The Shadow Reader: A Shadow Reader Novel, #1

By Sandy Williams

Some humans can see the fae. McKenzie Lewis can track them, reading the shadows they leave behind. But some shadows lead to danger. Others lead to lies.

A Houston college student trying to finish her degree, McKenzie has been working for the fae king for years, tracking vicious rebels who would claim the Realm. Her job isn't her only secret. For just as long, she's been in love with Kyol, the king's sword-master--and relationships between humans and fae are forbidden.

Any hope for a normal life is shattered when she's captured by Aren, the fierce and uncompromising rebel leader. He teaches her the forbidden fae language and tells her dark truths about the Court, all to persuade her to turn against the king. Time is running out, and as the fight starts to claim human lives, McKenzie has to decide once and for all whom to trust--and where she ultimately stands in the face of a cataclysmic civil war.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sandy Williams
• Release date: Nov 29, 2020
• ISBN: 9780996323178

Book preview

Chapter One

My skin tingles a moment before a slash of white light flashes at the front of the lecture hall. I grit my teeth and keep my eyes locked on my scantron, refusing to acknowledge the fae entering my world through that fissure. I don’t give a damn if it’s the king himself, I will pass this test tonight.

I darken in C on my answer sheet and then read the next question.

McKenzie.

It’s Kyol. Of course the Court would send him.

McKenzie, he says. We must go. No one else can hear or see him even though he towers over my professor, who stands less than two feet to his left. All the other students remain bowed over their desks, completely focused on their final exams. I grip my pencil and bubble in another circle.

The fae climbs the steps to my fifth-row seat. Still not meeting his eyes, I shake my head. I told him—I told all of them—not to call on me this week, but none of the fae understand why I need this degree, not when the Court takes care of all my needs. I tried to explain I’m human. I have human dreams and need a human life, and it shouldn’t take anyone eight years to earn a Bachelor of Arts in English. They hadn’t listened. At least, Kyol hadn’t.

Not now! I want to scream, but even the softest whisper will disturb the quiet in the lecture hall. I stare down at my exam, letting my long hair brush the top of my desk. It forms a brown curtain, cutting off my view of Kyol as I reread question ten. The Court’s war can wait until I finish.

Kyol lays a hand on my shoulder, and a pleasant warmth expands beneath the thin strap of my purple cami. If we were alone, I’d lean into his touch, soak in his heat, his scent—soak in him—but not here, not now in the middle of a test I have to pass. I shift, trying to get away. When his hand remains, I slam my fist down on my desk.

My classmates turn their heads to stare and Dr. Embry frowns. Fantastic.

Number ten, I say with a nervous laugh. It’s a doozy. It isn’t. It’s on the works of C. S. Lewis. Easy. I bubble in A.

Kyol pulls on my shoulder and I squirm again. There’s no way in hell I’m flunking this course a third time. I need it to graduate, and I don’t care if Kyol drops his invisibility in front of all my classmates, my ass isn’t budging until I finish my test and triple check my answers.

We’ve no time to waste, Kyol says. The rebels have found you.

I suck in a frigid breath, hold it as I close my eyes for one brief, fragile moment, then I exhale, stuff my pencil into my backpack, and stand.

I’m sorry, I say to my surprised professor. I have to go.

By the time I turn to hurry up the steps, Kyol’s already waiting by the exit. I brace for the surge of emotion I know is coming and finally meet his silver eyes. Most people don’t see past his hard, unyielding scowl, but I do. I’ve seen his eyes soften and sparkle in the moonlight. I’ve seen a smile crack those lips, heard a laugh ring from that broad chest. And yet, even in those few, untroubled moments, there’s always a certain gravitas to him, like he could stand in the middle of a battle and part the enemy’s line with one cool glare.

He reaches for the door. I lock down my feelings and cut him off, not wanting my classmates to see it swing open seemingly on its own. He glances down at me, and a bolt of blue lightning skitters from his jaw to his temple before disappearing into his dark hair. Another bolt zigzags across the hand he rests on his sword’s hilt. They’re chaos lusters, visual reminders that the fae don’t belong in this world, and they’re beautiful, mesmerizing. With his quiet, strong confidence, he’s mesmerizing.

Where should I go? I ask after the door thumps shut.

The River Bend. He seizes my arm and pulls me after him. God, he’s really worried. Just how close are the rebels? I scan up and down the hallway, but there’s only one other person in sight, a student asleep against the wall, newspaper pillowed under his head. I wish I could be oblivious like him, but I can’t. If the rebels don’t kill me on sight, they’ll use me to hunt down the Court’s officers one by one, just like I’ve hunted them down over the years.

My skin tingles again. I tense, then relax when three fae wearing the Court’s jaedric armor join us, stepping through fissures to take up position around me. Escape would be easy if I could travel through one of those strips of narrow light, but I’m only human. I can’t use a fissure unless it’s opened at a gate and a fae escorts me through: not if I want to survive the trip.

Kyol speaks to his soldiers in their language. They nod, acknowledging his orders, and we set off down the hall. I shove my worry aside and hurry to keep up with their quick strides, telling myself everything will be okay, Kyol will take care of me. He always takes care of me.

Outside, a faint orange and pink haze smears the lowest portion of the sky. The growing darkness triggers the campus lights. They clank on, illuminating the faces of the students sitting on cement benches or walking alone or in groups of two or three. Even after dusk, this part of campus is always crowded because of the library. The River Bend Gate is about a mile northeast of it, past the construction for a new engineering building.

I hitch my backpack up on my shoulders. It’s not heavy. I left most of my books at home and brought only the essentials: my English Lit notes, sketchbook, cell phone, and the small, drawstring pouch that contains a handful of imprinted anchor-stones. I’ll need the latter to pass through the gate unless Kyol gives me a new stone to use.

I jog to keep up. When students start to stare, I try to free my hand from Kyol’s. It’s not completely unusual to see someone run across campus, but my gait is awkward because he’s pulling me, and I’m sure they’re wondering what the hell I’m doing with my arm.

