Shadow Heir

I'm absolutely disappointed with this book. I feel sort of betrayed that Richelle would choose to end it they way that she did. An ending like that would be enough for me to drop an author altogether and the only reason I won't is because I'm way too invested in her VA world to drop Bloodlines.
This is strike two against Richelle's end of series. The way LS ended was sort of disappointing but there was the excuse that things would be explained later in the spin-off. I don't fail to see the irony that her most successful end of series was with Succubus and that series wasn't even great in my opinion.
It is Richelle's style to make her heroines with flaws. I get that and I accept it, even though they make me cringe and roll my eyes several times. What I don't get is building an expectation like Richelle did in Iron Crowned to just divert the story to a totally different direction. If you are expecting a confrontation between Eugenie and Kiyo, or any real confrontation involving Eugenie, Dorian, Kiyo, and Mayween, well, sorry to disappoint but it doesn't happen.
What you will see is Eugenie in yet another quest to defeat a bad guy that honestly, I didn't care about. The entire book felt like a filler and the matter that everyone really wanted to see resolved only got addressed at the end of it and I have to say, it was lacking. Okay, there were a couple interesting twists that I didn't see coming but they weren't enough to save the book. And the ending was so ridiculous and senseless that I can only assume Richelle wrote the book while pregnant and the hormones addled her brains.
If you hadn't started this series, I seriously advice you to stay away. Don't waste your time and money because you will just end up feeling like me, completely pissed off.

First let me say that I plan on putting a lot of spoilers in this review so please take that to heart.

I have never wrote a review before, but I felt the need to with this book. The book's story overall was ok. However, I think it lacked depth, and felt really rushed towards the last few chapters. I really felt that Richelle must have had a tight deadline or something, because every other book I've read of hers has been awesome. The book's ending was horrible, a let down, and honestly unforgiving. I, as a fan was soooo excited to find out about Dorian being the father. I literally had a big smile on my face. I feel like that every fan probably feels this way and that Eugenie as the main character was just as exstatic. Then in the last few pages, Richlle completely changes everything Eugenie stands for and has her decide to leave her kids with strangers and to NOT tell Dorian he's the father??? When I read that, I literally said outloud "What the F%@!" There is no way, shape, or form that the main character, would have done this in any other book in this series. Eugenie was built up to be this hero, fighting for the good of both worlds, and doing everything she could to protect her family. I mean she worked harder and thought more about saving Dorian and Jasmine, than she did giving up her own kids and not telling the babies father?

To do this to a main character, a likeable main character, in the last book, and the last few pages of a book is seriously lazy. Thats the only word I can think to describe this. If Eugenie was going to be this cold person, that kept secrets and lied all of the time she should have been that way throughout the whole series. Sure she messed up a few things but she always felt guilt about it! She didnt smile to their faces and hide things. Honestly it's just disheartening, and if I didnt love her other 16 books, she would have lost me as a fan. I feel like the fans are owed an explanation for this.

Let's start off this review by saying that I love Richelle Mead. I loved her vampire academy series and her Dark Swan series. I understood the ending of the vampire academy series because she was having a spin off series happen. I never read her succubus series and after reading Shadow Heir I probably never will. I loved the previous books and had been anxiously waiting for the last one to come. I dove into the book excited to finish the series, expecting to love the book..........which I did. Right up until the end. I think that she had to make some really hard decisions that I could never dream of making.

************May have SPOILERS************** Would I do anything to keep my children save? Of course? Would I give them up to a family that would love them and raise them safely? You bet I would even if it broke my heart. Would I leave them in the hospital while I tried to save their world? Oh yeah I would even though I would be thinking of them constantly, mourning the time I spent away from them. I understood those decisions. What I did not understand is the ending where she keeps them away from their true father, a father who would love them and die protecting them. Especially since most of the threats to them are gone and there is no need to prevent their father from loving them. That I don't understand and I think she who rode her high horse the entire series and constantly whined about how terrible Dorian was with his ulterior motives has proven to be not only the biggest hypocrite there is but a far worse lier than Dorian ever was. To play happy house with this man while you lie to his face and keep his children from him is far worse than him tricking her into earning the iron crown. Shame on her and shame on Mead for writing this ending. I would not be surprised if Dorian killed Eugene for this lie. I know I wouldn't blame him.

So I have followed this series from the beginning and am appalled at how it was ended! I hope that ending was good for the author because it will be the last I ever read! I have bought all her books including a teen series, which I loved!, but I will never buy another book from her! I felt so betrayed and let down at the end of this series that I deleted all of her other series because I don't feel like I can trust how the stories will end! The main character keeps going on about morels and she abandoned her children and lies to someone she demands trust and honesty from! I don't always believe in the Farie Tale Happily Ever After but the abandonment of wanted children ( and to lie to the father who has no choice!!) was too much! It will be the last hard earn $8 Richelle Mead sees from me!

