Review: Shadow Falling – Rebecca Zanetti

*I received a free copy of Shadow Falling from Zebra via Netgalley. This has in no way influenced my voluntary review, which is honest and unbiased *

Shadow Falling by Rebecca Zanetti
Series: The Scorpius Syndrome #2
Published by Zebra on 30 August 2016
Pages: 400
Format: eARC
Source: Netgalley

Before the Scorpius Syndrome tore through North America and nearly wiped out the population, Vivienne Kennedy was the FBI’s best profiler. The bacteria got her anyway. But she survived. She recovered. And when she woke up from a drug-nightmare of captivity, her skills as a hunter of men had gone from merely brilliant to full-on uncanny. Her mysterious rescuer wants her to put them to the test. But no matter how tempting he is, with his angel’s eyes and devil’s tongue, Vinnie knows she shouldn’t trust him.
If the FBI were still around they would rate Raze Shadow as one of the bad guys. His military training can’t wipe out his association with the Mercenaries, the most feared gang in a thousand miles. His loyalties are compromised. He won’t even tell Vinnie his real name. But there’s no FBI in the new America of fear and firepower, only instinct and risk.
And the way his arms wrap around Vinnie tells its own story. Whatever else Raze is concealing, he can’t hide his desire . . .

Shadow Falling was just as tense as Mercury Striking, and the characters and the plot moved the story forward flawlessly. The complexity of this dystopian world keeps getting sharper, and I almost had to hold my breath in places.

Shadow Falling is the perfect follow-up to Mercury Striking, I found myself on the edge of my seat more than once, and at one point, my foot cramped because I was so tense about what was going on. Vinnie had been through hell, and she had the nightmares to prove it! The fact that she was still able to get up in the morning, show empathy, and try to help the people who had saved her said a lot about her character. She is one strong woman, and her resilience is much needed. There are enemies both on the outside and the inside, and some have no qualms about using children to further their goals.

I enjoyed that there was another couple being the main focus in Shadow Falling, especially because Lynne and Jax were still present here as well, and they were important characters still. The overall storyline is mostly about surviving, and trying to find a cure against the mercury virus. However, there are now several factions trying to get the compound out of Jax’s hands. And there is also a religious cult on the rise… with a self-proclaimed pastor who thought women should stay inside, in the kitchen, and just be meek servants.

There are so many twists and turns, and the way we get to learn about some characters’ secrets just made me already long for book three! I felt invested in both the characters and the story, and I cheered for Lynne and Vinnie possibly being able to figure out a way to either make a vaccine or a cure so that their community can continue to grow and stay as safe as is possible in this bleak, dangerous world.

Written in third person perspective, past tense, with a narrator that knows what the characters think and feel, the action was fast-paced in most places. The pace did slow down in places, though, and I found the quiet times to be necessary just so I could catch my breath.

He jerked his gaze away. He might have fought hand-to-hand with knives and ocean away, he might have been tortured and nearly killed on one tour, but cats freaked him the hell out.

Raze came into view from around a corner, moving in that smooth lope that fascinated her. She had no doubt he’d purposely let her see him just to keep from startling her. If Raze Shadow wanted to sneak up on a person, he’d do so without any warning. 

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• 2016 Dystopia Reading Challenge
• 2016 New Release Challenge
• COYER Summer 2016

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