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Series: The Shadow World #1
Publication date: November 20th, 2012
Pages: 322
Synopsis:
Being unique isn't all it's cracked up to be.
After searching all over the world for someone as unique as she is, Racquel finds herself back in her home town where she's treated like a monster ready to kill. Racquel is one of the most unique beings ever created. Four of the most powerful beings in the Shadow World are intertwined within her, making up her unique DNA. But no matter how unique her bloodline is, she's considered an outcast by the entire Shadow World.
Once arriving home, Racquel finds that greater evils exist and that the person she cares for most in this world, her half-sister Addie, has been kidnapped along with other Shadow World beings. Racquel finds herself facing horrible odds with those who would rather see her dead than alive.
As her journey continues, Racquel learns more about herself what she is capable of, and that not every being looks at her as an abomination. Coy, a human captive that Racquel saves from the Vampires, starts showing kindness toward her. Racquel tries putting distance between her and the human boy but as they spend more time together it becomes harder and harder for Racquel to fight the affection she wants and needs.
But will Coy's friendship and her new found discoveries be enough to help Racquel unravel the strangest mystery that has ever plagued the Shadow World?
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Review:
Have you ever had one of those books that just simply jumps out of nowhere and slaps you with a big bag of awesome? No? Well then you haven't read Uniquely Unwelcome by Brandy Nacole. Nacole's masterpiece is one in which you have never seen before in any fantasy novel ever written. Imagine taking all the creatures you love to read about and squashing them together into a single badass character. That is what this author did. As hinky as that may strike you and cause you to doubt whether it can truly work in the story, in this case, it does.
Nacole's concocted world is one in which fantastical creatures live side by side with humans but operate under entirely different rules. Segregation is alive and well in the Shadow World, the world that encompasses Vampires, Lycans, Shifters, Faeries, and Witches alike. No race is suppose to mix with a different race. It is seen as abysmal and distasteful, albeit not illegal. Racquel's family takes full advantage of the legality of such unions and through a macabre amount of unions, Racquel was born. She is Vampire, Lycan, Shifter, and Witch all rolled into one little sarcastic ball of a girl.
Of course, that is not the only basis of the story (even though that would have been quite enough). On top of that, there is a great evil out there who is also not so into the segregation thing. He kidnaps, tortures, and even kills people from every race, even humans. Racquel is happy to leave the situation alone and quietly shrug it off as someone else's problem until one of the kidnap victims turns out to be her beloved half-sister, Addie.
That is all it takes. Racquel is off and running with her high school tormentor, Ethan the Lycan bully. She is told she must visit each of the original races and find out what they know so she may combine the knowledge and find the missing people. Along the way Racquel meets and befriends several different people from different races including Danika the witch, Coy the human, and Jared the vampire. Racquel's journey also brings her face to face with her past torments, her present mistrust, and the possible end to her future.
This book was a surprise. I went into it not really believing I would fall in love with the story or the characters. Boy, was I ever wrong. I found my heart bleeding for Racquel, swooning at Coy, and laughing along with Jared's antics. I have not thoroughly enjoyed a book to this magnitude in a while. The ending does leave off on a slight cliffhanger, which I now must rectify by finding the second book in the series, Blood Burdens.
Nacole's concocted world is one in which fantastical creatures live side by side with humans but operate under entirely different rules. Segregation is alive and well in the Shadow World, the world that encompasses Vampires, Lycans, Shifters, Faeries, and Witches alike. No race is suppose to mix with a different race. It is seen as abysmal and distasteful, albeit not illegal. Racquel's family takes full advantage of the legality of such unions and through a macabre amount of unions, Racquel was born. She is Vampire, Lycan, Shifter, and Witch all rolled into one little sarcastic ball of a girl.
Of course, that is not the only basis of the story (even though that would have been quite enough). On top of that, there is a great evil out there who is also not so into the segregation thing. He kidnaps, tortures, and even kills people from every race, even humans. Racquel is happy to leave the situation alone and quietly shrug it off as someone else's problem until one of the kidnap victims turns out to be her beloved half-sister, Addie.
That is all it takes. Racquel is off and running with her high school tormentor, Ethan the Lycan bully. She is told she must visit each of the original races and find out what they know so she may combine the knowledge and find the missing people. Along the way Racquel meets and befriends several different people from different races including Danika the witch, Coy the human, and Jared the vampire. Racquel's journey also brings her face to face with her past torments, her present mistrust, and the possible end to her future.
This book was a surprise. I went into it not really believing I would fall in love with the story or the characters. Boy, was I ever wrong. I found my heart bleeding for Racquel, swooning at Coy, and laughing along with Jared's antics. I have not thoroughly enjoyed a book to this magnitude in a while. The ending does leave off on a slight cliffhanger, which I now must rectify by finding the second book in the series, Blood Burdens.
