Review: SHADOW WALKER

Shadow Walker by Allyson James
Book 3 of Stormwalker series
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: paperback


About Shadow Walker:

Stormwalker Janet Begay returns home only to have the ground collapse beneath her - literally. After tumbling two hundred feet underground, Janet is rescued by her dragon boyfriend, Mick. But something dark touches Mick while in the sinkhole, and Janet might lose him forever unless she recruites the most unlikely of allies to stop the growing shadow.

Source: Info in the About Shadow Walker was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9670016-shadow-walker on 19/12/12.

My Thoughts:

What I Liked:
I am an old Allyson James fan so I am already familiar with her "author's voice" and I know that the story telling quality of her books is good. I also know that she can spin a beautiful world which I could totally immerse get lost in. I am an escapist reader, so I like worlds where I could get away from reality. And the world of Janet Begay is such a world. But that is not the bestest best thing about this book or this series... the feature I liked most is that the dragons in this world interacts with our contemporary world in a realistic way. I am a dragon geek after all! And besides, I am sucker for bad boys!!

What I Didn't Like:
I'ts not that I don't really like it, it's more like it kinda contributed to diminishing my enjoyment in this book. The thing is, this book dragged at times in the middle. I can't really pin point why. It's just that my mind wanders away and I find myself staring at the came page for moments on end. And I realize that I was just staring and not reading and so I start reading again. After sometime of that I would give up and put the book down to be picked up again later on in the day. This made the reading a bit longer than usual for a book with a good story telling quality. However the pace became quicker once past about three quarters into the book and it was fast until the last page.

Final Say:
In the end I enjoyed this book alot, dragging parts and all, and am looking forward to reading the next book in this series which I already bought and waiting for to arrive in the mail!

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 5
Story itself = 4
Ending = 4
World building = 5
Cover art = 4.5
Pace = 4
Plot = 4

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries


Books In This Series:

Review: STORMWALKER SERIES

Stormwalker Series by Allyson James
Books 1 & 2

My Thoughts:

I really, really like the covers of these books and I also like this author's "voice". But Book 1 started off really slow. The kick-ass heroine runs around in her harley being chased by the law for chapters on end... WTF!! However, it did get better about a quarter towards the end. But then I think that was because I've inadvertently read a spoiler from Book 2's synopsis. I therefore discerned that there is a dragon in it somewhere! Interest perked up again!

Towards the end, Allyson's story telling magic kicked in again and I would say that it was worth trudging through the first three quarters of the book. And of course it's a happily-ever-after (HEA) and I like the way Allyson James delivered it!

Book 2, like Book 1 is also a slow starter, but knowing Allyson James I persevered. It picked up quicker than Book 1 did and it was a great ride from there until the end. Allyson James' "author's voice" is very compelling even though she does have moments of dullness. The world building started in Book 1 is enhanced in my opinion in Book 2. It's like wine, it gets better with age. Or it could be that this series has grown on me. Allyson James's books tends to do that to me. A quality which I attribute to her marvellous story telling abilities!

Final verdict: Book 1 was good, Book 2 is even better!

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4
Character development = 3.5
Story itself = 3
Ending = 4.5
World building = 4
Cover art = 5
Pace = 3.5

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries

Stormwalker by Allyson James
Book 1 of the Stormwalker series.

Genre: adult urban fantasy

About Stormwalker:

Half-Navajo Janet Begay possesses extraordinary power which is tied to the storms that waft across the desert. The only person who can control her when she's caught in the storm's evocative power is Mick, a dark-haired, blue-eyed biker Janet can't seem to touch with her powers. He can wield fire and not get burned, and Janet's never sure where he goes when they're not together.

Together they investigate mysterious disappearances, which Janet fears are tied to her mother's people, the mythical gods from below the earth. They are helped along the way by Coyote and Crow, but these shapeshifting gods have their own agendas.

Book One of the Stormwalker series.

