Review - Shadows Before the Sun (Charlie Madigan, Book 4) by Kelly Gay (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 352 pages
Publisher: Pocket Books
Release Date: July 31st, 2012
ISBN: 978-1451625486
Stand Alone or Series: 4th book in the Charlie Madigan series
Source: Bought
Rating: 5/5 stars

This is the fourth book in the Charlie Madigan series and it was one of the best books in the series yet. We learn a ton about Hank and his history and Charlie takes a trip to Elysia.

When Charlie hears of Hank’s supposed death she immediately makes plans to set out to Elysia to try and track him down. To her surprise she is accompanied by the Oracle. In addition to this she is being hunted by Ahkneri (Death itself) whenever she tries to use her powers. Added to this is a mysterious attack in the Druid’s Grove that the Lord of Druids wants Charlie to solve and quickly.

Absolutely stunning addition to this series. The majority of the story focuses on Charlie going on a quest to save Hank. Her quest to save Hank uncovers some amazing secrets along the way . She learns how to control her powers and faces off with Death itself. Charlie has grown a lot as a character in this series, she is finally getting her powers under control and learning how to use them. With the disappearance of Hank, Charlie is forced to face some truths about her feelings for him.

The addition of the Oracle, Sandra, to the story is awesome. Sandra is a fun character and adds a lot of dimension to the story. The things that happen between her, Charlie, and Hank in this book leave room for some interesting developments in future books.

As for Hank we learn a ton about him in this book and a lot of it isn’t pretty. There are scenes in here that are so heartbreaking involving Hank and the changes he goes through as the story progresses are hard to deal with. It gives his character even more depth and has me eager to see what will happen next to him.

As with previous books the plot was fast-paced and action-packed. Gay’s writing style is easy to read and very consistent; I really enjoy reading her books. This book has an excellent balance of story, world-development, character growth, and action. Some of the larger plot points that have been left hanging are wrapped up here as well.

Overall I loved this book. I read it pretty much in one day. There are so many great things going on in this series; great world-building, a great plot, wonderful character growth and awesome action scenes. This book has everything you could want in a great urban fantasy. This series just keeps getting better and is highly recommended to fans of urban fantasy.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge