A review by nadinee24
The Shadow Saint by Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan
4.0
3.5 Stars
The Shadow Saint picks up a few months after the events of The Gutter Prayer as the city of Guerdon gets back on track.
The Shadow Saint opens up the world where The Gutter Prayer did not while introducing two new characters that take centre stage. Where The Gutter Prayer focused almost solely on the city of Guerdon, The Shadow Saint introduces many different countries with their own cultures and beliefs. Despite this incredible world building, it feels shoehorned in, as there’s little to no set up for it in the previous novel.
With the introduction of new characters, I was disappointed that the cast of characters from the previous novel were not the focal point in the sequel. I was especially disappointed about Cari’s lack of screen time. What happened to her at the end of The Gutter Prayer and where and what she’s doing in The Shadow Saint was incredibly interesting. Every time we got to spend a little time with her, it was never enough making the next chapter a slog to read.
The Shadow Saint features a lot more politics. These moments are interesting and slow in the best ways. Readers get to simmer in the political machinations of the city. However, these moments are seen through the eyes of Eladora who is far from my favourite character.
As previously mentioned, The Shadow Saint expands on the world building exponentially by introducing dragons and kraken. Unfortunately, it feels out of place. I won’t say more because of spoilers.
Finally, The Shadow Saint almost feels like a rethread of the previous novel: something happens to the city, they overcome it; the city goes back to rebuilding itself. In terms of plot movement, we’re almost at the same place as at the end of The Gutter Prayer.
Will I be reading the third novel? Right now, I’m not sure. I really like the concept of this world, but The Shadow Saint brought the story in a completely different direction that I didn’t always appreciate while reading.
The Shadow Saint picks up a few months after the events of The Gutter Prayer as the city of Guerdon gets back on track.
The Shadow Saint opens up the world where The Gutter Prayer did not while introducing two new characters that take centre stage. Where The Gutter Prayer focused almost solely on the city of Guerdon, The Shadow Saint introduces many different countries with their own cultures and beliefs. Despite this incredible world building, it feels shoehorned in, as there’s little to no set up for it in the previous novel.
With the introduction of new characters, I was disappointed that the cast of characters from the previous novel were not the focal point in the sequel. I was especially disappointed about Cari’s lack of screen time. What happened to her at the end of The Gutter Prayer and where and what she’s doing in The Shadow Saint was incredibly interesting. Every time we got to spend a little time with her, it was never enough making the next chapter a slog to read.
The Shadow Saint features a lot more politics. These moments are interesting and slow in the best ways. Readers get to simmer in the political machinations of the city. However, these moments are seen through the eyes of Eladora who is far from my favourite character.
As previously mentioned, The Shadow Saint expands on the world building exponentially by introducing dragons and kraken. Unfortunately, it feels out of place. I won’t say more because of spoilers.
Finally, The Shadow Saint almost feels like a rethread of the previous novel: something happens to the city, they overcome it; the city goes back to rebuilding itself. In terms of plot movement, we’re almost at the same place as at the end of The Gutter Prayer.
Will I be reading the third novel? Right now, I’m not sure. I really like the concept of this world, but The Shadow Saint brought the story in a completely different direction that I didn’t always appreciate while reading.