The Shadows: A Novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood

Truly a great book. The main romance in this book is that of Trez and the chosen Selena. Though one thing that I really like about these BDB books is that they don’t just focus on the main romance storyline in each book, they have other storylines being set up, ongoing storylines that go from book to book, and so much going on in every single book.The next book is The Beast and some of the things that happen in this book are setting the stage for The Beast, because Rhage and Mary play a big role in this book. Rhage is having some odd attacks that may or may not be related to stress and anxiety. I love the story of Rhage and Mary because he is as hot as a blonde God, his nickname is Hollywood because of his movie star good looks, but he fell in love with an average looking woman. It is usually the other way around, where average looking guys end up with fabulous looking women (though they usually are average looking wealthy guys) so not the same thing at all. It is just nice to see.An ongoing storyline in this book is the continuing saga of Assail, the drug dealer. I had high hopes for him and Sola in the last book, but she wanted to get away from a dangerous and illegal lifestyle, and as much as Assail loves her, it doesn’t seem to be enough to give up his illegal business. And what is it sometimes with these rich men in books? How come being rich is never enough? They have to keep making more money even though we know they could never spend it all. Once you have millions or billions, the money just sits there making more by itself from investments and interest I would think.Assail is getting in trouble with the Brotherhood in this book because they found out he is selling to the enemy. The lessers are using the money they make selling the product they get from Assail, to buy automatic weapons for their war against the vampires. I don’t really get it since in the drug trade, I’m sure there are plenty of buyers that aren’t people who want to kill your race. It’s like selling bombs to terrorists, but people do it. I am hoping Assail sees the light and stops, because I still want him to end up with Sola. I loved the interaction between her Grams and Assail, Avale and Ehric.The story of Xcor and Layla continues in this book also. Xcor and Layla meet often and he has blackmailed her into agreeing to be with him. Though Xcor won’t take her while she is pregnant since he is not gentle and doesn’t want to hurt the baby. Layla is riddled with guilt about meeting with him. Though she tells herself she is doing it for the King, the Brotherhood and the cause, we as readers know that she really wants him but doesn’t want to want him.Layla also has a storyline with Qhuinn and Blaylock since Quinn is the father of her baby. That gets interesting as well, but I’m not going to give anything away as to why. I try to stick to only background information in my reviews so the reader and I (as I look back on my own reviews), can see what the book is about without giving away what actually happens.Another storyline is the ongoing struggle between Quinn and his brother, Luchas. After the massacre of many of the Glymera, including Qhuinn’s parents, Luchas was taken by Lessers and shoved in a drum with the black sludge from the Omega, having had his bones all broken. Then the Lessers forgot about him with all the changes of the forelessers. He Brotherhood found him at some point and he has been in the clinic at the mansion since Doctors Jane and Manny have tried to fix him in a very lengthy and painful process. Luchas feels guilt for how he treated Qhuinn and wants to die.I personally think Luchas wants to die for two reasons aside from his guilt. The first is because he is a wimp and doesn’t want to go through more pain (though his pain is terrible, I think any of the Brotherhood would go through it). Second because if he doesn’t completely heal he will think of himself as less, like he always thought of his brother because Qhuinn had two different colored eyes.The main story centers around Trez and Selena. Trez is one of the Shadows. They are an offshoot of the vampires that have a lot of the same Vampire traits like strength, speed, ability to dematerialize etc. However, they are dark skinned, they can bend shadows to conceal themselves, they can go out in daylight, they eat their prey after a fight (cannibalistic), and the Brotherhood is happy to have them on their side, so they must be tougher than the vampires as well.Trez and iAm come from the s’Hsibe which is a colony of their people near the colony of Sympath’s in the North, near the Canadian border. Nobody leaves the s’Hsibe, but Trez escaped and iAm followed years ago after their parents sold Trez to the Queen to be the mate of her daughter who will one day be queen. The reason the s’Hsibe didn’t just accept the loss and get another guy forth Princess is because they have strange customs regarding things written in the stars and apparently their astrologists looked at the stars and decided that Trez was the anointed one, so the s’Hsibe are coming for Trez soon.The S’Hsibe have other customs like the fact that Trez would be basically owned by the princess and would be basically a slave and not able to leave his gilded cage. Also they have strict mating customs, like having to be clean and they bathe before and after mating. If they knew about all of the women Trez had been with, they will either kill him or put him through some sort of cleansing that may or may not kill him.Trez has fallen for Selena and in this book he finds out her secret and she finds out his. It is a very emotional book, but their romance is sweet in a way that is different than most. Everyone in the Brotherhood does whatever they can for them, including longtime friend Rehvenge and iAm.There is a storyline about iAm in this book also, which I am glad about since in the past we have seen him always doing things for his brother, pretty much devoting his life to save Trez, not only from the s’Hsibe but from Trez himself and his self destructive behaviors. It was nice to find out more about iAm as a person rather than just an extension of Trez.There is also a storyline related to the s’Hsibe Queen’s executioner. His name is s’Ex. He is built like a brick building with abs, and though he understands the two brothers, he is sworn to his duty, so he tells them he will kill in order to get Trez back when it comes time. Though he does take some bribes in order to help them stall for time. He is a very interesting character in his own right. He is covered from neck to feet in the white tattoos of their people, made from poison ink. Most males have a small one with their family insignia on themselves and get extremely sick after having it. Trez and iAm can’t imagine how strong he must be to be covered in them. I hope he gets a mating story at some point.The ending of the book was awesome. I think this was one of the best so far. My other two favorites so far are Lover Awakend, the story of Zsadist and Bella and Lover at Last, the story of Qhuinn and Blaylock. I liked Zsadist’s story because he is so fearsome and angry but he protects Bella so awesomely, and Lover at last because it was the single hottest M/M love story I have ever read and I had been wanting Qhuinn and Blay to fix things between them for a long time.

