Release Date: June 21st, 2011
Genre:  Fantasy
Publisher: Greenwillow
Pages: 311
Rating:
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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.



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