I enjoyed the fast-paced plot, but some of the dialogue was bit awkward, and the premise itself was shaky. (There were shades in Chicago in the past, but aren't any more. But what about elsewhere? Why is Chicago the central location of all shades? How could one fire wipe them out so that they're almost extinct in our time line?) Once I let go of my issues over consistency and realism, I sat back and enjoyed the story. I'd recommend it for a quick, fun read for fans of paranormal love stories, but for the discerning reader who wants to be able to fully buy into a scifi book, it's best to skip this one.

(Although not scifi/fantasy, Rutkoski's book The Winner's Curse was fantastic. She's a great writer, despite her flaws in The Shadow Society.)