Wraith

This book has a lot going for it. It's easy to dive into. It captured and held my attention from the first chapter. The concept is intriguing. The protagonist, Saiya, is a wraith -- a person who can separate her body from her shadow, and transfer her consciousness to her shadow, giving her faster and stealthier mobility. While others of her kind are feared because they're usually assassins, she uses her abilities as a spy, trading information for necessities like food and medical supplies in a tyrannical society ruled by goblins. Her love interest is a dark elf named Gabriel. He is an envoy sent to check on the living conditions of the citizens. He is extremely powerful, but he is not there to overthrow the goblins. Subvert them, maybe, but his hands are mostly tied by political nonsense. Oh, and he is racist against wraiths, which throws a kink in their match. Saiya and Gabriel are at odds throughout the novel. He doesn't know she's a wraith (self-preservation and all), and she doesn't really understand what it means to be his Fior Ghal (machinations for insta-love). Gabriel is instantly infatuated with Saiya, but he knows she is keeping secrets, and Saiya is resistant to his attentions for much of the story.

There were only a couple parts that didn't sit well with me. The first was how quickly Saiya came around when she finally understood what it was to be his Fior Ghal. Once she understood, it was instant acceptance. That might be my own personal issue though. I'm not a huge fan of destiny and instant forever-afters. But some people are. The second issue I had was Gabriel's reaction to her being a wraith. Gabriel has some deep "prejudice" against wraiths, and after all that they had been through together, I was surprised at his reaction. He knew she was keeping secrets. And when he finally learns the truth, I'm left feeling disappointed that she truly could not have trusted him with truth in the first place. It almost seems like he really may have killed her first and asked questions later if she told him in the beginning. And after all her defiance throughout the book, I would've expected more attitude to his reaction. Of course he does come around later. It would've been a crappy ending otherwise. And kudos for him sticking up for her when it counts later on. But seriously, everyone is fricken' racist, and she's just like, "Oh, it's ok, it's what I expect, thank you for being GRACIOUS enough to finally come around!" She's such a strong character. It just frustrated me when that strength didn't extend to appreciation of her race. She doesn't have self-hate, but she was way too accepting of her race-hate.

Overall, I would still recommend this book! My issues were easy to get past overall because they weren't drawn out through the whole book.