Shiloh by Helena Sorensen Review

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Alpha Wolf Publishing
Source: Author
Stand Alone
*This was gifted to my by author for review*
In a world of perpetual darkness, a boy is born who wields remarkable power over fire. Amos is no more than seven when he kills a Shadow Wolf and becomes a legend in Shiloh. He would be destined for great things were it not for the stories his father tells about a world beyond the Shadow and a time before the Shadow. Only madmen hold to such tales, and in Shiloh, they have always come to bad ends.

Amos is fearless. He walks with easy confidence, certain that the Shadow cannot touch him. Even his family is in awe of him. His father marvels at his skill with the bow, his mother thanks the gods that he has all the courage she lacks, and his sister, Phebe, worships him for saving her from an attack of the Shadow Cats.

On a trip to the village of Emmerich, Amos rescues the Magistrate’s son, Simeon, from the village bullies. Simeon, fair-skinned and pale-eyed like other Dreamers in Shiloh’s history, becomes Amos’s constant companion and dearest friend. Simeon becomes a part of Amos’s family, listening to fireside stories told in a way he’s never heard them before and learning to wield a bow and arrow.

The year the boys turn twelve, they are itching to prove themselves. An impetuous plan to steal a beautiful lantern goes miserably awry, and the lantern’s owner prophecies that Amos will be devoured by the Shadow. For the first time, a seed of fear is planted in Amos’s mind, and when his father is killed by a Shadow Wolf on the last day of the Great Hunt, the fear takes hold. If so great and brave a man as his father could fall to the Shadow, what hope has he?

Review
This was a little on and off for me. It wasn't bad but it wasn't great either.

This tells the story of Amos, Simeon, and Phebe. Amos is a legend. He wields the power of fire and is quite fearless. Simeon was just an average kid until he and Amos became friends. Phebe is Amos's little sister and has a voice that could change the world. As they grow older. their lives change in unexpected ways.

So the characters lacked a little for me. Amos didn't really play as big of a role as I expected. I didn't feel like we ever really got to know him. He was pretty complex and I wished we had seen more of him. Phebe was great! She was all alone but she never gave up. Simeon was honestly the only character I felt like we got to really know. I really enjoyed him. He was super caring and sweet. He was always there for Phebe and Amos. If we had gotten the chance to really know these characters I think I would have enjoyed it more.

This was a very complex story. Almost too complex. The world building and the way things worked was hard to follow. It was all over the place. the concept was pretty good. There was a fair share of action. I did kinda have to push to get through it. This story may have been just okay for me. I think it had great potential!