DISCLAIMER: I tried not to include any outright spoilers but you might be able to infer what happens if you read this, so if you want to go in completely blind you may not want to read my review until after you’ve read the book.“How else would a male love a female of worth like you but wholly. Completely. And without a single regret.”I’d venture to say that this was probably one of the most romantic of all of the BDB books to date. I’ve been interested in Trez & Selena’s relationship since they met a book or two ago and I’ve always liked Trez & iAm’s characters and their brotherly bond so I was looking forward to this book. Now I know a lot of people were upset with the outcome and I have to say that I wish it had ended up differently but I get it and just like life, it is what it is and we have to deal with it. But my wishing for a different outcome doesn’t change the fact that the book as a whole was wonderfully written and Trez & Selena’s love story was so beautiful and pure. As a whole I have to say I really enjoyed this book.If you’ve read the books before this you’ll know Trez’s deal and how he’s promised to the princess of his people and has been hiding from them for years and how his brother iAm has pretty much made it his life’s mission to keep Trez safe and make sure he doesn’t end up having to return. You’ll also know that Selena has a rare and, as far as they know, incurable disease that will eventually cause her to be completely trapped within her body like a handful of her sisters before her. So with all of this brewing you just knew that this was going to be a heart wrenching story, regardless of how it all ends.Trez and Selena’s love story is so sweet but there was just this touch of sadness woven in as you think of her sickness and how her fate seems pretty much unavoidable. As I was reading I had a similar feeling as when I read The Fault in Our Stars so I found it very fitting when I saw this line in the book: ‘Too bad they were in a John Green novel.’ Apparently the author realized this fact as well! I was seriously impressed though by how Trez stepped up to the plate and pulled out all the stops when it came to seeing that Selena had the best of everything and whatever experience she wanted while she was still with him. I knew that he was a good guy, but man, seeing him in this situation really elevated him to a new level. Their dates and the things they did were so incredibly romantic. It was bittersweet how everyone in the mansion banded together to make her “last days” so memorable. And I truly felt Trez’s gratitude for all they did for them, it really was touching. I loved Selena too, with death looming over her head it made her freer to follow her heart’s desire and speak what was on her mind. Having been living as a Chosen for so long, she was finally able to really live and I thought that she faced death admirably and with such strength. I also liked how they didn’t get caught up in the drama and the petty things, because they felt that their time was limited they chose to focus on the good and not waste their precious time on the things that don’t really matter in the end. Like I said, I know a lot of people were mad with J.R. Ward on this one but I felt that she handled the story beautifully and there was a very clear message that she was able to get across.I also really enjoyed iAm’s story, I wish there had been more of it, but I was very happy to see how things worked out for him. After serving his brother for so long it was about time for him to live life for himself. I think he’s finally realized that he can still support and look out for his brother while also making a life for himself. So that was really nice to see.As with the other BDB books we get lots of other secondary storylines and this was no exception. Knowing that the next book will revisit Rhage & Mary, I can definitely see the set up for what I hope will be part of the storyline for them. Rhage really has me worried though with some of the stuff he was going through in this book but I liked how she wrapped what he was going through into the events of this book. I could really feel his struggle with having to watch another male he considers a brother going through potentially losing a mate and having to balance the guilt with the gratefulness for the HEA he was granted. I’m curious to see how that’ll play out more in the next book.We also had a bit more from Assail and I’m wondering where that’s going to go. Plus things really escalate between Xcor and Layla, at first I wasn’t really on board with this pairing but the more I see the more I like them together and am hoping to see more from them. I’m developing a bit of a soft spot for Xcor as I read more about him! Plus there were also some pretty powerful scenes with Qhuinn’s brother Luchas and I really hope she has more story for him and lastly we get to meet Paradise and Craeg who will be featured in the Black Dagger Legacy spinoff later this year.I’m excited that with the spinoff series coming that we don’t have to wait a full year to get the next book with this bunch of characters because as I was reading this I realized how much I missed and loved these guys. In between the sad moments there were plenty of lighter moments and some that had me laughing out loud at either something someone said or some shenanigans they got themselves into (Fritz driving the getaway car, anyone??). I love these characters and I really loved this book, say what you will about the ending, but one thing’s for sure, I won’t be forgetting it anytime soon!

