Spears and Shadows

Spoiler- Free Review:

First, I'd like to thank S.C. Grayson for sending me an ARC of this book! It is always so special when authors trust you with their book babies. Spears and Shadows is an urban fantasy that follows Nora, a museum weapons specialist. After some rare weapons come into the museum's possession, strange things start happening around Nora. She meets Adam, a quirky professor and language specialist, and enlists his help translating some inscriptions on the weapons. The events that follow are full of intrigue, twists, and turns. I really appreciated, as I always do, that medical details that were in the book were factual. I also really appreciated the diversity and representation in her characters. I really enjoyed all of the side characters and what they added to the story. In my opinion this was like an adult version of Night at the Museum. It was such a fun read with a slow burn steamy romance toward the end. I took off one star simply because I felt some things could have been expanded on or explained, but that may come in future books of the series. This is an adult fantasy, 18+ for themes and sexual content. Book releases 6/16/2022 and is available for preorder now!

This book follows the story of Nora, an historian working in a museum in Chicago, who studies ancient civilizations and weaponry in particular. Nora's life is turned upside down when two ancient weapons arrive in the museum. Due to an inscription in an unknown language, Nora agrees to work with Adam, a language specialist professor who is a bit more than it seems.

What I enjoyed:
- Xander's flashbacks were my favorite part of the book. I enjoyed learning about the civilization through his eyes and I think these chapters gave a good support to the present storyline.
- I liked the medical details and how they were included in the story alongside the magic.
- The diversity and representation of the characters. S C Grayson wrote several interesting characters that I want to know more about.
- The concept of the story is interesting and I am curious about how it will develop in the next books.
- There is no cliffhanger which is something that my heart appreciates most of all

What I think it could have been done better:
- The romance appears rushed and a bit abrupt. Although we are introduced to the MC (Adam) in the beginning of the book, very little happens between them. We see little interaction between Nora and Adam, with very few dialogues and almost no tension between them. We are told, rather than see, that they feel attracted to each other and it didn't work for me. I understand this choice as I was expecting this particular twist but it still compromised my satisfaction with the result.
- I feel some parts of the story could have been more developed. Being an historian, I was expecting Nora to be more curious about Eteria. It would have been a brilliant way to develop the world building, to learn about the magic and to see more of the supporting characters.
- I think some events that occurred didn't add much value to the story and could have been worked in a different way (e.g conference/ plane)

Overall I enjoyed this reading and I congratulate the author for this debut.
Thank you City Owl Press and S C Grayson for the early access to this book for an honest review.