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A Tale of Stars and Shadow #1
A Tale of Stars and Shadow
Dumnorix princess and born warrior, Talyn Dynan was the finest fighter of her generation. With her Callanan partner at her side, she was invincible, reckless, a death-knell to their enemies. But after her partner is torn away from her, Talyn is left broken, wracked with guilt and unable to regain the confidence she once had. Could an unexpected mission to the mysterious country of Mithranar, home of the magical winged folk, be the thing that saves her? Or will the danger and secrets she finds there finally break her completely?
The Shadowhawk lives a life in the shadows. Constantly hunted for his criminal exploits, yet desperate to help the human folk of Mithranar who are oppressed by their winged folk rulers, he haunts the streets of Dock City. The arrival of a foreign warrior threatens to upset the carefully balanced life he leads, but when she begins to offer a hope for the humans he's only ever dreamed of, can he risk trusting her?
And unbeknownst to both, a mysterious foe stalks the dark corners of Dock City. One that answers to a single purpose...
Vengeance.
The Shadowhawk lives a life in the shadows. Constantly hunted for his criminal exploits, yet desperate to help the human folk of Mithranar who are oppressed by their winged folk rulers, he haunts the streets of Dock City. The arrival of a foreign warrior threatens to upset the carefully balanced life he leads, but when she begins to offer a hope for the humans he's only ever dreamed of, can he risk trusting her?
And unbeknownst to both, a mysterious foe stalks the dark corners of Dock City. One that answers to a single purpose...
Vengeance.
500 pages, Paperback
First published May 18, 2019
610 people are currently reading
9963 people want to read
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February 22, 2020
I read A Tale of Stars and Shadow as a judge for the SPFBO contest, as it is one of the few finalists.
My review us now on BookNest -
A Tale of Stars and Shadow - BookNest
When I started this book, I felt a bit underwhelmed. It was well written, with solid characters and a clear plot. But there was nothing really unique about it that drove me on.
But then the 50% mark hit, and it just clicked. It wasn’t a gradual change, it was just sudden. One moment I was persevering, the next I was completely immersed and involved in the action. Brilliant second half!
Talyn Dynan is an incredible warrior who has been involved in multiple elite warrior groups, now part of the Kingshield. She is sent to a different county to train a group of warriors to protect a prince. But in very mysterious circumstances…
There are two PoV characters:
- Predominantly the female lead Captain Dynan. She was interesting and pretty cool. Really came into her own in the second half. She is torn between her duty and the horrors of her past. The fear of former mistakes weighing her down every second of consciousness.
- The other part was the Shadowhawk. A kind of Robin Hood type outlaw, who steals from the rich to give to the poor. In the first half, I yearned for more from him, and I gladly received it! A myserious character who hides his face from all, and fights a daily battle to avoid the winged security.
A key element of this story is the social divide. Between the humans and the winged people, who believe themselves superior, and even separate themselves to live in the great raised citadel, almost like another city. Again this was good at first, but became incredibly interesting beyond the halfway mark.
Easily my favourite part of the story was the camaraderie between Captain Dynan’s trainees. She is hindered by the prejudice winged people at every opportunity, hence being given only criminals to pick from to form a guard. But she knows her duty, and attempts what she can. Surprising the group with genuine kindness and dedication, the bonds slowly grow, and by the end I loved the interactions between characters. I laughed along with them. And I experience genuine worry when their lives hung in the air.
If you start this book and feel slightly bored, persevere! It started as a standard book with little to differentiate it from all others. But by the end it formed its own unique style and I loved it!
So I would give 7.5/10, because of the slow start but great finish. I will definitely be reading the second book of this series, as A Tale of Stars and Shadow ended superbly!
7.5/10
My review us now on BookNest -
A Tale of Stars and Shadow - BookNest
When I started this book, I felt a bit underwhelmed. It was well written, with solid characters and a clear plot. But there was nothing really unique about it that drove me on.
But then the 50% mark hit, and it just clicked. It wasn’t a gradual change, it was just sudden. One moment I was persevering, the next I was completely immersed and involved in the action. Brilliant second half!
