My Thoughts:

This was a really action packed and thrilling sci-fi ride! I can definitely see the parallels to Firefly and Dune. Our spaceship in question is the Kaitan and our main cast the crew of the Kaitan. I absolutely loved each member on board the Kaitan and all the crew relationships. Everyone is close and they are each other's family -- the loyalty runs deep. They have each other's backs which is definitely important when you're in the business of catching Shadow -- a mysterious substance that can act as fuel but can also cause you to go crazy if exposed for too long. It also has some other aspects that I'm sure we'll learn even more about in future books!

Nev is the outsider to this close-knit group but oh precious Nev. He is this good hearted, genuine, idealistic person that you can't help but love even if his naivety makes you go NEV sometimes. Okay but I really loved Nev and he's just such a good person and also super badass (absolutely loved all the action scenes -- I was riveted!) Despite being "new" he gradually gets incorporated into their group (after some...adventures).

I really liked the build up of Nev and Qole's relationship. She's a strong, independent Captain and has been taking care of herself and her crew for a long time. Nev sort of upends everything she knows and in the craziness that ensues, they manage to find common ground and form something that I want to root for!

The action in this book is (excuse the pun) out of this world. I really think it would make such a great movie because I could totally visualize everything in my head! The scenes had me holding my breath and I was glued to the pages! Things get really intense and seeing it on a big screen would be so cool.

My only complaint for this book is that some parts seemed info-dumpy -- long winded chapters with big explanations, mostly on the politics involved. It felt a little lengthy and dry to me. Yes, the politics involved are a big aspect but incorporating it into the story more seamlessly would've made it feel less like an info dump I think.

In Short...

This was a fantastic beginning to a fun sci-fi series! I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys great character development, edge of your seat action and a fascinating sci-fi world! I can't wait to see what else is next in store for the Kaitan and her crew!

Nev is on a mission. A top secret mission. For generations, families exposed to shadow, an element unlike any other, have gone mad and died from overexposure. But before that happens, these families' descendants have shown evidence of great power. Power that has to be connected to shadow. The key to everything is learning how and why this happens, and harnessing that power in a way that doesn't kill it's host.

Qole is Nev's target. Captain of the Kaitan Heritage, Qole has flying skills that are unmatched and her ability to find pockets of shadow is uncanny. But just as Nev is about to put his plan into action, he's caught by the crew. Moments later, they're boarded by a third party who also wants to study Qole and her ability. And they're not worried one bit about saving Qole in the process.

Now Qole must rely on her would-be kidnapper, Nev, for help. But how can she trust someone who's lied to her from the beginning?

So of course since this one is touted as Firefly meets Dune, I had to give it a shot. And yeah, it's Dune in as much as shadow is as important to the plot as spice is. Seeing as how I never could finish Dune or really wrap my head around it, I'm happy to say that Shadow Run does not in fact have those aspects in common!

As for Firefly, that's a pretty apt comparison. Other than the fact that the Kaitan is operating legally, the rapport between the crew and the depth of the characters is akin to what we got from the beloved space opera.

Shadow itself is a bit hard to fully comprehend, but it's basically energy on a nuclear level. Rather than cancer, those exposed go mad. And Qole has already lost her parents and an older brother to it. Now all that remains of her family are herself and her brother, Arjan. And while they're literally playing with fire continuing to operate as fishers (those hunting and containing shadow to be traded for profit), they're too good at it not to continue.

Nev is a royal. A prince. But his family's situation is precarious, which is why they've been studying shadow to begin with. And apparently they've got spies feeding information to a competing family. Which means Nev and his family must finish their research first, or lose out on the findings. Nev believes his family's cause is a noble one, but Qole and her crew have long known that royals can't be trusted.

And thus we have an even bigger conflict to the tale than Nev and Qole - can Nev's family indeed be trusted to do the things Nev promises? Will Qole be safe in their hands, and are they really looking out for the greater good?

Only time will tell, readers!

