REVIEW – Bound by Shadow by Anna Windsor

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Bound by Shadow

Bound by Shadow (Anna Windsor)

Title: Bound by Shadow
Author: Anna Windsor
Copyright: 2008 (Ballantine); 412 pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-345-49853-3
Series: Dark Crescent Sisterhood #1
Sensuality: Hot
Genre: Paranormal Romance

From the Back: Riana Dumain is a fully trained Sybil, a warrior priestess battling evil whose practical magic keeps her grounded in earthly science — and desires. She knows that gorgeous NYPD detective Creed Lowell is dangerous and possibly a foot soldier of the evil Legion cult, using his badge and drop-dead looks to consolidate power. Creed’s low-profile Occult Crimes Unit pulls Riana and her two sister Sybils into the case of a politician’s son murdered in a ritualistic sacrifice. Soon Riana’s instincts prove true. Creed, the hottest half-human she’s ever known, a demon in bed and out, is guarding a trapdoor to hell. And unless Riana can find a way to tame her mystery man’s treacherous inner self (and her heart), all of Manhattan may be enveloped in darkness.

~&~

Three Reasons Review

1. Reason for choosing this book:
I picked this book because it fit a requirement for bookshelf bingo I was participating in on Good Reads. The remarks below are cross-posted from my comments about the book during the game, the only difference being that I thought this book was more of a 3 1/2-star read. However, since I only rate in full stars, I “rounded up”.

2. Reasons for liking/disliking this book:
Fist off, what I liked. I liked the idea of the Dark Crescent Sisterhood – triads of women who can manipulate the elements (earth, fire, air). Their Motherhouses are in Russia, Ireland, and Greece respectively. The triad this trilogy focuses on is headed by earth Sybil Riana Dumain. Cynda Flynn is the fire Sybil and Merilee Alexander is the air. They battle demons. The Sybils operate completely under the radar, thought Riana’s triad has befriended NYPD cop Andrea “Andy” Myles, who doesn’t know the truth about them. She and her partner Creed Lowell work for a small, specialized section known as the Occult Crimes Unit. She’s approached Riana, in the past, to help her on cases, though she’s never brought Creed along before now.

I really liked Andy’s and Creed’s partnership. They definitely got each others’ backs. More than once during the book each has jumped in to defend the other. Andy’s not afraid to threaten a house full of Sybils who want to eliminate Creed for what he is, regardless of the fact he’s done everything to help the Sybils in their efforts against the Legion.

Creed’s not completely human. And that’s a problem for the Sybils. Up until he meets Riana, all he knows is that he’s got this “other” he keeps hidden. He and his twin, Dominic, have always been that way. I liked Creed. He’s protective of Andy, but not in a domineering way. He didn’t tell her about the “other” for fear of her reaction. He’s also honest about his feelings towards Riana — whether it was lust or love. He wasn’t afraid to tell her he loved her.

Now for what I had problems with — even though there was a lot of action in this book, at times I felt it was dragging.

But that was minor compared to some of the confusion caused by a few overlooked errors. For instance, a character was being sent to one of the Motherhouses. I think the author originally intended to send the character to Russia, but changed her mind and sent the person to Ireland. Not all the references got switched. The scene in question had a lot going on involving all three houses, so I can see how it could have been overlooked in a rush — but still. Confusing, and I had to re-read the scene because I thought I was missing something.

Something I wished had been addressed but hadn’t — what caused the “other” to be less of a threat to Riana, especially during the finial confrontation with the bad guys. Did it have something to with Creed being in love with her (him declaring it, her own confession/acknowledgement). That’s my take, but it would have been nice have it confirmed.

None of my nitpicks have deterred me from reading the rest of the series. I DO plan to read them..

3. Reasons for recommending this book:
The “power of three” dynamics of the Sybils. Strong female characters.

Started: 7 April 2011
Finished: 11 April 2011

Rating:

Really Liked It A Lot! Great read! May keep it, may give it away/swap.

Liked It A Lot!

Disclaimer: I purchased this book.

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Comments

REVIEW – Bound by Shadow by Anna Windsor — 2 Comments

  1. This sounds like a really interesting read. And I’m wondering what bookshelf bingo is – I’ve never heard of it. I like the cover for this book.

    Thanks for participating in the Men in Uniform reading challenge!

    • Oh, you’re welcome. 😀

      Well, bookshelf bingo is played, more or less, like regular bingo. The mod of the group on Good Reads picked “shelves” that are associated with fantasy/paranormal books: vampires, demons, shifters, etc., and some very broad ones like male authors, 1st in a series, etc. She then created virtual bingo cards using the “shelf” names instead of numbers, randomly placed on each team’s card. Once a week, she’ll “call” a shelf using random.org. Every player picks a book from the shelf to read (it doesn’t have to be the same book, but it has to be on that shelf). Before a team can get their “chip”, all members of the team must post a mini review (did they like it, would the read more from the author — things like that) and rate the book. Bingo is declared once a team earns five chips in a row.

      Here’s a link to the game that’s about to start:
      Bingo card