Cover Image: Band of Shadows

Band of Shadows

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Band of Shadows had well-crafted characters especially Scarlet who learns she is a faye. Very detailed and easy to follow storyline made this quite an enjoyable read.

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Scarlet is so real, and makes a fabulous main character. She suffers from depression and anxiety which isnt represented so often in books, which makes her so relatable to me. The story building and fantasy is excellent. Wonderful pacing, a fantastic storyline. Highly recommend!

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Okay, this one surprised me.

My first impression of it was... not very impressive. I read this on the Kindle app, and I'm guessing it wasn't formatted very well there, because there was no break in chapters, and almost every other sentence was a new paragraph. What I read did not excite me either. It had been a while since I requested it, so I didn't remember the blurb exactly, but I knew I was expecting a fantasy book, so when I started reading about a girl who was in a foster home with six other foster kids, I was confused, to say the least.

The first 25% is basically Scarlet (the MC) going about her life, casually investigating a dream about a mysterious door, and not much else. But around the 30-40% mark, when Scarlet finds her way into the fantasy world we've all been promised, it starts picking up. Honestly, I would say that the plot and pacing still needs a bit of work, because they really only introduce the conflict in the last 25% of the book, which I find weird. The majority of it is spent exploring the fantasy world and getting to know the characters - I don't mind this, in fact, I loved the world, so I enjoyed the slow pace very much. However, considering that everything else felt like a formula YA fantasy, the lack of conflict and slow pacing felt out of place.

I was a little skeptic about the characters at first, too. Scarlet and Jensen, the foster sibling she's closest to, repeatedly exchange formulaic, meaningless banter in the beginning, which made me worry that the characters might be extremely trope-y. But some of the characters actually took me by surprise. Sure, they fit some of the tropes: asshole with powerful parents, hot snarky guy - but there's definitely more to them than what's on the surface. Not to mention, I greatly appreciate the fact that there is no romance here! It might come up in the sequels, I know, but the characters I thought would be the main couple are now firmly friends, so I hope it doesn't happen (I choose to ignore some of the hints that they might be something more). The character development was still a little bit choppy, which might be because of the odd pacing, but as a debut, this was great.

tl;dr It took a while to get into, but the multidimensional characters and the intriguing fantasy world kept me hooked. Although you can definitely see that the author started off with a YA fantasy formula in mind, in time she found her footing and knew where she wanted to go.

SPOILER - PS: Is it just me or did the end reveal remind you of The Mortal Instruments series?

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Thanks to Smith Publicity, I actually received a hard copy ARC of this book and I really enjoyed it. I love the cover and it's such a story. I just really enjoyed it and I would highly recommend this book.

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I'm always here for a soft fantasy/urban fantasy blend. I heard Faye and came running. Unfortunately, i felt really disconnected with the MC; it might relate to the orphan/seeing things fresh through her eyes (I'm not sure that made sense, but it's the only reason I can think of as the writing was well done). There kept being what I thought was scene build up... and then it just wasn't (i.e. odd descriptors). I'm sort of on the fence abour whether or not I wish to contintue with the series, which isn't a common occurrence for me. That being said, it was an easy fast read that I did in fact enjoy.

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Band of Shadows by H. P. Waitt is a book about Scarlet, an orphan who feels like she never belonged anywhere. She always felt like she was just drifting and different.  For some time Scarlet has been having these dreams/nightmares about a door.  She just knew that these dreams where more than that, somehow related to her life in the real world. One day, Scarlet is out walking with her foster brother when she notices the door, her door, from her dreams!  Beyond the door is an entire new realm, Avalon home of the Faye, led by none other than Morgana.  Although it soon becomes apparent that Scarlet is the center of the new attacks from the mysterious Band of Shadows.  What could they want from her?

Avalon is the realm of the Faye. Home to all Faye that decide not to live in the human world. Scarlet just found out she is part of the Faye world and just realizing what it means to be Faye. Between learning how to control her abilities and training for the next time the Band of Shadows attacks, Scarlet hasn't been able to find out much more about her parents and why she was left. Does this mysterious leader of the Band of Shadows hold the answers? Or Will she just be destroyed for standing in his way?