Kyol, I whisper.

His gaze darts to the humans who don’t see me holding his hand; they see me clutching wildly at the air. His jaw clenches before he lets me go. "I’m sorry, kaesha."

I catch my breath. Kaesha. It’s a term of endearment he calls me only when we’re alone. I don’t think he knows he said it—there’s no hitch in his stride as he leads me across the courtyard—but if his soldiers overhear, if they report back to the king…

An unnatural wind cuts through the previously still air, rustling through the trees and skittering a soda can across the cement. The hair at the nape of my neck stands on end and goose bumps prickle across my skin. The rebels are here. They’re watching. They’re hiding. They’re—

Arrows whistle through the air. Light erupts around me as the Court fae vanish into their fissures. The arrows disappear when they touch the light, too, swallowed up by the In-Between. Only one hits its target: the shoulder of a fae who reacted an instant too late. With a grunt of pain, he escapes through his fissure. He’s the only one who doesn’t return. The others reappear with reinforcements as the rebels release another barrage.

Go! Kyol shoves me forward, but I spin to run back to the English building. No way am I running across the open courtyard.

More arrows fire through the air. I don’t see if any hit the fae—I’m struggling to get past Kyol—but I hear the sound of more fissures opening. Each time the bright lights slash through the atmosphere, it sounds like someone’s ripping a thick cloth in two. Add to that noise the fact that my heartbeat is thudding in my ears, and I almost don’t hear Kyol’s words.

You must make it to the gate, McKenzie. You must!

Instinct screams for me to get inside the building, but I trust Kyol with my life, so I stop fighting and glance over my shoulder. Arrows still fly through the air. A few seconds after they leave the rebels’ bows, they’ll become visible to normal humans so if a fae misses his target or doesn’t hit a fissure, people will see the bolts embed in trees or the ground or skidding across the cement. None of the students are reacting, though. The rebels are being careful.

I take a small step forward. Some of the Court fae have fissured to the rooftops to fight; others remain on the ground, darting in and out of their fissures in smooth, defensive dances. They’re drawing the rebels’ attacks, but it’s a long way to the gate. They’ll tire before I get there. Some of them might die. Kyol might die.

I’ll be fine, he says, reading the concern in my expression. He cups my cheek in his hand. As long as you’re safe, I’ll be fine.

I bite my lip and nod. Of course he’ll be okay. He’s the king’s sword-master. He can take care of himself. Besides, the fae will need me if any of the rebels are illusionists. Only a human with the Sight can see through that magic.

Ignoring the stares students throw my way, I take a deep breath, grit my teeth, and run. Kyol and I have worked together for ten years—we’re tuned in to how the other moves, how we think and react—so when a rebel charges straight toward us and Kyol doesn’t turn his way, I know he can’t see him.

Ten o’clock. Now! I say.

Kyol swings as ordered, forcing the rebel to parry. Touch breaks a fae’s illusion, so as soon as their weapons clash, Kyol can see him. His blade cuts into the rebel’s arm three moves later, but it’s not a killing blow. The illusionist fissures away.

Kyol returns to my side. I flinch when an arrow almost hits him, flinch again when another one whizzes past my face, disappearing into another Court fae’s fissure. I want to duck and dodge the rebels’ attack, but that will slow us down and draw even more attention from the humans. I’ve already lied my way through one psychiatric evaluation; I don’t think I can lie my way through another.

We sprint past the library. Ahead, a metal fence blocks off the construction site to the new engineering building. I veer left to go around it, but a wall of fissures forms in my path. Six fae appear. All rebels.

I tell Kyol their number. None of them must be hidden by illusion because he doesn’t hesitate. His blade carves through the air as he charges the rebels, but he can’t occupy all six at once. Two of them break away from the others and move toward me.

I turn and run. To hell with going around the fence. I leap up and grab its top. My tennis shoes struggle for a foothold in the metal links and the wire cuts into my palms. I manage to pull myself over the top, but I land hard on my right hip. Ignoring the sharp burst of pain, I scurry back to my feet and sprint forward again. When a fissure opens in front of me, I almost run into it, but Kyol steps out, stopping me. Saving me.

He extinguishes the fissure and then shoves me behind him. Metal clanks against metal as he takes on my pursuers. I dash under the exterior scaffolding and through the doorless entrance to the engineering building. The construction company’s already erected the interior walls on the first floor. I run through what will be the common area, almost make it to the other side, but five fissures open in a semicircle in front of me.

Five rebel fae appear. I’m no military genius, but this is clearly an ambush. I’ve been herded here, lured like a sheep to the wolf’s den.

McKenzie.

Even if the fae in the center of the group hadn’t spoken, my attention would be riveted to him. He’s tall, taller than Kyol, but not as thickly muscled, and his silver eyes, while intense, have a lighter, livelier hue to them. He’s wearing a poorly made, dark jaedric cuirass over a once-white tunic, loose gray pants, and scuffed black boots. His golden-blond hair looks like it’s been chopped off with a knife or, perhaps, the sword in his hand. Despite his haphazard appearance, he’s confident, he’s alert, and he’s completely focused on me, his prey.

McKenzie Lewis. A bolt of blue lightning flashes down his neck. He cocks his head slightly. A moment later, his sword-point dips and something changes in his posture.

Are you hurt? he asks.

I follow his gaze down to a dark stain on my purple cami. I press a hand against my stomach. It’s warm, wet.

Are you hurt? the rebel asks again.

No. I’m not. I don’t know where the blood came from. No one’s touched me. No one but Kyol…

Kyol. Oh, God. He’s hurt.

I spin toward the exit, trying to get back to him, but two rebels move to block my path, their swords held ready to strike.

I don’t want to hurt you, the fae’s leader says. I’d like to talk to you.

He takes a step toward me. I take a step back.

Look. He sheaths his sword, then holds his hands out, palms up like he’s harmless.

