My rating 4 out of 5 stars.

Great book! I have to commend the author for making what could have been a contrived story of loss and vengeance into a very compelling read. Alith Anar’s tale really came to life in the pages, making me see his heartfelt story on a more personal level even as it meshed with the over arching story of Malekith and the elven civil war (if that is the right way to categorize this war). By the time Alith’s story reached the point in time where Malekith ended, I could barely put the book down, wanting to see where our hero was heading as fate continued to slap him down again and again.

The only criticism I have of Shadow King is that certain events just did not seem very realistic. I won’t post spoilers, but certain things toward the end of the book seemed rushed as if the author had to tie up a loose end quickly or throw in a clever plot device to jerk our main character back into line for where he is suppose to go. These few scenes annoyed me even though I was too attached to Alith by this point to put the book down. Perhaps I am being too harsh, but they really were glaring missteps to me.

However, Shadow King is a page turner, especially if you enjoy the warhammer universe or just a good tale regarding the pursuit of vengeance.