AdriAnne Strickland and Michael Miller work together seemingly seamlessly in putting this tale together. No hiccups or stutters that would indicate where one author's work ends and another begins. Their world building is amazing, and again those characters! Qole, the youngest and most talented captain, took over the ship at just fourteen; Arjan, four years older, has all the faith in the world in his sister and her talents, but fears his impending doom; Telu, a year younger than Qole and mightily loyal to the ship, she's also an ace hacker; Basra, a genderfluid trader with a knack for getting the best deals (and he's got some secrets!); and even Eton, strong arm and cook, he's the oldest of the crew and has more than a few secrets himself, especially considering his training.

And of course then there's Nev. Nev's world and life are infinitely different from that of Qole, Arjan, and Telu. As he and Qole get to know one another, she inevitably begins to trust him but the rest of the crew are still leery...

Shadow Run is a fantastic ride, y'all! And it's the first in the series, which means we can look forward to more!

Here's an exciting, FTL-paced new space opera (written for teens but of interest to adult SF fans as well).

It starts and ends on the ramshackle starship Kaitan (think "Firefly") whose crew seek out and net Shadow, a perilous undertaking. There's galactic intrigue, romance and action-packed adventure throughout.

Can't wait for more!

4.5/5

There is a lot to enjoy about Shadow Run. A co-authored YA science fiction novel, this high-octane read spans galaxies and stellar empires with an intense and relentless plot. With plenty of room to play and imagination to burn, the two collaborating authors of Michael Miller and AdriAnne Strickland have created an action-filled scifi adventure with MURDER DRONES IN SPACE and so much more to make those pages fly. Fast-paced, action-filled, and teeming with cool ideas and interesting characters, Shadow Run is just plain fun entertainment.

Told in strong and distinct alternating POVs, Miller and Strickland use their two main narrating characters to complement, contrast, and challenge each other. Shadow Run follows the escapades of Qole, a young starship captain eking out survival on an unforgiving planet and Nev, the newest addition to the Kaitain Heritage's crew. Qole and Nev are thrown together under some stressful circumstances and must learn to work together or face merciless forces and enemies; their relationship's progress is fraught at times but authentic. They are both well-defined and rounded characters on their own, but together they have an easy chemistry that lends well to establishing a growing attraction between them.

Characters are well-drawn across the board in this series beginner, but the members of Qole's crew are particularly lifelike and get more time and attention to develop. Each crewmate has a pivotal impact on the plot and come into play neatly. From Basra, the gender fluid crew member to Telu the underage female hacker, they each have unique personality and personal dynamism that makes the group stand out. I also loved how much of a nonfactor Basra's gender fluidity was to the story and to the other characters -- some days Basra is female and some days he is male. It's treated as a matter of fact -- just a part of life, as much as gravity or Shadow or Qole's unique Shadow capabilities.

There are some cool and imaginative scifi ideas being introduced and explored in Shadow Run's universe. The eponymous Shadow angle -- a new idea for a power source [for people too!] and also neatly ties in a few plot threads, allowing for some clever plotting down the line. I am less impressed with the world building established for how humanity functions in a stellar diaspora when it comes to the Emperor/Kings rule of law. The way the interconnected governments/families function need to be explained more, or better, in future novels, especially if the ending of Shadow Run foretells further imperial involvement in the series overall plot.

Though the comparisons to Dune (which is more of an ecological SF than a space-faring action adventure) and Firefly (found family feels!) are a bit of a stretch, Shadow Run is a fun, fast, exciting SF jaunt.

Exceptionally good space saga. Great worldbuilding, protagonist, and lots of surprises. Very hard to review without spoilers, and they would be epic spoilers. Qole collects shadow in outer space to be used for fuel with a rag tag crew that includes her brother Arjan. Shadow slowly consumes the bodies of those who are susceptible , and are the hunters and gatherers for generations of it. Klaxons screaming, a destroyer latches on to the ship. Mindless mining drones that can't shut off or be reprogrammed, and attack in force on anything that harms even one of them. Excellent use of the drones, by the by, I actually got goosebumps. I literally can't say more, or enough about this first novel. Just an outstanding novel. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book for Netgalley.

