Shadow of Samhain Review

Hi everyone *waves*

First off, I'm not a professional reviewer, nor even an amateur. I am a professional reader, if there is such a thing LOL I've been reading for many years. I devour books like they're chocolate. I agreed, for my part of the tour, to do a review. So here goes my opinion as a reader.

Shadow of Samhain, by Dawn Colclasure has a great premise. Love the base plot and story line. Druids particularly fascinate me. As I've recently traced my ancestry back to there, there's been a renewal pushing me back toward the extreme obsession I used to have.

An ancient evil, one that's come through the centuries to carry out a curse that kills some and takes over others. Love the base horror concept. What is scarier than an evil being that can take over your body and make you do things you don't wish to, as well as holds magic and power beyond what this world has seen in a millennia?

The main character is likeable, although it took me a long time to warm up to her. On a scale from 1-5, I give it a 3. The pacing was off for me, too much explanation at times, and not enough at others. I wish there had been more of the ancient times, or a stronger delving into the life of Druids sooner.

All in all, it was a fine read, even though I may have wished for better characterization, and tighter tension. The potential for some on your seat scary was there, but the story fell slightly short of the mark. I do mean slightly. And partly why I feel this could have been tighter and more intense is because there were flashes in the prose that showed the author was capable of it.

If given the chance, I would read more of this author's writing.

If you like the Druids, and ancient stuff filtering into modern life (which I do!) this is the read for you. Here is one link to Shadow of Samhain: http://www.bookstrand.com/shadow-of-samhain

Have any of you read it? If so, what did you think? What did you find as the strongest characteristic? The weakest?