Talyn Dynan is an incredible warrior who has been involved in multiple elite warrior groups, now part of the Kingshield. She is sent to a different county to train a group of warriors to protect a prince. But in very mysterious circumstances…
There are two PoV characters:
- Predominantly the female lead Captain Dynan. She was interesting and pretty cool. Really came into her own in the second half. She is torn between her duty and the horrors of her past. The fear of former mistakes weighing her down every second of consciousness.
- The other part was the Shadowhawk. A kind of Robin Hood type outlaw, who steals from the rich to give to the poor. In the first half, I yearned for more from him, and I gladly received it! A myserious character who hides his face from all, and fights a daily battle to avoid the winged security.
A key element of this story is the social divide. Between the humans and the winged people, who believe themselves superior, and even separate themselves to live in the great raised citadel, almost like another city. Again this was good at first, but became incredibly interesting beyond the halfway mark.
Easily my favourite part of the story was the camaraderie between Captain Dynan’s trainees. She is hindered by the prejudice winged people at every opportunity, hence being given only criminals to pick from to form a guard. But she knows her duty, and attempts what she can. Surprising the group with genuine kindness and dedication, the bonds slowly grow, and by the end I loved the interactions between characters. I laughed along with them. And I experience genuine worry when their lives hung in the air.
If you start this book and feel slightly bored, persevere! It started as a standard book with little to differentiate it from all others. But by the end it formed its own unique style and I loved it!
So I would give 7.5/10, because of the slow start but great finish. I will definitely be reading the second book of this series, as A Tale of Stars and Shadow ended superbly!
7.5/10
December 16, 2019
It’s the only SPFBO 2019 finalist I haven’t heard about before the contest. Judging it by the cover, I wasn’t in a hurry to pick it up. The cover tells nothing about the story, except that there will be blades. It looks… uninspiring? And don’t get me started on the atrocious font. Covers matter. Frankly, I wouldn’t touch it if it weren’t for The Fantasy Hive team announcing it as their finalist.
And that would be a serious mistake because A Tale of Stars and Shadow is brilliant, immersive and engrossing. I loved it. I bought and read the sequel immediately after finishing it. I plan to occasionally (like every six hours) email Lisa Cassidy just to make sure she works on the third book. And that she doesn’t take too many breaks.
Talyn Dynan was the finest fighter of her generation. Unstoppable, fearless, and ultra-competent. Now, after her partner’s death, she’s broken and wracked with guilt. She quits an elite force known as Callanan and joins Kingshield where her mistakes won’t cost lives.
For unclear reasons, her superiors send her on a mission to Mithranar, home of the magical winged folk. Officially, she will guard a spoiled and dandy prince. Unofficially, she will investigate mysterious Shadowhawk - a criminal who haunts the streets of Dock City.
To protect the prince, she must build and train her Wing. Surprisingly, she has to source candidates in jail. Yes, you’ve heard it right. She has to build a guard detail for the Prince from criminals.
A Tale of Stars and Shadow never ceases to surprise. With each chapter, it adds new layers of intrigue to the intricate plot. Talyn suspects she’s a puppet in someone else’s game. And that there is more than one game being played. Someone sets her up to fail. I found most twists and reveals perfectly placed and genuinely surprising.
The story entranced me from the very first chapter. There is just something that Lisa Cassidy does extremely well that binds me to this story. Her prose is a pleasure to read, it’s crisp, wry, and funny. The story moves quickly, even though we witness some repetitions. She teases us along, and we think at first the answers to the mysteries are obvious until Talyn uncovers new information and we realize there’s more to the plot. The wrap-up makes for a satisfying ending.
With such compelling protagonists, it wouldn’t have been hard for the supporting cast to be outshone but they manage to hold their own. Because at its heart, A Tale of Stars and Shadow is the story about a Found Family. I think the author nailed it here. Talyn and her Wing develop an empathetic connection and loyalty. Her team includes a stubborn alcoholic, a silent giant with a tattooed face who prefers not to talk, a street-smart thief, and a shy boy who displays preternatural skills with knives. Each of them gets solid, and believable, development.
A Tale of Stars and Shadow is smart, immersive, emotionally engaging and nearly impossible to put down. I absolutely loved it.
