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Promise of Shadows

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About The Book

“A healthy dose of action, a strong thread of humor and just a touch of romance” (VOYA, starred review).

A teen who is half-god, half-human must own her power whether she likes it or not in this snappy, snarky novel with a serving of smoldering romance that Kirkus Reviews calls “a dark, slyly funny read.”


Zephyr Mourning has never been very good at being a Harpy. She’d rather watch reality TV than learn forty-seven ways to kill a man, and she pretty much sucks at wielding magic. Zephyr was ready for a future pretending to be a normal human instead of a half-god assassin. But all that changed when her sister was murdered—and Zephyr used a forbidden dark power to save herself from the same fate.

On the run from a punishment worse than death, an unexpected reunion with a childhood friend upends Zephyr’s world—and not only because her old friend has grown surprisingly, extremely hot. It seems that Zephyr might just be the Nyx, a dark goddess that is prophesied to shift the power balance: for hundreds of years the half-gods have lived in fear, and Zephyr is supposed to change that.

But how is she supposed to save everyone else when she can barely take care of herself?

About The Author

Photograph by Eric Ireland

Justina Ireland enjoys dark chocolate, dark humor, and is not too proud to admit that she’s still afraid of the dark. She lives with her husband, kid, and dog in Pennsylvania. She is the author of Vengeance Bound and Promise of Shadows. Visit her at JustinaIreland.com.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (January 13, 2015)
  • Length: 384 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781442444652
  • Grades: 9 and up
  • Ages: 14 - 99
  • Lexile ® HL700L The Lexile reading levels have been certified by the Lexile developer, MetaMetrics®

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Raves and Reviews

* "Ireland does a wonderful job of creating characters described in myths and bringing them to our world… Ireland also does a masterful job with throwaway comments that reveal the diversity in her characters with regard to race, sexuality, and of course, immortality without being heavy handed…a healthy dose of action, a strong thread of humor, and just a touch of romance.

– VOYA, STARRED REVIEW

" [A] solid book...the mythos Ireland creates strikes the right mix of familiarity and invention, and is well worth exploring."

– Publishers Weekly

"Zephyr’s narration hooks readers with snappy, hilarious one-liners. A dark, slyly funny read."

– Kirkus Reviews

* "Ireland does a wonderful job of creating characters described in myths and bringing them to our world… Ireland also does a masterful job with throwaway comments that reveal the diversity in her characters with regard to race, sexuality, and of course, immortality without being heavy handed…a healthy dose of action, a strong thread of humor, and just a touch of romance.

– VOYA, STARRED REVIEW

"The fast pacing and dynamic plot will engage readers...The snappy, hilarious dialogue between the protagonist and her friends balances the ominous apocalyptic story line, which will also attract fans of The Hunger Games, Divergent, and underdog heroines.

– School Library Journal

Awards and Honors

  • Kansas NEA Reading Circle List High School Title
  • MSTA Reading Circle List

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More books from this author: Justina Ireland