M&EM Read: Shade Blog Tour

About the Book: Shade by Cody Stewart Genre: Ya Paranormal

About the Author:

Cody was born in Upstate New York. Eventually setting off to seek his fortune, he worked in a paper mill, a whipped cream factory, cleaned apartments, and administratively assisted several organizations before returning to the Adirondacks with a wife and child that he picked up along the way. He approaches life as though it were a page – frequently rearranging paragraphs to make it more interesting if not wholly true, fudging with the margins to fit more in, and, sometimes, erasing entire sections altogether. When not altering reality, he is scouring comic book shops, lying on the ground, or floor (whichever he happens to be standing on when he feels the need to go horizontal), trying to convince his wife to make french toast (she makes amazing french toast), and searching for the darkest cup of coffee in existence.

Website: http://codybstewart.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cody_b_stewart

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorcodystewart

My Review:

Clendon Kiernan has always been an outcast, hiding alone in the shadows away from people. He recently discovered he is a Shade, a creature of darkness that feeds by shredding souls. Its only a matter time before the Shade consumes him. Since he can't run from himself, the only way out is to learn how to control it. In doing so, Clen is introduced to the shadow of Ellis, a place filled with clans with special abilities. Secrets, deceit, love, manipulation, and hidden history are just a few things Clen has quested to uncover. Could a war be brewing? Does Clen even stand a chance?

I liked Clen as the main character. He was easy to relate to and I liked that we were kept in the dark just as he was. His past was revealed on a need to know basis. Though I am not a fan of flashbacks, these particular flashbacks worked in favor to uncover and hint secrets. The shade inside of him was my absolute favorite thing about this book. It was so funny to hear him want to murder everyone around him.

The biggest problem I had with Shade was that there were too many characters. I found it hard to keep track who was who and what their special ability was. Everyone had a certain role, but there were too many people. It almost got to the point where I needed to take notes. It came down to whether or not they survived by the end of their journey. Also the romance was hard to believe. I felt like Clen fell for Niko too fast. The chemistry between the two felt a bit forced.

Overall, I did enjoy this read. There was so much going on and a bunch of characters to keep an eye out for which kept the story engaging. The plot never stopped, something was always going on or soon would be. The writing is superb, especially with the action scenes. Action scenes were the easiest to read. The words just flowed and I could easily picture what went down when Clen was on the loose running, finding answers or being attacked. The Shade was funny, but Clen himself was also funny. His reasons for his behavior are too cute. By the end, I fell in love with Clen. I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys paranormal sci-fi, action plots.