Night Rebels! Shades of Wicked by Jeaniene Frost [Book + Audiobook Review]

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Shades of Wicked is one of my most anticipated books for this year and it did not disappoint! I was intrigued with Ian since he appeared in that first scene from One Foot in the Grave. Also, he was a stand-out and one of my favorite characters in Into the Fire!

I did not know what to expect when I started Shades of Wicked, but this was not it! I love Veritas so much! She was an amazing and strong heroine, but still, she had the naivete that was very endearing. I admit to being intrigued by Veritas when she appeared in the other books in the series. She just felt like a mysterious and somewhat evil, law guardian! But Shades of Wicked changed all that.

When I think about Shades of Wicked, I don’t think of it as Ian’s book, even though he is on the cover. Shades of Wicked is Veritas’ story. In fact, it’s written in her own POV and it is in first-person as well. We definitely get to know her backstory and also delve in a little bit about Ian.

As always, our favorite characters make cameos in this book. Vlad’s voice (ha!), Spade, Mencheres, and of course, Cat and Bones! I really love how Ian’s sensitivity is shown when he accuses Bones of betraying him, a reference to what went down in One Foot in the Grave. Also, Ian is Bones’ cousin? Apparently, it’s explained in the novella Home for the Holidays, which I have read but for the life of me, I can’t remember HOW they are related? I guess this calls for a reread!

As a warning, Shades of Wicked ends in a sort of cliffhanger! The epilogue is in Ian’s POV and since I won’t spoil anything for you, this cliffhanger just makes me want to read more. Correction, I WANT BOOK 2 NOW!

If you are wondering if you have to read all the other books in this world, the answer is no. However, I highly recommend doing so because some of the things mentioned in Shades of Wicked are spoilers of the previous books. But that said, you don’t have to read all of them to appreciate the amazingness that is Shades of Wicked. But, it does give you an insight into why Ian is such a popular antihero!

If you are interested in reading the whole Night Huntress World, Jeaniene Frost has the reading order on her website, and it is also on the Night Huntress World link on Goodreads.

I also listened to the audiobook version of Shades of Wicked and it is still read by the amazing Tavia Gilbert! I can’t say enough good things about her, but she is an amazing narrator and she uses a lot of voices.

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Who is your favorite bookish antihero?

Do you love books that turn villains into heroes?