Shadow Run is fast-paced, action filled space opera. Qole, her brother Arjan, and their crew mine Shadow which is a very dangerous power source. They pick up a new crew member in Nev who has a hidden agenda for being on their ship.

Qole and her brother come from a family that has been involved in Shadow for a long time and, thus far, Shadow has proved to be fatal to most of the family. Qole is only sixteen and has charge of the ship because her parents and her older brother all went mad from too much Shadow and died. Qole feels that that will likely be her fate too. However, Shadow does have some benefits. She is stronger, faster, and a much better pilot than anyone else her age.

Nev has been sent by his family who are among the Royals who control everything to bring Qole back so that they can learn about her affinity with Shadow and how to use it. He doesn't realize that his father the King and his uncle the mad scientist are willing to dissect her to find out her secrets. He comes to a rude awakening when he learns that all the high ideals about honor and service to the people were just lies that his family told him.

When Qole and Arjan are kidnapped to be experimented on, Nev has to break from his family to rescue the young woman who deserves his loyalty.

The world building in this one was intriguing. It takes place after the collapse of the gates that allowed interstellar travel which has isolated many planetary systems. Qole's own home planet is an ice-covered planet that has been mined out by drones owned by Nev's family. The drones still exist but no one knows how to program them anymore. Now they are mainly hazards to Shadow fishers.

I liked the relationship that grew between Nev and Qole. I liked that both of them had to come to terms with who they wanted to be. Qole has to learn more about Shadow and learn how not to be overwhelmed by it. Nev has to learn to forge his own path since he can no longer follow his father's orders blindly.

The story has lots of adventures as Nev has to first rescue Qole and then Nev, Qole and the rest of the crew have to mount a rescue of Arjan. They need to battle the combined forces of the king to win through.

This book follows the alternating views of Qole and Nev. Qole is the captain of the Kaitan, the ship she uses to make shadow runs which is her livelihood. Nev is the heir apparent of the Dracorte family who travels to Alaxak in order to join Qole's crew.

After convincing Qole to return to his home planet of Luvos, Nev finds that his family isn't quite as he always thought. Both Nev and Qole are tested in many ways they never thought possible. Neither would have imagined being in a position more dangerous than a shadow run.

Overall I thought this was a good read. I found myself a bit confused in the beginning because shadow wasn't explained that well, but as the book went on I found myself understanding more. This book was fast paced and exciting, always keeping me on the edge of my seat. I look forward to reading the next in the series once it becomes available.

DNF at 25%

I was so excited to read this book, as the concept just sounds so exciting. I found this book to be quite confusing and the plot is very hard to follow. Not one for me, unfortunately.

The book starts with a classical model of a science fiction book , the universe has been conquered by humans, the planets are more or less equal in resources, some are covered with ice, others with forest or stone. But what is interesting here is the story behind, we feel that there are centuries of History, that human specie has evolved. Speaking of society, this book is extremely modern on some points, the galaxy has a kind of emperor who is helped by advisers, these advisers share the planets and have well-defined boundaries. Each advisor has to prove it value and bring something or be forfeited, so we have a sort of Stock Exchange, with political and economic stakes such as our world today, the mix is ​​very successful and I liked it a lot.

In this book, we will follow Nev and Qole. They can not be more different, one grew in ease and wealth, the other fights every day to be profitable in her ship after losing her family. Their roads do not cross by chance, but in the presence of each other, they will realize the reality of things and that each person has his own problems. I liked them because they are honest and pure in some way aven if they know that live is not easy. Their interactions are also very fun to read, because my god both have sass.

For the plot, I liked it, I found that the background is a bit classic in the genre, but the universe offered many novelties. There is a lot of action overall no time to get bored. The only downside is that the heroine concentrated more on some of her emotions, whereas given the trouble situation she was in, the priority was not there. The end opens beautiful perspectives for our characters and seen the major extra plot offered by the authors, I look forward to reading the second tome to see where it goes. So it was a great reading for me and I'm sure the sequel will be as good or best.