I agree with many of the other reviewers who disliked the story. I've read both this series and Mead's Succubus series. The Succubus series ended wonderfully. This, however, is just bad. Most of it is contrived and silly. Weak and disjointed, it truly feels as though the author didn't want to bother with the story anymore. Granted, Eugenie has always been a narcissistic character; however, in this particular installment, her self absorption rises to new heights. Indeed, she actually becomes unlikeable. And the story contrivances, they're so overwrought that they are embarrassing. I think Mead is a fabulous writer, this just isn't her best work. Instead we have a weak beginning, a flabby middle with unfathomable motivations, and the end . . . In the end, Eugenie Markham comes off as a spoiled rotten brat. She is a girl trying to do a woman's job, yet because of her lack of development as a character, she is simply not up to the task. As readers, it becomes more and more difficult to trust Eugenie. It seems to me that the problem lies in Mead forcing the events and actions of the story. Eugenie's actions were selfish and then characterized as selfless, making it seem that we, as readers, were too dumb to know the difference. It also seems that Mead got so used to the power struggle between Dorian and Eugenie, that it became habit, except that she (Mead) transferred the struggle to the story itself. Mead seemed to be in a power struggle with what she wanted the story to do, and what her characters, drawn as they were, could do. This applies to Eugenie in particular. Eugenie might have come off better if Dorian were not so well developed and noble. Ultimately, it's not that the ideas weren't there. Again, Mead is really a creative writer. She's one of best urban fantasy writers out there. But, for whatever reason, she seemed to give up on the story, not allowing Eugenie to experience the moments in the story that would have made the most sense for character growth. For example, having Eugenie bond with her children instead of engaging in a stupid romance and flirting with unnecessary danger. Did Eugenie's final decision of whether or not to leave her children with strangers seem heart-wrenching? With comments like, "I even stepped up to change a diaper..." not so much. Having looked forward to this story for so long makes my disappointment with it even more profound. The beginning of the series was interesting and unique. If this is the end, then it's clear that, in Mead's mind anyway, there was little more she could do with Eugenie's story.

Spoiler alert----------

I hate this book. It was a complete disappointment. Instead of a huge epic battle between Eugenie and Meiwenn, Mead introduces another power hungry psychopath. There really wasn't even much between Eugenie and Meiwenn/Kiyo. This was a complete BS ending to an amazing series.

Meiwenn and Kiyo aren't dead by the last page. There wasn't even really a fight between them. I thought Eugenie would whip out her Iron Crown and screw over Meiwenn but nope, didn't even set foot on her land. Eugenie betrays Dorian and doesn't tell him that the twins are his. She kept accusing him of hiding things from her and manipulating her and yet she decides to keep his own kids from him? It's ridiculous! She knew how much he wanted kids and she knew he'd protect them from anything and everything but NOO lets just hide them in the human world.

This book is rated one-star solely because Amazon doesn't allow you to rate anything zero-stars.

I strongly suggest you read the previous books in the series (Storm Born, Thorn Queen and Iron Crowned) prior to reading this installment.

I've had my ups and downs with this series. The first two books in the series were superb. However Iron Crowned and Shadow Heir IMHO, are both a complete disaster and utter flop.

Iron Crowned and Shadow Heir, left a lot to be desired and really showed up Eugenie as a skanky-wench and clueless idiot. Believe, me when I say, I don't like to call women names. I am the first person to scold others who do; but in this situation, those names from yesteryear really do apply! Why the author chose to ruin Eugenie's character like this, I will never know.

Dorian's character was night and day in this book. The character change turned him into some moronic and boring love-sick buffoon; instead of his usual slick and cunning self, which is so much more interesting.

Eugenie gives Dorian such a hard time about his lies and ulterior motives [which are always for her benefit btw], but by the end of the book, she tells one of the most hideous lies. The story was written in a way that this monstrosity of a lie should be considered good for everyone. I completely disagree, in fact, by the end of the book I was PISSED! I know this is just a fictional story but it was such a letdown that it really affected me. Hindsight and all that, l regret ever reading this novel and series, I could've lived without it.

Eugenie the so called bada$$, barely used her powers at all, even when faced with mortal danger! Why would such a magical-bada$$ cower in front of an enemy, instead of just extracting the air from said enemy's lungs and suffocating them to death. I just don't buy it. What a waste of power and a potentially good book.

This is the last book in the series and thank the universe! I can't in good conscious recommend this series to fellow dark urban fantasy readers. If I judged Richelle strictly from her Stormborn series, she would be stricken from my reading list in a quick hurry. However, judging solely from her Succubus series alone, I would read any adult books Richelle Mead releases in the future and I can definitely recommend the Succubus series to fellow dark urban fantasy readers.

SERIOUSLY!! The ending ruined everything. What a huge dissapointment. I refuse to read anything else of hers. Too many other good authors to choose from.

