River of Shadows

Written by Karina Halle

Narrated by Jo Raylan

In order to save my father, I have to marry the God of Death.

When twenty-four-year old Hanna Heikkinen's estranged father dies, she reluctantly makes the trip to Northern Finland for his funeral. Being in the enchanting land of ice and snow feels miles away from Hanna's busy life back in Los Angeles, especially under the complicated circumstances.

But when Hanna discovers that her father's body is missing, that's when things really get weird. A mysterious man, Rasmus, tells Hanna the truth: her father was a powerful shaman who went into Tuonela, the Realm of the Dead, in order to barter for more life, and has been held captive by Tuoni, the God of Death. The only way her father can be freed is if she travels with Rasmus into the mythical underworld to rescue him.

Willing to do anything to have a second-chance with her father, Hanna accompanies Rasmus into the dark and bloody realm, traveling via the River of Shadows, stalked by dangerous creatures, monsters, and the living dead, until they finally come into the haunted kingdom ruled by Death and his family.

Only for her to be captured and held prisoner by the God of Death himself.

Contains mature themes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Sep 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9798765059968

Karina Halle

Karina Halle is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of Disarm and Discretion in The Dumonts series as well as The Pact, The Offer, The Play, and more than fifty other wild and romantic reads. A former travel writer and music journalist, she currently lives in a rain forest on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and their adopted pit bull. There they operate a bed-and-breakfast that’s perfect for writers’ retreats. In the winter, you can often find them in California or on their beloved island of Kauai, soaking up as much sun—and inspiration—as possible. Visit Karina online at www.authorkarinahalle.com.

Reviews for River of Shadows

[Alexis Taylor · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Just a little more character development needed. Main female character was so indecisive, it was annoying. There was no real character arch that made you stand behind her. She did have some points that could have gone further but just didn't take. I do want to go to the next book to see how Death is.

[Joyce Harout · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Not my cup of tea. The narrator was amazing, but the story was a bit confusing. You don't see your father for years... you don't call him... but when he goes to the land of the dead (or whatever) and sends you a message to NOT follow him, you still want to risk your life to save him? Ok. Yeah, right!

[Charlotte · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was a bit confused to start with between the Christmas, Beauty and the Beast, and God vibes but as the story went on it became much more enjoyable and less mindboggling.

There's a lot of mythology and tales involved in the storyline. To some extent may be too many different types. It was trying to be too different. It had a dark edge to it with a lot of spice but the connection between Death and Hanna wasn't there. Karina tried to fit all the world-building into one and because there were so many different tales and elements to fit in it came across surface level at times instead of spending more time on the parts that needed a bit more development. I preferred the story around the half way mark, otherwise it was a bit slow.

Hanna is a character that's like Marmite. At times I liked her but at others, I just wanted to shake her or shut her up. She was a self-centred heroine with a lot of pop culture references that were too much. There were some nice twists and characters that were intriguing with some hidden agendas. I will be reading the second book because it ended on a cliffhanger.