And that would be a serious mistake because A Tale of Stars and Shadow is brilliant, immersive and engrossing. I loved it. I bought and read the sequel immediately after finishing it. I plan to occasionally (like every six hours) email Lisa Cassidy just to make sure she works on the third book. And that she doesn’t take too many breaks.
Talyn Dynan was the finest fighter of her generation. Unstoppable, fearless, and ultra-competent. Now, after her partner’s death, she’s broken and wracked with guilt. She quits an elite force known as Callanan and joins Kingshield where her mistakes won’t cost lives.
For unclear reasons, her superiors send her on a mission to Mithranar, home of the magical winged folk. Officially, she will guard a spoiled and dandy prince. Unofficially, she will investigate mysterious Shadowhawk - a criminal who haunts the streets of Dock City.
To protect the prince, she must build and train her Wing. Surprisingly, she has to source candidates in jail. Yes, you’ve heard it right. She has to build a guard detail for the Prince from criminals.
She’d known Mithranar had a queen, that the winged folk had magic, and that they were the world’s only producer of izerdia.
But that there was a place in the world where people thought they were superior because they had wings and magic, where the ruling family thought it was acceptable to flog people for disagreeing with them, or to hoard food for themselves… that she hadn’t known.
A Tale of Stars and Shadow never ceases to surprise. With each chapter, it adds new layers of intrigue to the intricate plot. Talyn suspects she’s a puppet in someone else’s game. And that there is more than one game being played. Someone sets her up to fail. I found most twists and reveals perfectly placed and genuinely surprising.
The story entranced me from the very first chapter. There is just something that Lisa Cassidy does extremely well that binds me to this story. Her prose is a pleasure to read, it’s crisp, wry, and funny. The story moves quickly, even though we witness some repetitions. She teases us along, and we think at first the answers to the mysteries are obvious until Talyn uncovers new information and we realize there’s more to the plot. The wrap-up makes for a satisfying ending.
With such compelling protagonists, it wouldn’t have been hard for the supporting cast to be outshone but they manage to hold their own. Because at its heart, A Tale of Stars and Shadow is the story about a Found Family. I think the author nailed it here. Talyn and her Wing develop an empathetic connection and loyalty. Her team includes a stubborn alcoholic, a silent giant with a tattooed face who prefers not to talk, a street-smart thief, and a shy boy who displays preternatural skills with knives. Each of them gets solid, and believable, development.
A Tale of Stars and Shadow is smart, immersive, emotionally engaging and nearly impossible to put down. I absolutely loved it.
Read
November 29, 2019I haven't read this yet, but it's a finalist in the 5th Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off #SPFBO, so it must be good!
Read more about the contest here: https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
Read more about the contest here: https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
December 8, 2024
2nd reread:
8/december/2024
i hate both these reviews. ew sappy but you should still read it!
i love it to pieces ABD SO SHOULD YOU!!!!!
——————
1st reread:
23/january/2022
In a lot of ways, this is me reading this book for the first time.
The way everything unfolded was way different from the first time I read it. I could keep my eyes open for character development, and small hints towards who the Shadowhawk actually was.
Because of that, I seemed to connect with these characters even more.
The way I fell in love with these characters, again;
Zamaril’s cockiness, it being just a thin layer over his soul deep self-doubt.
Corrin’s infectious embodiment of happiness. He was so soft and real. His character development is astonishing when you read the rest of the books.
Halun’s comforting silence, and brute force over the whole wing.
Tiercelin’s road to self-love. He's the only winged person in the group and that puts him in a situation where he’s in the minority, which he doesn’t often find himself in.
Theac’s brute outlining but truly sweet soul. He acts like he would murder everyone on his path, but secretly he just wants to drink his apple juice and eat his cake with you.
And lastly Talyn’s absolute heartbreaking road towards overcoming and accepting the grief that holds her back.
Please do yourself a favour and read this book, if you haven’t already.
It’s truly a story about finding people to finally fit into, overcoming grief, and just trying to make the world a bit better.
—————————
I honestly don’t think I’ve ever read such a good fantasy book before, without the main presence being romance. I typically don’t tend to read books where there is little to no romance in them.