Screw him. I won’t let them take me. I sprint for my only remaining escape route, the metal staircase in the building’s northeast corner.

My backpack bounces as I run up the steps. I reach the second floor before I hear the rebels coming after me. I pause to consider my options, realize I have none.

Shit! I have nowhere to go but up, and once I’m up, I’ll have nowhere to go at all. I sprint to the next floor because I don’t know what else to do. I can’t turn around. I can’t stop. They’re right behind me.

Shit, shit, shit!

My legs are burning by the time I reach the fourth level. I can’t make it up the next flight of stairs so I run across this floor instead, watching my feet as I step over stacks of two-by-fours and through the wooden frames of the building’s future walls. The sun’s set. It’s dark, but I’m able to make out the outline of a piece of machinery in what will eventually be a hallway. I duck down behind it, praying I’m out of sight in time.

Soft footsteps walk across the cement.

My hair clings to my face and neck. I swipe it out of my eyes and search for some way out of this. There’s an opening at the end of the hallway for what I assume will be a floor-to-ceiling window. An orange plastic safety fence runs across the gap, and seven or eight feet away from the edge of the building is the white, moonlit arm of a tower crane.

Seven or eight feet. Can I jump that?

You’re making this more difficult than it needs to be.

I flinch at the voice. He’s close. He knows I’m here.

I grit my teeth and refuse to panic. I don’t think the rebels will kill me immediately. They’ll try to use me. They’ll try to turn me against the Court, make me read the shadows. They probably won’t hurt me until they’re certain I won’t cooperate. I should have a few seconds to make my move.

I wipe sweat from my face and focus on the crane outside the building. Seven or eight feet. I have to jump that.

I don’t give myself time to second-guess my decision. I sprint the distance to the plastic fence, scramble over it—

No, wait!

—and jump, but the rebel grabs my backpack.

I slip. I scream.

My fingers tangle in the plastic fence.

I fall.

I hit the side of the building and keep screaming.

My throat’s raw by the time I realize I’m not dead. I’m hanging between the third and fourth floors, holding on to the plastic fence like my life depends on it because… well, it does.

A chuckle draws my attention upward. The damn fae peers over the edge, looking all jolly and relaxed.

I can’t believe you held on, he says.

The moonlight highlights the planes of his face and even though I’m dangling three and a half stories above the ground, I’m suddenly more pissed than afraid. I don’t recognize him, but my gut tells me who he is: Aren, son of Jorreb, the false-blood who’s determined to overthrow the king. And he’s laughing at me.

The plastic fence stretches. My fingers cramp, but I’m determined to hang on forever if it keeps me away from the killer above.

Something snaps loose from the wall and I drop another foot.

Whoa, easy there. Easy, Aren says.

Back off! I mean to yell the words, but they come out as a hoarse croak. I know I should be begging for his help, but a part of me believes Kyol will rescue me. I choose to ignore the part that believes he’s dead.

Sure, Aren says in an infuriatingly devil-may-care voice. No problem, but how about you give me your hand first? There’s no need for you to fall.

I won’t help you!

I’m not asking for your help. Just give me your h—

The plastic rips free from the wall. I scream again and tense, bracing for impact.

McKenzie. Hey, look up here, McKenzie. I’ve got you.

Heart thudding, I look up. He does have me. Sort of. He’s dangling over the edge of the building, his left hand wrapped in the fence, his right hand grasping the opening’s frame.

Stop kicking, he says. I stop, not realizing I was moving at all.

Good. Now, you’re going to have to grab my legs. I think the fence will rip if I try to pull you up. Can you do that?

I nod. I don’t care who he is anymore. I don’t want to die. I want to live. I want to be normal, graduate college, get a real job, and spend time with some real-life friends. Hell, I want to have sex at least once before I croak.

The thought of death pulls my gaze toward the concrete.

No, don’t look down, McKenzie. Look up here. Look at me.

I do as he says. His eyes are bright but soft, like silver sand with tiny shards of diamonds, and his expression is serious but not strained. The last part impresses me. I might be thin, but I’m not dainty, and he’s supporting both of our weights.

Pull yourself up. There’s a bit more urgency in his voice now. He must feel the plastic stretching, too.

I muster the strength to reach up and grab his legs. As soon as I wrap my arms around him, he releases the fence. With a grunt, he pulls himself up and over the edge. I scrape along the side of the building until he grabs my arm, dragging me to safety.

I lay facedown on the cement floor. My arms feel like spaghetti and I’m shaking, but I can’t be weak right now. The rebels will demand a high price for saving my life, and I have no intention of sticking around to pay it.

I lurch to my feet, but my knees buckle.

Are you okay? Aren asks.

I ignore him and rise again. This time, I manage to keep my balance. It doesn’t matter, though. Three rebels block the staircase. One of them speaks in Fae.

The police are coming, Aren translates behind me. No doubt my screams have brought them. I consider screaming again, but Aren grabs my arm.

Lightning flashes from his skin to mine. I can’t shake loose. He wrestles me to a corner and, when he presses his lean body against mine, my brain stops functioning. The lightning between our skin increases, becoming almost volatile, and my body flushes with heat.

The police can’t help you, Aren says. I’m sure that smirk on his face is due to my obvious discomfort. He feels the electricity between us the same as I do, but he’s not bothered by it.

Let go! I demand, trying to free my arms.

Flashlight beams precede the cops up the stairs.

Be quiet. Be still, Aren whispers.

I twist. I almost slip free, but one strong arm locks around my waist. He covers my mouth with his other hand.

Stupid move on his part. I bite down hard.

He doesn’t grimace, but his smirk vanishes.

Sorry about this, he whispers in my ear.

Pain explodes above my temple. I totter, but don’t black out. My knees aren’t working, though. Aren’s holding me up. I’m able to focus on his face well enough to see surprise in his eyes. Then the surprise disappears. His lips thin as he raises the weapon again. It’s a dagger. He swings its hilt down a second time.

