Really enjoyed this. The plot and characters were entertaining and there was plenty going on to keep me interested. At times I wasn't sure why Kate was keeping things to herself, Percy's intentions being a prime example once she had an inkling what they were. However, it's a long read (in a good way) so I might have missed something. The fey elements were fun here as last time. ( )

Kate Kane is back and I still love her. Hall has created a marvelous character in Kate. She's brave, makes really poor decisions 99% of the time, has the most bizarre interpersonal relationships ever and somehow finds time to be a detective. Her world if full of the paranormal and that makes this series hilarious and dramatic! If you want truly entertaining plots and awesome characterizations then I suggest you give this series a try!

Kate's life hasn't really changed much since the first book in this series: Iron & Velvet. (My review is here). The things that Kate was involved in - particularly a murder with consent - has brought the Vampires down on her! She's on trial and could lose her life. You'd think that having a stalkery ex-boyfriend who is a vampire, a current lover who is a Vampire Prince and an estranged faerie mother might help - but really, not so much.

One of the amusing things about Kate's life is that no one ever seems to move on from her life. Every ex she's ever had seems to be either stalking her, trying to kill her or actively appearing to annoy her. It makes for really fun reading and I love the wit and snark that Alexis Hall puts into nearly all the encounters in the series.

“Shit. This whole clusterfuck just got way clusterier and fuckier.”

I'm going to sound like a broken record because I just love Hall's writing. There are only a couple of writers who made me, literally, laugh out loud - Alexis Hall and T.J. Klune. It's a rare gift to be so entertained by someone's writing. The short explanation of this series is that it's a strong female lead who exercises poor judgment on regular occasions. Kate is always in trouble but is always working a case that is far more complex than it may initially seem.

Read these books. That's all I have to say. ( )

Kate Kane is a paranormal investigator who’s dating a vampire prince (female) and carrying the power of the Deepwild, which wants to take her over. When an ancient vampire wakes up and tries to take over London, Kate is dragged into the resulting problems, which involve at least four of her exes: a tech billionaire, a werewolf, an arcane thief, and the vampire she dated when she was a kid who didn’t know she was a lesbian. The last one is a fairly hilarious sendup of the Twilight/Angel-style vampire who angsts over his attraction to young girls but doesn’t actually stay away from them. I enjoyed it but am not pining for more. ( )

The main character kept displaying her hard boiled detective status by making dumb moves and drooling over all the women in the neighborhood. I thought she relied too much on luck and refusing to admit mistakes, and I couldn't understand what any of her friends (or scores of exes) ever saw in her.

4.75 star review by Karen, posted at ScuttlebuttReviews
Iron and Velvet, the first in the Kate Kane series, was the first book I reviewed, and Hall’s Glitterland was the first MM romance I ever read. So why did it take so long to read this? I procrastinated big time, I think because I felt that in some way it would disappoint, which would make me sad. As if!
One of my favourite books is The Thin Man, by Dashiell Hammet, and Shadows & Dreams, like Iron & Velvet before, pays homage in part to those wise-cracking detective novels.
But it’s so much more than a detective story. There are vampires and werewolves, faeries and nymphs, demons, animated marble statues, and angry unicorns. At times it feels like there is too much happening, then it’s pulled back and all the complicated strands just work.
Kate is a fascinating character, louché and self deprecating; yet irresistible to most of the women who come her way. Her personality, combined with Elise’s very literal nature, makes for a very funny relationship. All the way through Kate’s sarcastic tone really cuts through everything. I laugh more at Alexis Hall’s book than I do at any others.
It relatively long for a modern read, which allows for some seriously complicated elements making it part paranormal fantasy, part soap opera, part end of the world which rests on Kate Kane’s shoulders.
A friend of mine praises the locations of Shadows & Dreams; this is not an Englandshire book, most of the London locations are gritty and as un-glamorous as you can get which despite the subject matter, makes it all the more real.
I would say that you don’t have to read Iron & Velvet first, but you will appreciate Shadows & Dreams more if you do.
Highly recommended. ( )