I thought this book was well written and had a lot going for it. It did take me a little while to truly enjoy reading the book. I thought it was ok until I got more than halfway done. The problem was that I didn't know where it was going and there really wasn't a whole lot going on. I thought well, it could be setting up for a really good series or it could just be blah. I am glad I stuck through it, as I could see this as being a very good series. I love that the author put to use the mythical Avalon with Morgana, but threw in differences. Obviously the author spent some time with thinking of the abilities that the Faye have, and I really like that, it is very different. It's nice to see that this orphan had a new home and new friends, that she has something that is hers.

Unfortunately there were a couple things I didn't like about the book. One was when the author would give you some information that could be interesting or critical to the storyline but then that would be it. Like the necklace that Scarlet is wearing, the scene was kind of important but then that was it. Scarlet never even thought of it after that, I mean she just learned something about this one piece she got from her parents and then hears about what it is and then nothing! It seems like the author has too many storylines going on at the same time. It can be very frustrating for the reader to read this and then get nothing more. One more thing is why is Morgana taking so much interest in Scarlet, obviously one reason is the premonition but it feels like more than that. Wouldnt Scarlet be asking Morgana all she could about her parents and what they did and were like. It just seems like there is so much information or dead ends in this book. If the Author could work on just some of those details, it would make for a much better book.

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Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this in exchange for my honest opinion.

Oh dear. This book had such potential. I mean, the premise sounded fantastic! Faye? Possible betrayals? Can the person who wrote the description write that book please? Because this book was not that book.

First, there was the issue of the dialogue. It wasn’t believable at all. It was clunky and stilted, which immediately dulled my interest in the book. Admittedly, it’s been a while since I’d qualify as a “young adult” but I remember my friends and myself saying a lot more than “Ugh!” or “Arrgh!” to each other. Eventually, the random noises became a little less common, but damage done.

Also, there’s the door. Scarlet has a repeating dream about an odd door– so she decides to research it? Um…aside from that not being anyone’s first reaction after dreaming about a door, how on earth did she plan on “researching” based solely on an image in her mind of a door? There’s nothing to go on. Thank goodness for coincidences, the door showing up right away! Sigh.

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I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.


Night after night Scarlet is plagued by a strange dream of a door. A door that she one day finds seemingly by accident with her best friend Jensen. When she finally opens the door an steps through she finds herself transported alone to magical land. After nearly a decade of living in the foster system, Scarlet might be able to finally find out the answers to many of her questions. Who her parents were, how she came to be alone and why strange things keep on happen around her.

(This book is inspired/influenced by Arthurian legend. With a number of characters, history and the island’s name, Avalon, depriving from these legends.)

This book I found pretty difficult to read. I liked a lot of the characters and I thought that the magic was kind of interesting (I had a few issues with it, but I’ll get to that later). But I didn’t find myself particularly invested in the majority of the plot. Because I felt that for most of the book there wasn’t really much of a plot. There was a lot of information about Avalon and different Genos and Ultras (powers), there was some exploration of the island through a game that honestly I still don’t really understand. I really liked the friendships that Scarlet built throughout the book, that was one of the few things that I did enjoy when reading this book.

I didn’t feel that invested in the story until about over half way through. Mainly because I felt that after Scarlet arrived in Avalon there wasn’t much going on. The only thing that did happen was Scarlet learning about her powers and finally find out a tiny bit about her parents from Morgana (who had know them before they died). There was obviously a lot of Scarlet getting used to her knew life in Avalon, learning to use her powers, and making friends. But other than that I felt nothing really happened until the threat of the Shadow/Iladwyn coming to Avalon. I found that the story got more interesting towards the last 30ish% of the book.

I did find the “big” fight at the end of the book was a little bit lacklustre. It was interesting to read about different powers being used, but I felt that it could have been edited a bit more so that there was more focus on the main characters and what they were doing rather than just being like “look at how cool these power are”. It felt pretty jumpy, as it moved from different fights and people that was a little annoying.

One thing I did like at the end was that a lot of people voiced their annoyance at Morgana and her vagueness and inability to tell people information. It made me pretty happy that a number of the characters yelled at her.

Another thing that I liked was that we see Jensen again briefly in the epilogue. As Scarlet’s best friend I had expected her to be more concerned about him, there is a scene of Scarlet writing a letter to him to let him know that she’s alright but after that there isn’t anything else from her. She doesn’t seem to experience any moment of guilt about forgetting him as she settles into her new life. But in the epilogue we do see that Jensen hasn’t forgotten her and is still worried for her and is still looking/trying to contact her a year after she disappeared through a door. Even though people tell him that she’s just run away.

I probably won’t continue reading this series just because I didn’t feel that invested in the story.