I can't stop raving about how good this book was! It's described as being "Dune meets Firefly" which both worried and intrigued me. How can you successfully combine these two? It seemed impossible. If you've ever watched either of these two TV shows (and you really should) they are pretty darn amazing. Opening a book description with that comparison is setting the bar pretty high. I went in all excited and was completely blown away by just how good Shadow Run was!

Here are some of the reasons why I loved this book:

- Lots of twists and turns
- A kickass female captain (don't mess with her, no seriously)
- Magical shadow powers
- A space prince
- High stakes, fast plot, no dull moments
- Loveable characters
- Witty banter and lots of sass
- Top notch action scenes
- Schemes, plans and entertaining nonsense
- Spaceships
- Awesome character names
- Basra is the best of the best (you need to read the book to understand)

I honestly could go on and on. You just need to take my word for it. YOU NEED THIS BOOK IN YOUR LIFE! Go pre-order it. Buy it when it's released. Request it at your local library. Just be sure to read it. While I'm so happy that I received an advance copy of Shadow Run I now have to wait patiently for the sequel. The wait is going to be excruciatingly painful. I need to know what happens next!

I'm so glad I got this ARC! Shadow Run was a delight to read. The Shadow is such a neat concept, and the space culture is so cool. The characters were all pretty good. Qole and Nev were of course my favorites but the rest of the crew was awesome too. I'm hoping in the next book we'll see more about them.
The plot was pretty good. It wasn't super complex, in fact it almost felt like it was mostly setting up for the next book, but despite that, I really enjoyed Shadow Run and would recommend it to anybody who loves a good sci-fi, empires in space, and awesome battles. Can't wait for the next installment.

Full review for SHADOW RUN found at [a cup of tean and an armful of books] at the link below.

Action and adventure, a touch of romance, and the threat of something larger looming, SHADOW RUN was a good start to a Space Opera series. While SHADOW RUN only focused on a few planets in its pages, the potential for more exploration exists. Nev and Qole, the two main protagonists, were interesting and well-developed, even though they were a little cliched for the YA genre. Their different views and backgrounds led to conflict, but ultimately I liked ready how they worked together and through their issues. I was very interested in the secondary characters. I wish there'd been a little more attention paid to them, but the potential for them in the next novel OR in a side-story is great. I look forward to seeing that.

I wish that SHADOW RUN had gotten into the action a little faster because there were moments that lagged, but ultimately I think the story was interesting (even if it was slightly cliched) and I think it will be popular for fans of the YA space genre.

Shadow Run has an exciting premise with the promise of a great world, exciting characters, and a lot of space action. This seemed like a great choice for sci-fi fantasy that could get my teens excited about reading. Unfortunately, it fell short.
Miller’s world building saved the novel for me. He created a believable future universe that tied into that of our own and could be navigated easily. The planets were beautifully laid out and described in great detail. The shadow and what it is/does was a little lacking on explanation.
Characters throughout the novel were well defined, especially Qole and Nev. These two had a wonderful love story that was appropriate for teens and not overdone. The secondary characters – Eton, Basra, Telu, And Arjan – were given some specifics, yet were held somewhat in mystery as fit the storyline.
What held the novel back was its lack of momentum. The story dragged itself from scene to scene. The action scenes were quite brief and didn’t give a lot of description to the action, especially the final battle, which left this reader disappointed. Qole and Nev’s romance is quite stunted. It talks mostly about each other’s feeling through their own minds and does not seem to advance much throughout the story.
There is a lot left open for a follow up or series, yet this is what left the reader disappointed. Too much was spent on character and world building that the mystery of the novel, the shadow, is barely explained. The whole book leads up to finding out how it can be used, including a big reveal, and then it is dropped and left for the next installment. Unfortunately, I do not think that teens will have the patience to get through this novel unless they are a die hard for the sci-fi genre. It was a great story, but need a little more action and explanation to gain more appeal.