Review: Shadow by Jenny Moss

Shadow by Jenny Moss
Young Adult Fantasy
Scholastic Press (April 4, 2010)
ISBN13: 978-0545036412
384 pages
Review copy provided by publisher

Synopsis from Amazon:

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.

Jenny Moss's novel is a lyrical, fast-paced adventure filled with mystery, magic, honor, and romance that will lead readers on an incredible journey.

As the appointed "shadow" of a young queen, our protagonist has been the subject of unmerited scorn and mistreatment at the hands of Queen Audrey and her court. She dreams of life far away from the castle that is her, and the queen's, prison. Unfortunately for her, freedom is constantly out of reach. Shadow's duty is to always be at the side of the queen. For what reason, no one knows. They can only speculate that it has something to do with the mysterious prophecy that foretells Audrey's death prior to her sixteenth birthday.

When this prophecy is fulfilled, Shadow is quickly ushered out of the castle under the protection of a young knight, Sir Kenway. Despite the dangerous circumstances that surround her, Shadow can't help but be excited for this is the escape that she has longed for.

Shadow's journey through the slowly dying country is richly imagined and full of action. The setting is well-drawn and almost palpable. The characters that populate it are varied and each brings something special to a plot that, despite a hole or two, is pretty intriguing.

My only complaints with the story lie with the two primary characters, Shadow and Sir Kenway. I had a hard time liking either of them. At times, Shadow came across as entirely too selfish and bitchy. While I understand that her background merits some of her attitude, sometimes she took it too far. Because of this her change of mindset towards the end of the novel seemed less like growth and more like she just suddenly, and inexplicably, flipped the script. Likewise, Kenway came off as a bit bipolar as well. One minute he was this sweet, understanding hero who finds himself drawn to Shadow, and the next he was an egotistical snob who couldn't get over that witch, Queen Audrey. There are points where he is downright condenscending and mean to Shadow and because of her infatuation with him she's quick to overlook these incidents. Their relationship comes across as unstable to say the least.

My complaints aside, the story was enjoyable. Sure it would have been more so had I like Shadow and Kenway, but I still feel that the novel is worth a read if you enjoy fantastical YA stories.

Grade: B-
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