Shades of War (Sevy #2) Review

Shades of War (Sevy #2)

Sarah-Jane Lehoux

Publisher: Mundania Press

Review copy courtesy of the author in exchange for an honest review

Sometimes the past can't be forgotten. Sometimes the truth refuses to be buried. And sometimes the dead won't stay dead.It began as a simple request: Journey to the Northern Jungles and bring a wayward son back to the safety of his farm and family before the racial tension that is building between humans and dark elves erupts into civil war. But life is never simple for Sevy, and she soon finds herself entangled in a bloody battle of good versus evil, love versus hate.Old friends and enemies reunite, familial bonds are broken, and loyalty is tested. And in the midst of the steamy, sultry jungles, the ghosts of a serial killer's victims come out to play. Sevy, as petulant and irascible as ever, must overcome her personal demons in order to expose a madman and bring peace back to the kingdom. But just how much of her sanity must she sacrifice to help her friends? And how can she save anyone when she can't even save her own soul?

This is the second book following the adventure of mercenary ex-thief, Sevy. Sevy is a strong woman but she is stubborn, bias, impulsive, selfish and rarely listens to anyone else. She can be quite infuriating, yet there is something compulsive about her that you can’t help urging her on even when you’re not sure if you like her or not! In this story Sevy slowly starts to listen to those around her and begins to grow up.

Once again my favourite character was the dark elf and Sevy’s friend, Revik. He and his wife are struggling to reconcile their differences when they find themselves in the middle of a conflict between the dark elves of the jungle and the humans who have been expanding their holdings. The relationship between them is complex and layered but throughout I was rooting for them. One of the strongest points of this story are the characters which are varied but realistic. They all have their pasts, biases and feel like real people. Sometimes you just want to shout at them to listen and trust each other, but that is always easier to say from the outside perspective!

The plot twists and turns with some really great action sequences that will have you on the edge of your seat. I liked the first Sevy adventure, Thief but I REALLY liked this story. It was fast paced, exciting and different from any other fantasy I’ve ever read. With the third book in the Sevy sequence, Masquerade out later on in the month, I hope there will be plenty more adventures for Sevy.

Recommended for fans of Karen Miller and Tad Williams. 9 out of 10