Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Shadow Bound (Unbound #2)

by Rachel Vincent (Goodreads Author)

4.15 of 5 stars 4.15 · rating details · 1,575 ratings · 248 reviews

If you live in the dark long enough,you begin to forget the light...

Kori Daniels is a shadow-walker, able to travel instantly from one shadow to another. After weeks of confinement for betraying her boss, she's ready to break free of the Tower syndicate for good. But Jake Tower has one final job for Kori, one chance to secure freedom for herself and her sister, Kenley, eve...more

Paperback, US, 439 pages

Published May 22nd 2012 by Mira

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Can't Wait Books of 2012

140th out of 2,390 books — 15,581 voters

Iced (Dani O'Malley #1) by Karen Marie Moning

Most Anticipated Books of 2012! {PNR, UF & PNYA}

32nd out of 517 books — 1,742 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

May 19, 2012 Patricia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: _adult, genre-dystopian-post-apocalyptic, genre-urban-contemporary-fantasy, paranormal-psychics, source-e-arc, 2012, setting-present, setting-alternate-universe, x-pov-1st-person, x-pov-shared, review-in-queue

With Rachel Vincent I have this really weird thing going on. I am super excited about all of her novels, but once I own them, I have to force myself to start. This time it didn't take me more than a few minutes to start reading, and it took me about two sentences to be unable to stop, but I still felt as if it needed to be mentioned, even if only in the first draft of my review.

This novel made me so freaking angry. Angry for Kori, who went through hell, and angry for myself because her revenge d...more With Rachel Vincent I have this really weird thing going on. I am super excited about all of her novels, but once I own them, I have to force myself to start. This time it didn't take me more than a few minutes to start reading, and it took me about two sentences to be unable to stop, but I still felt as if it needed to be mentioned, even if only in the first draft of my review.

This novel made me so freaking angry. Angry for Kori, who went through hell, and angry for myself because her revenge didn't feel nearly as satisfying as it should have. ((view spoiler)) Angry because it should have been longer, angry because Ian is a literary character, angry because I'll have to wait forever for Oath Bound, angry because of reasons.

I spend most of my time being angry, actually.

Doesn't change the fact that I loved it. Only now that I'm finished with Shadow Bound does it feel a little unsatisfying, and as if Vincent didn't push enough. I think it's incredible how intense I felt what Kori felt, but to be honest, that's making me angry, too, because, you know, it's Saturday afternoon, which is family day, and looking like Voldemort when your Mom asks you if you want some cake isn't exactly the nicest thing to do.

Alas, I wish there was fanfiction that could satisfy me, but I know there isn't. Four stars for this incredible book and it would have been five if I wasn't so sad and angry and amazed and damn this to hell, okay, 4.5 XD

I have to admit that there is another thing that actually bothered me.. But mhe.

Let me.

Before I read it:

(view spoiler)(less)

27 likes · like · see review

Jun 01, 2012 Isamlq rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-galley

“We haven’t met… I’m Kori Daniels. If you don’t get that gun out of my face, I’m gonna take it, then I’m gonna break your jaw so I can unhinge it and shove your pistol down your throat. That way the bullet goes through the long way (page 273.)”

It’s been ages since a second book in a series has given me so much pleasure. I loved so many things in this one that not even that slightly clumsy intention revealing internal monologue care of Ian, my favorite character, drew away from my enthusiasm fo...more

6 likes · like · see review

Jun 06, 2012 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, urban-fantasy, autobuy

4.5 stars

{This review originally appeared on Clear Eyes, Full Shelves.}

Note: I have made every attempt to write this review free from spoilage about the first book in the series.

It was with both trepidation and excitement that I cracked open* Shadow Bound, the second book in Rachel Vincent's Unbound urban fantasy series.

Excitement because I adored Blood Bound, the first book in the series.

Trepidation because, well, I adored Blood Bound, the first book in the series.

You know how it goes: When...more

5 likes · like · see review

May 28, 2012 Lady Jaye rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012, stars-2, authors-rachel-vincent, did-not-like-it, disappointing, fantasy-urban-fantasy, part-of-a-series, netgalley, series-by-rachel-vincent, slap-this-hero, slap-this-heroine

After Bood bound left me on tenterhooks, I couldn't wait to read Shadow Bound. It's probably my biggest disappointment of 2012 so far. Here's the thing: Ms. Vincent creates world-building masterpieces. They are unique and engrossing and just...fabulous. However, her characters usually incite a desire to do violence in me. Reading Shadow Bound made me angry in degrees. I started off angry about the mess the dead girl's selfishness had gotten all of them into. By the time I finished, I was seethin...more

4 likes · like · see review

May 23, 2012 Shelley aka Gizmo's Reviews rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-releases, genre-urban-fantasy

*Genre* Supposedly Urban Fantasy
*ARC Recv'd via Netgalley for Harlequin UK.
*Rating* 3.5-4

*Review*

Shadow Bound is the second novel in the “Unbound” series and takes place six weeks after the events of Blood Bound. From the synopsis, you know that this is the Korrine (Kori) Daniels and Ian Holt story to tell.

While Kori was suffering extreme abuse at the hands of Jack Towers crew for betraying him, Ian was catching the fancy of not only Tower, but Ruben Cavazos as well with his ability to turn an...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 28, 2012 Lynsey (The Demon Librarian) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: put-aside, netgalley, received-for-review, alternate-universe, dystopian-society, magic-tastic, romantic-elements, romantic-suspense, unlikeable-character, urban-fantasy, dnf

Too depressing for my tastes.

You'd really have to be in the mood for some darkly disturbing stuff to enjoy this because Kori's character is really not in a good place after being raped, tortured and confined for weeks prior to the beginning of the story. Add in the deceptive, manipulative thoughts from the love interest as it's told once again in alternating first person POV's between the H and h, and it's clear it's not going to lighten up any time soon.

This was a DNF for me, despite reaching...more

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 31, 2012 drey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads, urban-fantasy

If I thought that there were a lot of difficult choices in Blood Bound, the choices Kori and Ian face in Shadow Bound are just about impossible. Kori’s still in the dog house for her role in the events that took place in Blood Bound, and you know Jake Tower hasn’t forgiven her yet. Warning: The description of Kori’s punishment are violent and graphic, and not for the faint of heart.

Who’s Ian, you ask? Well, he’s a Blinder – which means he can call up darkness. Definitely helpful to have around w...more

like · see review

Feb 19, 2013 Amina Shinoda rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: top

Firstly, I have not read any of the previous books in the series but that is just one of the reasons this book is a WELL DESERVED FIVE STAR! :) And it's been a long time since I've said that.

Normally,As much as I hate to admit it, even my favorite author does it -When reading the third or second book in a series the author has to remind the reader or new reader(s) of the past to make sense of the story line so far. This is done so poorly in so many books!! For example

-I stared into the dancing...more

like · see review

Jan 20, 2013 Tynga rated it 4 of 5 stars

Cam and Liv were successful in their mission, but it wasn’t without consequences. Poor Kori was tricked into helping them and her boss had her pay the high price, locking her up and torturing her for weeks. An opportunity for freedom presents itself in the form of a sexy man with particular talents, but he has his own agenda. Kori and Ian will have to face-off on a battleground made of oaths, treason and blood. Which one of them will make it out alive?

I’ll start by saying that Rachel Vincent is...more Cam and Liv were successful in their mission, but it wasn’t without consequences. Poor Kori was tricked into helping them and her boss had her pay the high price, locking her up and torturing her for weeks. An opportunity for freedom presents itself in the form of a sexy man with particular talents, but he has his own agenda. Kori and Ian will have to face-off on a battleground made of oaths, treason and blood. Which one of them will make it out alive?

I’ll start by saying that Rachel Vincent is simply genius and oh-so-amazing and also, how good looking is that cover? The Unbound series is just too amazing for words and I’m glad I didn’t have time to read the second instalment until now because the next book is just a couple of weeks from releasing hehe. I LOVED Blood Bound (you can read me praising here) and I’m often scared of second books because they so often don’t live up to the first book, but it wasn’t the case here. Shadow Bound was Awesome – yes with a capital A.

The Unbound series is like nothing you’ve read before and a bit of backstory is needed here. Vincent’s characters live in a world where some people are born Skilled. Some can track people by their name or their blood (both of which hold great power), some can read the truth from your words, some (like Kori) can walk into a shadow to get out of another one miles away, others (like Kori’s little sister) can bind you to hold a promise and if you fail to do so, you will suffer terrible pain – until death. More talents are out there, but you get the picture.

Where there’s power, there’s corruption. The city is split in two main territory, each led by a mafia-like boss with many skilled people bound to them. Kori is bound to one of them, Tower, and she must recruit Ian or die suffering upon failure.

I love, I mean LOVE, this world Vincent created because it’s so original and the atmosphere is so dark, yet there’s a little tiny bit of hope and the characters hang on to it for dear life. I like how each character have to play the loopholes to try and maintain some semblance of freedom and how strong they need to appear even though they each have a fragility. The relationship between Kori and Ian was so engrossing and somewhat twisted because of the taint Tower put on them from the start, ordering Kori to do whatever he asked for – even sex.

Kori is a very colorful character, to say the least. We met her in Blood Bound and her bold language really set her appart. Here’s a quote from Shadow Bound for demonstration :)

"I’m pretty good with knives. I’m so good, in fact, that I could sever your testicles with one hand and slice open your throat with the other, and you’d go into shock so fast you’d die without ever knowing you’d spilled a fucking drop of blood."

Many thought she didn’t come off as very likeable, even though she cracked me up, but getting to know her in SB changes that. She is strong and very loyal to her sister, on top of being very funny. I really liked her. Ian was also amazing and I like how mesmerized by Kori he was and how he didn’t push her and respected her. I really gentleman even though he came to Tower to kill her sister.

I think the best part from this series, is how complex and intricate the plot is. It’s hard to figure out the truth in this thick tangle of lies and with everyone keeping their own secret agenda, it’s impossible to see clearly. All you can do is dive in with the characters and go with the flow. The end of Shadow Bound reveal stuff you never expected, hitting you like a truck, and even after I’ve finished reading it for two days now, I’m still trying to put all the details together. I have the strong urge to go back and read the book again now that I have all the unveiled information, that’s just how good it was.

Even though Shadow Bound is a long book (almost 450 pages), Rachel Vincent’s amazing writing kept me right on track. The build-up to action might seem a little slow to some, but it didn’t bother me at all, as I rejoiced every word she penned.

The Unbound series is a MUST READ. Urban Fantasy fan or not, you must get out there and get your hands on those books, like… yesterday! I really can’t wait for those novels to be translated in French so I can have my mom and brother-in-law to read them. Action-packed, full of twist and turns, this heart-pounding series has an amazing story wrapped in a mafia-like atmosphere, topped with a bloody bow. I loved every pages and I’m sure you will too!

(less)

1 like · like · see review

Aug 23, 2012 Jenn rated it 4 of 5 stars

I always get really excited when a new Rachel Vincent book comes out. I was particularly thrilled by BLOOD BOUND, the first book in the series, so I had been waiting rather impatiently for SHADOW BOUND (making my slackness on this one rather embarrassing). I have high standards for her writing because she consistently delivers engaging plots, delightfully flawed characters, and layered worlds. [UPDATE: You can visit my post on the first book in the trilogy to see my take on the world building in...more I always get really excited when a new Rachel Vincent book comes out. I was particularly thrilled by BLOOD BOUND, the first book in the series, so I had been waiting rather impatiently for SHADOW BOUND (making my slackness on this one rather embarrassing). I have high standards for her writing because she consistently delivers engaging plots, delightfully flawed characters, and layered worlds. [UPDATE: You can visit my post on the first book in the trilogy to see my take on the world building in the series.]

With SHADOW BOUND, I was a little unsure of what to expect from the romance because Kori starts out in such a dark place. And while I have my doubts that someone can go from being caged and raped to falling in love and having sex in a couple weeks, nothing about the romantic storyline felt terribly forced. I had a few moments of thinking, “Wow, she’s really bouncing back,” and wondering about how realistic that was but it never threw me out of the story. In fact, I spent most of the book wondering how the heck they were going to get out of this situation that seemed to be getting tighter and more less escapable with every turn of the page!

My favourite part of the book was probably Ian. He’s so noble and smart and sexy. He exposes himself to the world to try to save his twin brother, and is willing to do just about anything to do so until he meets Kori and falls for her. Watching their attraction and following their romance was really great because Kori’s about as far from a traditional romance leading lady as you can get. She swears, she’s a fighter, and she’s does terrible things, all for her sister.

After hearing all about Kenley in BLOOD BOUND, it’s neat to finally meet her and see what all the fuss is about. She’s an incredibly powerful Binder and it’s nice to put a face on the woman who bound Kori, Olivia, and company when she was a child. I won’t say too much so that you can enjoy it for yourselves. We also get to see more of Cam and Olivia, which is great, even if they do work for another Syndicate.

On the whole, I greatly enjoyed SHADOW BOUND. I have yet to meet a Rachel Vincent book I haven’t liked and hope that trend continues as I plan to dig into her YA Soul Screamers series this fall (having failed to complete the reading challenge in time).

http://ireadgood.wordpress.com (less)

like · see review

Jul 22, 2012 Smoochys rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a book of the paranormal with an interesting and unique twist. In this world there are these gangster-like leaders who bind themselves to people of power. The binding is like indentured servitude, where the gangster gets the servant's service for a fixed number of years in return for different types of remuneration. After reading the book I looked it up on the author's website. This is the second in a series of three books in this world.

This book is about a gangster's (Jake) guard (Kori)...more

like · see review

Jul 12, 2012 Jessica(WonderlandReviews) rated it 5 of 5 stars

So, the big surprise that came my way was found as I eagerly ripped open this month's book club selections and found pulled out the first book. Shadow Bound, a book I have been searching for since learning of the release date. I was even more excited to see that this book featured my favorite character Kori. I love that spunky kicking butt gal.

I think the best part of this book was that unlike any other love story, love didn't make you weak or stupid, in fact I would say that in this book the ch...more

like · see review

Jun 12, 2012 Krystien rated it 5 of 5 stars

When I read the first description of the novel, I was mad to be honest. I didn't want a new protagonist. Screw Kori! I wanted more Olivia and CAM! Yes, their story ended up somewhat happily ever after, but i fell in love with Liv and wanted to know MORE! But after reading this novel, I was blown away. I seriously think this is Rachel Vincent's best writing, best plot, best series, best protagonist. PERIOD. Kori is raw and real, and also a little bit psycho, but with good reason. I was so intrigu...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 28, 2012 Christine Rains rated it 3 of 5 stars

Kori would do anything to protect her sister. Even bind herself to the most cruel crime lord in the city and suffer weeks of torture under his orders. She has a chance to redeem herself, though, if she can recruit a powerful Blinder named Ian Holt to sign on with her boss. She doesn't think she can do it, but with her sister's life and her own hang in the balance. What's even worse is that Kori finds herself falling for Ian. How can she save her sister and herself and still protect Ian from the...more

like · see review

May 23, 2012 Vanya D. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone who loves a good urban fantasy/paranormal novel

Shelves: read-in-2012, paranormal-urban-fantasy

NOTE: I received this book for review from Netgalley.

Gosh, what can I say??? No words are good enough to explain just how embarrassingly marvelous this book is!!! You'd ask why embarrassingly, I'm sure, and here's the answer: Because it puts to shame any other urban fantasy/paranormal novels I've ever read. Then again, Rachel Vincent is one of my most favorite authors out there, so yeah...

I just want to start off with saying that the world building was freaking awesome! And I mean that with no...more NOTE: I received this book for review from Netgalley.

Gosh, what can I say??? No words are good enough to explain just how embarrassingly marvelous this book is!!! You'd ask why embarrassingly, I'm sure, and here's the answer: Because it puts to shame any other urban fantasy/paranormal novels I've ever read. Then again, Rachel Vincent is one of my most favorite authors out there, so yeah...

I just want to start off with saying that the world building was freaking awesome! And I mean that with no reserve. Even though book one - Blood Bound - already gave us a pretty good clue what things are like in the fictional world of events, it was sort of like one side of the story - Ruben Cavazos's side. Shadow Bound takes it west - to Jake Tower's empire. Seen through the eyes of Korinne Daniels and Ian Holt.

We learn of new Skills, new people involved in the whole business of binding, new life stories. And we learn just how ruthless a man can be. And that's a lot.

I hated chapter one, because as a woman, it made me cringe at every word, every freaking thought of pain. It simply got to me, and I can't deny how fresh and how realistic it all felt. Sure, the weight of the pages kept me on my side of the world, but Kori's side was also there. I could see it. I could feel it. And I hated it.

Until Ian showed with that shining armor of his, ready to conquer to world, just so he could rescue the princess. Who was no princess at all, but a broken thing with no future. Kori had suffered through so much that she couldn't trust even herself. She tried to be strong, and she was good at it, but at night, when darkness took over, the strength abandoned her. All she had left were nightmares that she couldn't escape, couldn't run away from.

Ian had no idea what he was getting when he requested a petite blonde to show him around Jake Tower's world. He'd bargained for one thing and gotten something completely different. But not for one second did he regret it. No, he played his game smartly as far as he could under the circumstances, given that he was slowly falling for the girl whose sister he was supposed to kill. And if that didn't complicate things enough, he was also being hunted down by the other syndicates, because his Skill was just that valuable.

The emotional roller coaster was the size of Hulk in this novel, and I wasn't sure at all how things would end until the last page was turned. And I love it when I can't predict a book's ending. It sort of makes it unique. Makes me think of it.

I also want to say that the characters never got out of their personality. Not even once. They followed their own traits throughout the novel, no matter how difficult it was. For example, Kori did not abandon her attitude, or her fighting spirit, even though she felt like she'd lost herself. Ian kept to his chivalry, even when threatened with death. Tower didn't waver from his ruthless self, despite all the problems that caused him. Nor did any of the minor characters. Rachel didn't even once compromise with their personal traits for the sake of the novel. No, she only described the way she saw them. The way they were. And that was what made Shadow Bound so intense, so incredible and entertaining. So much that I couldn't put it down.(less)

3 likes · like · see review

May 22, 2012 J.A. Belfield rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: wishlist

The only other books I’ve read of Rachel’s are her Shifter’s series, which took me the entirety of the six books to realise I loved it—and I believe part of that was how much I enjoyed witnessing how much her writing had developed over the course of the story.
Shadow Bound is the first of hers I’ve read since then and I have got to say: Wow!
From the beginning of Rachel’s career to this?
Dude, Rachel’s Vincent’s writing is now the dogs b****ks!
I absolutely loved Shadow Bound. I was a little worr...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 21, 2013 Alana Byers-crawford rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was just as good as the first, if not just a little better!
When I first started reading it and realised it wasn't about Liv and Cam, I was a little disappointed. But then Vincent made up for that with Kori and Ian and it was good!

After betraying Jake, Kori got locked down in the basement and while she didn't think she was going to get out, she still fought and was always thinking about her sister. I'm glad Vincent didn't go into too much detail about what happened to Kori as sometimes...more

like · see review

Jun 16, 2012 Kate rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-books-on-my-preorder-list, i-own, 80-books-2012

Read the first one in the series and couldn't wait for this one. Then I got it, read it and loved it- but it wasn't as enthralling as the first.

I think it would've been a good idea to read Blood Bound again, so that the relationships, characters, names and happenings would have been fresh in my mind. But I didn't reread it, so it took me a short time to get everything that was going on in Shadow Bound.

The novel starts really close to the end of Book 1, only a few weeks (bad weeks for Kori) have...more

like · see review

May 29, 2012 Kelly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-fiction

I liked this one a little more than Blood Bound and found myself way invested in the story.

Kori and Ian were two compelling characters. Kori's incredibly broken and paranoid, and she's on a mission from Tower to get Ian Holt to sign with him. Ian has a huge power that would be advantageous to the syndicate. Although it won't be an easy task for Kori, she takes it on because it's the only way she can secure a future for herself -- at least in the immediate future. There's a lot more at stake, th...more I liked this one a little more than Blood Bound and found myself way invested in the story.

Kori and Ian were two compelling characters. Kori's incredibly broken and paranoid, and she's on a mission from Tower to get Ian Holt to sign with him. Ian has a huge power that would be advantageous to the syndicate. Although it won't be an easy task for Kori, she takes it on because it's the only way she can secure a future for herself -- at least in the immediate future. There's a lot more at stake, though. She's not just bound but she's got to redeem herself from earlier misdeeds and save herself and her sister from being locked up and tortured again.

When Ian's Skill was accidentally exposed, he became a hot recruit for Tower. But Ian doesn't want to sign so easily. What he wants is access to Kori's sister Kenley. Not for any good reason. He wants to kill her.

Some of the world-building is weak, but it didn't matter a whole lot because Ian and Kori's character development strong. I found myself caring about both of them and I wanted both of them to succeed. Kori because she doesn't deserve to be treated as she had been and because she deserves to be freed of the hatred, the fear, and the paranoia she carries with her simply as a member of Tower's crew. The first chapter, when we get to know her, really grabbed me and made me care about her. Vincent offers us a very broken character, but it's not given to us in those terms. We actually see her being hurt and abused.

Ian, on the other hand, is not a broken character at all. While he's out for Kenley's blood, as he spends more time with Kori, he starts to see how rough things are for her personally. She's much more than her job duties to him, and he responds to her advances as a person, rather than as a challenge to overcome. In the midst of that, he grapples with whether he needs to give up his own quest in order to help heal Kori.

The tension between these two characters was knock out. It was intense each time they shared page time, and I found myself emotionally invested in both of their stories. It wasn't just situational tension, though, there was some fantastic sexual tension, too. (view spoiler) The issues of trust and allegiance run deep throughout the story and throughout their relationship in particular. Then those last 50 or so pages throw the reader a curve: you don't know whether what you've been led to believe will play out.

(view spoiler)

There are plenty of twists and turns in this one. I'm pretty eager to see what happens in the final installment because even though the ending (view spoiler) I suspect Oath Bound will be throwing even more of these twists at me.

Not a book for the weak of heart. I'm pretty positive you could start the series with this book and not miss out on too much back story from Blood Bound, but you'd definitely want to read them both in order to get a greater sense of the characters and the world. (less)

1 like · like · see review

Jun 17, 2012 Ferdy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Spoilers

Kori Daniels is one of the Skilled, she can travel from place to place by moving through shadows. Kori has worked as Jake Tower’s (one of the city’s major syndicate bosses) bodyguard for years. She agreed to work for Tower and be bound to him in order to protect her sister, Kenley, from Tower after he tricked her into working for hm. As Kori is bound to Tower she is physically unable to resist any of Tower’s order, if she tries to resist his orders she suffers extreme physical pain and s...more Spoilers

