After helping an empress reclaim her throne in Shadow´s Son, Caim decides to learn the truth about his past and his parents. He heads north to a land in thrall to the shadows, leaving Josey to solidify her power as the new empress. Much of Josey's story focuses on political machinations as the church's supporters try to rid themselves of Josey as she increasingly distances her policies from those of the church. She finds herself the target of an assassination and in Caim's absence must accept help from unlikely places.

Along with Kit, Caim heads north looking for answers about his murdered parents. What he finds is a land in fear of an evil witch who controls the lord of the land. Reluctantly, he finds himself fighting for their cause, taking control of a group of untrained but eager fighters. The fight eventually leads him to the answers about his murdered parents. Meanwhile, Kit is pulled into the realm of shadows, showing us a better view of the source of Caim's power.

I have mixed feelings about Shadow's Lure by Jon Sprunk. There were parts I really enjoyed, like Kit's journey through the shadows. It showed more of Kit's back story and how she came to be Caim's companion as well as giving a little bit of character to the shadows that Caim commands. But there were also parts that delved into the overused idea of evil for the sake of evil. The witch controlling the northern lands seem to be evil with no real motivation other than to be evil. Also, many of the plot points ended just a little too neatly.

My Recommendation
If you have read and enjoyed Shadow´s Son by Jon Sprunk, continuing the series with Shadow's Lure is a no-brainer. While I still I think the first book was stronger, Shadow's Lure is still a great continuation, with a more epic feel. I hope to see more about the shadow realm in the next book

Shadow's Lure by Jon Sprunk is available at Amazon.com

Shadow's Lure by Jon Sprunk
Published by Pyr
391 pages
My free review copy of Shadow's Lure was provided by the publisher.