enjoyed this chapter of Arden and Troy’s life. I was fully immersed.

[Wonder Woman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Happy the series is continuing

I really like Arden and Troy. Their story of growth and change is intriguing. It is easy to get pulled in and left wanting more.

[Seventhheaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another home run!

Seeing Arden grow into her leadership and reading the struggles she had was something I could relate to. Hoping there will be another!

[B. Phoenix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tempered illusions by Whitney Hill starts off with the elemental Arden settling into her new powers with her betrothed Noah. But bad luck seems to have a way of following her. On the night of her birthday, several humans are massacred and left around her city to call attention to the existence of the supernatural community. In a world filled with elementals, elves, witches, wereclans, vampires, djinns, necromancers, etc, Arden must find a way to bring harmony to all factions as the Arbiter. However, the humans or mundanes as they are called, threaten to unravel the supernatural Otherside world in retaliation for the recent killings.

This is actually the first book I have read in this series. At times, I did wish I could read the previous books, but the author provides enough background context so that the reader is not completely lost and this book can be a standalone. The thing I love the most about Whitney Hill's characters is that they are not unrealistically supernatural. That is to say that can blend well as humans and are not completely driven by their otherworldly urges. This could also be due to the main character, Arden's power as the Arbiter or intermediary of peace. The first book in the series Elemental (Shadows of Otherside #1) origin story of Arden's power. After having read this book, I will definitely be adding the previous books in the series to me TBR pile. I feel like now that I know where the characters are, I need to see their journey especially Arden's and Troy's and how they got to this point.

Overall, I recommend this book and the entire book series to anyone who likes paranormal literature with hints of semi-romance and a bad-ass female lead.

One of my favorite quotes: ‘To fuck around is human. To find out is divine.’
*I received this e-book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

[Kelsey Rhodes · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75/5 stars! Everything about this story was magic, and I don't just mean that as a pun. The cover was stunning, I adored Arden's character development throughout this story, and although it is the 6th book in the "Shadows of Otherwise" series, I didn't feel lost handling this as a standalone. I'll likely go back and read the rest of the series because I enjoyed this world so much. Extra points for vampires, my favorite mythical creature.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

[whatnolareads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first read from this author I didn't know this was part two of a series but I can say that this book could be read as a stand-alone because I was able to immerse myself in this book and not lose a beat. The character development and world-building in this book were amazing. I was pulled in from the beginning and never felt the need to step away or put the book down. This book was fast-paced and an easy read I would recommend

This book was given to me as an arc read and all opinions are my own. Thank you, NetGalley for giving me a chance to review this book.

[Educator · Rating 5 out of 5]

NetGalley ARC Educator 560975

A fantastic second book of the series. It can be read as a standalone. Arden's character grows so much during this book. Add in some familiar faces and magic, chef's kiss. You will be drawn in and won't put the book down until you read the last line and will immediately want more.

[Nicolle Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy through Net gallery. This was the first novel I picked up in the series, but it was easy enough to follow along without having read the previous titles. I liked the blend of current issues with fantasy. I will have to read the rest of the series when I can.

[Taida · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review soon