Review: Shadow by Jenny Moss

Shadow by Jenny Moss
My rating:  4.5/5.0

Publisher: Scholastic
Release Date: April 1, 2010
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 384

** I received this book through Around the World Tours, Check out this post for more reviews of Shadow.**

My Review:

A fascinating fantasy read, I enjoyed this book throughout.

Shadow has always been just that, a shadow to the young queen who is the same age she is. She has been told to protect the queen at all costs, so she very rarely gets to move far from the queen. And the queen doesn't get to move because she has been told she will die before her official coronation. So all Shadow wants to do is explore the outside world. She cherishes moments she can spend outside, and she also treasures moments when Sir Kenway is around even though his attentions are toward the queen.

As the plot shifts and Shadow gets her wish to get away from the castle but not in the way she expects. She embarks on the adventure of a lifetime that will test her and what she thinks she wants from life. She will have to make choices on whether to put herself or others first.

It's a wonderful coming of age tale about wishing for one thing all of your life and then when you receive it, you have decisions to make and it's not all you made it out to be. Shadow has to grow up suddenly and has many decisions before her. I found her character fascinating but sometimes frustrating, but when I thought about it she acted like a child at times because she was a child. So her character was actually very well done.

The plot is mesmerizing. I read this book quickly because I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. The supporting characters were also very intriguing and added a lot to the story. Shadow is a wonderful young adult read, full of a beautiful land, interesting characters and an amazing plot.

About the Book:

In a time of kings, queens, and conspiracy, it's impossible to know whom one can trust. . . .

In a kingdom far away and long ago, it was prophesied at her birth that the queen would die before her sixteenth birthday. So Shadow, an orphan girl the same age as the young queen, was given the duty to watch her every move. And as prophesies do tend to come true, the queen is poisoned days before her birthday. When the castle is thrown into chaos, Shadow escapes with a young knight, whom she believes was betrothed to the queen.

Unsure of why she is following Sir Kenway, but determined to escape as far as possible from the castle, her long-time prison, Shadow sets off on an adventure with the handsome knight who has been charged with protecting her. As mystery builds, and romantic tension does, too, Shadow begins to wonder what her role in the kingdom truly is. Soon, she learns, it is up to her to save her land.