SPOILER***

I can see how she left her babies to help defend the Otherworld. Even though some readers say that as a mother they would never leave their babies, i can see how her character would leave, if for only a short time, to help defend her kingdom. It would only be giving up your babies for a short time to ensure that her people would not suffer. This i can understand... LEAVING THEM FOR GOOD at the end, with occassional vists to see them while still living in Otherworld with DORIAN is just horrible writing. Any reader finds this hard to believe after knowing her character....it would not fit her at all.

The ending made her seem ridiculous. The threat was "over" and she takes the word of Kiyo, who tried to kill them. The author made Dorian to be a greater than human type of man but in the end she made their "love" seem trivial and childish simply because she did not believe that she and Dorian could defend the babies. If she had brought the babies back with her and introduced them to their father and was determined to defend them at all costs...... then THAT would have been a great ending.

I refuse to read anything else she writes. I agree with other people who say that she seems like she was trying to hurry and finish it.

"Shadow Heir" seems to be a stopping point for Richelle Mead's Dark Swan series, or at least the ending feels as though Mead is trying to wrap things up sufficiently while leaving the possibility writing books with another plot arc later.

Unfortunately, I felt that the resolution was lacking, in that it showed Eugenie to be an idiot, and that the events building up to it were arbitrary.

To address the second issue first, the villian in this book was totally arbitrary. It was someone who has never been mentioned in the series before (in fact from somewhere never mentioned before) with a scheme which could have been executed at any time. Which is to say that having it come to a head during Eugenie's reign was not motivated by events of any of the previous books. I think that by four books into a series, the players ought to be pretty well known. The way this threat was resolved was pretty arbitrary too, and frankly I don't believe that Mead had worked out the history of the minor character who resolved it before she needed a plot twist here.

Finally to address the second issue: Euegenie apparently believes that children have only one parent: the mother, and that whatever that one parent wants is the law.

SPOILERS START HERE

Certainly we are meant to suspect that Dorian may be the twins' father, and that is finally confirmed here. What does Eugenie do when she finds that out?

She continues the same program which was meant to keep them away from their presumptive father, (who seems more and more a sociopath in this book...) Kyio.

Let's think about that. She is deliberately keeping these children away from their father. She is doing this for her own reasons, with no discussion, after it has been repeatedly made clear to her that he is a good man. Furthermore, she is going back to him to live as effective man and wife (whether there is a ceremony eventually or not) with this poisonous secret between them. Frankly this is child abuse, and Dorian would be completely justified in putting out an Amber Alert. A father is not just a sperm donor.

Eugenie has no right whatsoever to happiniess with this man while abusing him so. Dorian has put up with a lot, but this is literally unforgivable. Eugenie's actions in "Iron Crowned" were bad enough, but at the end of this book I felt like I had been rooting for someone I didn't even like.

This book didn't grab my attention like the prior three. I'll confess, I mostly enjoy the series for the romance with Dorian, and his witticisms, and felt like I was shortchanged on both though out the majority of this book. The first part of the book was frankly slow and didn't add much of anything to the plot. Good-old-boy Evan, the relative of the people with whom Eugenie was staying, could have been cut out entirely to speed along the boring introductory chapters.

The blight was rather dull, although at least Eugenie's travel let us see a little bit of of Dorian. But he's strangely subdued through most of the book.

The climax was...anti-climatic, and the ending simply frustrating, as many other reviewers have said. I'm reservedly optimistic that there will be a spin-off book, reservedly because I am not certain I am interested in reading any more of this series at this point.

Spoilers:

I'm not at all surprised by the twin's parentage. I was confused in the last book, by Eugenie's assumption that Kio had to be the father, when it seemed equally likely to me, based on the timing, that Dorian was the father, or indeed, that the children could each have different parents. I even reread the last book, right after I had finished, to be sure I hadn't missed something about the timing. It seemed to me, based on the apparent passage of time in the last book, that Eugenie had intercourse with Dorian a mere 2-3 days before she was with Kio, though here she states that it was a week. So...basically...the big revelation at the end of Shadow Heir was sort of a recap of what was immediately obvious to me at the end of the last book - that any woman who takes birth control pills, but doesn't know about the effect of antibiotics on the pill, clearly can't be trusted to figure out accurately when intercourse could cause pregnancy.

Eugenie's decision not to tell Dorian about the children also made me dislike the character intensely, and feel like she did not develop at all as a character. It was also a nonsensical decision, particularly since no one was gunning for her daughter, and Dorian would have been equally delighted with a daughter as with a son. So Eugenie could have brought her daughter home, making herself and Dorian very happy, and left her son with the Alabama couple, delighting them as well, and keeping him safe, although admittedly splitting up the children. Instead, she sets up a deal-breaker of a time-bomb with Dorian, and leaves her children to wonder their whole lives why their mother abandoned them, in order to give them a modicum more safety than they would have had with Dorian, where they would have been protected and spoiled by three castles worth of people.

The ending just frustrated me to no end...and made me really dislike Eugenie. Well, enough said.