Review – Of Mist and Shadow

Title:

Of Mist and Shadow

Series:

The Mist King #1

Author:

Jenna Wolfhart

Genre:

Paranormal Romance

Blurb:

When the vicious fae king catches Tessa stealing his powerful gemstones, he demands a cruel punishment. She must leave her family and friends behind and become his future human bride.
Tessa has never stepped foot inside the glittering fae city until now—no mortal is allowed. There, things are far more monstrous than she ever dreamed. King Oberon humiliates her, terrorizes her, and threatens those she loves.
But when she escapes, someone far worse finds her. The lethal Mist King, the enemy fae who trapped her people beneath the reign of King Oberon in the first place. The one who destroyed human cities and watched them burn.
He takes her captive and then offers her a deal.
Become the first mortal to kill a fae king, and he will free her people.
But the mists beyond the kingdom walls are dangerous, ruthless, and mesmerizing…and so is he. As Tessa fights her growing desire, she must make a choice.
Her dagger can kill only one fae. Which king will it be?

Review

3stars rating
Worldbuilding:

We start the book in the kingdom of the light fae. Where King Oberon rules with an iron fist (no pun intended :p). Humans are at the bottom of the totem pole there, and while they’re well-fed and such, you better stay in line, or you’re killed, and so might your family.
There is one way out across the Bridge of Death, but that leads to the Mists, where unimaginable beasts and terrors live and feast on human flesh. And let’s not forget about the Mist King, the reason everyone is trapped with King Oberon.
As we meet Tessa, we get to know how she sees the world and, as the story progresses, how that view is slowly changing as truths and more lies get added to the pile. The scenes and environments were clear and well-described.

Character development:

I’m sorry to say, but I didn’t really like Tessa. Her opinions and directions changed with the wind, and I just thought it was more annoying than anything else.
King Oberon is a prick, an obsessed ruler who thinks he can do whatever the hell he wants. King Kalen is mysterious and without spoiling much more… I wonder what is real and what is not.
To be very honest, I can’t really say that the character development was good, as it seemed there was no progress. They didn’t grow, I could even say that Tessa went from ignorant to being just plain stupid.
I don’t know… just no.

Pacing & Flow:

Hmm, this is a difficult one, as the book didn’t manage to keep my attention for pretty much the whole middle part. The start was good, getting the lay of the land, and the end was good (action woohoo), but I had a hard time going through it 🙁
Overall, there was a good balance between action and conversation.

The book itself:

The book was well written with no (noticeable) errors. There are some spicy scenes, but no actual sex (if that is important to you).
The book has 456 pages, spread over 44 chapters, and is told from Tessa’s point of view. This installment ends with a cliffhanger, and believe me… it’s a doozy.

Final Thoughts:

I liked the twists and turns towards the end… and while I might also like the Mist King, I can’t really point out anything else that I’m a great fan of. I have the second book (cause both were a great deal at the time), but I don’t think I’ll be reading it any time soon.