Review: Shadow Heir by Richelle Mead

Shadow Heir (Dark Swan #4) by Richelle Mead
Publication Date: December 27, 2011
Publisher: Zebra
Number of Pages:390
Format: Paperback
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Shaman-for-hire Eugenie Markham strives to keep the mortal realm safe from trespassing entities. But as the Thorn Land's prophecy-haunted queen, there's no refuge for her and her soon-to-be-born-children when a mysterious blight begins to devastate the Otherworld. . .

The spell-driven source of the blight isn't the only challenge to Eugenie's instincts. Fairy king Dorian is sacrificing everything to help, but Eugenie can't trust the synergy drawing them back together. The uneasy truce between her and her shape shifter ex-lover Kiyo is endangered by secrets he can't—or won't—reveal. And as a formidable force rises to also threaten the human world, Eugenie must use her own cursed fate as a weapon—and risk the ultimate sacrifice. . .

  The conclusion to Mead's Dark Swan book picks up a few months after the last one left off. Eugenie is pregnant with twins, a boy and a girl. And she has decided to have the babies, prophecy be damned. But there are those who will do anything to kill her unborn children even if that means killing Eugenie. Including Kiyo, ex lover and the father of her children. Which means she has has to avoid her home in Arizona, spending majority of her time in the Otherworld. Only going back to the human world for doctor appointments in Ohio. But when her secret hid out has been discover, Eugenie faces a difficult decision; she must leave everyone she knows and love behind and go in hiding.

The first half of the book is kind of uneventful. But once she has the twins, Roland comes to see her. There has been a winter blight to fall over majority of the kingdoms in the Otherworld. It doesn't take long for them to figure out that the Yew Land is behind it. Eugenie makes the difficult choice in leaving her babies behind, and with a team head to the Yew Land to save the other kingdoms, including Kiyo.

I loved that we found out Volusian's backstory. I hated that he ended up being banished. Yes he wanted to kill Eugenie, and was sick and twisted, but he was also very amusing. I loved the fact that the love triangle was non existence in this book.

And of course this wouldn't be a Mead book without some twists and turns. At the end Kiyo reveals a very surprising twist that made me very happy. But I wished Eugenie would of told Dorian. And the Storm King's heir turns out to be someone we weren't expecting. Which looking back it made sense. And at the beginning of the book there were hints. But this doesn't mean the twins are out of danger.

The only thing I hated about this book was that it didn't feel like an end to a series.  Things were left very open ended. It feels like there should be another book, which Mead has said she would love to do but doesn't have plans for the immediate future. I hope she doesn't wait too long.

Rating: 4/5