Forged Of Shadows by Jessa Slade (Marked Souls #2)
June 1, 2010
Paranormal Romance
Paperback, 400 Pages
Signet


Favorite Quote: “My world was always at stake. I just forgot I cared. Until I loved him.”


Reviewed by Tori

Liam Niall is the leader of the League, a band of immortal warriors who are possessed by repentant demons. They now must fight evil to repent for their transgressions.

Liam never wanted to be a leader. Having barely survived the Irish potato famine, he escaped to Chicago and lost his soul. Now he and his warriors are fighting a losing battle as evil is gaining the upper hand. But as Liam starts to lose faith, a weapon drops literally into his lap. Her name is Jilly Chan. Jilly is a community service worker who’s made it her main goal in life to save the street kids of Chicago. When one of her kids goes missing, Jilly takes to the streets to find him.

When Jilly finds herself trapped by “something” that means to kill her, Liam arrives and saves her life. Little does Jilly know that Liam has been searching for her. Jilly has a demon that’s about to posses her and the transformation can be deadly. Liam is there to help her with the transformation. Jilly is on her way to becoming the second female talya known in history.

A tayla is a human, usually male, who is possessed by a repentant demon. These demons posses humans to fight evil in order to return to a state of grace. Only a human who is trapped between a rock & a hard place surrounded by fire are up for possession. Once it happens, you are now part of the League.

Now, Jilly tries to deal with her new life status she is also drawn to Liam. But Liam has been fighting the battle for good for centuries and is not sure that Jilly is what he or the league needs. But as he and Jilly divulge deeper into the demons plaguing the city and into their own emotions it soon becomes clear that not all battles are fought in the streets of Chicago.

In the second book of The Marked Souls, Forged Of Shadows, we are once again drawn into the desperate lives of the league. And desperate is the only way I can think to describe them. They ride the edge of anger, fear, and loneliness. Their stories are dark and edgy. Seductive and sinister. I do feel that even though it can be read as a stand alone you would understand more by reading the first one in the series.

The premise hooked me from the start. Repentant demons trying to secure their place in grace by “shanghaiing” humans as vessels. Liam and Jilly are fantastic protagonists. Strong, stubborn, and loyal to their causes. Neither truly believes they deserve love. Liam is tired of the endless war and his losses. You can feel his weariness as you read. Jilly, even though she has to be in the league now, still has her own agendas and this causes some interesting conflicts between her and Liam. They both want what’s best for their “charges” but hide behind their responsibilities to avoid commitment.

The word play is riveting and the story line is fast and action packed. I enjoyed that you don’t know till the very end what the outcome would be. The supporting characters are intense and make for some humorous scenes. The villain is a study in contrasts and I was surprised by my feelings towards him. The beginning is a little slow because you are given a lot of technical information and explanations about the league and demons. Once you get past that it picks up speed and is hard to put down until the end.


Rating: 4/5

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Thanks Tori!!