Chapter Two

My head’s killing me. I’m alone in the backseat of a van. A human is driving, slowing down, stopping. I don’t want to move from the floor of the van, but the side door grinds open and I’m yanked to my feet. Black splotches dance in my vision. They’re much like the shadows I read for the Court, but these don’t form patterns and no one’s opened a fissure here, wherever here is. Before I’m able to focus, I’m yards away from the vehicle, which is already pulling back onto the road. At least Aren isn’t the fae who’s trying to dislocate my shoulder. He’s a man the rebels call Trev. I can barely feel the electric thrum of his touch because his fingers are cutting off my circulation. He doesn’t hesitate when I stumble or lag behind. Humans can’t move as quickly as the fae. He knows this. He’s a total asshole for not slowing down.

We don’t go far. That’s good because walking makes the world wobble, but bad because this means we’ve reached a gate. It’s invisible when I look directly at it, but if I turn my head to the side, it’s there in my peripheral vision. A thinness in the world. A subtle blurring of the atmosphere.

I blink, trying to figure out where we are. I manage to read the numbers on my digital watch. It’s a little after midnight. I know the locations of every gate within a three-hour radius of my campus, but we’ve driven beyond that boundary. I don’t recognize the tiny pond in front of me or this patch of trees, which appears to be in the middle of some farmer’s cow pasture.

Aren steps to the pond’s edge. Gates are always located on water, so I understand what he’s doing when he reaches into the dark pool. He makes a connection with the gate, then stands, lifting his cupped palm toward the sky. But instead of a sprinkling of water, light spills over his fingers one drop, two drops, three drops at a time until the unending rain forms a bright, solid downpour. When this fissure breaks through the In-Between, it grumbles like a raging thundershower.

I’ll take her through, Aren says, taking a long strip of indigo cloth out of his pocket.

Is that necessary? I ask.

His silver eyes meet mine. If the rumors about you are true, then yes. It’s very necessary.

Having a reputation sucks sometimes.

Trev holds me in place while Aren ties the blindfold around my head. I guess I shouldn’t have expected them to make a stupid mistake, especially since the only reason I’m in this situation is because of what I’m able to see. If I wasn’t blindfolded, there’s a good chance I’d learn our location after we fissured. Basically, I’m a glorified cartographer. When fissures wink out of existence, I see the topography of the earth written in the shadows left behind. It’s like looking at a bright light for too long. When you look away, it takes a while for your vision to clear. The same thing happens with fissures, but where everyone else sees random blurs and blotches, I see the curves of rivers, the edges of mountains, and the slopes of the land. I sketch out these shadows so the Court fae can hunt down their enemies, and I’m pretty damn accurate; a fact that has obviously pissed off the rebels.

Aren says something in his language and a moment later, I hear normal, ungated-fissures opening. I assume the other fae are going directly home or to their base or camp or wherever the hell it is they stay. That leaves me alone with Aren, one on one, mano a mano. Not that my odds of escaping are that much better but, hey, I’ll take what I can get.

Aren presses something warm and smooth into the palm of my right hand. I don’t have to see it to know it’s an anchor-stone, one that’s probably still glowing from his imprint.

Do you know what will happen if you drop this? he asks.

I’ll be eviscerated into a hundred billion pieces of flesh and plague your nightmares. I let the stone slip through my fingers. It hits the ground with a light thump. I wait for him to bend over to retrieve it, but I don’t hear or feel him move.

If you’re suicidal, he says after a long moment. There are less painful ways to die.

You need me alive. My voice is steady. My heart rate, however, is not. The lightning from his touch radiates up and down my arm.

You’re sure about that?

You wouldn’t have saved me if you wanted me dead. That’s the only thing giving me courage right now. He went to a lot of trouble to keep me from going splat. He has to want me to shadow-read for him, for the rebels. As long as he thinks I might do it, I should be okay. I think.

His hand slides from my elbow to my shoulder. Pick up the anchor. It’s by your left foot.

I sink down to get away from the tingling heat of his touch and pat around the dew-covered grass until I find the stone. It’s so very tempting to chuck it as far away as I can, but I’m not suicidal and Aren, son of Jorreb, is the Butcher of Brykeld.

You won’t be eviscerated if you let go of the anchor, he says, pulling me upright. You’ll be lost in the In-Between.

And with that, he yanks me into the gated-fissure.

My breath whooshes out of my lungs and crystallizes. It feels like I’ve dropped through the surface of a frozen lake. It’s so cold here my heart stops beating, my blood stops flowing. Only my mind functions, and it can only focus on the heat of the anchor in my left hand and the heat of Aren’s palm in my right. I don’t remember taking his hand, but I squeeze it tight. I’d rather be squeezing his throat.

Supposedly, traveling via fissure, whether gated or not, is instantaneous, but I swear it lasts ten to fifteen excruciating seconds. That’s plenty of time for me to know I do not want to stay in the In-Between one moment longer than necessary. I hate going through gates, especially without Kyol.

As soon as the ice releases me, I know we’re in the Realm. The air here is different. It’s… crisp, like biting into an apple, and the atmosphere is lighter. Or maybe it’s me that’s heavier. I’m not sure. All I know is I’m human. I don’t belong in this land any more than the fae belong in mine. I feel big and awkward, like I stick out. And I do. Here in the Realm, chaos lusters originate from humans, not from fae, and the bolts of lightning are white instead of blue. I’ll get used to them and this world in an hour or two, but right now I’m more than uncomfortable. I’m pissed.

As I turn toward Aren, I reach up to take off my blindfold. He stops me, takes both my hands in one of his and holds them to the hard jaedric armor protecting his chest. We’re so close his cedar and cinnamon scent dances its way into my lungs. My thoughts hitch for a moment as his touch triggers more lightning. It shimmies through my fingers, over my palms, and up my arms. It would be so easy to forget myself in the addictive sensation, but I’ve had ten years to steel myself against a fae’s touch and I won’t be distracted.

Never, ever pull me through a gate unprepared again! I try to jerk away as I snarl the words. I’m unsuccessful, of course, and I think I hear a chuckle beneath the rumble of another gated-fissure opening.

I brought you through in one piece. He takes the anchor-stone from my hand, returns it a moment later. It’s hot with the imprint of a new location. Hold your breath.

Already? I start to ask, but he pulls me into the fissure and the question is whipped from my mouth.

I’ve never traveled this quickly before. Fae can fissure over and over again as long as they don’t move far from their original location, but we just jumped between two worlds. Even if we stayed on Earth, the most conditioned fae would have to wait two to three minutes before opening a second fissure. No wonder the Court’s never been able to capture Aren.

My world’s warmth wraps around me. I try to listen between my gasps for air for the voices of people or fae, for the sounds of traffic or construction. Something, anything to give me a clue as to where I am. The birds twittering overhead aren’t helping me out. I could be anywhere.

Aren re-imprints the anchor-stone. Again.

Again? I yelp, but this time I hold my breath before he takes me through. That helps. My lungs don’t feel the bite of the frost, but I’ve never, ever been through more than two fissures in an hour before.

We stay in my world. I’m shaking now, and it’s not entirely due to the ice that seems to have replaced my bones. Journeying sucks energy from travelers. When Kyol takes me through a fissure, he absorbs most of that drain himself. Unless he’s exhausted or injured, I only feel a little disoriented on most trips. I’d undoubtedly feel more if we crossed through three fissures, but there was never a need to. Besides, I’m pretty damn sure what we just did was dangerous.

Aren releases my hands to rub his palms up and down my arms. The electric tingle warms me some, but I shove away from him. With the cloth still blinding me and my head still pounding from being knocked out, I’m off-balance. I’m sure my knees would have buckled if he didn’t steady me, but I don’t want his help. As soon as my dizziness subsides, I pivot on my right foot and swing my left knee up and into his groin. He harrumphs but doesn’t let go, and he has no trouble catching the fist I blindly aim for his nose.

I kick and twist and struggle. Let me go!

I try to swing my head into his, but he’s ready for me now. His arms encircle me, pinning my arms to my sides. I spin until my back is pressed into his chest and stomach, and I keep squirming until I wear myself out, which doesn’t take long since the gated-fissures siphoned most of my strength.

Are you finished? he asks.

I slam my heel into his shin one last time. For now.

A short pause, then, "I’m going to take your blindfold off. Do not turn toward the shadows."

I can feel them lingering just a few steps away, and when Aren removes the cloth from my eyes, it takes all of my self-control not to glance over my shoulder. It’s always difficult not to be sucked in by the shadows. They tug on my consciousness, calling to me like the whisper of a siren’s song. I’ve gotten better at resisting their lure over the years, but Aren’s order not to turn has made them even more tantalizing.

I dig my fingernails into my palms, trying to distract myself. Then, instead of a forbidden glance over my shoulder, I tilt my head back to peer through the treetops to the sky—the sunlit sky.

Wait a second. It was pitch-black when Aren took me through the first gate, and he was so freaking impatient to get through the next two

Reviews for The Shadow Reader

[leleliasky · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received a ARC of The Shadow Reader from Goodreads. I really enjoyed the book. It was a great combination of our world and the Fae world. McKenzie is a great character who never loses hope against her captors and always seeks out a way to fight what stands in her way. The author does a great job of showing us McKenzie's internal struggle with what she has been taught and what is the reality. I don't want to spoil the book for anyone, but I will say that the author does a great job of mixing McKenzie's love for a man and her growing into herself. I really admired the ending where McKenzie stands up for herself and realizes she has put herself on hold for 10 years and she will no longer do so. I look forward to the author's next book and hope it will be about McKenzie and the Fae.

[mlleehreen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The best urban fantasy debut I’ve read in a while – though, just to be snarky about it, pickings have been thin for the past few months – with a vivid, sympathetic heroine who deserves the love of the two handsome fae trying to win her loyalty.

So McKenzie is a human with a particular skill. When one of the fae teleports, she can read the traces of their passage and determine where they’ve gone. That makes her sort of like a living instrument of military intelligence. For about a decade, she’s worked for the Court and suffered through a star-crossed love affair with Kyol, the King’s sword-master.

McKenzie thinks she understands the Fae and her place in their world. It’s probably not a good sign that she’s decided, given that knowledge, that she wants out: she’s about to quit and try living a normal human life when she’s kidnapped by the fae rebels, who want to make use of her skills…or at least keep the Court from continuing to benefit from them.

The rebels, and her protector/captor Aren, make McKenzie reconsider everything she’s ever learned abut the Fae. Williams handles this very skillfully, and seeing how McKenzie negotiates her place among the Fae – who, at Court, don’t think very highly of humans – was one of my favorite parts of the book. The most tempting thing about the Rebels is that they treat humans more like equals, inviting McKenzie to learn their language and understand their motivations, instead of just ordering her around. It’s not easy for her to learn that the prejudice against humans, and against cross-species romance, might be strongest – not weakest – at the Court.

The greatest thing about McKenzie – and I’m not the first reviewer to notice this – is that she always tries to do the right thing. She’s been loyal to the Court for a decade, but she’s still open-minded enough to hear new information and reconsider her preconceived notions. At the same time, she’s no flip-flopper, and her loyalty is a powerful thing. Even though has no survival skills or supernatural powers, I was constantly amazed by her strength. She’s got grit. Even her doomed, reckless escape attempts made me like her more.

My main problem with THE SHADOW READER is that McKenzie chooses between her two love interests, Aren and Kyol, by the end of the book and…no spoilers…she doesn’t pick the guy I liked best. I can think of a whole slew of other series (Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy books and the Twilight series spring to mind) where I was similarly unhappy with the heroine’s choice of hero. This is really frustrating for me, now that it’s starting to seem like a pattern.

[anotherdarnreader · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

The story could have been great but the main character was stupid.

