Shadow Hunt

By: Melissa F. Olson
Published Year: 2018
Publisher: 47North
Pages: 318

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): For years now, Scarlett Bernard has counted on two things: her ability to nullify magic, and Shadow, the bargest who guards Scarlett with her life. But after a sudden revelation turns Scarlett’s world upside down, she panics and leaves town without warning, leaving Shadow with her partner, Jesse. In the chaos that follows, the bargest is stolen—and Jesse nearly dies from a brutal psychic assault.

It seems that an old enemy has returned for revenge…and the attack on Shadow was only the beginning. As Scarlett races home to find the bargest and rescue her friends, she is dragged deeper into a terrifying legend that has somehow found its way to present-day Los Angeles.

Now she will have to recruit every possible ally for a battle that will test her null ability to the limit. Scarlett has been in over her head before, but now she risks losing everything—and she’s never had more to lose.

First Impressions

I might’ve picked this book up based off of its cover when I was in college, but definitely not now. My mom found it for free and asked if I’d want to read it. I read the plot and thought it sounded interesting. Since she offered to pick it up, I decided to give it a shot, but based off of the cover alone I was a little hesitant.

What I thought

I was pleasantly surprised by this book! I didn’t realize that it was the third in the series when my mom gave it to me, but I never truly felt lost. However, if you are interested in reading this series and want to start from the beginning, I will be spoiling things.

Scarlett is a Null living in LA. A Null is someone who can nullify all magic. She works for the cardinal vampire of LA and is also friendly with the witches and vampires. When she goes off to Boulder to investigate a personal matter, her dog/bargest (a magical werewolf hunting dog who is basically impossible to kill but loves Scarlett) is kidnapped and her friend Jesse is put into a magical slumber. When she gets back to LA, they discover that this is the work of the Luparii, a group of witches whose goal is destroy all werewolves and now they are there to kill Scarlett.

Ok, so from what I can gleam from Goodreads, there are multiple series within this Old World universe. I believe there is a series about Scarlett prior to this one as well as a series that occurs simultaneously with other characters. While this trilogy seems to wrap up Scarlett’s story in the universe, she does seem to appear occasionally in other series by Olson. I did find this book relatively easy to follow, with only certan parts that probably would’ve helped if I had background. For example, Shadow (the bargest), what a Null is, and a lot of relationships with previous characters.

I really enjoyed Scarlett and her powers. I haven’t read a supernatural book about someone who can cancel out all powers so that was an interesting take. I also liked the relationship with Scarlett and Jesse and Scarlett and her friend Molly. Additionally, when they go to Boulder they meet with some other witches and a very old vampire. I was intrigued by the characters and am curious which series would follow them and their connections.

It also seems like the Luparii are the big bad from a previous novel and in this book they’re coming back to seek revenge. I don’t want to give away exactly what their plan is, but it is based in old Grimm lore and I found it fascinating. The only parts I didn’t love were some of the romance scenes. I liked the romance between Jesse and Scarlett, but I didn’t need anything more as I found the supernatural parts of the story to be more interesting.

This series is very intriguing. I think I would’ve been completely obsessed with this in college and maybe after. I am curious to read more in this universe because it is very well thought out and written. I would absolutely watch this as a TV series. If you are a fan of the supernatural as well as a little bit of mystery, I would recommend checking out this series. It’s more of the urban magic, so it does occur within out world. It’s easy to get into and not at all hard to follow the rules.