Source: Info in the About Stormwalker was taken from the author's website at http://www.allysonjames.com/stormwalker.html on 13/02/2011.

Firewalker by Allyson James
Book 2 of the Stormwalker series.

Genre: adult urban fantasy romance

About Firewalker:

Janet Begay's Crossroads Hotel has attracted the supernatural ever since it opened. But a new, dark power is rising, this time inside Janet herself. Her boyfriend Mick, a sexy dragon shapeshifter the Navajo call a Firewalker, know what terrifying magic is threatening to overwhelm Janet and her Stormwalker powers. He watches over her, ready to fight for her, to do anything to keep her safe.

But then a mysterious corpse is found near the Crossroads Hotel-and Janet becomes the main suspect. Now Janet and Mick must uncover what really happened, and their investigation leads to the most perilous decision of their lives...

Source: Info in the About Firewalker was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7830969-firewalker on 13/02/2011.

Review: DRAGON SERIES by Allyson James

Dragon Heat by Allyson James
Book 1 of the Dragon series

Genre: adult urban fantasy

Synopsis:

Lisa Singleton has an unusual roomate, a golden dragon, a sexy warrior who has been sent to earth to protect Lisa from harm. Lisa comes from a long line of very special women with very special powers. Witches, black dragons, and demons will do anything to get their hands on her magic and the secret the women of her family have protected through the centuries. First of a new paranormal romance series.

Source: Info in the above Synopsis was taken from http://allysonjames.com/dragons.html on 17/10/10.

The Black Dragon by Allyson James

Book 2 of the Dragon series

Genre: adult urban fantasy

Synopsis:

Saba has finally managed to put the black dragon Malcolm out of her mind and out of her life. But an assault by an evil white dragon in human form on a bay area train forces her to use the magic Dragon's Tears Malcolm left behind to call him for help. Malcolm is still as tall and darkly sensual as ever, and Saba fears falling for him again. But Malcolm has returned to the human world for Saba's help--his considerable powers are being drained and he needs Saba's special witch magic to save him.

Source: Info in the above Synopsis was taken from http://allysonjames.com/dragons.html on 17/10/10.

The Dragon Master by Allyson James
Book 3 of the Dragon series

Genre: adult urban fantasy

Synopsis:

Carol Juan doesn't really believe that her grandmother's friends are dragons, though she'll admit that Caleb and Malcolm are unusual. But when a Fire Dragon, a very rare creature who can not only take human form but turn himself into pure flame, seeks her out, she has to put her disbelief behind her. The arrogant and wild Seth teaches Carol not only about fire dragons, but about her own latent mage powers that pulled him instinctively to her. The secret of the Fire Dragon might help Carol win the day or be the means to her destruction.

Source: Info in the above Synopsis was taken from http://allysonjames.com/dragons.html on 17/10/10.

FTC Declaration: These books were purchased with my personal money.

Review:
This is another retrospective review. I've read the Dragon series by Allyson James sometime ago and I'm  going to review these books together since they have similar traits. The main thing I like about these books is the author's "voice". Allyson James is a very good story teller. She is one of those rare ones who can weave a story around a reader's head and make a reader forget reality. Completely whisk you away to another world. She creates a world with such convincing authentic flare that suspension of disbelief is too easy. The magic system is believable. None of those, well it's like that because it's magic, no rhyme no reason. No, in the Dragon series the magic is like that because... it has a cause. A reason which is believable. I guess that is one of the reasons that her story telling quality is very very compelling because of the "convincing quality of her stories". I could go on and on and on about things I like about theses books but I'll let you find out for yourself instead...

The thing I hate most about this series is that it takes years... I mean YEARS! to wait for the next one!! Like book 3 was published in 2008, it's the end of 2010, when is book 4 coming out already?!

World building = 5
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 4.5
Stories themselves = 4
Ending = 4.5
Plot = 4.5

This was a very entertaining read indeed! The movie did not do it any justice at all. The succedding books did not compare either.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 cherries