Queen of Shadows - a review

Queen of Shadows
Dianne Sylvan
Ace 2010

"The guy next to her in the checkout line looked kind of like a vampire."

I cannot decide if that is a great first line for a novel, or one of the worst. I am leaning toward the later, but if you think it is a bad opening line, don't let it stop you from reading Queen of Shadows, by Dianne Sylvan.

Now, it might seem strange that for my second book review I would once again be reviewing a book by a friend, but it has worked out that way. The author is actually more a friend of my wife, but she is a good friend, so I'll just count it that way.

Queen of Shadows also offers another first for me. It is the first book I have reviewed, and in fact ever read, that is set in Austin, Texas, where I live. It is a little odd to read a book set where you live. When reading, I always wonder if the author has really caught the flavor of the locations in their novel. Well, I can definitely say that the author has caught the flavor of Austin.

So, the novel starts with Miranda Grey in a grocery store checkout line. She's a bit freaked out by the guy in the checkout line, because she cannot feel him. Now, it takes us a few pages more to figure out that Miranda is an empath. She can feel emotions of those around her. Miranda survives by playing music. She performs on Sixth Street in Austin, where she feeds off the emotions of the audience and feeds them back through her performance. Yes, that does sound a lot like any musical performer and performance, but with Miranda, it is a bit more literal than for most.

Unfortunately, Miranda is a bit of a wreck most of the rest of the time. She feels constantly assailed by the emotions of others and cannot escape, except through solitude, music or alcohol.

At this early point in the novel, I had problems. I didn't like Miranda. I didn't feel a great sympathy for her. She seemed pathetic, and I never have liked characters like that. But, I am not the sort to give up on a book, so I kept reading and hoped that things would get better.

Unfortunately, the major next scene in the book is...I want to say the worst in the book, but I do not mean the worst written. The scene is incredibly intense, but it is graphic in a way that truly repelled me. During this scene, I finally felt sorry for Miranda, but the violence is so graphic that I felt it actually lessened the impact. Rather than holding me on the edge of my seat, worrying about Miranda, it had me wincing and wanting to skip forward a few pages. The scene is necessary to the development of Miranda, so I cannot call it gratuitous, but the description of the violence crosses the line for me.

Obviously, Miranda is the victim of this early violence, but the scene does end in an appropriately gruesome manner, when Miranda finally snaps and turns her ability into a weapon. Rather than allowing the emotions of others to pour in and overwhelm her, she users her connection to the thoughts and emotions of her attackers to send her emotions back at them, her fear, her pain, multiplied many times. Suddenly, the attackers are begging for it to stop, as they feel everything that she feels, thrown back with all the anger inside her. In the end, she learns to kill with a thought, and each of her attackers dies suddenly.

Now, at this point in the review, I have to reveal one thing. Everything above happens in Chapter 1. The scene described above ends on page 23. So, one thing the author did very well was get us to this first important moment in the story...in a hurry. I just wanted to make sure that anyone reading this review understands that the author has not wasted unnecessary prose in presenting her protagonist.

So, back to the story....well, at least that bit I am going to reveal to you. Miranda is saved by David Solomon, the guy in the checkout line....yes, the one who looks like a vampire. He takes Miranda to his house in the Texas Hill Country, outside Austin.

Now, much earlier, in the novel, not really in this review, I have reached the point where I want to stop revealing spoilers. Obviously, I need to set the general storyline up for you, but much of the fun of reading the first novel of a fantasy series is in finding out the details of the world the author has created. Unfortunately, I cannot really set up the story without revealing some of those details. I will try to keep them to a minimum, but I hope I don't ruin it for you.

The world created by the author is the Shadow World, which is the world of...yes, you guessed it...vampires. David Solomon is the Prime vampire for the Southern States. The house in the Hill Country is his headquarters and he has taken Miranda there to heal. The Prime is chosen by something called a Signet, an amulet that glows red when the Prime puts it on. Not long after Miranda wakes up after the attack, we learn that the Prime usually has a Queen, but David does not have one. Now, close your copy of the book and look at the title of the book. Next, look at the cover art of Miranda and notice what hangs around her neck. Now, you should be able to guess at one of the small problems with the novel. It's a bit predictable.

Now, predictability isn't the worst thing in the world, if the story pulls you in and holds onto your attention. Queen of Shadows does a pretty good job of that.

The story splits at this point. Miranda heals, and David begins to show her how to control her power. In the Shadow World, there is a bit of a civil war. Here is where I will try to gloss over details and leave you to discover the story as you read. Miranda isn't really involved in the war, but David is, and so it has some effect on Miranda. In time, she heals completely, and learns enough to return to the normal world, back to her apartment in Austin.

Miranda goes back to performing and living in Austin during daylight hours...well, somewhat, she is a musician after all. Miranda starts to develop some independence, and loses almost all of the pathetic she was carrying early in the story. This is a good thing.

And this is where the plot details end.

I've already said that I found the book a bit predictable. There weren't many surprises, but there was plenty of good storytelling. Miranda develops and we learn more about David and the world he lives in. The plotline of the war is well designed, and in it there are actually a few minor surprises, but you will have to find them on your own.

One warning, for those who are easily offended. There are two rather graphic parts to the novel. One is the graphically violent scene already mentioned, and the second is a moderately graphic sex scene later in the novel. As with the violent scene, the events depicted in the scene are important to the overall plot. Both scenes are more graphic than they need to be, but imagine that as a big, somewhat sarcastic NEED. The scenes are important, and the graphic-ness (yes, I am making up words...it was almost graphicality) of the scenes is in keeping with such scenes in other urban fantasies I have read. So, be warned that you may not want your children reading it. Hopefully, that is enough said.

It is in the final climactic scenes that Miranda finally comes into her own and becomes the character who should be able to carry the rest of the series (one not yet in print and another being written). Unfortunately, it is during the last battle scenes that I feel that the author let her readers down. I cannot say too much without major spoilers, but I can say that Miranda does not get to show off as much of her newly found badassery as I would have liked to see.

But, it is enough to bring Queen of Shadows to a satisfying end. It could have been better, but only in small ways. I will be looking forward to the additional adventures of Miranda and David.