A tale of stars and shadow is about Talyn, a Callanan warrior turned Kingshield due to her Callanan partner passing away. She’s left on her own to grieve and moves to this place to be with her royal family, to join the Kingshields. Protect the royal family.
But she isn’t ready to face a fight yet, and the royal Kingshield Leader isn’t having it, and thus sends her to Mithranar to train the royal army there.
But when she arrives, totally surprised by the fact that there are Winged people as well as normal humans, she discovers that she will not be training the royal army. No. She will have to choose from thieves and criminals to make a personal guard for the youngest prince Cuinn.
In the meantime, we have this mysterious cloaked and masked Robin Hood figure called The Shadowhawk who tries to help the humans in the docks so they’ll survive with the scarce resources they have.
Honestly, this is such a well-written story about things like grieving and found-family and finding yourself in a place where you belong.
When you meet the so-called thieves and criminals you’ll be thinking to yourself “hmm they’re not a lot”, but they grow so much in the course of a few hundred pages. To the point where they will sacrifice themselves for each other. It’s such a tight knit group, all from different backgrounds, one of them even a Winged person. But they are proud of what they have become, and I’m proud of myself that I picked up this utter masterpiece.
This is one of the easiest 5 stars I could give out.
Most of my 5 stars come from authors who are fairly popular, like Sarah J Maas, which I honestly feel bad when I give her books a lower rating. That’s mostly the reason why I don’t rate books usually.
But this book, I had no influence from outside. I know nobody who has actually read this book, might be because it’s self published. Might be because people have no taste.
But I had no influence from other people, and I think that’s the most beautiful thing about this book.
The fact that I share the love for this book with myself, and no one else.
If you want to join me in the love, please do yourself a favour and read it.
It won’t disappoint. And if it does, just think about how sometimes even if you hope you belong somewhere, it might not be the place you end up in the end.
8/december/2024
i hate both these reviews. ew sappy but you should still read it!
i love it to pieces ABD SO SHOULD YOU!!!!!
——————
1st reread:
23/january/2022
In a lot of ways, this is me reading this book for the first time.
The way everything unfolded was way different from the first time I read it. I could keep my eyes open for character development, and small hints towards who the Shadowhawk actually was.
Because of that, I seemed to connect with these characters even more.
The way I fell in love with these characters, again;
Zamaril’s cockiness, it being just a thin layer over his soul deep self-doubt.
Corrin’s infectious embodiment of happiness. He was so soft and real. His character development is astonishing when you read the rest of the books.
Halun’s comforting silence, and brute force over the whole wing.
Tiercelin’s road to self-love. He's the only winged person in the group and that puts him in a situation where he’s in the minority, which he doesn’t often find himself in.
Theac’s brute outlining but truly sweet soul. He acts like he would murder everyone on his path, but secretly he just wants to drink his apple juice and eat his cake with you.
And lastly Talyn’s absolute heartbreaking road towards overcoming and accepting the grief that holds her back.
Please do yourself a favour and read this book, if you haven’t already.
It’s truly a story about finding people to finally fit into, overcoming grief, and just trying to make the world a bit better.
—————————
I honestly don’t think I’ve ever read such a good fantasy book before, without the main presence being romance. I typically don’t tend to read books where there is little to no romance in them.
A tale of stars and shadow is about Talyn, a Callanan warrior turned Kingshield due to her Callanan partner passing away. She’s left on her own to grieve and moves to this place to be with her royal family, to join the Kingshields. Protect the royal family.
But she isn’t ready to face a fight yet, and the royal Kingshield Leader isn’t having it, and thus sends her to Mithranar to train the royal army there.
But when she arrives, totally surprised by the fact that there are Winged people as well as normal humans, she discovers that she will not be training the royal army. No. She will have to choose from thieves and criminals to make a personal guard for the youngest prince Cuinn.
In the meantime, we have this mysterious cloaked and masked Robin Hood figure called The Shadowhawk who tries to help the humans in the docks so they’ll survive with the scarce resources they have.
Honestly, this is such a well-written story about things like grieving and found-family and finding yourself in a place where you belong.
