Sins & Shadows by L. Benedict

Sins and ShadowsNon-stop action, crazy witchery, Greek gods..what’s not to love?!  Sins & Shadows by Lyn Benedict kicks off a wonderfully delicious urban fantasy series that will make a great addition to any book shelf.

Sylvie Lightner is no ordinary P.I. She specializes in cases involving the unusual, in a world where magic is real—and where death isn’t the worst thing that can happen to you. But when an employee is murdered in front of her, Sylvie has had enough. After years of confounding the dark forces of the Magicus Mundi, she’s closing up shop—until a man claiming to be the God of Justice wants Sylvie to find his lost lover.

When I first saw the cover for Sins & Shadows, I wasn’t impressed at all and actually had no interest in reading it.  When I finally did pick it up, it turned out to be a really fun read!

We have Sylvie ready to close up shop, and is actually in the process of packing, when the “God of Justice” shows up and wants her to help him.  Of course Sylvie declines, she’s a little skeptical about the whole thing, but it turns out that he isn’t giving her that option. So we have Sylvie stuck with having to help the God of Justice, even though she doesn’t want to, as well as trying to keep her partner from getting mixed up in the mess that has been dumped on her doorstep.

I have to start off with explaining that the Magicus Mundi isn’t an organization, which I initially thought, but what magic is actually called in the world of Sins & Shadows. Basically, what I call magic, Sylvie calls Magicus Mundi. *grin*

The world Benedict has created is very addicting.  The more I read of Sins & Shadows, the faster I wanted to turn the pages and I found myself not wanting to put it down.  The plot starts right off and continually keeps you invested in what is going on throughout the entire novel.  As a matter of fact, Sins & Shadows does a fantastic job of leaving you eagerly anticipating Ghosts & Echoes, the second novel in the Shadows Inquiries series.

With all of the female detective stories out there, I imagine it’s rather hard to make your heroine stand out amongst the masses. One of the things I adored about Sylvie was that she was a “get to the point” type of gal. She doesn’t play games and is a straight shooter, even if what comes out of her mouth isn’t what you want to hear. *grins* She reminds me of myself – and I think that’s why I love her so.  In many ways, I even think Sylvie is a little on the mean side, which I absolutely adore, but I have read that this bothered other readers. I really get tired of reading the goodie-goodie two-shoes type of cookie cutter character, but Sylvie so does not fit that mold and that really brings something to Sins & Shadows.

Overall, Sins & Shadows ended up being a great read.  One of the things I did love was the twist in mythology that Benedict has written into her world. Hera, Zeus, Lilith, Eros, and even the Sphinx all make an appearance. With a cast like that how can you not be interested in reading this series!?  If you love Urban Fantasy, as well as mythology, you will love Sins & Shadows!

Read Order:
Sins & Shadows
Ghosts & Echoes
Gods & Monsters

Also reviewed by: Janicu’s Book Blog, Patricia’s Vampire Notes, Alexia’s Books and Such and Calico Reaction

1 Comment

  1. I agree, there’s something unique about Sylvie’s character. I think for me, it was the fact that she was rather (rightfully) annoyed much of the book. This worked really well within the context of the story. Thanks for your review, it reminds me that I really should buy the next book.

Comments are closed.