I sincerely enjoyed Gold Shadow by L.C. Perry. It is no surprise to me that I loved the main character, Ebony. She is just my type of heroine – fiery, stubborn, and complex.
Summary
In the North American continent, eighteen year old Ebony has been living as a slave for as long as she can remember. The underground cities, the tattoo, the scars and the shackles are a part of the only world she has ever known. She knows that in order to survive, she will have to stay strong. And she will stay strong, cursing those in power, until her very last breath. She waits for a meaningful way to die as she quietly pushes her body to its limit…but that all changes when rebels from the surface drop down right in front of her.
Now, Ebony is challenged to envision a life beyond slavery as she and the other escapees are thrown into the center of a rebellion against the monarchy. She has to embrace this glimmer towards a real life…this glimmer called freedom. But what can she contribute to a rebellion that is doomed to fail like those before it? How can they stop a corrupt monarchy that has lasted for a century?
Among the lower class, those with hope are hard to come by, but Ebony has found refuge with people full of it. And through their strong desire, an idea emerges…one that has never been done before. The princess of the country is coming of age and what better way to send a message to the king and queen than to kidnap their only daughter?
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this free book from the author. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
I loved Ebony and her perspective. She was such a great heroine, because she truly grows as a person – and you don’t have to wait till the bitter end. Gold Shadow is a slow paced novel because it really looks at the characters around her and the whole kind of ‘consciousness awakening’ process. I really enjoy slow paced books that allow us to really see into the character’s mind. Gold Shadow is even better in that regard because we also get to really see the side characters – who I really loved! We found out their own personal stories and we were able to really get to know them.
I also loved the dystopian world idea in Gold Shadow. It’s a pretty heavy dystopia, but it’s well detailed and there are little details that just illustrates the thoroughness.
The only thing I didn’t really enjoy was the other protagonist, Irene. Is this any surprise there? Irene is pretty self-absorbed and, this is probably just me, but she reminds me of some of my family members – in the worst way. She’s one of those people who would genuinely not know about global warming, but complain about it. By the end, she becomes a bit more tolerable, and I can kind of see where Perry is going to take her, but it was still a bit hard. I predict she will have the character growth she needs within the sequel!
Check out Gold Shadow on Goodreads.
It’s good to see a slow-paced novel for a change. In our instant communication world where we are so used to immediate results it’s a fitting reminder that change happens slowly and for good reason.
Right? I want more slower novels, there’s something to say for something unfolding slowly