Synopsis: Shaman-for-hire Eugenie Markham strives to keep the mortal realm safe from trespassing entities. But as the Thorn Land’s prophecy-haunted queen, there’s no refuge for her and her soon-to-be-born-children when a mysterious blight begins to devastate the Otherworld…

The spell-driven source of the blight isn’t the only challenge to Eugenie’s instincts. Fairy king Dorian is sacrificing everything to help, but Eugenie can’t trust the synergy drawing them back together. The uneasy truce between her and her shape shifter ex-lover Kiyo is endangered by secrets he can’t–or won’t–reveal. And as a formidable force rises to also threaten the human world, Eugenie must use her own cursed fate as a weapon–and risk the ultimate sacrifice. -Goodreads

Review: It’s always a little bittersweet to see one of your favorite series come to an end and Shadow Heir was no exception. I was so curious to see how everything would come together, but I don’t think I’ll ever be quite ready to leave the Otherworld behind for good. There are a few different books that take someone from our world and throw them into ruling entire kingdoms in a fantastical realm, but Richelle Mead’s take on the idea is unquestionably my favorite.

I was impressed at how Shadow Heir managed to cover all of the bases it needed in order to wrap up the series, while still maintaining a smaller story arc specific to the final book. Eugenie’s love life is… complicated and she has a lot to deal with so I was a little surprised when a new potential love interest was thrown into the mix, but his purpose becomes obvious near the end of the book when compared to Dorian and Kiyo. It was actually a pretty great moment for me, so I’ll leave you to discover that on your own.

If you’ve read the series up to this point you’ll know there are two very highly anticipated characters for this book. We don’t get to see quite as much of them as I’d like, but it works. Plus, seeing Eugenie’s response to them is really sweet.

A lot of the reviews I’ve been reading have been overall satisfied at how the series ending but still a little annoyed that there was a bit left to the imagination on how events will play out for Eugenie. I was definitely frustrated at first, when I realized I’d reached the end of the book and not all of my questions had been answered (don’t worry, most are) but after thinking about it for a few days I’m content to just assume that it all worked out just like I wanted it to. Always nice when that happens, hmm?
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Second Opinions:
@Book Savvy Babe
@Debbie’s Book Bag
@Life as a Spaz