Review: Shadow Heir (Dark Swan #4) by Richelle Mead

Shadow Heir by Richelle Mead

#1 New York Times bestselling author Richelle Mead returns to the Otherworld, a mystic land inextricably linked to our own--and balanced precariously on one woman's desperate courage...
Shaman-for-hire Eugenie Markham strives to keep the mortal realm safe from trespassing entities. But as the Thorn Land's prophecy-haunted queen, there's no refuge for her and her soon-to-be-born-children when a mysterious blight begins to devastate the Otherworld...
The spell-driven source of the blight isn't the only challenge to Eugenie's instincts. Fairy king Dorian is sacrificing everything to help, but Eugenie can't trust the synergy drawing them back together. The uneasy truce between her and her shape shifter ex-lover Kiyo is endangered by secrets he can't--or won't--reveal. And as a formidable force rises to also threaten the human world, Eugenie must use her own cursed fate as a weapon--and risk the ultimate sacrifice...

Publishes in US: February 2nd 2012 by Bantam Books
Genre: adult fantasy
Source: library
Series? Dark Swan #4
My reviews:
#1 Storm Born
#2 Thorn Queen
#3 Iron Crowned

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      I wanted to read Shadow Heir because I love Richelle Mead, as well as the first three in this series. Eugenie is charismatic, and I love her passion and energy. She is now the queen of two kingdoms in the Fae world since she defeated its king and claimed the other with the famed Iron Crown. She is gaining experience with both magic and leadership, but she still has a long way to go. I love the cast of characters, they are flawed, complex and they all bring something to the table and to Eugenie's character. 

     The romance has been a true and complicated triangle and I can't decide how its going to play out and how it can work out in the way that I thought it would.

   Eugenie once again has hard choices to make and is stuck in her battle of worlds demanding her attention. Since she is expecting, she doesn't want to give up modern medicine especially with the high risk, but it is hard to leave her kingdoms. Attacks and threats from Maiwenn and Kiyo and their allies are picking up, and her safety is so back and forth. 

    A somewhat compromise was made until after the babies were born when the Otherworld, both her kingdoms, Dorian's and Maiwenn's are in crisis, causing a temporary halt to the bickering about the prophecy associated with Eugenie's son. They have to work together to save their lands and people, but Eugenie is always leaving people behind and the constant danger and changes aren't easy on a new mom. But help comes from all sorts of unexpected places, and I didn't want to put this book down, just another page or chapter. But I also knew that I was barreling towards the end of this series and characters that I have come so quickly to love. 

    There was a huge surprise near the end that I never expected, but it certainly changed a lot. It never crossed my mind, but the person involved was never really on my radar. It totally changed the end of the series, and made a lot simpler and then other things harder because of the unexpectedness to everyone. 

    These last paragraphs get kinda spoilery because I am kinda ranty... And um. I love this series, the characters and everything except the ending. I do not agree with her decision, I think that it is selfish and deceptive. I understand what she thinks her reasoning is, but I think that it goes back so much on everything she was harping on about love, trust, respect, and manipulation, everything that made her angry and want to leave Dorian and Kiyo. I hear that there will hopefully be a fifth book. And there better, because I was not cool with it. 

     But then I read some reviews where it talked about the ending that left questions and a lot left to mystery. And someone linked to this article.  So I read the last chapter again, and realized one sentence that turned all of that into more of a mystery because she says she didn't know if she could keep it from him... SO... I dunno... 

   On Richelle's site it says:  Future Eugenie books?

At the moment, Shadow Heir is the conclusion to the Dark Swan series. As many of you know, there's definitely room for more of the story! I would like to write a fifth book, but at the moment, other commitments have taken precedence, so it may be a long time. But I'll keep you guys posted! Fingers crossed.

Bottom Line: Amazing, 5 stars until the ending that wasn't so neatly HEA bow wrapped.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
Could you have a child if a prophecy said he would try to conquer mankind?