[capnrandm · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow, THE SHADOW READER is the kind of urban fantasy that doesn't come along every day. Fantastic world building with great pacing, and worm through out it all the kind of nuanced characters that are impossible to resist. Williams doesn't let tropes do her writing for her, she spends enough time with both sides of the war (and all sides of the love triangle) that it is impossible not to get caught up in Mackenzie's struggle. Even better, Williams didn't let one side of the issue implode to make the end a foregone conclusion. A fantastic story, bound to be a favorite, I can't wait to read more in this world or more by Williams.

[katebond-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm not a huge fan of novels that take liberties with established folklore, and I love the traditional view of the Fay as heartless, cruel, and unable to touch iron, but it didn't bother me here because this is urban Fantasy, and you can't have characters who have to stay far away from iron without dumb complications (it's just not possible in cities)--as also because, come on, this shit's not real.

The cover cracks me up because what I love about McKenzie, our first-person narrator, is that she is strong, but it's in a very traditionally feminine way--she's a human with very specific cartography skills, and while all the female faeries are badass fighters, McKenzie's strengths are her brilliance, her stubbornness, and her capacity to love and forgive. I don't care how cheesy that sounds, I love this character, and I'm glad she refuses to fight with a sword. There has to be something she can't do.

I like urban fantasy with strong female protagonists, so this was kind of a perfect book for me. If either of those things are not your cup of tea--if you're too silly to be able to suspend your disbelief and read fantasy--then this is not the book for you.

[reginar_447079 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Why is this not a 5 star or a 4 star book for me? I have put off writing this review for a week or so because I am confused as to why everyone I know on goodreads loved this book but me. In part, I think this may be a "Its not you, its me" kinda thing. I may be over my urban fantasy binge. Hey, it was a good ride. It started summer 2010 and lasted until now. When I hear about new titles or series in the paranormal, they just do not interest me -- with the exception of my favorite authors and series. So, my thoughts on this book should be put into that context -- that urban fantasy just does not have the same pull for me. Another issue for me that should help me feelings on this book be put into context -- for an urban fantasy book to thrill me, I need the main struggle to be something other than the romance. That is why I prefer UF over paranormal romance. And I know may of my goodreads friends can point out several paranormal romance series, historical romances, and contemporary romances that I love. Yes, I do enjoy a romance that is well done -- but my well done is this. I enjoy the angsty romance plot line too, but the true struggle/fight/confict for me needs to be about the world/story. And the characters and relationships in the book need to be three-dimensional with growth and progression. I did not see this in Shadow Reader. In my opinion, the main conflict in Shadow Reader is the romance. And that is fine, but I didn't buy into the characters feelings for the individual that made up the third part of the love triangle. Which poses a problem for me as a reader, if I don't believe in the romance, which is the main struggle of the book -- then the book falls flat for me. The romance with the guy who is the third leg of the triangle (I am trying to be vague and non-spoilerish) just was not believable for me. What I saw was an incredibly sexy guy that the lead character was attracted to and he was attracted to her as well to her. But when did they develop love? I did not see a relationship developing at all. I never felt or believed in the "who should she choose" storyline. I had strong opinions about who she should drop and then maybe move on in her life, but choosing someone else to fill the void of the person just dropped? Nah, Sandy Williams did not convince me. There was a side conflict to the storyline -- where should MacKenzie place her allegiance? The court or the rebels? Again, I thought this was not set up well nor was it done believably. MacKenzie places her allegiance with any one side based solely on emotion and relationships, not on critical evaluation. I know people do this in real life, but I find that downright scary. But whatever, my criticism of decisions aside I do not think the author convinced me as to who MacKenzie should be loyal too. So those were my problems. I liked the characters, I liked the world, and I really enjoyed the beginning. I do think this should be labeled paranormal romance or romance based urban fantasy though. Positives about the book: The world building is done very well and there are some interesting side characters. There is solid writing and some good action scenes. If readers are okay with the main conflict being about who will she choose, then I think this book will be a win for those readers. I think fans of Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh would enjoy this book/series. I am one of the few people in the urban fantasy reading world that is not a fan of the Guild Hunter series for the same reason Shadow Reader missed the mark for me.

[yas4735-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sandy Williams debut book is a fun, action packed, emotionally charged adventure. I was intrigued when I saw the blurb for this on Goodreads and bought and read it the same day - any book that grips me so much that I stay up half the night reading is a keeper for me.

McKenzie is a human woman with a talent that makes her invaluable to the fae. Not only does she have the second sight which enables her to see through Fae glamour, she is a shadow reader, which means that when a fae teleports, she can map where that fae has traveled to. King Atroth recruited her when she was barely sixteen and ten years later she is still called upon.

Determined to lead a normal life, which is not possible when Fae are popping in unexpectedly wherever she goes, and it's affecting her life, her family thinks she's crazy, her school is running out of patience with her, and her crush on Kyol Taltrayn-the King’s sword-master, is going nowhere. But when McKenzie is abducted everything she thought she knew is turned upside down and she doesn't know who to trust.

Mckenzie unlike most urban fantasy heroines isn't strong, brave or amazingly powerful, she's just a normal girl who happens to have a talent for tracking. She relies on her wits to help her escape rather that her powers and manages to keep her head when all around everyone is losing theirs.

I'm not normally fond of love triangles but this was so well done and the characters so real that it didn't bother me at all, I found both Kyol and Aren intriguing and the romance was built gradually that it felt natural, though I do admit the end felt a bit 50s love scene. Apart from a few minor niggles which are barely worth mentioning as I was having too much fun reading, I found The Shadow Reader a enjoyable book and look forward to reading more from this author.

[calypso531 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I loved the premise of this book, and found the story very engaging by the end. However, the author's writing style is still being developed. I am curious to see how her next book will turn out.

[tldegray-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

McKenzie can track the fae. She works for the fae king tracking dangerous rebels and is in love with Kyol, a high-ranking member of the fae king's court. She's content, at least until she's captured by the rebels and Aren, their leader, tells her some truths she's not ready to hear.

