Praise for Queen of Shadows
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY STARRED REVIEW: Sylvan’s powerful debut is packed with startling action, sensual romance, and delightfully nerdy vampires. An empathic gift is slowly killing Austin musician Miranda Grey, who uses her talents to influence her audience. After four men gang-rape her, Miranda uses her untrained powers to kill them with visions of their previous victims. Exhausted and traumatized, she’s taken in by David Solomon, the steely but quirky leader of the South’s vampires, whose no-kill laws have created unrest among his subjects. As David teaches Miranda to control her abilities and the two grow closer, a vampire civil war looms. Sylvan’s compelling take on vampirism, her endearing characters, and a complex, unabashedly feminist plot will have readers hungry for a sequel.
“Queen of Shadows grabbed me on the first page and didn’t let go. Dianne Sylvan has created an original take on vampires that I thoroughly enjoyed, and I’ll be looking for her next book with great anticipation. She’s a skilled and talented storyteller who definitely knows how to deliver one hell of a book!”
~ Angela Knight, New York Times bestselling author
“Dianne Sylvan’s rich, dark, sexy reimagined Austin is filled with people I want to visit again and again. Dianne Sylvan’s got voice, doesn’t miss a beat, and rocks it all the way to the last note…Looking for a new addiction? Go no further.”
~ Devon Monk, author of Magic on the Storm
“Queen of Shadows plucked at my heart strings in a smooth rhythm of fear, mistrust, and love. It detailed the maturation of a woman living in the bottom of the barrel. Miranda’s pattern of self-loathing and despair was, thankfully, chiseled away by a hero I could really sink my teeth into. He was alpha, but not an ass, caring, but not a doormat, and just foolish enough to think he could fight his feelings. Watching the romance between Miranda and David develop was a treat. Watching Miranda become a true warrior woman was the icing on the cake.”
~Jackie, Bitten by Books
“Dianne Sylvan is an incredibly talented writer. She draws the reader not only into the story but into the very marrow of someone who is starting to question their grip on reality. If you aren’t familiar with the Austin area, you will be, once you turn that last page…Queen of Shadows concludes with a great flourish, leaving the reader euphoric.”
~Lanine Bradley, San Francisco Book Review
“…combines the best of urban fantasy and romance…I don’t know when the next book in the series will be out, but it will be an instant buy for me.”
~Scooper Speaks
“Slowly [Miranda and David] open to each other and it’s a sweet process. They communicate, something severely lacking in a lot of relationships in books today.”
~Lexile, Night Owl Reviews
“My expectations were met and then some. Queen of Shadows is my favorite book of 2010 so far…”
~Kelly Lassiter, Fantasy Literature
“Queen of Shadows is a fantastic read! Praises cannot be high enough. Dianne Sylvan weaves a tale so dark and alluring readers will not want to put the book down until they have read that final sentence. Even then, most will be flipping through the blank pages looking for just one more chapter.”
~Lenore, Romance Reviews Today
Original, imaginative, unique, Queen of Shadows is a breath of fresh air in the ofttimes stale genre, and is practically an homage to classic UF with characters who are gifted but flawed, broken, unsure, and struggle with their own demons just as vehemently as they struggle with outside forces.
~Tracy G. Fragassi, One Good Book Deserves Another
“Miranda and David together are a force to be reckoned with and you want them to succeed. If you are a fan of Urban Fantasy with Romance, you will definitely want to read this book.”
~Wicked Little Pixie reviews
Praise for Shadowflame
(Four Stars) – Sylvan returns to her dark and complex reality where the worlds of modern technology and he supernatural are combined to great effect. Nothing is crystal clear and the ambiguities of sexuality and loyalty threatedn to tear the protagonists apart. This disquieting tale, while packed with murderous mayhem, also explored relationships and the costs of betrayal.
~Jill Smith with RT Reviews
Dianne Sylvan is the queen of emotional storytelling. She takes the story exactly where she thinks it needs to go, even if it’s not pretty. But I’m ok with not pretty. I quite enjoy not pretty. Shadowflame wrung me dry. I was kind of a mess for a couple days, but in the best way possible. If the characters you read about don’t move you, don’t ignite emotions, don’t become a part of your soul then what’s the point… Bottom Line: I loved it. Even the gritty, hard parts. Sylvan goes where other authors don’t dare. And I praise her for it.
~The Spinecracker
SHADOWFLAME succeeds the previous QUEEN OF SHADOWS in so many ways and you are left wondering if it is even possible to turn the pages fast enough. Dianne Sylvan has truly created a vampire world that I want to be a part of for years to come.
~Mystifying Paranormal Reviews
Fans of vampire books everywhere, I have found the next big thing and it is the Shadow series by Dianne Sylvan. The and turns that Sylvan placed in this book, kept me flying through the pages. I found myself crying with the Queen during the hardest moments of a woman’s life and I was cheering her on as she fought for the lives of the ones she loves. Queen Miranda is one of the strongest female characters I have come across and hands down this series is going to be sensational! I cannot rave enough over this one. The magic, mystery, intrigue, and each and every one of the characters have been well developed. SHADOWFLAME gave me all the high impact action, romance, and gore that I want in a book. Vampires aren’t supposed to be pretty all the time and I love the fact that Sylvan understands this concept. I am so glad that I found this stunning series on book two!
~Heather Lobdell, Fresh Fiction
