Shadowed Steelby Chloe Neill
Rating: ★★★★
isbn: 9781473230606
Series: Heirs of Chicagoland #3
Publication Date: May 6, 2021
Pages: 309
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Gollancz
Elisa Sullivan is the only vampire ever born, and she bears a heavy legacy. After a sojourn with the North American Central Pack of shifters in the wilderness–where she turned a young woman into a vampire to save her life–Elisa returns to Chicago.
But no good deed goes unpunished. The ruling body of vampires, the Assembly of American Masters, is furious that Elisa turned someone without their permission, and they’re out for her blood. When an AAM vampire is found dead, Elisa is the prime suspect. Someone else is stalking Chicago-and Elisa. She’ll need to keep a clear head, and a sharp blade, to survive all the supernatural strife.
This one started out rough for me, as I generally don’t like the ‘woman in peril’ trope at all. It’s trite and worn in all its iterations, so having the MC set up for a murder she didn’t commit and put before a kangaroo court didn’t incline me to lose myself in the narrative or plot.
Luckily I really enjoy the author’s gift of snark and dialogue, so I persevered, and the story got interesting as soon as it became clear the said MC wasn’t going to martyr herself. I enjoyed watching the formation of the scooby gang, and the political machinations at the end were a lot of fun. So all in all, the author pulled it off, and I await with anticipation the next one in the series.