Book Review: Shadow Dancer by Courtney Rene

Shadow Dancer by Courtney Rene


Reading Level: Young Adult
Paperback: 228 pages
Publisher: Rogue Phoenix Publishing
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1936403080
ISBN-13: 978-1936403080
Source: Digital copy provided from Teen Book Scene
Cover: It's not the best cover I've seen but it isn't the worst. My feelings are lukewarm. It works well for what the novel is about. The silhouette of the couple in the shadow is a nice touch as that is what the novel is about. I just wish the title was bigger than the author's name.
First Sentence: "My Lady? I don't know what to do."


Mini-Review: Shadow Dancer is an interesting concept with fun characters but not without a few hiccups.


Book Summary:

Sunny has a gift that she has no idea how to use, until she meets Leif, a boy from the kingdom of Acadia, on the other side of the shadows.  

Leif teaches Sunny about Shadow Walkers and how to use her new found gifts. As they grow closer and their gifts grow stronger, a threat arrives. The Shadow Guard has been sent to bring Sunny back to Acadia, to determine if she is a threat to the king as the rightful ruler of Acadia.

As Leif and Sunny prepare to defend themselves, Sunny finds that Leif has also been sent to bring Sunny back to the kingdom but for very different reasons. As a battle for possession of Sunny wages, she is struggling to come to turns with her feelings of inadequacy regarding controlling her gifts as well as the hurt regarding the lies and deceit of everyone around her.

Book Review:

Shadow Dancer combines a fun concept with interesting characters for an easy read. The paranormal aspect was well developped and the two main characters attraction was undeniable. There were a few problems with the writing, at times the dialog was a bit cheesy and it did feel rushed at parts but over all, Shadow Dancer was a wonderful read.


Sunny was a great character to follow around. She was a natural at Shadow Walking and she had a great spark. It's nice to find a character who had power and was able to wield it. Sunny is definitely special and instead of handicapping her, Ms. Rene worked to make her understand and use her power. I also enjoyed that Sunny was pretty gutsy. There were plenty of points in the novel where other characters would have wimped out and Sunny ran marching in. Her counterpart, Leif, was the typical handsome and dangerous stranger but he tested her in ways others haven't. Their attraction to each other was undeniable but I would have liked a little bit more anticipation before they finally got together. It felt a bit too easy at times.


Shadow Walking, which is essentially pulling over shadows so that one is invisible, is something I've never read about before and I found it all really interesting. This paranormal aspect felt very well thoughout and added a lot to the story. I would have liked to know more about and the place the Shadow Walkers and Shadow Guards came from Arcadia. The battle scenes were fast, exciting and clear cut and the plot had several twists. 


 I did have a few problems with the writing which would have been cleared up with a finer tooth comb. The author tended to use a lot of words when there only needed to be a few. For instance, there would be several "sad and sorrows", "angry and mads" and "gorgeous and beautifuls". Also, there were a lot of phrases that were a bit confusing and didn't feel realistic (like "for Pete's sake" which I've heard of but never heard anyone use). Sunny's voice was pretty solid for the most part but I would have liked a lot more of everything. I think this novel would have benefitted with slowing down and building more tension.


While Shadow Dancer did have it's problems, it was easy to pick up and read and had a really great concept. Coupling an interesting paranormal aspect with a solid cast of characters, I think Shadow Dancer is definitely for some people. If you're looking for something to add to your Kindle that's entertaining and unique, I'd say go for it!

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