Review: Binding Shadows by Jasmine Silvera

Binding Shadows (Tooth & Spell #1)
by Jasmine Silvera

My Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Paranormal Romance/ Urban Fantasy
Age Category: New Adult/ Adult
Type of romance: MF

Blurb:
There are two rules: find a way to use your magic and never reveal it to anyone.

Hunting lost books is more than a job; it’s a way for Barbara to hide her powers in the mundane world of the university library. One misstep and she risks exposure to ruthless necromancers willing to destroy anything supernatural they cannot control. But the prickly new professor in charge of her latest assignment proves more than he seems, and rules are no match for her growing fascination.

After years of battling to cage the beast within him, Tobias returns to Prague and the safety of his pack of brothers. But keeping his family safe means never revealing his dual nature, not even to the irresistible research assistant with a nose for rare books.

When an enchanted book triggers unpredictable surges in Barbara’s magic, unleashing his beast may be their only defense against the malevolent spell buried in its pages. Now, a 400-year-old witch’s revenge threatens to reveal everything they’ve concealed. Trapped between a witch and a necromancer, Barbara and Tobias must choose: embrace the powers that could expose them or allow their secrets to destroy them.

*******

Binding Shadows is the first book in the Tooth & Spell trilogy. It takes place in the same world as the Grace Bloods and can be read as a standalone.

My Review

I remember how I first stumbled upon this book, it was in one of Veronica Scott’s new releases post. The cover caught my eye first, I thought it was a well designed and great looking cover for this genre. Then I read the blurb and was sold. Everything sounded like a book I would enjoy. Not much later I bought a copy and started reading it shortly after that.

Binding Shadows is an awesome paranormal romance read set in the Czech Republic. It’s a sort of alternative history world where after a big war called the God’s War necromancers now rule the world and those with magic have to hide their magic, but they also have to use it or risk worse consequences. Barbara has what she calls grace (magic), which mostly helps her find books. She works at the university and hopes to get further at her studies. Professor Tobias Vogel is a visiting professor at the same university and doing work on a newly unearthed collection of books. Barbara becomes his research assistant and that’s how they meet.

This book caught my attention from the start and kept it throughout the story. It’s well written and I liked how it felt unique while at the same time it also fit very well into the paranormal romance genre. I liked the unique world and the setting in Prague. I liked how subtle the world building was woven slowly throughout the book and you get to know more as the story progresses. I liked the characters, how they both come alive and have their own struggles and secrets. And their romance, I liked seeing that develop. Their romance faces some realistic struggles, but I liked there wasn’t too much drama or miscommunication going on.

One issue I did have was that the feel of the story sometimes switched a bit. There are some darker parts and then suddenly we have some lighter scenes again. The storyline surrounding the mysterious book Barbara finds was a bit creepy and caused the darker parts. I didn’t like the power the book had, but it did make for an engaging story and I enjoyed seeing how the characters dealt with it. And it made for a good way to introduce more of the magic to the story. The plot line surrounding the book comes and goes a bit instead of being fully woven throughout the story, which felt a bit off at times, but for the most parts it worked and I was happy to get a break from the creepy book at times.

I liked both main characters. Barbara was this determined and headstrong young women who was determined to get further into the studies even with everything in her way and how some faculty rumor rounded her changes. She’s capable and good at her job. I like how she handled things and how she opened her heart to Tobias. Tobias is a professor who has some difficulties with social interactions at times and has a stutter. He struggles to deal with the beast inside of him and seeing him slowly find a way to deal with the wolf was one of my favorite parts of the story. There are some great wolf form scenes as well.

The romance between them was great. I liked how it started slowly and then eventually turns up in heat when they have the chance to let things progress. I did feel that once their romance progresses it goes a lot further quite suddenly, but it was clear they cared about one another. They made for a great couple and I like how much they care about each other. I also liked how their relationships struggles felt realistically handled and without too much drama. They both have secrets and it takes time for them to trust the other enough, which I thought made sense and the pace with which this progressed felt realistic.

There is an interesting cast of side characters mostly in the form of Tobias’ family. We even get a few short chapters form beryl, Tobias’ mother, her point of view, which was interesting. Then there are his brothers Mark and Chris, who both have quite the role to play as side characters. I liked both of them and look forward to their stories. As well as their sister Isela, who has her own trilogy of books. I have to say that Barbara’s friends on university didn’t seem as interesting and they don’t play as much of a role later on.

The world building in this book was quite interesting. Necromancers usually don’t have as big of a role and I thought it was interesting how they ruled the world basically. They don’t have a big or direct role in this story though and I found myself wanting to know more about them and how it all worked, but hopefully that is addressed in future books or Isela’s series. I really liked how the author handled the world building and the way it’s woven throughout the book. There are pieces you get and throughout the book the world comes more and more alive. The big magical battle toward the end was great and I liked learning more about the world and the paranormal creatures in this world.

To summarize: This was an awesome paranormal romance book. It caught my attention from the start and I enjoyed the whole book till the end. The story is interesting, although the creepy book parts can be a bit dark at times in contrast of the more upbeat tone of the rest of the book. I liked both main characters and felt like we got a good feel for their personality and it was awesome to see them slowly fall for each other. I liked them together and I thought the struggles they deal with felt realistically done. They struggle to reveal their secrets to the other, but it progressed in a way that made sense. Tobias’ family makes for some great side characters and I am looking forward to his brother’s and his sister their stories. The world building is really well done, from the interesting concept of a world where Necromancers rule to the setting in Prague to the way the world building is woven throughout the story and you get to know more about it as the story progresses. All in all I had a great time reading this one, I already have bought Death’s Dancer by this author as well and I am excited for future books in this series. If you enjoy a good urban fantasy or paranormal romance book I would definitely recommend this one.

Links:
– Goodreads
– Bookbub
– Amazon
– B&N
– Kobo

You can also read my review on Goodreads, Bookbub and Amazon.