{Review} The Shadows (Black Dagger Brotherhood #13) by J.R Ward

Posted by Donna
Release Date: March 31st, 2015
Finished Date: April 12th, 2015

Publishers: Pitakus
Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: Hardcover

Pages: 592

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Two brothers bound by more than blood fight to change a brutal destiny in the heart-wrenching new novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood by Sunday Times bestselling author J. R. Ward.

Trez "Latimer" doesn't really exist. And not just because the identity was created so that a Shadow could function in the underbelly of the human world. Sold by his parents to the Queen of the S'Hsibe as a child, Trez escaped the Territory and has been a pimp and an enforcer in Caldwell, NY for years- all the while on the run from a destiny of sexual servitude. He's never had anyone he could totally rely on . . . except for his brother, iAm.

iAm's sole goal has always been to keep his brother from self-destructing- and he knows he's failed. It's not until the Chosen Serena enters Trez's life that the male begins to turn things around... but by then it's too late. The pledge to mate the Queen's daughter comes due and there is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, and no negotiating.

Trapped between his heart and a fate he never volunteered for, Trez must decide whether to endanger himself and others- or forever leave behind the female he's in love with. But then an unimaginable tragedy strikes and changes everything. Staring out over an emotional abyss, Trez must find a reason to go on or risk losing himself and his soul forever. And iAm, in the name of brotherly love, is faced with making the ultimate sacrifice . . .

The Review: It feels like it's been too long since a new Black Dagger Brotherhood book was released - well it was a year. That's too long! ;) 

When I first heard that Trez and iAm were getting their stories told I admit I wasn't as excited about them as much as I have been over the previous characters. I feel like I have a stronger connect to the Brotherhood more than the secondary characters, I have grown attached to Trez and iAm but still I didn’t see me enjoying their story as much as I did. So yes I had my doubts, I was still looking forward to what J.R Ward would bring to their story. And I’ve even yes, I've seen all the bad reviews. People hating this book definitely gave me even bigger doubts. So I decided to go into this book with no expectations and I honestly I really loved the book! Some people won't agree but for me, this was different from all the previous books. It was so much more unexpected, so much more unpredictable, and so much more emotional and clearly, I would have liked everyone to have a happy ending – and don’t let that put you off because JR writes this story true to the characters and in the end all the characters have the right ending – it did still have some sort of happy ending, a peaceful and hopeful one. I know this sounds a bit hypocritical but I’ll be honest, I may have a different outlook on this story if it had been one of my favourite characters in the same position Trez and Selena were and yes, maybe it was because Trez wasn’t a favourite character so I wasn’t as invested in his story as much, I don’t know but all I know is I really enjoyed The Shadows. 

Trez and iAm have definitely become stronger players in the Brotherhood's world and reading The Shadows proves how much they really are a part of the story now – they live at the compound and the Brothers accept them completely and wholly and will stand by them no matter what and respect them, and this goes both ways. Its shows how the Brotherhood is growing and opening up to new challenges and people and I for one am exciting to see what the next few books bring in regards to the Brotherhood growing and enrolling new people. 

The Shadows tell Trez and Selena’s story but it also tells iAm's and his girl - who I'm keeping quiet about. ;) And we also see more from Xcor, Layla, Rhage, Assail, and a new character, Paradise. It's always exciting to see who will feature in each book and it was good to see that JR focused more on the main characters rather than boring chapters from people that I’m certainly not interested in. This is why I enjoyed this book more. I felt she focused more on the people who mattered and so it definitely held my interest more. And Paradise as a new character was great. I’m intrigued to see what will happen next with her and her friend Peyton. I am a firm believer that this series needs new players, it needs new males and new females willing to fight. 

With each book that JR writes I’m always hopeful that she will finally reveal the John Matthew secret and unfortunately, it doesn’t come in this book. I was disappointed that we didn’t see much from John Matthew at all but I understand there’s so much going on. I’m praying this big secret is revealed soon. Please JR reveal it! It has to be soon. 

In all, this book may not have been a hit for some of you but for me, it was a win and if you didn’t already notice, I can’t wait to see what’s coming next! 

Thank you to Pitakus for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.