Shadowcry by Jenna Burtenshaw Book Review

Shadowcry by Jenna Burtenshaw
US Release Date: June 21st 2011
Publisher: Greenwillow Publisher
Author Info: Jenna Burten's blog
Source: Public Library
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Series: Wintercraft
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Buy it: Amazon / Barnes and Noble




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The Night of Souls -- when the veil between the living and the dead is thinnest -- is only days away.
Albion is at war...and losing.
The wardens have descended, kidnapping innocent citizens for their army, but looking for one in particular.


And fifteen-year-old Kate Winters had just raised a blackbird from the dead.


As her home is torn apart by the wardens, Kate's discovery that she is one of the Skilled -- the rare people who can cross the veil between life and death -- makes her the most hunted person in all of Albion. Only she can unlock the secrets of Wintercraft, the ancient book of dangerous knowledge. Captured and taken to the graveyard city of Fume -- with its secret tunnels and undergound villages, and where her own parents met their deaths ten years ago -- Kate must harness her extraordinary powers to save herself, her country, and the two men she cares for most. And she'll make a pact with a murderer to do it.


Those who wish to see the dark, be ready to pay your price.
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Onto the review!
(If you're too lazy to read my review you can just check out my video at CookieReadingCorner on Youtube)


Plot: The plot of Shadowcry is full and complex. There is a lot of surprises that work and help connect the many pieces of this novel together. The plot has even more depth because each character has an interesting back story so throughout the novel there are little clues that slowly bring all the pieces of the characters together, which I really liked. The world of Albion that Jenna Burtenshaw creates is rich and has it's own history and lore that Jenna Burtenshaw makes a key part of the story which I like because it makes the world seem more realistic and adds more levels to the novel itself.


Pacing: The story takes place over several days (3 or 4 I think) so that keeps the plot moving pretty well. However, it is not like you're speeding through the book. The pace is nice and even, more like jog then a sprint, with a couple moments to rest. I liked this because it gave you a good chance to really look at the world that Jenna Burtenshaw has created and get a better grasp for what was going on. 


Character: The characters were definitely my favorite part about this novel. Jenna Burtenshaw has made a wonderful cast of characters that you love and others that you hate, then a couple that stand right on the line. The protagonist, Kate Winters, is a solid yet realistic heroine. She freaks out, understandably, when she figures out that she is a Skilled and it takes her some time to get used to her powers. She isn't weak but she isn't "kick-ass" strong either. However, she is very smart and uses her wits to her advantage. Da'ru, the main villain, is the awesomely evil witch of the story. She is pure evil and easy to hate and plays her role perfectly. My favorite character, Silas Dane, is the one where you don't quite know if he is what he seems to be (which is pure evil). He is extremely well written and I love the back story that Jenna Burtenshaw provides for him and I feel like he really added more depth to the plot. Then Edgar, Kate's best friend, is a great and lovable character and friend to Kate. There is not any romance between them (although there is a hint at romance to come in the end) but I liked that.
                 Overall the characters are well-written, three dimensional, and play their roles out expertly.


Writing: The writing for Shadowcry had it's good moments and it's bad moments. Jenna Burtenshaw describes the world of Albion and the city of Fume very well and everything that happens with the veil is really cool in the way she describes it. Everything in this novel is very easy to visualize and get lost in in this novel.
               However, the only part that I had an issue with is the way Jenna Burtenshaw switched narrative. Yes, it was 3rd person omniscient but it'd switch from watching what Kate was doing to watching what Silas (or some other character) was doing from paragraph to paragraph at some points in such a way that it didn't quite connect...at least for me. After a while I was able to get used to it and I didn't notice it too much, but at first, the way it was written kind of separated the scene into little chunks instead of connecting the whole picture.


Overall: This book is very well done. It sets up an interesting and mysterious story line chock-full of captivating characters. The world of Albion is dangerous and full of magic and Jenna Burtenshaw really traps you in the pages. No, there isn't any romance but you probably won't mind that because everything else fills up the pages brilliantly. In this novel you see Kate's amazing potential to change the course of her world and Jenna Burtenshaw's potential to be an amazing author.

4 out of 5 stars

Should you read it?

Yes

Should you buy it?

Sure, but it isn't a must have 

The next book of the series is Blackwater it will be released June 26th 2012.