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This book is a little slow to start and I can see where the author struggled to find their voice a bit. Overall I enjoyed this book and world but I think it could of used a little bit more.

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I was sad that I didn’t enjoy this as much as I wanted to, it had a good premise and full of promise, but that’s where it ended sadly. It was chaotic, confusing and the pace was all over the place. I couldn’t connect with the story at all.


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

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You can find this review and all of my others over at www.readbookrepeat.wordpress.com

Actual rating of 3.75

Scarlet has been in the foster system her whole life. She's been shunted from house to house and finally she's in one that's good. She lives with a group of other foster children, and for the most part, life is good, at seventeen she finally feels like she's been placed in a good house, just for her to be out on her own in less than a year. After weeks and weeks of disrupted sleep due to a recurring dream about a strange door, Scarlet, along with her best friend (and fellow foster child) Jensen are on their way to a sports game, only for Scarlet to find the door. What happens next is as amazing as it is unbelievable. The next day Scarlet and Jensen go back to the door, when Jensen has no luck in making it budge, Scarlet gives it a try, and is unceremoniously dumped onto the greenest, most lush grass she has ever had the pleasure of seeing. In no time at all she is separated from Jensen, finding out that she is a Faye who has powers, and that this is a world on the brink of war against Iladwyn and the band of shadows. You know, all in a day's work and all that. Will Scarlet be able to adjust to this life of magic and wonder? And who is Iladwyn?

The premise of this book had me hitting request as fast as my little fingers would let me. A girl growing up in foster care, who at seventeen, finds out that she's magical. SIGN. ME. UP! I had a bit of a problem with the pacing at the beginning of this book though. I actually considered DNFing it a few times because it just wasn't moving, but I have a strict policy on ARCs where I don't like to DNF unless I just cannot do it. Luckily this story kept me hooked with the promise of so much more that I stuck with it, and I'm super glad that I did. The beginning of the story is all about setting up how regular Scarlet is, that's what I took from it anyway. It literally just goes through her normal day to day activities, and her not really doing anything but living. So I guess you could put the first quarter of the book (roughly) down to a slice of life story about a foster child who's not far from leaving the system. I don't mind slice of life, if I'm honest, I'm quite a sucker for a slice of life anime. This one just felt a bit boring in the beginning for me. So I implore you, if you are finding that it's a bit stagnant and you're getting bored, STICK WITH IT. I promise you that the story picks up and becomes incredibly engaging.

I like the character of Scarlet. She's likeable and doing her best to deal with this unbelievable circumstance that she finds herself in. I love that she was questioning the reality of it all. It's always hard to get behind a character who is thrown into this totally unbelievable situation and responds with "oh okay, this is a thing, cool". I want a little bit of believability, in my stories and characters, no matter the genre. If something is out of the ordinary, I want my character to question it, to be a bit weary. I was really liking the character of Jensen too, but to my slight disappointment, we leave him in the beginning of the book and we don't really come back to him bar the epilogue, so I'm really hoping that Waitt revisits his character in the books to come, because I want to know more about Jensen and how he is really dealing with Scarlet's disappearance. I want him to have an active as possible role in this story.

The other Faye that we meet in Avalon are all written really well, and I enjoyed every single one of them, even the douchebag characters, that's how well they are written. I especially like how Stiles, Ryker, Lena and Morgana are written. I also have an incredible soft spot for Declan and I can't wait to see where his story goes. I absolutely love that Morgana is written in such a way that we question her, I thought that was brilliant.

I loved the little bits and pieces that really made up Avalon. I absolutely ADORED the anigma game. WHAT A BLOODY FANTASTIC IDEA!! I wish anigma was real because I would SO be a part of that. I'd want to be placed on the purple team, because, you know, cool characters and all. The magic system was explained beautifully and there is no difficulty in understanding it whatsoever. I love that idea that each Faye gets two powers - one from each parent and then their own power as well. It really is such an interesting aspect of this story and I loved finding out each and every person's powers.

The overall story was enjoyable, and once it got going, was a definite page turner for me. I'm really interested in the revelation of Iladwyn, I want to know more about Morgana, yay for Ryker, and I'm really keen to see where this story goes. As I said, I'm really hoping for Jensen to end up back in the story with a more active role because I really liked his character. The only reason I rated this down was because of how much I was struggling with the pacing in the beginning. I have no doubt that this story is just going to keep getting better and better, and I cannot WAIT to get my hands on it.

