Shadow of the Hegemon

The storyline progressed well enough in this book but I was surprised to see that Josey is no longer a strong woman. Now she's a weak, whining fool who pines for Caim. The only reason I was interested in her section of the plot was my interest in what was happening to the city and the creature loose in it. This complete change in her personality threw me, and disgusted me. She seems to make every wrong choice possible and hides away in her room like a child.
Now as for Caim's storyline, I was happy to learn more about his abilities, or at least what he is capable of, but I wish there had been more to Kit's story. The small tease we received leaves me wanting to know about where she came from and who she is.
All together the action was great, the amount we learn about the shadow lands was suitable and at the end we are left with new questions to pique our interest in the next and final novel.

Shadow's Lure is the second book of Sprunk's Shadow Saga, following the debut of “Shadow's Son” last year (2010). In this volume, we return to Othir immediately after the events of “Shadow's Son” as Caim heads north, looking for answers to his past and the murder of his parents. What he finds is a land under the grip of the Shadow, personified in the witch Sybelle and the hints of shadow born magic that darken the land. Meanwhile, Josey, as Empress, is struggling with the politics of a land that seems beset with chaos, not to mention assassins out to remove her. And then there's the fae Kit, who early in the book is whisked away from Caim as she has to deal with her own troubles.

“Shadow's Lure” needs to be read in sequence with the rest of the series, unfortunately. Sprunk gives the new reader nothing to identify with with the characters, plunging the reader into a world where the three main characters have very little direct interaction with one another. readers coming to this book directly from the end of book one, though, will appreciate that this book picks up within days of the first book.

Sprunk keeps the secrets of his world at bay, giving us only hints and suggestions. For now, this is enough, though the third book, “Shadow's Master,” has a lot of promises to deliver on. Sprunk's books will appeal to the sword and sorcery fans - assassins, magic, and action litter the novel, leaving very little room for the doldrums to creep in.