Rashika, The Book Owl

I, like many fans, awaited the release of Shimmer eagerly after the cliffhanger at the end of Haze but when Shimmer came out, I was hesitant to pick it up. It’s not that I hadn’t loved the previous two books but the problem was that I couldn't go through a whole other book without getting answers. So many questions have been raised and I felt like there just weren't enough answers to satisfy me. I was all set to wait until Burn came out to read this one but then Jasprit gifted me a copy and given her excitement, I couldn’t NOT read this (although I took my sweet time getting around to the book). This book was worth it. It doesn’t necessarily give me the answers I sought but… it gives me something. Something that had me flailing and jumping out of my seat and freaking out.

Where Shadows was full of action and excitement, Haze was full of amazing character development and Shimmer, Shimmer explored the dynamics between the two different groups of Rephaim. For the first time in a decade, the two groups are forced to cooperate when two of their own are kidnapped, the question arises as to whether they can do it peacefully or whether things will go to hell again.

What I love most about this world is that Weston doesn’t try to tell is that one group is better than the other. Both groups have their positive and negative points. One group doesn’t entirely consist of good rephaim and one of bad rephaim. Both sides have a mix of characters. Some might be head strong and unwilling to change their ways and others might see the other side’s point but still continue to believe what they believe. Reading about the dynamics within the group and their interactions with one another was SO interesting.

Throw in the fact that Gabe and Jude hadn't been on the same side before they lost their memory. It’s interesting to see how the fact that neither remember anything influences their interactions with the group and I have to say, I quite like that they aren’t picking sides anymore.

What did bother me was the fact that everyone paid attention to what Jude had to say but Gaby’s opinion wasn’t held in the same light. Jude also didn’t face the same difficulties Gaby had when she first found out about what she was and I was annoyed by what a speshul snowflake Jude was. But then Jude would be so supportive and cared so much for Gaby that it was hard to hold it against him. He hadn’t asked for any of this and he didn’t want to go back to the way things were, where he stopped talking to his sister for a decade. Those moments when they promised each other they would never go back to that touched me.

Gaby continues to develop in this book and she’s come so far from book 1. It shocked me every time I realized that the events of book 1 only happened over a week ago in the timeline of this series. The thing about Gaby is that she isn’t just developing mentally and physically, she has also grown emotionally over the course of the books and it's a joy to see her come into her own.

Other characters also develop in this book and I liked getting to know more about Mya. I liked that we finally got her side of the story. For the first time, she wasn't necessarily cast in a bad light (in spite of her actions). It was a pity that there wasn't more Jason in this book though. He has become one of my favorite characters and I missed him (as well as Rafa).

As one might imagine, things are definitely tense in this book what with Rafa and Taya having been kidnapped. The outcasts have asked for help and it’s up to Nathaniel to decide whether he will send his rephaim to help them. So, there isn’t much action in the first half of the book but after that things definitely get rolling. That isn’t to say that the book was dull at any point, it definitely wasn’t.

A lot of you shippers will also be happy to know there is definitely some interesting development in Gaby and Rafa's relationship!

I definitely think this was a worthy addition to the series and if you, like me, are worried about giving this one a shot, don’t be. It’s definitely worth it. I will admit that this book ends on a cliffhanger but the cliffhanger is one I whole heartedly appreciate.. unlike the one in Haze. I can only imagine the kind of things that will happen in Burn with the way this book ended. The wait may kill me but I trust Paula Weston to not disappoint.

[This review was originally posted on Nick's Book Blog ]