When you meet the so-called thieves and criminals you’ll be thinking to yourself “hmm they’re not a lot”, but they grow so much in the course of a few hundred pages. To the point where they will sacrifice themselves for each other. It’s such a tight knit group, all from different backgrounds, one of them even a Winged person. But they are proud of what they have become, and I’m proud of myself that I picked up this utter masterpiece.
This is one of the easiest 5 stars I could give out.
Most of my 5 stars come from authors who are fairly popular, like Sarah J Maas, which I honestly feel bad when I give her books a lower rating. That’s mostly the reason why I don’t rate books usually.
But this book, I had no influence from outside. I know nobody who has actually read this book, might be because it’s self published. Might be because people have no taste.
But I had no influence from other people, and I think that’s the most beautiful thing about this book.
The fact that I share the love for this book with myself, and no one else.
If you want to join me in the love, please do yourself a favour and read it.
It won’t disappoint. And if it does, just think about how sometimes even if you hope you belong somewhere, it might not be the place you end up in the end.
January 11, 2020
*I read this as a judge for the #SPFBO as this is a finalist*
Full video review here: https://youtu.be/VpjanbtR2pI
4.25*s overall :)
Full video review here: https://youtu.be/VpjanbtR2pI
4.25*s overall :)
December 25, 2019
A Tale of Stars and Shadow is a good fast paced fantasy read but it just feels like a retread of a story that we have seen before.
Don't get me wrong. Even if the story is unoriginal or the beats predictable (tell me that you didn't figure out who the Shadowhawk was, the moment another character was introduced), the journey is still interesting. It is like watching an 80s action movie - you know what is going to happen but you still enjoy it anyway. You know how the twists and turns will occur, you know the exact set of characters, you know when and how the climax will proceed etc.
I am docking stars for predictable characters and plot line. But that said, this will be my guilty pleasure. I am looking forward to reading the sequel
Don't get me wrong. Even if the story is unoriginal or the beats predictable (tell me that you didn't figure out who the Shadowhawk was, the moment another character was introduced), the journey is still interesting. It is like watching an 80s action movie - you know what is going to happen but you still enjoy it anyway. You know how the twists and turns will occur, you know the exact set of characters, you know when and how the climax will proceed etc.
I am docking stars for predictable characters and plot line. But that said, this will be my guilty pleasure. I am looking forward to reading the sequel
April 29, 2024
This series is truly a masterpiece.
This book is one of my fave!
Re re re read 29/04/24
Re re read 19/01/23
Re-read 15/11/21
First 25/05/21
This book is one of my fave!
Re re re read 29/04/24
Re re read 19/01/23
Re-read 15/11/21
First 25/05/21
May 13, 2020
Another gem from the BeMos FB group.
I enjoyed this book, I am at book three and have obviously only had time to leave a review. It was a good one.
So Tarryln is sent to go spy on another kingdom because one of that kingdom's prince is from her own kingdom. So they have this thing were they are really into family, it's something magical. They connect to each other and when her country's top elders discovers that there might be a dummonrix in another country she is sent to see how he is and also apprehend a criminal that they've had their eyes on. Obviously everything is hush hush, especially as she is a princess as well as a warrior and if they find out she's royalty she might be in a whole lot of trouble. Typical country politics.
She goes there and when she gets there she is given a completely different task than what she was told at the beginning, she can't refuse because she has to go on about her mission regardless. She is given the task to train prisoners to be part of the prince guard. This is a punishment because though she's human the people of the country shes in are ruled by the winged folk and humans are treated as inferior, by giving her humans and prisoners at that, she was being told shes not important even though they asked for her to be there.
She meets her charge, Cuinn who is a milquetoast and not who you'd imagine as prince of this country. He doesn't inspire her one bit but because she has been given the charge and she has accepted it there is nothing she can do,her honor demands that she protects him to the death if it has to come to that. I'll admit that I almost stopped the book because she did not seem like the warrior she thought herself to be, she was always scared and frightened of everything but when I read of the magic involved especially with Sari gone, it was easy to overlook.
I like Taryln, especially as she came from a country where everyone was treated like family and is appreciated and then she goes to this deceptively beautiful country which doubles as a cesspool for hate, seeing her try the little she can to help was really nice. I loved the way she trained the Wolves to be better than the winged folk Falcons even though that made them targets.
