I really enjoyed this book. It was a different take on vampire novels. I highly recommend it 302 3.5 stars 302 3.75 stars.
This my third series of Ms. White’s books.
Between those three series, Aileen is the most irritating heroine, and I want to slap her silly, often!
But the story is very good and for sure I want to continue reading. 302 3.75
“There are more creatures in this world than can be named in any book.
Great start to an interesting series- will read on! 302 The book Shadows messenger: An Aileen Travers Novel by T.A. White started out interesting but quickly turned into annoyance and disappointment. Compared to the other books i read from this author this was underperforming.
In short: too many and useless inner monologues and an annoying heroine acting childish and hypocritical.
Again one of those books where you get stuck too frequently in the head of the main character. The heroine's thoughts dominate the book. The storyline is constantly interrupted by it. Either she remarks everything in a mostly wannabe quirky way, or you get a family or military history anecdote, or she is reminiscing about everything and nothing... If you would remove all the inner monologues and weigh it against what's left, this would be a short story. It sometimes interrupts dialogues for up to 2 pages (cellphone), that is ridiculous.
And it isn't even vital for the current story.
I just early on started skipping her inner monologues completely. At this point the book was readable again.
The inner monologues aside. I also do not have a big love for the heroine as the story progresses. Here some examples:
Being an ex-soldier with military training, but does a job she never really cared to check all angles about, like the contract rules and possible penalties. Her ignorance of what is going on around her is astonishing.
Adding her strong tendencies to be independent, it makes a joke out of her.
She stumbles from one incident to another without any knowledge. Then blames others why they hadn't informed her on their own accord. She calls for help as soon as she discovers she is again out of her depth. And complains when she does not get help quick enough. By the people she constantly holds at arms length . She manages to escape on her own but does not even bother to tell the people who were running to aid her.
She tells half truths and keeps stuff to herself but gets mad when people don't confide all their information with her.
She is a petulant, arrogant child. She is a walking-talking contradiction. Who has moments of wisdom and moments of otter stupidity. It is really hard to like her.
I very much enjoyed the Brokenlands Series by T.A. White. This series not so much. 302
3 1/2
I loved this author's other books, but Shadow's Messenger lost the freshness of her other works. It was standard UF. Still nice, but with an eerie deja read feeling.
My biggest problem was, as usual, the heroine. I liked everything about her but her stupidity which drove the story forward. [ I don't respect ostrich :) ] Above all, her willing ignorance hadn't much sense, she wasn't hiding from the para, she had been working for them for 2 years. So no, her ignorance wasn't only stupid, it was unbelievable. And overplayed in the plot I'm sorry to say.
There were a couple of plot sore points too. One was her job, if she doesn't deliver she has to pay (literally with her life). Sorry, why would she accept? Night shifts exist...
A second is the enchantment gone wrong. How was it possible the older witch didn't realize/understand?
Still, it was a very nice read, one I enjoyed. And I think I will read the sequel.
302 Right all I can say is that when a Mexican cartel comes for you in the middle of the night, and delivers you to my cellar to spend the rest of your days writing books for me, it's your own DAMN fault, T.A.!!!
When I started this book, I sat thinking, this is a really great book, why have I taken so long to read any of T.A.'s books? Only to discover it and all the other books are new releases and there AREN'T ANY AVAILABLE TILL NEXT YEAR!!!!
What can I say I loved all her books which I read in a few days and I can't wait for more, all three books had very similar strong, snarky leading ladies that I just loved. I highly recommend her books to fans of Michelle Sagara and other similar books.
TA now tops my list a fav authors. 302 2.5 stars
I really like two other series by this author, but I don't think I will continue on with this one. (The other two starts with Rules of Redemption and Pathfinder's Way for the record.) So what went 'wrong' with this one for me? Well, first I listened to this via audiobook and maybe it was the narrator, or maybe it was the book, but I had the hardest time keeping track of character names. In my head they are just 'the werewolf', 'the vampire', 'the sorcerer', and 'the witch'. Yes, sometimes there was more than one of those, but there was only one MAIN one of each and yet I have no clue what any of their names are. And the solution to the mystery bad guy was implausible and didn't make much logical sense. ()
I'll just keep waiting for the newest release in this author's Firebird Chronicles series. Or maybe I'll give her fourth series a try - it starts with Dragon-Ridden. 302 3.75 stars
This rating is for the whole series. Overall it's a solid Urban Fantasy series with good worldbuilding and a heroine that is not TSTL, mostly. While reading it I had strong feelings of déjà vu to the point I had to double check I had not read it before somewhere. The feeling eased somewhat after the second book. I wasn't exactly swept off my feet but I became invested and I'm currently quite put out at the lack of a fifth book considering the fourth was published in 2018 and left several things up in the air. The author's website states Spring 2020 for the next one but considering recent events and all I'm not holding the author to it. Recommended to UF fans. It's along the same general UF lines, entertaining and good to pass the time with but not exactly innovating.
302 This was pretty entertaining. It was slow to start as the story built, but once the action started I was enjoying it. There is no romance in this first book. I'm not sure if the whole series is that way or not. I will find out since I plan on reading the rest of the books.
It's mainly following our heroine who is only a 2 year old vampire. She has little knowledge of her world and you get to see her learn bits and pieces as she investigates a recent rash of killings of humans, vampires and werewolves.
I like Aileen's guts. She stood her ground no matter how much more powerful a being was she encountered. That's a big part of what made this so entertaining. I'm off to read book 2. 302
Coming home from Afghanistan was supposed to be something great. That ended when I met tall, dark and handsome in a bar and wound up in a dumpster sporting a nice set of fangs and my life flipped on its head. Now I'm a messenger for Hermes Courier Service trying to make enough to support my ice cream habit while staying below vampire radar. When this newest job of mine goes disastrously awry, it puts me on the hook to be indentured to a sorcerer for the next fifty years unless I can find a way to fix things. What's hidden can't stay in the shadow's forever and my life will never be the same. Shadows Messenger (Aileen Travers, #1)