Shadow Bound: Review

Synopsis:

If you live in the dark long enough, you begin to forget the light... 

Kori Daniels is a shadow-walker, able to travel instantly from one shadow to another. After weeks of confinement for betraying her boss, she's ready to break free of the Tower syndicate for good. But Jake Tower has one final job for Kori, one chance to secure freedom for herself and her sister, Kenley, even if it means taking it from someone else....

The job? Recruit Ian Holt-or kill him.

Ian's ability to manipulate the dark has drawn interest from every syndicate in the world, most notably an invitation from Jake Tower. Though he has no interest in organized crime, Ian accepts the invite, because he's on a mission of his own. Ian has come to kill Tower's top Binder: Kori's little sister.

Amid the tangle of lies, an unexpected thread of truth connecting Ian and Kori comes to light. But with opposing goals, they'll have to choose between love and liberty....

***

Shadow Bound is just as good as Blood Bound. Maybe even better. There are infinitely more action scene and more blood are spilled. Things are really fierce in Shadow Bound. Unlike Blood Bound, there's already a potential danger right from the start of the book, and it always act like a subconscious reminder that just how fast-paced and dangerous the book is. I love this book just as much as Blood Bound. I can't wait for Oath Bound and the fighting scene that come along.

Kori is a very interesting character. She's extremely fierce and fearless. I can practically compare her with Tris. They are just as dauntless and... in a way, selfless. But there's one thing I love about Kori, and that is her colorful words. Yep, I've never been more awed and amused by her use of words. It's just so brilliant and fun. When she cusses, she's more real than ever. It's like she's a real person instead of a character. Vincent chooses the exact right character to improve the book's awesomeness.

Ian is another story. Don't get me wrong, he's an awesome character as well, and I really like him. He's just as badass as Kori in more ways than one, and he's protective to the ones he loves (just like Kori). But he's softer. Not the insecure kind of soft, but the kindness that makes him a little bit soft. That's the exact part why I like him so much. Yes, he's torn between protecting his brother and Kori, but when his humanity shine through, it's utterly fascinating. Another character that makes the book epic.

The plot is awesome. You can't imagine how fast-paced the plot is. It's... it's like you're watching the best action movie in the world. There are countless fights, distrust, suspicion, and smokey hotness. But the ending is slightly disappointing, because it's... kind of a rush, and a little too fast. I wish I can see more struggle in the finale. But it's a minor problem compare to the awesomeness of the book.

I love Unbound series because it's just so real. Yep, the Trackers, the Readers, the Travelers... they are not real. But Vincent make all these so real that it's just one step from actually believing those Skills exist. The truly fascinating part is, the problems the characters faced in the books are actually mirror images of what we faced in the real world. There are struggles, betrayal, heart-break, and so on. All because of the limit of choices we have. It's a very good reflection, only in the books, they are more bloody :)

Rating: 8.5/10