I was looking forward to the romance in this book when I first started but as the story continued I forgot about that and quickly became immersed in the book.
I enjoyed this book, I am at book three and have obviously only had time to leave a review. It was a good one.
So Tarryln is sent to go spy on another kingdom because one of that kingdom's prince is from her own kingdom. So they have this thing were they are really into family, it's something magical. They connect to each other and when her country's top elders discovers that there might be a dummonrix in another country she is sent to see how he is and also apprehend a criminal that they've had their eyes on. Obviously everything is hush hush, especially as she is a princess as well as a warrior and if they find out she's royalty she might be in a whole lot of trouble. Typical country politics.
She goes there and when she gets there she is given a completely different task than what she was told at the beginning, she can't refuse because she has to go on about her mission regardless. She is given the task to train prisoners to be part of the prince guard. This is a punishment because though she's human the people of the country shes in are ruled by the winged folk and humans are treated as inferior, by giving her humans and prisoners at that, she was being told shes not important even though they asked for her to be there.
She meets her charge, Cuinn who is a milquetoast and not who you'd imagine as prince of this country. He doesn't inspire her one bit but because she has been given the charge and she has accepted it there is nothing she can do,her honor demands that she protects him to the death if it has to come to that. I'll admit that I almost stopped the book because she did not seem like the warrior she thought herself to be, she was always scared and frightened of everything but when I read of the magic involved especially with Sari gone, it was easy to overlook.
I like Taryln, especially as she came from a country where everyone was treated like family and is appreciated and then she goes to this deceptively beautiful country which doubles as a cesspool for hate, seeing her try the little she can to help was really nice. I loved the way she trained the Wolves to be better than the winged folk Falcons even though that made them targets.
I was looking forward to the romance in this book when I first started but as the story continued I forgot about that and quickly became immersed in the book.
February 11, 2020
A Tale of Stars and Shadow is the story of Talyn Dynan, a sort-of princess and definitely badass warrior spy. Lisa Cassidy gives us a story with plenty of intriguing characters, poignant moments, and fascinating world building. The story turns on Talyn being sent as a sort of liaison from her own kingdom to a neighboring one. But there are layers to this mission that complicate matters exponentially, and the culture of Mithranar doesn’t make Talyn’s job any easier either.
My favorite parts of this story were when the Wolves, Talyn’s group of disparate and broken souls that she has to forge into a team, are together. I love the trope of people from different walks of life being forced to come together around a common goal and bonding with one another in the process. This novel scratches that itch perfectly. When Talyn is with the Wolves, training, talking, strategizing, whatever, I am here for it. There is a great deal of character development among the group, and Cassidy manages it with a deft hand, allowing various characters to step into the spotlight for their moment and then move on. It’s handled very well and allows a fairly sizable cast to each develop in authentic ways. I also thoroughly enjoyed the world building in this one, particularly the Winged Folk. Their culture—while frustrating—feels quite real. The visual image of people with wings flying around their citadel, swooping into areas unannounced, is not only cinematic, but entirely fantastic. It’s a ton of fun in that way, and I felt like it gave the story a truly fantastic feel which I always love in my fantasy reads. There are a couple other aspects to the world build that felt worked very well too.
Unfortunately, I did find that the book had perhaps a little too much description for my tastes at times. Actually, a better way of putting it may be that it had too much exposition. Sometimes feelings were described more so than shown, and for me this resulted in moments when I felt like I should have had a greater connection to the characters, but didn’t. It isn’t egregious, but having several paragraphs explaining feelings rather than a few sentences describing actions or reactions that communicated those same feelings, created a sort of disconnection with the main character for me. I also felt like some of the details of Talyn training the wolves were a little tropey at times, particularly when Talyn is sort of channeling her inner drill sergeant.
A Tale of Stars and Shadow has some great world building and features a team of misfit individuals coming together around a common goal. It’s a fun read that will especially appeal to those who enjoy stories featuring found family and ragtag groups up against overwhelming odds.
7.0/10
3.5/5 stars.
