Shadows is Part 1 in the Sapphire Smyth and The Shadow Five series by R.J. Furness. I say “Part 1” rather than “Book 1” since this is a six-part, serialised story. I’ve never reviewed a serialised story here on my blog before, so let’s see where this takes us!
Title: Shadows
Author: R.J. Furness
Series: Sapphire Smyth & The Shadow Five #1
First Published: March 16, 2019
Categories: Fantasy
Acquired: via The Write Reads book tours
*** Thank you to The Write Reads book tours for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. ***
Sapphire Smyth and The Shadow Five
Have you ever seen something you can’t explain? Did it vanish as fast as it appeared? Perhaps that thing you saw was lurking in the shadows, and you caught a glimpse of it before it went back into hiding. There’s a good chance, of course, that the thing you saw simply emerged from your imagination. Or maybe, just maybe, it didn’t…
Sapphire Smyth is no stranger to rejection. When she was only a baby, her father abandoned her after her mother died. Since then, Sapphire has never felt like she belonged anywhere, or with anyone. To make things worse, her foster carers have now turned their back on her – on her eighteenth birthday. After living with them throughout her childhood, Sapphire has to find a new home. Is it any wonder she finds it hard to trust people?
Abandoned by the people she called family, Sapphire is alone and searching for some meaning in her life. Except that meaning has already come looking for her. When she discovers mysterious creatures lurking in the shadows, Sapphire soon realises that her fate is unlike anything she had ever imagined.
Shadows is a great introduction to Sapphire’s world
When I first agreed join this blog tour I didn’t realise that I had been signing up to read the first part of a serialised story. It was definitely a first for me and I really enjoyed it. Shadows is a great intro into the series and the pace was kept humming along throughout the story – a lot happens over the course of the story, which covers the span of one night. It’s a big shorter than I had expected so it’s not a very detailed look into this world, but I guess that’s part of the whole serialised format experience.
As mentioned above, main character in the story, Sapphire Smyth, has just turned 18 and has been kicked out of her home. Left to fend for herself, she soon comes to realise that there’s more to her world than she has ever known.
Sapphire is a broken character – she has major trust issues (who can blame her) and she’s trying to fend for herself while searching for answers. I definitely have the feeling that most of this story will be us following Sapphire’s growth as a character and finding her way in this new world that she’s discovered.
Even though the story is a short one and there’s a lot left to be discussed, the plot was engaging and the action fast-moving. I was never bored for a moment while reading this and my only complaint is that I didn’t have the second instalment ready to go when I finished this one.
While I love the short, episode-like format of this story, it does mean that the first part only offered a glimpse into Sapphire and her world. It was a bit too short to really get to know any of the characters really well, but it was a great introduction and definitely made me curious to continue reading the story. I’m not sure if I’m a fan of the serialised format yet (I’m not really fond of cliffhangers or having to wait for the next instalment), so we’ll see if the next part can keep me engaged until the end (this is a planned 6-part story).
Read Shadows for yourself
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R.J. Furness has been passionate about great stories since he was able to read. At an early age, he would frequently create new characters, worlds and creatures, then write crazy tales all about them. However, until now, he has always kept those ideas completely secret. After having a lifelong interest in animals, music and anything spawned from pure imagination, R.J.’s first love are now his wife and children. Over time, he has also developed an overwhelming desire for mugs of tea and good biscuits to dunk. He lives in Southport, England, with his family, a dog and several fish, chickens and quails.