This rollercoaster of a story has so many facets that it brings out all kinds of emotions. Tears and all.Trez is trying to outrun his preordained fate, when he meets Selena, and now more than ever, he loathes the queen of the shadows.There is a lot going on in this story and I kept hoping that something would happen to change the course of events. It's heartbreaking, and the unexpected twist of fate at the end sort of makes up for the tears.This book kept me on edge right through. It's well portrayed, but alas the formatting gets in the way of a good reading experience. The different elements of the story bleeds into another without any warning. In some places, there aren't even paragraphs. The formatting is the one negative about this book, otherwise, it's an emotional read with an unpredictable end.

J. R. Ward just keeps getting better & better!The penmanship is off the scales.I love the Brotherhood books, I have read them several times to no. 12. I've just bought the rest of them.This is the first of them! UNBELIEVABLE!! I cannot believe the depth & brilliance of the emotion, the brilliance of the writers imagination.I can't wait to read the rest of them. The poignant words of this book, I've spent the last couple of hours crying but unable to stop reading.Then the writer switched focus & it became a feel good ending.Well done J. R. Ward...........amazing writing, one I'll remember for time.Long may you continue writing 💟💟

I have finally finished this book(I say finally because I bought it as soon as it was out 2015 and have read numerous books since starting it).Well as usual the ride was EPIC! Is J R getting better at squeezing emotions out of me?! At this point she’s better than my Starbucks drink! But I digress...!!Loved the story! Loved linking in with my old favourites (Wrath, Rhage, Lassiter, Quinn etc)Well I can’t spoil the it for others but I can and will say it is well worth the purchase!So many different little stories going on in the background, nice line up for the next books to come! (I am particularly interested in Craig and Paradise!)Assail is just skating on thin ice but I want him to have a happy ending!Xcor.... poor Xcor! But anyway... gimme me more! You know I will never say so no to J R Ward!

OMG this was one whammy of a BDB installment and what a journey The Shadows took us on. I have never wanted a story not to end so much as I did this one, i had guessed what was coming and was dreading it, but also along with everyone else praying for a miracle, this was not a romance as such but a beautiful heart wrenching tragic love story and I spent the second half of this story with tears streaming down my face, all other characters and plot twists faded into the background for me as I was so focused on Selena and Trez ,I loved this book but absolutely hated the ending and wish Trez had been able to join Selena in the Fade they could have had there HEA in the afterlife instead poor Trez has to walk round Broken living a half life totally devastated for him but even with the crappy ending The Shadows is totally amazing reading just keep the tissues handy your gonna need them.

I remember picking up the very first BDB book and being so surprised and in awe of the storyline... I remember picking up books after this and devouring the stories with relish...I've anticipated each release, I've even booked holidays from work so that I could lose myself in the pages, to live for a week in downtown Caldwell... This series gripped me........And nothing has changed! I loved the Shadows, iAm and Trez and when I knew that the next book was theirs, I was elated... and every single page has been an amazing ride...Series come and go, most of them can become somewhat boring and almost predictable... for me, J.R. Ward has an imagination like no other, she keeps me engrossed, she keeps me pinned to the pages and grips at my emotions... The Shadows was actually so much more!When the story progressed, I knew that things were off on a different footing, I knew at some point I was going to fracture, and fracture I did!Alongside the main story, Ms Ward again pulls in the side stories and makes way for future passages, there are so many more episodes that can come from each book and this book is no different... I loved the way these pages drew to the closing chapter, the outstanding stories, the empty boxes of tissues and the anticipation building up to the next book - The Beast...This has to be my favourite series of all time and I can't ever see me growing tired of any part of it...Truly fantastic!!