Buried beneath a pile of books.

Full Review

Right from the beginning the action starts. There is hardly any down time to take a moment of what just happen.

The world building is not grand but, the city of Fume has this mysterious dark atmosphere to it. I want to explore the secrets that lay hidden. The book doesn't have a map so your left with hint to what the world looks like. That fine it leaves more room to the imagination.

The magic system is interesting. Center around the world between the living and the dead. I like how people's belief are based on the Skilled being able to see in to the vile.

Because the story starts with action there no room to get to know the MC before the plot takes off. Kate doesn't know much about the Skilled. We learn along with her to make it not seem like info dumping.

The overall tone in the book dark, wintery, and melancholy. With the talk of death, it almost depressing.

Total: 15/20= 5 *stars* ( )

Read #1 and #2 - really enjoyed them.
Seeing as I have just won a cop of Blackwatch (Wintercraft, #2) - decided that I'd better invest in a copy of #1!
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The story was pretty interesting and had a neat concept with the “Skilled”. I also liked the setting with the Graveyard city. So this is what rather kept me going for a bit while reading. The magic system itself was interesting and somewhat different from what I’ve read in the past. That kept the flow of reading along. Somewhat. The world building was alright although I wanted more detail and more explanation. What type of world was this? Yes it’s got magic in it but am I looking at fantasy with a Graveyard city? Is it a steampunk setting? What am I looking at here?

Now let’s move onto the characters.

Out of all of them, Silas even though he was pretty much your typical villain, was actually the most interesting. Even though he was the most interesting though, he wasn’t really that likable (understandably so, he’s a villain BUT I always root for the bad guy). He wasn’t really part of the “cool bad guy” crowd I suppose for lack of a better explanation.

Edgar, who is Kate’s friend, meh. Not sure if I really liked him. He was a wuss. Sure, he had some few good moments. Otherwise though he just wasn’t that great at all. Kate was okay. She was a typical strong girl character you see in most YA novels like these.

In summary though, I’d have to say these characters in the book are ho hum. There’s not much feeling to them, they’re not likable, and they’re just...blah. Because of this and the lack of world building I just didn’t feel that much into the book and didn’t grab my attention. Sure, there were good points in the book but it just wasn’t quite enough to get me into the book like some others have. I’m not sure I’m going to go further into the series. I’d say take it or leave it with this one. I’ve seen other reviews where some have really enjoyed the book. Unfortunately much as I wanted to, I didn’t so much. ( )

Background: Kate Winters’ parents were killed when she was very young, all because of what they were and a book they were hiding. Kate is now fifteen and learning more about her parent’s legacy and …that she can heal the dead. While working at her uncle’s bookstore the High Council’s Wardens storm into her town looking for anyone with Kate’s special gifts and she is soon plunged into a world of deceit, secrecy, death, and corruption.

Review: I picked up this book because I won a giveaway from Pitch Dark/ Epic Reads a site run by HarperCollins. I won Blackwatch, book two of the Wintercraft series, so I had to grab this one to read first. I am SO SO glad I entered and won this contest because this series is surely an awesome adventure!

Shadowcry, book one of the Wintercraft series, is very dark, twisted, and macabre. Kate is a strong and determined character who makes a wonderful lead, and she remains so, even through the worst. The story revolves around a city called Fume, which was once the city of the dead, where they went to peacefully pass on to their new existence. Now, it has been taken over by the High Council because of their corruption and need for a lavish lifestyle. Another thing the High Council wants are the Skilled, a group of people who have extraordinary powers to work with the veil, the clocking between the realm of life and death, and they will stop at nothing to gain these individuals as slaves and workers to do their bidding.

Burtenshaw writes in an epic fashion, drawing in all things you need in a great adventure and battle. There is mystery and secrecy, and slowly told tales about how things used to be, and the protagonist, Kate, is a determined person to follow as she learns about herself and her powers.
I am very glad I read this book, and I am even more excited to read Blackwatch, because the ending of Shadowcry was amazing and I cannot wait to jump back into the story.
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