Shadow Reaper by Lynette Noni
Shadow Reaper by Lynette Noni
This was my first Lynette Noni book, and I found myself invested in both of the main characters. Overall, I really enjoyed the story and am excited to see where the series goes next.
The beginning was a little slow, so it took me a little longer to get into, but once the action picked up, it was hard to put down.
I really liked Viridia for most of the book, especially at the beginning and the end. Around the 75% mark, however, I found her a bit frustrating. I'm not usually a fan of the overwhelming guilt trope, where a character takes responsibility for everything that goes wrong, even when it clearly isn't their fault. Thankfully, she won me back by the end, and I appreciated how her character arc came together.
I also guessed most of the major reveals, so the twists weren't as shocking for me. Even so, they were well executed, and I'm definitely interested in seeing where the story goes from here.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc.
Synopsis: The city of Aravell is in peril, plagued by a deadly blackmist that kills all it touches, and reapers who roam the streets, stealing magic from innocent children in their thirst for power. Seventeen-year-old Viridia Solace has trained for years to hunt these reapers but their ranks keep growing, led by the man who murdered her parents: the Reaper Priest.
When the Priest's most loyal follower, Reeve Ashton, is captured, he offers Viri a chance to avenge her parents . . . for a price. She knows better than to bargain with a reaper, let alone this reaper, but his offer is too good to resist.
Soon she's breaking him out of prison, colluding with his crew of magic thieves, and following him deep into the blackmist forest in search of an ancient legend, all so they can stop the Reaper Priest’s plot to doom the city. Viri is staking her life on Reeve's plan, but how can she trust a silver-tongued criminal to keep his word? And how can she trust her own heart when a buried secret could shatter everything?