Friday 19 January 2018

Review: Shadow Bound - Rachel Vincent

US Cover
If you live in the dark long enough,
you begin to forget the light...

Kori Daniels is a shadow-walker, able to travel instantly from one shadow to another. After weeks of confinement for betraying her boss, she's ready to break free of the Tower syndicate for good. But Jake Tower has one final job for Kori, one chance to secure freedom for herself and her sister, Kenley, even if it means taking it from someone else....

The job? Recruit Ian Holt-or kill him.

Ian's ability to manipulate the dark has drawn interest from every syndicate in the world, most notably an invitation from Jake Tower. Though he has no interest in organized crime, Ian accepts the invite, because he's on a mission of his own. Ian has come to kill Tower's top Binder: Kori's little sister.

Amid the tangle of lies, an unexpected thread of truth connecting Ian and Kori comes to light. But with opposing goals, they'll have to choose between love and liberty....

Unbound Trilogy:
Blood Bound
Shadow Bound
Oath Bound

Visit Rachel Vincent's website for more information

Review:
I first read Blood Bound when it was published back in 2011 but for some reason I never got around to picking up the rest of the series as they released. I'm so glad I finally came back to the series though because it's so different from anything else I've been reading recently. It was a good job I reread Blood Bound first though because Rachel Vincent has created a complex world with a large cast of characters and I wouldn't have enjoyed Shadow Bound half as much if I'd not been able to remember everything.

I have to admit I was surprised when I realised this story was going to be told from Kori and Ian's points of view rather than those of Liv and Cam. I honestly thought this whole series was going to be about the same couple and it was a little weird to move on when it didn't feel like their story was finished. I should have known to trust Rachel Vincent though, switching to Kori's point of view allows us to see the inner workings of the Tower Syndicate, something we didn't see in the first book. We met Kori in the previous book, she risked a lot to help Liv and Cam and she has paid a very high price for that since the end of the first book. Jake Tower is every bit as ruthless as Ruben Cavazos and Kori has been made an example off because of her betrayal. It was actually pretty hard to read about everything she has been though so even though there was no gratuitous detail this series is definitely a lot darker than the Shifters series ever was.

Kori has been given one last chance to prove her usefulness to Tower, she has to recruit Ian to the syndicate and if she fails then not only will her life be forfeit but her sister will also suffer the same torture that Kori only just survived. Ian is a new character to the series, he has his own reasons to want to infiltrate Tower's syndicate. He has absolutely no intention of signing up but he does plan to bring Tower down and save his brother's life in the process. These two are both incredibly protective of the people they care about and unfortunately the only way they can save the siblings they love is to destroy each other. They are both strong characters, Kori has survived hell and always comes back fighting, she has done everything she possibly can to defy Tower even knowing what it could cost her but she would never risk her sister. Ian definitely has a bit of a hero complex, he just can't resist a damsel in distress and as it becomes clear how desperate Kori's situation is he realises he needs to come up with a new plan.

I'm not going to go into any more detail about the plot but I loved the slow build romance between these two. The physical attraction is there from the very beginning but it takes a long time for trust to build and for them to start sharing secrets. We get to see a couple of brief appearances from Liv and Cam which was nice but I have to admit it didn't show them in the best light because they are firmly Cavazos' thumb and have no choice but to follow his orders. What I'm REALLY hoping is that the final book (told from the points of view of Kori's brother Kristopher and new character Sera) will let us see all three couples working together and finally bringing down both syndicates once and for all. I desperately want them all to have the happy endings they deserve!

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
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UK Cover
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