Reviewed by Kati Dancy
Publisher: Penguin
5 stars out of 5

Look, I’m a fan of Colleen Gleason. A big one — frankly, with extremely good reason. In the Gardella Vampire Chronicles she has created a singular heroine, Lady Victoria Gardella Grantworth, who is both a lady of ton and, more importantly, Illa Gardella, the leader of the Venators — those who are chosen to battle the vampires who prey on humankind, generally without anyone being the wiser for it. In the past four books, we’ve watched Victoria make her debut in society (while ingeniously wearing stakes in her hair), marry, become a widow, lose several people close to her, kill vampires, save the world a couple of times, and *most* importantly, find herself drawn to two intriguing, dynamic men who are vastly different, and yet each with their own appeal. Sebastian Vioget is a Venator, one who has had a very close relationship with Victoria, even as his loyalties have been called into question in past books. Maxamillion Pesaro was a Venator, who had to give up his powers due to his complicated and frightening past with Lillith, the Vampire Queen. Max is a cranky, headstrong, dominating man who has clashed many, many times with Victoria about almost any topic you can think of. Victoria is drawn to both, as are fans of the series. There is a pronounced divide between the fans. They tend to fall into one of two camps: Team Sebastian or Team Max. I’ll say nothing about the love triangle except that at the end of When Twilight Burns (book 4 in the series), Victoria made a choice between the two men. The choice is far more fleshed out in this book.

The events of As Shadows Fade precipitate several major revelations about the series. First, we finally learn about Wayren, the seemingly all knowing advisor of the Venators. We learn about her history and where she came from, and about her calling to assist the Venators in their mission. We also have an opportunity to witness the Trial, which is the admission of a Venator into the ranks. We revisit Max’s twisted relationship with Lilith, and in fact have the opportunity to see her in her lair. But most importantly, we find that the world has a new menace, demons. The demons have been escaping Hell through a minute crack in the seal between the two worlds. If you thought the vampires were bad, they’ve got nothing on the demons. One of the first things the demons do is kidnap Wayren. As Victoria, Max and Sebastian work together to rescue her, they also learn that they must travel to Prague to find a magical orb that has the power to seal the crack. They are told that they must collect five rings that allow the wearer to plunge their hands into an enchanted pool where the orb is located. There’s one big problem, Lilith is in possession of two of the rings, meaning that Max must go back and face the Vampire Queen who has an inextricable tie to him. Will Max be able to get the rings back so that the Venators may save the world? Was Victoria’s choice at the end of book 4 the one she sticks with? Will fans of the series be pleased with the series conclusion?

As Shadows Fade ranks right up with The Rest Falls Away as my favorite of the entire series. We’ve come to know these characters so well at this point, and the tension between the love triangle is magnificently written. Gleason manages to dole out information seamlessly so you can’t even really pause in shock over the bomb she’s just dropped because the action is barreling forward at such an exciting pace. The final book enriches the ties between the characters and allows us to see more deeply into the male protagonists’ minds, which is a treat. The book is perfectly paced with intimate moments and incredibly exciting action scenes which will have you turning pages as quickly as possible.

As a long time fan of the series, I couldn’t have been more satisfied with the ending, as every question about I ever had and every wish I had for the characters was addressed. If you are a fan of the series, I can’t recommend As Shadows Fade enough. If you’re new to the series, you should absolutely start at the beginning, The Rest Falls Away, in order to truly appreciate the evolution of Victoria as a character. As Shadows Fade is a perfectly written close to a series that I have loved and yes, obsessed a bit over. I will miss the Venators terribly and can only hope that one day we have an opportunity to visit their world again.