I liked this one, not as good as The Winner's Curse but very readable, charming, creative. It felt a little rushed or half-finished; I think a more robust editing process and a strict editor curtailing the more eye-rolling YA Fantasy tropes would have helped. But all in all very enjoyable, clever, striking. What a great author!

This is a book I simply gave up on. It didn't hold my interest half way through so I decided to move on to another book.

I would haven given it 4stars if the world building was not so clumsy. I really enjoyed the writing in the first half of the story...and then everything just got choppy.

This review and others can be found on Cozy Up With A Good Read

This book started out very similar to a lot of other teen books out there... a normal girl (Darcy) who's not the most popular at school meets this gorgeous dark haired guy (with a motorcycle, Conn) and gets a weird feeling about him, and that's when Darcy realizes that she is something special. I have to say it took me awhile to read this book, I just wasn't interested in the beginning, it seemed like something I had read before. But then something happened and it was like a switch was flipped and I was really interested in the book (I'd probably say it happened around the time the alternate world was introduced... I love books with alternate worlds).

Darcy was an interesting character, she was found on the steps of a fire house at 5 years old and has been in and out of foster homes since then. She doesn't remember anything about her past, except for these brief flashes she has every so often. Darcy is determined to learn about her past, even more so when she finds out about this alternate world and what her place in it really is. What really stood out in this book was the friendships that Darcy has made where she is. These three friends are amazing secondary characters, and are always there for Darcy, it's like when she can't speak for herself they are there for her.

I was definitely intrigued by this alternate world, history is different because the Great Chicago Fire never happened there. I think Rutkoski did a great job explaining the history and how this tear between the alternate worlds happened, which is definitely important in a book like this.

The romance in this story is what got on my nerves a little, it seemed a little over the top at times to me personally. There was somewhat of a love triangle going on in the beginning, but I will say that one cleared up pretty quickly. I actually enjoyed that Darcy stuck up for herself when one of the guys started to become pushy towards her. But there still seemed to be something that developed a bit too quickly (though at least they spent a lot of time together before anything happened).

I really loved the ending, everything came together in such a great way, and one of the greatest things is that Darcy learns something about herself... as much as she was trying to find out about her family in the book, she finally realizes that family is what you make it out to be.

This is one book that if you stick it out it is enjoyable and takes readers on a fun ride. Despite the beginning seeming cliché, I enjoyed how Rutkoski surprised me with the alternate world and the history.

I picked this up after falling massively in love with Rutkoski's other series The Winner's Curse.

This book follows Darcy Jones, an artistic teenage orphan with a charming tight knit group of friends. Darcy who was abandoned at the age of five, cannot recall any memories before that moment. After moving from foster home to foster home she has finally found a home where she is happy and loved. Her life is turned upside down when the mysteriously handsome new guy, Conn Mcrea shows up at school. After spending time with Conn on a school project secrets from Darcy's own mysterious past come to light.


Honestly I didnt really know anything about this book going into it. I wasnt really sure if it was just going to be a straight contemporary or if there was going to be some fantastical element. From the very beginning I felt the story grounded in a unique reality. The characters populating this world felt real and this book could have easily been just a regular contemporary. Darcy is a very likable heroine and I cared about what was happening to her. I really appreciated despite falling for Conn very early on there was a sense of unease I felt for Darcy while she was getting to know him. I found this a refreshing change as it didnt feel like blind instalove.

I had a few moments reading where I found it difficult to suspend my disbelief. Particularly when it came to her friends after they found out her secret. It was nice but also quite unlikely what unravelled with them. I also found the ending a tad bit rushed but not enough to take away from the story as a whole. Overall I really enjoyed this book and wouldnt have minded reading a sequel.

I really enjoyed this book. It had an interesting, unique concept that was well executed. Sure, there are a couple of moments that require you to suspend disbelief, but it's worth it.

After reading the first sentence of The Shadow Society I was hooked.

See what else I had to say about The Shadow Society on my blog: http://simplyyareviews.tumblr.com/post/82725630076/the-shadow-society-by-marie-rutkoski

The truth can sometimes sound like a lie because we're too afraid to believe it.

After falling in love with Marie Rutkoski's [b:Winner's Curse trilogy|16069030|The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy, #1)|Marie Rutkoski|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1377023523s/16069030.jpg|21861552], I was anxious to read more of her lyrical writing and meet more of her brilliant heroines. Unfortunately, however, The Shadow Society feels rather mediocre. It's an entertaining novel, but it doesn't add much to the genre that hasn't already been written about.

When Darcy Jones was five, she was left abandoned at a firehouse without any memory of how she got there. Now sixteen, Darcy is determined to find out the truth about her past, not knowing that what she will learn will turn her world upside down.

Darcy is a decent protagonist. She's easy to like, but there's nothing about her that differentiates her from any other protagonist in the YA genre. She's rather typical and I just wish there was something more to her character to make her stand out.

There is romance here, and it felt a bit standard for YA literature as well. I appreciate the fact that Darcy and the love interest, Conn, talk and spend time with each other before they fall in love. Ultimately, though, while their relationship was sweet I never truly felt the spark between them.

Unless you're a huge fan of books with parallel universes, I'd recommend reading Marie's other book, [b:The Winner's Curse|16069030|The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy, #1)|Marie Rutkoski|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1377023523s/16069030.jpg|21861552], instead. It is much better and doesn't feel like quite as run-of-the-mill.

The Shadow Society is equal parts cliche and original. However, it works well in a slightly kitchy sorty of way.

There are some parts that don't make sense. At one point a motorcycle is described as amazingly quiet, and is then described as very loud a few pages over. A highly-trained military-type person who is vital to the plot is really sucky at espionage. There are also some pretty cool machines and devices, the mechanics of which are never described, so the reader is just supposed to accept them at face value.

Despite this, I did enjoy most of the characters (even though they appear only when required for the story to progress), and the overall story. I absolutely love that it is a standalone novel. There are three distinct times when the story seems to shift, and they are areas where the book could have been split, but I like that the story isn't completely drawn out.

Most notably is that there is a poem that seems to be the main theme of the story. I initially didn't pay much attention to the poem when it was first introduced, but went back and read the verses again when I realized it was important. The poem asks some important questions that are key to the heroine's choices throughout the book. It's rare that I find a book where this is done so well (without seeming overbearing and preachy), but Rutkoski did a fantastic job weaving bits and pieces of the poem into the details. I really enjoyed it.

I really really really want to like this book because I really really really like the characters. But I just couldn't finish it. Even with 3/4 already read. I think I hate time/dimension travel. Anyway, it's probably really good and I was in a cranky place when I stopped. I may try again one day, when time travel doesn't irk me so much.