Blood Before Sunrise (Shaede Assassin #2) by Amanda Bonilla
Urban Fantasy
July 3, 2012
Signet

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote: “I truly had a knack for getting the shitty end of the stick. “

Note: There are some spoilers from book one below, so read at your own risk.

Recap from Shaedes Of Gray: Darian spent the first half of her life as an abused wife. When a friend of her husband’s appears on the scene, he frees her from her life of pain and transforms her into a Shaede – a creature able to transform from solid to shadow. Her lover keeps her well hidden, telling her that she and he are the only of their kind in existence. He disappears suddenly from her life, leaving her alone and unsure of her place in the universe. She becomes an assassin for hire and falls in love with her boss, Tyler. When she takes a job and finds out that she just tried to kill the King of her kind, she realizes her lover and maker lied to her. When Darien’s old lover reappears and attempts to use her to overthrow the king and take the throne for himself, Darien uncovers secrets, gains new powers and defeats her lover.

Blood Before Sunrise picks up where Shaedes Of Gray left off and once again submerges us into the dark and dangerous world that Darian lives in. Set in Seattle, this noir and Machiavellian Urban Fantasy will have you clinging to the edge of your seat. Darien’s past comes back to haunt her when she blatantly ignores everyone’s advice and sets out to find Raif’s daughter. I would classify this book as a character growth book. Especially for Darian. Having spent a majority of her life alone, she has a hard time allowing anyone in to help her. Her protective instincts are strong and they often blind her to the fact that she is guilty of doing what she adamantly hates being done to her. Her pit bull mentality causes a considerable amount of grief and pain but it is an experience she must go through if she is to grow beyond the boundaries originally set up for her character.

I enjoy Darian’s character. She is a perfect blending of what I love in my UF heroines. Smart and sassy with deeply buried vulnerability. She is so protective of those she loves and considers friends, you can’t help but cheer for her even as she does some things that make you want to shake some sense into her.

There is still small love triangle in here but I found it seems to be morphing into something different. She and Tyler, her boss, have acknowledged the attraction between them and are acting on it. Darian still learning about the jinn side of Tyler and what exactly their "bonding" entails. But her actions at the end of Shaedes Of Gray more then cement the fact that Darian loves Tyler. The sexual tension between Darian and Tyler is VERY hot and sensual and we get some nice smexy times in here. I like how Bonilla includes the romance storyline without making the story dependent on it. After this book, I find myself rooting even more Team Tyler.

Xander, the king of the Shaede nation is STILL a pain in Darian’s arse and she doesn’t hesitate to let him know that repeatedly. Watching these two together is not so much sexual to me as more of a battle of the wills. The chase matters more to Xander then the capture and I foresee a reluctant friendship developing. I don’t believe that Xander has ever had a female friend that didn’t involve some sort of sexual interaction and I look forward to seeing how he handles this. Rest assured though, Xander will always flirt and cross the line. Jerking Darian’s chain is probably the most fun he’s had in centuries.

A diabolically complicated secondary cast only heightens the excitement of this story. Raif remains a favorite character of mine. He has become an important part of Darian’s life. Their relationship is sibling like and no matter what happens, Darian knows Raif will always have her back. Anya is another favorite with her snarky jealousy of Diarian and bad fashion taste. We meet some new characters and learn some new information about old ones in here who further expand on the complicated world Darian is now part of. I am very interested in Moira’s brother and look forward to seeing more of both of them in the future. Tyler, Darian’s boyfriend, plays a huge part in here as their relationship is taken to new levels and decisions are made for better or worse. I felt for him. I could see what was happening and my heart broke as we see him and Darian struggle against external and internal influences.

The main conflict is a delicious blend of lies, manipulations, and deception. The nature and level of the duplicity Darian uncovers and yes, exhibits herself, is mind boggling. I won’t lie and say I didn’t want to smack her around a little in here but as I mentioned before, characters often have to experience adversity and heartbreak in order to grow. She makes some decisions in here that cost her, and she struggles with the price she is forced to pay. There were times when I became aggravated by the main plot as it is convoluted and it takes a while to get to the meat of it. It’s also hard to watch those you have come to love make careless mistakes.

This entire book is an emotional roller coaster ride of twists and turns that will keep you riding the edge to the end. The ending is a climatic shock that left me blinking in surprise as the villain’s motivations are revealed. The main conflict is resolved, but once again, Bonilla uses that to open another doorway, leaving us with unanswered questions and concerns. I look forward to the third book in this series, Crave The Darkness, set to release March 5, 2013.

Overall Rating: B

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