Promise of Shadows
Ms. Ireland takes the traditional Greek myths and shakes them up ever so slightly to create a story that is different and exciting. All of the key components remain – the mythical beasts, the gods and goddesses, the lesser gods, the monsters. It is their relationships to one another that are so interesting and unique. Their source of power is also quite fascinating in the fact that she ties into the perpetual fight between darkness and light. This world of half-gods and Exalted is unfamiliar enough to require some adjustment time, but any discomfort about the foreign elements fades quickly as readers become vested in Zephyr’s fate.Zephyr’s voice is refreshingly honest. She speaks with enough slang to fit her age without going overboard and seeming like a foreign language. More important, her cadence is perfect; her exclamations and pauses are very realistic. Her inner and external dialogue is like listening to one’s own teenage daughter. She earns a reader’s sympathy without making one cringe with too much angst-ridden whining. The limited amount of teen-speak makes Promise of Shadows a perfect candidate for cross- over into the adult realm.
Another delightful twist is how matter-of-fact all of the characters are. It rains excrement in Tartarus, and no one bats an eye. Later, one character turns into a full-fledged dragon like it’s no big deal. The discussions, taken out of context, are laughable, but Ms. Ireland makes it all just the way things are in Zephyr’s life. Everything is so plausible and perfectly normal. Yet, there is the slightest hint of snark throughout the story specifically because all of the magical beings and mythical power struggles treated as ordinary. The very lack of reaction by the characters is a nod to the absurdity of it all, which adds another bit of humor to the entire fare.
With Promise of Shadows, Ms. Ireland plays with Greek mythology to create something other than a battle against Zeus and the other gods of Olympus. The darkness of the Underworld takes on a different hue as a very sympathetic Zephyr grows into her powers. The attraction between Tallon and Zephyr is adorable albeit predictable. Overall, it is a very satisfying story that hints at more to come. Given how cute Zephyr is in her awkwardness and how enjoyable the entire story is, one can only hope that is not the last we will see of Zephyr.