New series, new genre!
Shadowlands Book 1
New Adult, Young Adult, Fairytale fantasy, Romantic fantasy, Portal Fantasy
Recurve Press, LLC
October 29, 2024
Kindle, Hardcover
430
In the Shadowlands, strangers wear familiar faces, myths are reality, and lies hide behind the most beautiful stories. Lachlan Murray disappeared without a trace. As his girlfriend, twenty-nine-year-old Carys Morgan refuses to accept the police’s explanation—that he simply left her. She travels to Scotland to seek help from Lachlan’s twin brother Duncan, and learns she was right—Lachlan didn’t leave her, he left her world to return to his own. The Shadowlands are a mirror of the world Carys knows. Every human in her world also exists in this one with one key difference—magic. Humans aren’t supposed to be able to wield the magic of the Shadowlands, but when Carys learns she can talk to dragons, she’s drawn deeper into a complicated world that would as soon kill her as keep her. And if magic and murder weren’t enough to overcome, she must navigate complicated feelings for two identical men from vastly different worlds.
“Do you believe in Fairytales?”
Elizabeth Hunter’s newest release, First Light, takes us takes us to the mirror realm of our own world, the Shadowlands, where the fairytales of old are still very much present. Even though she was born and raised in the U.S., Carys Morgan’s Welsh parents gave her a deep love and understanding of the ancient lores. So much so that she became of professor of mythology as an adult, never imagining that everything she learned and knew about these stories would be brought to reality when she tried to track down her Scottish boyfriend, Lachlan Murray, after his strange and sudden disappearance. When his twin brother Duncan grudgingly offers to take her to Lachlan she quickly realizes that not only are fairlytales real but that she is something other herself. How else could she explain her sudden connection to the dragon, Cadell.
“The Shadowlands are everywhere, my lady. Wherever your world exists, our world does too. We are the hidden and the magical in every place human imagination has lived.”
Can I just ask if there is any genre that EH can’t write splendidly and totally stamp with her own style and storytelling? First Light is a fairytale/dragon tale that on paper checks the boxes of a lot of books today. But, just because they share similar themes this story is totally unique on so many levels! Let’s start with the world building. The Shadowlands that Carys visits is the magical and fairytale version of modern day Scotland. EH consistently builds fascinating worlds that are rich not only in setting but in the societies that are the backdrop to her creative plots. Let me tell you this plot is spellbinding, and not just because it’s a realm where humans can practice magic. I absolutely love when I have no idea where the author is taking me but she hooks me from page one and keeps me turning page after page, hour after hour with a story that I get fully engrossed in. First Light is that kind of book!
“How does anyone know another person’s heart?’ Duncan’s voice sounded softer. A little. “We can only see their actions. But I think that when you love someone – really love them – you’ll cross an ocean to find them again. Maybe even cross a world.”
If I was only rating First Light based on on the main plot alone it would easily be five stars. But, it wouldn’t be an Elizabeth Hunter book without relationships, which she dishes out in spades! Seriously? Twin Scottish men? EH knows what she is doing when she writes romance and book one is laying the groundwork for some upcoming hot interactions. The other fascinating relationship is between her and the dragon, Cadell. EH’s take on dragons and their bond with humans does not follow other authors and I loved it. I also can’t wait to see where this goes in book 2. Finally, the unexpected moments of humor in this book were great!
“Who doesn’t like cheese?’ Carys scoffed. “Sociopaths, vegans, and people who hate happiness?”
They weren’t forced or cheesy but gave the story a fullness and authenticity that made me love it even more. If you haven’t guessed by now, First Light needs to be a must read! I promise you will not be disappointed. Plus, isn’t that cover gorgeous!!!
Tanya’s love for books has been a lifelong passion that she likes sharing with others. Reading is also the thing that relaxes her after a day of juggling the many responsibilities that come with being being wife to an amazing man, mother to four great kids spread around the world, business manager, and farm hand on their place in southwest Missouri; home to Akaushi cattle and a menagerie of pygmy goats, horses, chickens, dogs and cats.