Spoilers for The Scent of Shadows are included in this book. If you haven’t read it yet you shouldn’t read this review or book.

Favorite lines “It’s funny how a name can change the world’s perception of you. Your perception of yourself.” (1)

Joanna Archer aka Olivia Archer is being sold for charity. She gets bought by a Shadow warrior and thus begins another round of non-stop adventure that is the Zodiac series. Joanna is the prophesied Archer born on both her mother and her father’s birthday. She is equal parts light and dark. The light and the dark want her, as it has been foretold that the side she chooses will rule supreme.

The city of Las Vegas has been quiet since Joanna told the Tulpa (leader of the dark side) that she is his daughter born of Zoe, his arch enemy and the Archer of light. (The Tulpa is also the Archer of the dark side.) This doesn’t mean that the dark side is not up to something. They’ve created a virus and set it loose on the city in hopes of destroying the agents of the light. It is the battle long foretold and the fate of the world lies in the hands of Joanna.

This book is interesting. I don’t recommend reading it without having read the first book of the Zodiac series. My disbelief lies heavily in the mythology. I’m having a hard time with the history of both sides being kept in comic books. I do have to give credit to Ms. Pettersson for including enough back story to keep a reader up to date, whether they’ve read book one or not. I don’t think you get enough, though, to fully appreciate the emotional and continued story line from book one. We learn more about the attack that took place on Joanna and why she was in the desert in this book. We also learn more about Joanna’s mother and her first love is back, too.

I had a hard time understanding the alternate realities. I thought that it was on a different plane, but I’m not positive, especially after reading this book. I was happy and sad for Joanna by the end of the book about a thread that started in book one, stemming from the attack. I’m pretty sure that it’ll be brought up again in book three. There are supposed to be a total of six books in the series and I’m looking forward to the next installment.