Given the clarity of the whole Shade thing, I was really invested in the plot, even if the characters were fairly one-dimensional. humans thing was really well established–as was the Shades themselves–so I didn’t really mind as much because man Shades are COOL. I felt like I needed a little bit more explanation there.

I did find the concepts of the two different Chicagos difficult to understand, and yeah that was after I figured out what was going on. (Remind me to never, ever get this backed up on reviews again.) I totally forgot to reread the blurb before I read it. I was actually really surprised by the plot and the way that twisted, too, but … well, I have a confession: That was a touch I totally wasn’t expecting from this paranormal romance. Alfred Prufrock caused serious love from me. I’m an English major (well, that’s half a double major, but I digress), so the whole theme of T. I’ve mentioned that I dislike when books start at this really crucial point, only to back up at the beginning of the real first chapter–and that’s what happened here. I was sucked in and had a hard time finding stopping points for when I had to do things like school and work. I’ll admit, there was nothing entirely compelling about the characters from the get go, but the world and the plot was engrossing despite myself. In fact, the first part of this book was hankering for a higher rating. Lately, I’ve been very lucky to get my hands on books that started out mediocre but redeemed themselves in the end. Thanks to Macmillan Publishing and NetGalley for this eARC! You can get a copy for yourself on October 16th! In this smart, compulsively readable novel, master storyteller Marie Rutkoski has crafted an utterly original world, characters you won’t soon forget, and a tale full of intrigue and suspense. What she finds out will change her world forever. Darcy decides to infiltrate the Shadow Society and uncover the Shades’ latest terrorist plot. When Conn betrays Darcy, she realizes that she can’t rely on anything-not herself, not the laws of nature, and certainly not him. It doesn’t line up with the way he first looked at her. Memories begin to haunt Darcy when a new boy arrives at her high school, and he makes her feel both desire and desired in a way she hadn’t thought possible. She has never really belonged anywhere-but she couldn’t have guessed that she comes from an alternate world where the Great Chicago Fire didn’t happen and deadly creatures called Shades terrorize the human population. Darcy Jones doesn’t remember anything before the day she was abandoned as a child outside a Chicago firehouse.

The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski