It’s always disappointing when a much anticipated book doesn't meet expectations, which is probably why I fought so hard to like HOUSE OF SHADOWS more. A gorgeously written adventure fantasy, this book has magic and true love, knowledgeable cats and hidden passages, a mysterious old house and the gracious bowers of pleasure houses… and yet, despite all the things I loved, there were also long passages where I wasn’t interested at all.

Part of the issue was the initial change of character perspective. Neumeier did her job too well, setting my focus on the two sisters going out into the world to seek their fortune. I was so interested on Karah and Nemienne, I resented when the story took me away to follow Leilis or Taubbe. Some of this is my own predilections, I tend to pick favorites and don’t like narratives that scatter too widely over characters. Some, however, can be fairly laid at HOUSE OF SHADOWS’s feet, as proved by the fact that I eventually got invested in Leilis and Taubbe as well, just to find there were still stretches of politics and overly wrought scenes that just didn’t hold my interest. Much of Neumeier’s exposition helped build the interesting and chaotic world of HOUSE OF SHADOWS, but a lot of the politics and background machinations lost my interest. Even worse, the entire geisha-like culture of the keiso, while fascinating, made Karah’s “Happily-Ever-After” fall entirely flat for me.

Despite my own issues with the book, I would not be surprised at all to find others enjoy it thoroughly. Neumeier’s main characters are interesting and compelling, and the way she intertwines magic into the city is vivid. HOUSE OF SHADOWS will do well for readers who have a little more patience than I do and are in the mood for a slow burn adventure with politics, magic, and love.

Sexual Content: References to prostitution.