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A review by foxholebookcourt
Shadowblack by Sebastien de Castell
4.0
Shadowblack by Sebastien De Castell
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
‘Perfect,' she said, then promptly sat down in the dirt. 'I'm just going to sit here until the world starts making sense, if that's all right.'
'You might be waiting a long time,' I said.
Second book in the series and I found it really surprising that it didn’t suffer from the sequel syndrome. If anything, I can confidently say that I enjoyed the sequel to Spellslinger a lot more than the first book and I see myself slowly but surely making my way through the rest of the series.
Our protagonist has found himself an outcast, trying to find his place in the world, especially now with a terrible curse hanging over his head. In the second book of the series, there’s quite the mystery that our protagonist has to solve, and while quite predictable, it did a good job in further progressing the plot and giving us a bit more lore. This book did feel kind of a filler, as it didn’t really answer any questions established in the first book, but it did add something in the development of our protagonist, Kellen, and his relationship with the people around him.
This is a book targeted for teenagers, and I am no longer a teenager unfortunately, so I don’t see the appeal to the sweet awkward romance that spawns out of nowhere, but I did enjoy all the new characters, including Seneira. I do wish that our only two canonically queer characters weren’t side characters but that’s better than nothing. Kellen is also a very enjoyable protagonist, and I loved the way his relationship with both his squirrel cat friend and his mentor develop. I can’t wait to see more of it in the future books.
If you are looking for a quick, whimsical read, I am starting to safely recommend the series, even though I’m not even halfway through it. Fingers crossed I won’t get dissapointed.
"First thing you learn travelling the long roads, kid: language is as much in the way you speak as the words you choose."
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
‘Perfect,' she said, then promptly sat down in the dirt. 'I'm just going to sit here until the world starts making sense, if that's all right.'
'You might be waiting a long time,' I said.
Second book in the series and I found it really surprising that it didn’t suffer from the sequel syndrome. If anything, I can confidently say that I enjoyed the sequel to Spellslinger a lot more than the first book and I see myself slowly but surely making my way through the rest of the series.
Our protagonist has found himself an outcast, trying to find his place in the world, especially now with a terrible curse hanging over his head. In the second book of the series, there’s quite the mystery that our protagonist has to solve, and while quite predictable, it did a good job in further progressing the plot and giving us a bit more lore. This book did feel kind of a filler, as it didn’t really answer any questions established in the first book, but it did add something in the development of our protagonist, Kellen, and his relationship with the people around him.
This is a book targeted for teenagers, and I am no longer a teenager unfortunately, so I don’t see the appeal to the sweet awkward romance that spawns out of nowhere, but I did enjoy all the new characters, including Seneira. I do wish that our only two canonically queer characters weren’t side characters but that’s better than nothing. Kellen is also a very enjoyable protagonist, and I loved the way his relationship with both his squirrel cat friend and his mentor develop. I can’t wait to see more of it in the future books.
If you are looking for a quick, whimsical read, I am starting to safely recommend the series, even though I’m not even halfway through it. Fingers crossed I won’t get dissapointed.
"First thing you learn travelling the long roads, kid: language is as much in the way you speak as the words you choose."