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Band of Shadows by H.P. Waitt 2 stars

This book was given to me by Smith Publicity in exchange for an honest review.

I want to start off with the good things about this book, and I am going to try and be honest without being mean. This is going to be as objective as possible.

There are books that I DNF (Did Not Finish) in the past and unfortunately this one is joining my short list of books I couldn’t get through. However, I understand that first time authors need time to grow and really understand their voice and style, which is the main reason I gave this book two stars instead of one. I’m a tough critic when it comes to writing, grammar and overall flow, content and development of characters. I can admit good writing even when the style and story isn’t particularly my taste. However, even with the book sounding like it would be my taste, it failed to deliver a good, well-written story. I made it seventy-five percent of the way through this book before deciding that I just couldn’t drag myself through it anymore.

The good thing about this book is you can tell that the author really tried and it actually started off with a good hook. The summary and the first few chapters were great! The way Waitt started her story definitely gave way to interest. I wanted to see what happened and I wanted to know what and where that door was, but as we traveled farther into this story I, unfortunately, couldn’t care less.

Where the characters had some pieces of fun and natural banter, most of the dialogue was clunky, and uncomfortably choppy. The overall flow of this book was awkward and read more like an informative textbook rather than a fantasy tale.

The cadence and grammar of this novel are probably the worst part. I understand that I had an ARC of this book and I hope much was fixed before publication because between incorrect usage of words and run-on sentences, this book was very poorly edited.

I feel horrible in having to give this book such a poor review, but I owe the publisher and the author my honesty. I really hope that the next time this author decides to write, it is edited better and the writing skills are better developed.

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Band of Shadows is the perfect marriage of science fiction and fantasy. Scarlett is powerful but flawed, and makes a compelling hero, while staying away troupe-ish "Mary-Sue," know-er of all, most powerful of all stereotypes we commonly see with heroines. Not needing magic to give her strength, she pulls from within to train and ready herself for the battle ahead. Onyx, the leader of the Band of Shadows, is an interestingly gray-charater that will make you feel uncomfortable in a good way. No love triangles to be seen, and with most YA cliches left far behind, this book comes highly recommended. We can't wait for the next one in the series!!!

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This was a very difficult book to get into. It wasn't confusing, the story was rather very simple and cliché but the structure and the dialogues were a bit choppy.
This is the story of 17 year old Scarlet, who has hopped from one foster home to another for the better part of her childhood until she meets the Parsons, here she somewhat connects with her only friend Jensen. But even then she faces trouble when she has mysterious dreams about doors and she can suddenly make things happen with her thoughts.
An interesting story with complex characters but just not something I enjoyed a lot.

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I enjoyed the beginning of this book, it was well written, but then it just seemed to lose something, and I struggled to keep reading.

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We meet Scarlet a 17 year old orphan with no recollection of her past, her family or even her surname. She has bounced from foster home to foster home ending up what she hopes is her last home before her 18th birthday or in other words freedom.
We follow Scarlet and her best friend Jenson, well really her only friend, through everyday living through very detailed and very engaging writing.
As the book captures you, drawing you in chapter by chapter, we begin to see Scarlet isn’t exactly what she seems but unable to put our/ her finger on what is happening around her not only through the day but also as she sleeps an dreams of a mysterious door...
A door, you say. Sounds a little like Alice in Wonderland perhaps. Well take a ride with Scarlet as she falls though the door ending up in a most unforgettable place called, Avalon. The writer continues to describe the most simple of objects and create a more magical twist, drawing you in until you too are under a spell., until the very last page was turned leaving me wanting more...

I look forward to the second book with great anticipation and would recommend this book to all that enjoy YA, fantasy and magic.

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I found the opening of this book to be quite amazing, the opening line is the perfect hook. However, I found it extremely hard to get into. Maybe it was just the ARC copy I have, but it was so "unpolished". I felt like I was reading a first draft. Everything was really choppy including the dialogue. The characters, however, were the best part. I found myself really connecting with Scarlet. And I feel like her journey of discovering who (and what) she is to be fasinating.

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E-arc provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

I did understand the story. I truly did but wasn't too impressed.
This is the story of Scarlet which she never felt like she belonged somewhere after being in the foster system since she was young.
One day she got through a mirror and she entered another world.

Sounds cliche-y to you? Well, it was!
I overall think that the writing was okay but in the end I didn't care much for the story unfortunately =(

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