Kori Daniels is one of the Skilled, she can travel from place to place by moving through shadows. Kori has worked as Jake Tower’s (one of the city’s major syndicate bosses) bodyguard for years. She agreed to work for Tower and be bound to him in order to protect her sister, Kenley, from Tower after he tricked her into working for hm. As Kori is bound to Tower she is physically unable to resist any of Tower’s order, if she tries to resist his orders she suffers extreme physical pain and she may even risk death. As punishment for not protecting him, he locks her in a basement for weeks and leaves her to be tortured by his sadistic brother. Tower releases Kori to recruit Ian Holt who he wants for his powerful Skill. Ian has the rare Skill to manipulate and create darkness, Ian is aware that Tower wants him and so he plays along in order to get close to Tower’s top binder – Kenley. Ian has a deadline to kill Kenley in order to save his dying brother from a binding Kenley did when she was younger. Ian requests to have a woman show him around and gives Kenley’s description, unfortunately as Kori and Kenley look alike, Tower assigns Kori to him. Tower orders Kori to convince Ian to join his syndicate, he warns her that if she fails he will kill her. Ian has no intention of signing with Tower but he pretends to in order to get close to Kori and her sister.
I’ve read all of Rachel Vincent’s books and this is definitely the weakest to date - there were a number of things that really grated on me. I was really looking forward to Shadow Bound and had high expectations so I was disappointed that this didn’t deliver. There were some aspects that were quite good – the world building is unique, the fact that there are serious consequences to the choices characters make and also the action at the very end was entertaining though it did feel rushed. Cam and Liv make an appearance - I had mixed feelings about this as it just reminded me that they really didn't have a satisfying HEA because they were still ‘enslaved’ by their boss at the end.
Kori and Ian are the protagonists in Shadow Bound - they take turns narrating in 1st person. I’m not a fan of the alternating 1st person POV – I usually find that the characters voices sound the same in most books that use this style. There were some chapters that Kori and Ian we’re easy to tell apart from each other but regrettably in other chapters they both sounded exactly the same.
Ian and Kori’s romance was underwhelming and happened too fast. They lacked chemistry and charm, I honestly didn’t know what Kori saw in Ian. Ian was a dull, forgettable and whiny hero, he was a rubbish love interest - even after falling for Kori over the course of a few of days he still contemplates killing her sister whom he knows Kori would do anything to protect. He was also a rubbish brother as he was more interested in messing around with Kori than trying to come up with a solution to save his dying brother. I would have liked him to have been more intelligent and shown initiative when it came to saving his brother instead he just winged it and hoped for the best.
Kori wasn’t the easiest heroine to like - she was aggressive and acted like to much of an alpha female. On the plus side she was fiery, protective and loyal. My biggest problem with Kori was that her character wasn’t consistent, there were parts where she reacted how someone (of her personality type) would react after so recently being abused and then there were parts where her attitude and behaviour wasn’t of someone who had suffered abuse. To a certain extent some of her behaviour was understandable considering what she’d been through – after been tortured and locked away she would want to reassert her dominance. But then other times Kori would behave as if nothing had ever happened to her, particularly in regards to her relationship with Ian and Kenley. After being sexually abused no more than 2 weeks ago she jumps into a serious relationship with Ian – she overcomes her problems with trust and intimacy in a matter of minutes – it was just so unrealistic, Kori’s abuse was handled poorly. I hate when authors write about heroines who have been abused just so the heroine has a reason to act a certain way or so the hero can fall for the heroine because she’s survived and she’s strong. I also dislike when authors make their heroines act or think a certain way that wouldn’t ring true of an abuse victim just because it’s more convenient to the story to have the heroine behave like someone who’s not been sexually abused. I thought it was beyond ridiculous that Kori could take down a guy twice her size after being starved and tortured for weeks, it would take at least a few months to get back into top physical shape.
Moving on, I was very irritated with how much Kori coddled her sister, she’s only 2 yrs younger than her but acts as if she’s a helpless child. After being tortured Kori should be the one that needs help, comfort and looking after – Kenley shows more concern for herself than she does her recently abused sister. Kenley was a disgusting character – she was pathetic, selfish and spoilt. She was stupid enough to get herself contracted to Tower and then acted weak and helpless so her sister would feel obliged to help her and give up her free will so she could protect her. Kenley showed barely any remorse or guilt for making her sister suffer. I honestly don’t know what kind of sister would want her sister enslaved just so she felt safer and wasn’t alone in her ‘enslavement’. I don’t mind horrible characters but I hate it when horrible characters get away with it and are never called out on their actions.
The first 50% was just filled with long annoying, pointless and dull conversations between Ian and Kori as they tried to manipulate the other to their own endgame. Most of the characters were unlikeable especially Ian, Kenley and Aaron. The ending was the most exciting part unfortunately it just seemed rushed. I was pleased that Ian/Kori got a more satisfying HEA than Cam/Liv.
I'll still read the 3rd book because I’m hoping Vincent will be back to her gold standard.
(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Jan 01, 2013 Christina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Kori and Ian refused to let me shut down my kindle and go back to the real world. It's not often characters basically force me to continue reading and I felt resistance pain when I even thought about stopping for a while.
Hsnds down, Kori is awesome! I already loved the first book but right now I can't remember why.. Kori and Ian outshine Blood Bound. I loved reading about those two, about their flaws, how they try to cope in these dark, gritty world and I was simply amazed by how strong they a...more

like · see review

Jun 28, 2012 Sharon rated it 5 of 5 stars

Maybe because I love ms. Vincent's style or maybe because I love the works she creates which are so different from every other urban fantasy or maybe Vincent is just a great story teller, I loved this book. I believe her character depth is real and that is what draws emit. There are sick and twisted people who love nothing more than power above everything, even family. And there are decent people who do foolish tho gs for family thinking that their choices are the only way to help not because it...more

like · see review

Jul 07, 2012 Mistik ྉ rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Adult PNR lovers

Shelves: other-pn, dark-pnr-uf

adult PNR

4 stars for the content, character development and the writing. 3 stars for dragging it with the last 20%

Good read, had me On board big time way until about 80%

Lovely coverartist how I pictured Kori, Ian is blond in my head but the cover Ian is hot too. LoL.
The author didn't drill into the world building because it's the second book in the series and it picks up after the first. Very thankful I didn't have to re-read world building or much of previous events.
Our brave, beautiful, broke...more adult PNR

4 stars for the content, character development and the writing. 3 stars for dragging it with the last 20%

Good read, had me On board big time way until about 80%

Lovely coverartist how I pictured Kori, Ian is blond in my head but the cover Ian is hot too. LoL.
The author didn't drill into the world building because it's the second book in the series and it picks up after the first. Very thankful I didn't have to re-read world building or much of previous events.
Our brave, beautiful, broken yet resistant, lovely, foul- mouthed, kick-ass heroine was one of the best developed characters I've come across in a long time. It seems that Vincent really loved this Kori girl and wrote her with fervor and passion IMO. Ian, our hero, the handsome gentlemen, capable, caring and deadly alpha male understood Kori and loved her. I connected with both of these characters; the romance was not rushed and fast/furious but very slow developing as was necessary due to Kori's recent past's events.
Fantastic plot!!! Action, action, action continuously kept my attention. This is one of those rare reads where there is little bedroom action, but more romance in general (TLC love not fast screw) that I haven't dumped. Vincent is a fabulous writer.
Overall, at 80% I was ready to give 5 stars but then I got bored a little because it was dragging. I think the author should have wrapped it up sooner and could have done a better wrap up than what she did with this ending. There were even parts that I didn't completely understand and had to re-read. This barely ever happens to me, but it got all so confusing with the names and i was thrown off balance. I wish Vincent cut to the chase sooner. It would have been one fabulous read for it has the allure of tortured darkness inspiring serious thoughts and musings in a reader.

"I'm Kori Daniels. If you don't get that gun out of my face, I'm gonna take it, then I'm gonna break your jaw so I can unhinge it and shove your own pistol down your throat. That way the bullet goes through the long way."(less)

like · see review

Jun 17, 2012 Sandra added it

I read the first in Vincent's Bound series, Blood Bound. I enjoyed it, but I totally lost myself reading Shadow Bound.

I love a good thriller and throw into the mix a bit of other-world fantasy and characters that I love, hate or am amused by and I've a winner of a read in my hands.

Kori Daniels, the shadow walker, was bound to the dastardly syndicate leader Jake Tower. This guy has no sense of feeling for others or their pain. Everything is a means to whatever end he's aiming for. In this case,...more I read the first in Vincent's Bound series, Blood Bound. I enjoyed it, but I totally lost myself reading Shadow Bound.

I love a good thriller and throw into the mix a bit of other-world fantasy and characters that I love, hate or am amused by and I've a winner of a read in my hands.

Kori Daniels, the shadow walker, was bound to the dastardly syndicate leader Jake Tower. This guy has no sense of feeling for others or their pain. Everything is a means to whatever end he's aiming for. In this case, it's to bind Ian Holt to him and his evil intentions and Kori is the bait to draw him in.

But, Ian has a mission of his own that leads to a battle of wills, intelligence and ultimately of love for Kori and his own family. There are tangled lies, misinterpretations, and pain. This plot's the usual thriller mystery of good versus bad, yet the story and intricate characters are in a league of their own.

Then too there's Kori's dearly loved little sister who's the strongest binder in creation. She holds the power to not only create a binding, but to break one as well. The tangle in the this web is how to do it. She's not sure but must find a way.

Kori's character is one of a strong, butt-kicking, take no prisoners kind of woman. She's at her best in boots and jeans and coming up against some of the most ruthless syndicate members imaginable.

Kori's come out of an imprisonment with unspeakable torture and horror for betraying the sociopathic Jake Tower. She's promised freedom if she can only secure a binding to the syndicate of Ian Holt. If she can't recruit him, she's to kill. Simple and clear.

