Review: Brotherhood of Shades by Dawn Finch

Title: Brotherhood of Shades

Author: Dawn Finch

Publisher: Authonomy

Published 15^th October 2012

Kindle edition: ASIN: B0095C3J6Q

Rating: 3.5/5

The cover on this gave me pause for thought – it was the blurb about the book rather than the cover which made me want to read this, as personally I felt the cover looked a bit too much like a horror genre book, which this is not.

Brotherhood of Shades tells of a prophecy which the brotherhood is seeking out to fulfil to prevent disaster.  The Brotherhood acts as a go between agency to disperse spirits from those who have passed but not accepted their fate, and they also grieve for those who have no one else to grieve for them. 

The first time I met one of the main characters, D’Scover, I was intrigued by him.  He has a vast amount of knowledge and obvious talents, and being the Keeper of the Texts sounds great to me :)  The magic and way D’Scover and his agents manoeuvre around was unusual as well.

D’Scover is convinced that Adam is who the Brotherhood is seeking, and together they set out to train and seek out another member to help them complete their destiny.  I really enjoyed Adam’s wit and humour, it made a brilliant contrast to D’Scovers seemingly lack of humour and emotion.  Adam is a character I felt drawn to because of his age and the way in which he died, alone and without family to grieve. 

Overall I did find the story outline to be predictable, but that didn’t stop it from being a page turner.  The ending wasn’t a complete surprise, nor was the villain, but the characters and their charm and wit made it a fairly quick and fun read, with my favourite character being Adam.

Book synopsis:

From the chaos of Dissolution rises a secret order, a Brotherhood formed to protect the world of the living from the world of the dead.

Adam, a teenage boy living on the streets of London, knows nothing of the fantastic and precarious world that exists just beyond his reality – until he dies, cold and alone, aged 14. After years of rejection, Adam discovers he is important, and the Brotherhood needs him. His recruitment to their Order will take him on an adventure that spans the worlds of both the living and the dead, as he and a living girl (14-year-old Edie Freedom) battle to solve a prophetic riddle and save the world.

Source – Many thanks to the publishers, a bound copy was received in return for an honest review.