Having previously read The Nightfall Gardens trilogy by Allen Houston and enjoyed them immensely, I was really keen to read his new release. The Nightfall trilogy, being dark fantasy, fit nicely into the fantasy genre but this new one is a bit different. The Shadow Of All Things is a mix of fantasy, urban fantasy and sci fi but at the same time is set in the real world as we know it.

The opening chapter drew me in right away. You won't find that slow drawn out character introduction and world building that you come across all too often in fantasy here. Instead the reader is thrown right into the action from the very start and it's consistent throughout the whole book. There's always something happening and the characters on both sides, good and evil, are well written.

The characters cross into multiple parallel universes that really capture the imagination. The characters in these universes feel very Alice in wonderland: strangely dressed, quirky, creepy but also larger than life in terms of appearance. Although these characters were predominantly on the evil side, and as a reader we hate to like the bad guys, I have to say that these characters really appealed to me. I enjoyed the vivid descriptions and the visuals the writing created in my mind.

I have to say though that I much preferred The Nightfall trilogy over this one but that's more of a personal preference thing as dark fantasy is something I enjoy more than urban fantasy. It was still a 4 star read though and definitely one I would recommend. It was unique and fun and I'm looking forwards to the next instalment. ( )