Shadowland took an interesting turn with the dilemmas the characters faced; and it also delved a little deeper into the mechanics of the world where Ever and Damen live.
Roman definitely has continued to play a huge part in the series, which I enjoy – he’s a deliciously creepy, smooth villain who has his own rather convincing agenda, which is always better (imo) than a character who is just straight-up evil and there doesn’t seem to be a good reason for it.
In addition, Shadowland introduces something of a love triangle, which is always a must-have in any romance (right??). I think it was well done, and the particulars of this love triangle have already begun to create some great tension and conflict.
The more I read of this series, though, the more I do feel that the author fails to explain certain things at the right time – she will often throw things in as exposition, like something the reader should already know, without the characters ever having really addressed it or learned it as far as the reader can tell. Damen begins to irritate me more and more the way he makes up his mind on things that *should* be joint decisions, if he and Ever are as serious of a couple as Ever is constantly making them out to be.
Speaking of which, the constant declarations of Ever’s & Damen’s ‘eternal love’, Ever’s reminding the reader that he is her gorgeous, perfect, amazing boyfriend, etc, does get old – it’s beginning to feel like the lady doth protest too much. Not that there is anything in the story to suggest anything but (other than Damen’s entirely unilateral decisions that affect them both, anyhow); but more ‘showing’ about their relationship and less ‘telling’ would work wonders for the writing. Granted, part of me feels that the intended audience is quite young (14-17 years old, maybe), and this style might work very well for that audience.
Despite all the flaws – no creative work is perfect, after all – this continues to be an entertaining series, and of course I’m already a good chunk into the next book! I loved the twist at the end of Shadowland, and am eager to find out what the rest of the series brings. – Anne ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Boy, does this author love commas. And lists! And italics.
I’m enjoying this series, I really am, but sometimes the extensive lists (mainly when they’re given in dialogue) can get a little awkward. It just doesn’t always work that well and sometimes even comes across as a little clunky or unnatural for speech. This tends to throw me out of the scene rather abruptly.
Another thing I’ve noticed – especially in this book in particular – is that the characters seem to laugh a lot. More than I feel is natural.
All that said, I really enjoyed the amount of magick in Shadowland! Character backstories were explored, relationships were tested, tension was built. It was great!
One major critique I do have about the series as a whole is that Ever tends to latch onto one trait (“sea green eyes” for instance) and then uses it to describe the guy in question far too frequently. While it might be useful to remind readers something about a character if it’s been a while since they’ve been in the story, I ended up more frustrated than anything. Yes, Ever, we know Damen’s still your hot, gorgeous, perfect, amazing, sexy immortal boyfriend. We get it!!
I am really intrigued by the direction the series takes at the end of Shadowland and I can’t wait to read the next book. The author does a great job at making each book riveting and absorbing. – Jake ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Read all of our reviews for The Immortals Series here:
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