Book Review: Shadow Blade

Author: Seressia Glass
Released: January 26th 2010 by Pocket
# of Pages: 352
Copy Provided by: Publisher
Summary: (from Goodreads)

For Kira Solomon, normal was never an option.

Kira's day job is as an antiquities expert, but her true calling is as a Shadowchaser. Trained from youth to be one of the most lethal Chasers in existence, Kira serves the Gilead Commission, dispatching the Fallen who sow discord and chaos. Of course, sometimes Gilead bureaucracy is as much a thorn in her side as anything the Fallen can muster against her. Right now, though, she's got a bigger problem. Someone is turning the city of Atlanta upside down in search of a millennia-old Egyptian dagger that just happens to have fallen into Kira's hands.

Then there's Khefar, the dagger's true owner -- a near-immortal 4,000-year-old Nubian warrior who, Kira has to admit, looks pretty fine for his age. Joining forces is the only way to keep the weapon safe from the sinister Shadow forces, but now Kira is in deep with someone who holds more secrets than she does, the one person who knows just how treacherous this fight is. Because every step closer to destroying the enemy is a step closer to losing herself to Shadow forever....

Shadow Blade is an interesting entry into the urban fantasy genre. Kira is a Shadowchaser, trained to be the best. But when a 4000 year old dagger comes into the picture, it seems that Kira cannot catch a break: her handler dies, she must seek revenge, and to top things off, some uber sexy 4000 year old warrior claims the dagger is rightfully his. What is a girl to do?

While the writing and the plot are spot on, I must admit that I am a little disappointed in this novel. Personally, I love strong female characters. I enjoy reading about their strength and their go-get-them attitude. From the beginning of the novel, the reader can see that Kira is a strong character. She has all the potential to be everything I like in a female character. But unfortunately, she let me down. As it often happens, a man enters the picture. Almost instantly, Kira goes from a kicking butt kinda girl to this mushy, bit of girly goo. All because of a guy. And while I liked the guy to a certain extent, I just have a hard time justify the change.

Shadow Blade has the potential to be an excellent addition to this genre. With its kinda kick butt main character, a wonderful back story, and the interesting tidbits of African mythology, it has many elements that hardcore urban fantasy readers will certainly enjoy. But I would have liked to have seen more from this novel. The possibility is there, I just do not think that it was fully taken advantage of.