Release Date: June 21st, 2011
Genre:  Fantasy
Publisher: Greenwillow
Pages: 311
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

The Night of Souls—when the veil between the living and the dead is thinnest—is only days away.

Albion is at war . . . and losing.

The wardens have descended, kidnapping innocent citizens for their army, but looking for one in particular.

And fifteen-year-old Kate Winters has just raised a blackbird from the dead.

As her home is torn apart by the wardens, Kate's discovery that she is one of the Skilled—the rare people who can cross the veil between life and death—makes her the most hunted person in all of Albion. Only she can unlock the secrets of Wintercraft, the ancient book of dangerous knowledge. Captured and taken to the graveyard city of Fume—with its secret tunnels and underground villages, and where her own parents met their deaths ten years ago—Kate must harness her extraordinary powers to save herself, her country, and the two men she cares for most. And she'll make a pact with a murderer to do it.

Blurb: Simply enchanting and wonderfully haunting.

Review: I feel like this book slipped under the radar. I don't remember hearing anything about it when it first came out. That's too bad, 'cause it's pretty awesome.

Shadowcry is a very simple book. It reads like the first 150 and last 50 pages of a much longer book, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It just means that there's not a lot of detail, so you feel like you're flying through the story. What a perfect read for a lazy day, or to get you out of a reading slump (as was my case). The story was engaging, though not particularly deep. I didn't feel much connection to the characters, but was easily drawn into the world. It reminded me of a very light version of Sabriel.

Burtenshaw is a master of creating the sympathetic villain. She had me perfectly conflicted. I wanted to like this guy, but he was truly evil. It takes quite a wordsmith to make such strong, conflicting feelings in a single character. I also liked that it didn't end in a cliffhanger, but still has me wanting the next book. If you aren't in the mood for a series, you could definitely read this as a stand-alone.

All in all I really enjoyed it. If you're stuck in a slump, or looking for something you can read in a single sitting, I'd recommend Shadowcry in a heartbeat.



*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

I've made a GoodReads list of all the books that I currently own, but I'm not particularly attached to. Click here to see the list. Either I read them and didn't like them, or I'll never get around to reading them. Look around, see if there's anything you like and maybe you'll have something I like. :) Send me a GoodReads message or e-mail me (Squeakybooks@yahoo.com ) if you're interested. But I'm in no hurry to get rid of 'em.

They're all new or like-new, and some have remainder marks. I've put the exact edition I own on the GR list. Feel free to ask me any questions.

Oh, and I don't have a specific "wish list." I'm just hoping that y'all might have some books you'd be willing to trade, too. I actually prefer an Amazon giftcard (that way only one of us has to ship and it's just less of a hassle) so if that's an option for you the books will probably be somewhere from $3-$8.

Have you noticed how super-lame Squeaky Books has been lately? No reviews in two weeks! That's because it was midterms. Boo. But now they're over! I feel as free as a bird! And then I look at my review pile and go "oh carp."

I'm super-behind! But I don't know which to read first. So would you help me out by voting in this poll? Vote for as many as you want. (Psst. You can't see it if you're in Google Reader)

I have started a writing blog. Here it is. This may be akin to shooting myself in the foot, which is why you should carefully read the first (and only) post on said blog.

The end.

I have a question for both readers and writers: when you read/write, do you prefer past or present tense? I'll give you examples of each in case you're confused:

Past tense (from The Savage Grace):

"I winced. The heat radiating off of Gabriel's hands was almost too much to bear. I gritted my teeth, trying to hold on."

Present tense (from Grave Mercy):

"The room is poorly lit, which suits my purposes well. Keeping close to the shadows near the wall as I have been taught, I make my way to the stairs that lead to the second floor."

I'm just curious because I know that when I write I have this habit of switching back and forth between the two. And so I wanted to know which people prefer. Do you notice when it's different? Does one seem stronger/weaker to you? If you're a writer, which one do you usually write?