I liked this. It was different enough to capture my attention and had enough conflict to keep it.

[lacello · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I wanted her to end up with Kyol. I don't think I can read the next one because I think Kyol is going to end up with Lena and that's just not OK with me.

[sharrow_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

First 3/4 of the book were fab, but I struggled with the final part. Wasn't as strong I think. Still, interesting premise and an author I'd pick up again.

[darkfaerietales_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: Love triangles amid all out war.Opening Sentence: My skin tingles a moment before a slash of white light flashes at the front of the lecture hall.The Review:In this series about the fae and the humans who love them, there is a civil war of sorts going on, or maybe a coup d’etat is more like it. The current king has made some disturbing decisions as of late and a band of rebels have taken up against him.Enter into the story the king’s sword-master and best bud Kyol Taltrayn. Kyol is in charge of some of the king’s troops, and for the last ten years, the safety, training and well being of their best shadow-reader. What no one counted on was Kyol developing feelings for the young woman, or her feelings for him.And in the other corner we have Aren Jorreb, rebel leader. When Aren and company learn of the identity of the court’s secret weapon, they do not hesitate in snatching her from her realm, and dragging her with them. Aren also didn’t count on falling for the woman, nor did he assume that he could not win her to his side, thinking himself one heck of catch. *roll eyeballs*And torn between these two is McKenzie Lewis, Houston college student and to the fae a nalkin-shom, or shadow reader. She has the ability to not only see the fae but also determine where they came from or are going to by reading the shadows of the images left behind when they magically pop in and out. Neat trick, that. When she is kidnapped by the rebels, she meets their leader, and is attracted in the same manner to him as she is to her wannabe boyfriend from the king’s Court. Believing she is just suffering from a case of Stockholm syndrome, she continuously tries to escape him, and his army, to return to her previously scheduled life. But the rebels are having none of it, and are keeping her hidden with them until she agrees to help out their cause. Also while with the rebels, she learns a lot of things, including the fae language, which the king previously forbade her to have knowledge of. Handy when you want to keep the girl completely ignorant of your real reason for hunting the fae you want gone.But in the end, by the time she is attacked, injured, nabbed and threatened by the King, she has switched her allegiance to the side of the rebels, and is determined to help them achieve their goal of an end to the war. And that she does, with the help of none other than the king’s best bud himself, Kyol. When things settle down, she is forced to choose between her loves, and she picks….. (sorry, you’ll just have to read the book for that one)I can sort of see her point for picking as she did, but I’m not altogether sure he’s the one I would’ve chosen. But then, I am notoriously on the side of the loser at most times, so that’s just the way I roll.So, I’ve heard rumors that there will be a next book after this one, which is cool. I want to know where everything went from here, how the new royal is taking on to her new role…hey maybe she can even find someone, might make her less of a nasty witch even. Sorry, she wasn’t exactly my favorite character.Notable Scene:“Kelia!” Naito flies across the forest floor almost as quickly as Aren fissures here. He drops to his knees, takes his hand in hers. “Baby, hang on.”“Naito,” she whispers, focusing on his face.Aren takes out a knife, cuts through the bindings on her side. He flings the cuirass aside to place his hands over Kelia’s bullet wounds. His hands glow blue as he flares his magic. The tension floods out of Kelia’s body. An instant later, she vanishes.I stop breathing. No. She couldn’t have died. Aren was healing her. He was…A spasm wracks through Naito. An anguished scream rips from his throat.“No!” He reaches for her rising soul-shadow, clutching at the air as if he can keep it in this world. “No!”The white shadow dissipates.“No!”I back away. Kelia’s dead. Kyol’s gone. Fae are still dying around us. I don’t know if any rebels have made it to the Sidhe Tol. Don’t know how much longer until the reinforcements from the other attacks arrive.Naito screams again. His pain brings tears to my eyes.God, we shouldn’t be here. We shouldn’t have come.I take another step back. My tears stream down my face, mixing with the rain.Another step back and I hit something. I put a hand behind me to balance against the tree, only it’s not a tree.I start to turn, but something wraps around me. Something invisible.The forest blurs, darkens, then reappears in a shade of blue. A hand covers my mouth. I can’t suck in enough air to scream.I shiver. Not from the icy grip of the In-Between but from the wet tongue that slowly licks up my neck.McKenzie Lewis Series:1. The Shadow Reader2. The Shattered Dark (October 30, 2012)FTC Advisory: Ace/Penguin provided me with a copy of The Shattered Dark. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

[clairesbooks_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Shadow Reader is the first Urban Fantasy book in a new series by Sandy Williams. McKenzie Lewis has the Sight, that is to say she can see the Fae that 99.9% of other humans cannot. But what makes McKenzie even more special is that she can read and map the Shadows which are left behind when one of the Fae opens up a fissure and teleports to somewhere else. McKenzie has been reading and mapping shadows for the Fae King for 10 years. In that time she has found a forbidden love with Kyol the King’s sword master. It is a love that Kyol fights as a human and Fae relationship is not allowed at Court. McKenzie is so special that she is kidnapped by Aren the leader of the rebel Fae who hopes he can turn her against the King and make her see that the rebels are not the bad folks that they are made out to be. The time has come for Mckenzie to choose which side she is on.We are thrown straight into the action with this book, so much so that I thought my copy had some pages missing at the beginning. This threw me a little bit and it took some time to get into the story, plus Fae are not my favourite supernaturals to read about. But once I did I couldn’t put it down and finished it within 24 hours of starting it that is very fast for me. I was totally engrossed with the story, the world building is spectacular, the characters are interesting and the plot was fantastic. I really liked McKenzie although at times she also did annoy me somewhat. The author constantly throws massive twists at us throughout the book so you don’t know who is lying and who is telling the truth. At one point I thought a certain character was telling the truth only to have it turned on its head. No wonder poor McKenzie is confused, especially when it comes to the two men in her life Kyol and Aren. Yes readers there is a huge love triangle going on. Now I know some people don’t like love triangles but they don’t really bother me except this one which had me on the edge of my seat hoping McKenzie would pick the guy I wanted her to pick. The sexual tension and chemistry between McKenzie and one of the guys is amazing. The scenes where they are kissing actually took my breath away. This book is absolutely awesome and I would not hesitate in recommending it. For me it was one of those books where you don’t want it to end and after finishing I immediately went in search of news for book 2. Good news is there will be a book 2 it is called The Shattered Dark but bad news it is not out until November 2012. A long wait but it is on my tbr list. I am going to award this book 5 stars.

[homelovebooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There are a lot of books I have been excited about reading, and this was one of them. I found Sandy Williams when I stumbled upon her Magic and Mayhem blog (a blog with her and a couple of other authors whose books I'm also looking forward to reading). I must say that this book did not disappoint.Part of the reason I was excited about this book is because it involves the Fae. A lot of the urban fantasy books seem to be focused primarily on vamps or werewolves, and I personally believe the Fae are hugely underutilized. Williams did not disappoint, her portrayal of the Fae was quite interesting to say the least, and pulled me in by the time chapter one was finished. I do have to point out that the Fae in Williams' book almost remind me a little of the epic fantasy races that are common to that genre. That similarity, I think for me, made them all the more intriguing.The book doesn't have a lot of build up to the action, right from chapter one you are thrown into the thick of it, with the book's main character McKenzie being captured right off the bat. Normally I would say this is hard way to get to know the main character, but Williams' manages to not only get the reader to know McKenzie, but also to pull for her. I was right there with McKenzie the entire time, every time she was confused about how she was feeling, I was confused about how I wanted her to feel. Every time she was scared, I was scared for her. I was surprisingly, and refreshingly easy to identify with McKenzie. When I start a new book in a series, sometimes it can take two or three books for me to feel attached to a character, I can tell right now I am already attached to McKenzie, and I want to know what is going to happen next to her.The book also has a romantic element to it, and it all flows really well throughout the book. It never feels forced on the part of the author, it always feels organic to the character. Not only that but any scenes involving romantic elements were written really well, there was no cheesy descriptions or euphemisms, which only helped to make the actions more organic and truly helped the plot along.Another thing that I want to point out is that this book takes place in the middle of war. And war is a tricky thing to write. Fighting scenes can often become to chaotic and make it for the reader to follow, but this was never a problem for me. I think this was due to the fact it was all from McKenzie's point of view, so it really helped keep things in perspective. I'm also really impressed with the way Williams' portrayed both sides, like she says in the book, every war has two sides. Trying to determine the truth out of those two sides was hard for McKenzie and for me.I even like the other characters besides McKenzie. Kyol was hard and distant, but when he softened up around McKenzie I can totally understand what his appeal was. Aren was easy to like, and then in certain moments I had the urge the punch him in the face, I think he's a rather complex character and its going to be interesting to follow him. Lena is very much the mean girl, but I could almost understand her point of view being that she's in a hard situation. Kelia was easy to like, she super sweet, but hard when she needs to be. She's fierce about the people she cares about, and how can you not like someone who is willing to do anything to protect the people she loves. Overall the characters were really well fleshed out and enjoyable to follow along with. Williams' brings the characters to life in such a way that it made it almost impossible for me to put the book down. Overall, I'm pretty sure I really love this book. I think it has a lot of appeal to a lot of different people. I could easily see paranormal romance people loving this book. I could the average urban fantasy lover loving this book. And truth be told I also think if there are fans of epic fantasy who want to give urban fantasy a try, this would be the book I recommend; it shares a lot of the elements that are popular in epic fantasy but with a fantastic urban fantasy flare. So without question this book deserves a "Great" rating, and I have to say I think this book should be added onto a lot of Christmas wish lists.

[krau0098 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This is the first book in the Shadow Reader series, this series is a trilogy. This was an okay urban fantasy read. I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style, the characters or the story...everything was just okay.The story about a human woman named McKenzie who can read the shadows to help fae teleport to different places. McKenzie would love to leave the Shadow Reader job and have a normal human life. However, when she is kidnapped by Rebel Fae her whole life turns topsy turvy.My main issue with this book is that it sounded very YA but the heroine is a woman in her 20's. I found this very odd; like the book couldn't decide what it was. Writing style, conversations, and the simple story were very YA in style...I kept thinking this character was in her teens and then being reminded by the author that she was much older.This book really focuses on a romantic triangle, which I am not a fan of. The heroine's skill to read shadows was interesting but this really took a backseat to the romantic triangle (she is going back and forth between the warlord of a Fae court and the battle commander of a Fae rebel group). The story was very simple and unimaginative.Overall this book wasn't something I liked all that much. I won't be continuing the series. I wouldn’t recommend because there is much better adult urban fantasy out there.

[has_bookpusher · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Full review to be posted soon:

I really really enjoyed this book, I loved the heroine and the world-building and it had an interesting premise and world-building especially that of how the fae is presented. And although I am not a huge fan of the love triangle trope, which the heroine, McKenzie finds herself. I did like how it played out and the fact she makes a decision at the end and that it doesn't drag on in the next book. Non-stop action, great world-building and characters - I look forward to the next book!

[les121 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoy a dash of romance with my urban fantasy; The Shadow Reader is more like paranormal romance with a dash of urban fantasy. It’s fast-paced, and the worldbuilding is interesting, but the plot is almost incidental to the love triangle. What’s more, the characters aren’t developed enough to make the romance all that compelling. Aren is pretty much a blank slate; McKenzie isn't interesting enough to have two guys chasing after her; and their meager interactions don't explain how such a strong bond springs up between them in so short a time. We do get a little more insight into Kyol’s motivations, but not by much. I enjoyed the story, and I wanted to care about these characters because they have some great moments. But, ultimately, The Shadow Reader missed the mark for me. There’s just not enough about the characters, or the war they’re fighting, to really get me invested. Romance fans may get more mileage.