I was fortunate enough to win an ARC of Shaedes of Gray, the first in the new Shaede Assassin series by Amanda Bonilla. With a release not until December I’ve been dying to be able to talk to you all about it! As December 6th approaches, I am so eager for my fellow Urban Fantasy fans to reach for this book!
The author took some definite risks with building the heroine’s extensive and tragic back-story of centuries, but the payoff is fantastic I am so behind Darian in every way because I get to experience so much with her. I truly empathize with her, and want her to come out on top. There were fantastic plot twists preventing me from guessing what would happen next. And she’s an assassin! Who cusses like a sailor {be still my heart}.
The setting is Seattle, and it is perfect for the mood and tone of the book. She can glide through the shadows and we feel like we really are moving through the city at a quick speed. It’s really cool and so effectively done. As Darian discovers what she is made of, she learns that she has been lied to for a very long time. As we watch her go through event after event, we learn about her new world right along with her. Amanda Bonilla has done a really superb job at creating an engaging world I instantly felt a part of, and a heroine whose strength of character I admired.
Shaedes of Gray proves an excellent foundation for a one-of-a-kind series and definitely makes me wants to stick around for the ride! After reaching out to the author and letting her know that I loved this book so enthusiastically, Ms. Bonilla agreed to do a guest post! Here she goes, but let me close with:
You want this book!
Spaz
The Shaede Assassin Mythos:
Why I chose Seattle and Why I Chose to Stray from Traditional Mythology
When I started writing SHAEDES OF GRAY I knew one thing: that my heroine could become a shadow and leave her corporeal form behind once the sun had set. But as I started my research, I realized that according to most sources, a “shade” was described as a ghost or the shadow of a soul that was bound to earth in incorporeal form. This didn’t mesh with my vision of what my heroine was. And as I continued my research, I realized that I was going to have to leave traditional mythology behind and go out on my own.
I gave my Shaedes a creation myth, a basis for their existence, and I didn’t stop there. I gave them a mortal enemy of Greek-tragedy proportions. I cut my Lyhtan (pronounced lie-tan) race from the same cloth, making them cousins to the Shaedes and giving them the shitty end of the deal creation-wise, just so they’d have a reason to hate my shadow-loving race. There was also something poetic about allowing my “good guys” to have strength in the dark while giving their enemies the advantage during the day. Where my Shaedes are beautiful, my Lyhtans are…let’s just say, not so cute. Darkness is so often associated with evil and ugliness and sunlight with beauty and goodness. I’m all about the role-reversal.
I decided to pepper my fictional Seattle with the full spectrum of supernatural creatures. So far I’ve included sylphs, shifters, sidhe, oracles, fae, nymphs, demons, and jinn, among others. Though I prefer to work with a small cast of characters, I’ve kept some of these creatures in the story’s periphery. That way, I’ve given myself the opportunity to feature some of them in future books. The more, the merrier! But why Seattle? I could have chosen New York, or Chicago, or Charleston. The east coast is packed with great places to write about. Living in the Pacific Northwest, I wanted to stick to areas I knew. Places I’ve seen. And if you’ve ever visited Seattle, you’d believe that supernatural creatures could live there. Seattle has a great energy, plenty of history, and it’s just big enough for preternatural creatures to hide out undetected.
One of the great things about writing fantasy is that I can write whatever my imagination can cook up. I don’t have to stick to a strict set of rules and follow any particular mythos. If I don’t like what I see, I can change it. I am definitely the puppet master of my little world. Case in point: Jinn. Okay, so I know that it’s traditionally spelled, Djinn, or d’Jinn, or some variation thereof, but I didn’t like the “d”, so I got rid of it. I also ditched the traditional genie mythology. For the most part, the jinn are considered demons, tricksters, and evil-doers. I wanted my genies to be wish-granters, ancient and revered. And I wanted them first and foremost, to be protectors. I wrote my own genie mythology as well. Readers might be surprised to see that they’re not going to get a traditional story when they read my book. I wanted to break the mold, trail blaze, set out on my own. And I hope that fans of urban fantasy and paranormal romance will embrace the Shaede Assassin world. Who knows, maybe eighty or ninety years down the road, some kid will be researching a paper on mythology and find an article about the origin of Lyhtans. That would be cool!
Amanda Bonilla lives in rural Idaho with her husband and two kids. She’s a part-time pet wrangler, a full-time sun worshipper, and only goes out into the cold when coerced. When she’s not writing she’s either reading or talking about her favorite books.
Thank you so much for stopping by, Amanda, I am so very excited over the Shaede Assassin series, and I can’t wait for other UF readers to check it out. And I really can’t wait for the next book in the series, Blood Before Sunrise.
Click here to read an excerpt from Shaedes of Gray.
To pre-purchase Shaedes of Gray:
