Shadow Winged
by
Jilleen Dolbeare
This is, in most ways, a fairly standard Urban Fantasy story – except the main character is an Alaskan bush pilot, and much of the story takes place in the wild and not in a city. Even so, it feels like Urban Fantasy. It’s got that attitude, you know.
It’s good. Don’t get me wrong, standard in this case doesn’t mean it’s bad. More like, if you have a hankering for a good ol’ Urban Fantasy story, you won’t go wrong with this one.
What sets Shadow Winged apart is the location where the story takes place and how that’s influenced the fantasy aspects of the story. Much of it draws on the region’s indigenous mythology (which I know next to nothing about and won’t comment on), and it’s a breath of fresh air. Instead of fae and vampires, there are other things going bump in the night and while some of them will be familiar (werwolves), others might not.
So what’s it about? Well, there’s a man (Fletcher) who inherits a cabin so deep in the forest he needs a pilot (Piper, the main character) to fly him out there. Turns out there’s gold hidden on the land, and too many people that aren’t Fletcher or Piper know about it.
What I’ll whine about
This is the first in a series, so there will be more books, but I still felt like there were too many unanswered questions at the end of the book. I don’t mind reading the next one to find out more, but I’d rather have had those loose ends tied up.
What I’ll gush about
The mythology. As mentioned earlier. The story is inspired by the indigenous tribes of the region, and it’s quite refreshing to see something new and interesting in the genre.
Final Words
Urban Fantasy set in the Alaskan wilderness, can that work? Sure thing.