Characters ranging from despicable to lovable people Shadow Bound. It's a book about love, liberty, death and loss. Yet ultimately it's about the desire and effort to rise above what which seems impossible to leave behind. It's about the power of love for others. I finished this book late into the night, early morning with my eyes watering from not resting them and thinking what a great character Kori Daniels is with her boots and ninja like fighting skills.

(less)

3 likes · like · see review

May 31, 2012 Melissa Mason rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: edelweiss-netgalley, 2012

Kori is a Traveler, she is able to walk into any shadow and go where ever she wants that is within her range. The skills in this series vary and are much sought after by syndicates. There are Blinders who are able to draw shadows (darkness). Healers, which are pretty much self explanatory, they are able to heal. And there are also binders, who are able to make contracts between people that if broken can lead to pain/death.

Kori is recovering after being tortured and asked to prove herself by rec...more

like · see review

Jul 01, 2012 Navdha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: oh-god-i-laughed-so-hard, reaallly-gooood

Ah! I’m over-joyed. I loved it! The last chapters were little hastily put but what’s the fun if the final action isn’t breath-taking and wrapped up so well in the end? This book had me since the very beginning. There wasn’t a moment when I was bored and anything that I could’ve predicted, which I didn’t, would’ve been wrong. Vincent knows how to build the suspense and knows how to keep the audience enthralled.

I did not particularly like Kori in the first book but this book really made me respec...more

like · see review

Jul 31, 2012 Lexxie (un)Conventional Bookviews rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, kindle, i-own, history, read-in-2012

Full review on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews

I thought the character development, the fast pace and the supsense were great in this book!

1 like · like · see review

Apr 21, 2013 Ermira rated it 3 of 5 stars

Maybe it's because I fell in love with Cam and Liv (from the first novel in this series) and I was hoping and praying to see them again, but I didn't like this book as much as I did the first. I didn't like this couple, at all.
As I said, I loved Cam and Liv from the beginning, when each of them were first introduced, so this change in narration really annoyed me! And we didn't even get to see them all that much, so once again: DISAPPOINTING!
I still liked it though, hence the 3 stars, instead of...more

like · see review

Sep 13, 2012 Komal rated it 2 of 5 stars

My hopes were pretty high going into this book but sadly this just isn’t a good read. The world Vincent created had a lot of potential; the idea of having Skills that could lead to being bound was interesting but the execution of storytelling and plot failed big time. Much of the book was repetition- over and over again. Kori: ‘I won’t let anyone hurt my sister…I’m tough…I’m a woman trying to act like an angry man!’ No. Just no. It’s the repetition that made this book so long when Vincent really...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 27, 2012 Ramonelle Hiteroza rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved Liv from the first book in this series, Blood Bound, but I gotta say I am in awe of Kori. She's a total badass. Not to mention the torture she endured after helping her friends and keeping herself together to protect her sister from Jake Tower's claws. I loved her bravery. She's bound to do Tower's order, yes, but she puts up a fight every freaking time to let them know she's still her own person.

Then there's Ian Holt. The man who's intent is to kill her sister but ended up loving Kori a...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
SOS: Serious Over...: September Buddy Read: Shadow Bound by Rachel Vincent	44	59	Sep 16, 2012 05:09pm
rachel vincent shadow bound	1	22	Jun 01, 2012 12:25pm

combine
Other Editions (4)

Genres

Fantasy > Urban Fantasy

113 users

Fantasy > Paranormal

54 users

Romance > Paranormal Romance

39 users

Romance

33 users

Adult

33 users

Fantasy

27 users

Fantasy > Magic

16 users

Fantasy > Supernatural

8 users

Contemporary

4 users

Young Adult

4 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Rachel Vincent

[Note: Though Rachel's blog entries are cross posted here, she does not frequent Goodreads. The best ways to contact her are FB, Twitter, or her Wordpress blog. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HER MESSAGES HERE. SHE DOES NOT CHECK THEM.]

A resident of San Antonio, Rachel Vincent has a BA in English and an overactive imagination, and consistently finds the latter to be more practical. She shares her workspace wi...more

More about Rachel Vincent...

Books by Rachel Vincent

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Shadow Bound

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from Shadow Bound

“Son of a motherfucking, ass-reaming, shit-eating, hell-dodging soulless bitch!” — 17 people liked it

“We haven’t met… I’m Kori Daniels. If you don’t get that gun out of my face, I’m gonna take it, then I’m gonna break your jaw so I can unhinge it and shove your pistol down your throat. That way the bullet goes through the long way.” — 13 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Shadow Bound
avg rating	preview: Shadow Bound Goodreads rating: 4.15 (1575 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11000229-shadow-bound?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1319642300l/11000229.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11000229-shadow-bound?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Shadow Bound by Rachel Vincent[/url]

Shadow Bound (Unbound #2)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website