The Shadow and the Rose

Finished it really quick it had me turning pages.😊👍 I loved it!!!

I got to read an ARC from the author last week. I'm stuck at 3.5 stars, though part of that is probably because I'm not a fan of ebooks; I find I have a hard time getting into that format. Definitely going to buy a paperback when it comes out to read it again. This is an excellent addition to the genre, in the style of Twilight (Stephenie Meyer), Wings (Aprilynne Pike), and Tithe (Holly Black). The main character, Joy, was a pleasure. She's sweet, innocent (but not naive), clever, loyal (and average, human-sized, which I appreciated, especially when she's surrounded by so many beautiful people), but with some distinct flaws that kept her from being annoying. Another great, strong heroine all around. If Ms. Dewees keeps coming up with women like this, I'll definitely keep reading. The supporting cast was no less enjoyable a group of real characters--the hodgepodge, artsy bunch that still didn't manage to fall into cliche. I especially loved Joy's roommate, Maddie, who is just the type of friend every girl should have. She was probably my favorite character. Tanner, our hero, I had a bit of difficulty liking. He didn't really seem to have many strengths beyond his unnatural beauty and his mad brooding skillz. He's a great guy, but the cloud of depression can really put a damper on other worthy qualities. Other than the sheer pleasure of looking at him (which, admittedly, can do a lot for a relationship, for a while), I had a hard time understanding what would appeal to Joy so much that she would fight so hard for him. Given that this is our author's second hero to suffer so greatly, I wonder a bit if we're going to have a theme in Ms. DeWees's works. I could think of other themes I'd prefer. Tam Lin is not a story I know well, so I was definitely surprised by many of the plot twists. (I looked up one of the ballads after I finished and was really amused to see some of the things the author incorporated from the original story.) She tied up this story very neatly in then end, so that I'm not really sure what she plans to do in the next book; since I thought this tale was going to be spread over three books, there were a couple of relationship elements that--while a significant part of the Tam Lin story--I thought came in a little early. But I thought the final battle with Melisande was pretty thrilling. And I loved that Joy was an active heroine, that it was Tanner playing the damsel in distress this time. Definitely looking forward to the next installment. Just tell me, is it going to follow Joy and Tanner in more adventures, or will we be introduced to some new main characters? I'm very curious to see what comes next in the trilogy. Is it too much to hope that we'll resolve William and Maddie's love troubles?