5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – It was ok, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing
My favorite parts of this story were when the Wolves, Talyn’s group of disparate and broken souls that she has to forge into a team, are together. I love the trope of people from different walks of life being forced to come together around a common goal and bonding with one another in the process. This novel scratches that itch perfectly. When Talyn is with the Wolves, training, talking, strategizing, whatever, I am here for it. There is a great deal of character development among the group, and Cassidy manages it with a deft hand, allowing various characters to step into the spotlight for their moment and then move on. It’s handled very well and allows a fairly sizable cast to each develop in authentic ways. I also thoroughly enjoyed the world building in this one, particularly the Winged Folk. Their culture—while frustrating—feels quite real. The visual image of people with wings flying around their citadel, swooping into areas unannounced, is not only cinematic, but entirely fantastic. It’s a ton of fun in that way, and I felt like it gave the story a truly fantastic feel which I always love in my fantasy reads. There are a couple other aspects to the world build that felt worked very well too.
Unfortunately, I did find that the book had perhaps a little too much description for my tastes at times. Actually, a better way of putting it may be that it had too much exposition. Sometimes feelings were described more so than shown, and for me this resulted in moments when I felt like I should have had a greater connection to the characters, but didn’t. It isn’t egregious, but having several paragraphs explaining feelings rather than a few sentences describing actions or reactions that communicated those same feelings, created a sort of disconnection with the main character for me. I also felt like some of the details of Talyn training the wolves were a little tropey at times, particularly when Talyn is sort of channeling her inner drill sergeant.
A Tale of Stars and Shadow has some great world building and features a team of misfit individuals coming together around a common goal. It’s a fun read that will especially appeal to those who enjoy stories featuring found family and ragtag groups up against overwhelming odds.
7.0/10
3.5/5 stars.
5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – It was ok, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing
January 15, 2020
Talyn was once a part of the elite fighting force known as the Callanan until she was brought to her knees by the death of her partner, Sari. She dropped out of the Callanan and became a Kingsheild guard instead, but she was hiding a secret … she didn’t want to be a warrior anymore. If that secret got out it could be the end of her. The leader of the Kingsheild figured this out and blackmailed her into taking an assignment in a foreign land. A land where slavery is still practiced, humans are considered second class citizens, and the ‘winged folk’ are basically the rulers of the nation. It’s a bizarre assignment because she’s been tasked with organizing and training a group of soldiers that are to be used as a personal guard for the prince. The prince of the winged folk… the same winged folk who don’t respect humans, or outsiders, or women. To make matters even more strange, they don’t want her trainees to be from their own kind. They want her to pick her trainees from a batch of criminals sitting in prison. Why she was chosen for this position and why they want her to train a guard made of human criminals is left to be discovered later.
This book has extremely ‘readable’ prose, it’s light while also being descriptive enough to create an immersive experience. The scene where she makes it to Dock City had beautiful imagery that sucked me into the moment and I shared a moment of awe with the character. The writing was clean with very few errors – the ones I caught were things that wouldn’t be picked up by spell check because they were real words that were misused e.g. ‘bought’ instead of ‘brought’. However, there weren’t many and it didn’t detract from my enjoyment at all. I felt like the pacing was nice and even, there wasn’t a point where I felt things were rushed or dragging and I particularly liked the ending.
I enjoyed the world-building quite a bit, it’s been a long while since I’ve read about a race that has wings/flies that isn’t a dragon based race. The city felt absolutely real and thought out, all the way down to how the wingless young of the winged folk would get around their city. The writing was extremely atmospheric, so this hot, humid, sea-side city came to life for me. I knew how it smelled, I knew what the people looked like, I knew how the architecture looked like and its functionality (lots of ropes and ladders on the winged folk side).
Although there were two POV’s, Shadowhawk and Talyn, I definitely feel like Tal was our main character, she got significantly more page time and we got to know her much better earlier on. Shadowhawk remained a mysterious character for most of the book. Talyn was a great character and I loved her approach to leadership. Taking control of a group of criminals and attempting to turn them into soldiers is a big ask, and it felt natural the way she took command rather than forced to make the story work. She’s smart, disciplined, and can read others well. She knows when to push and when to hold back, and how to show respect and also demand it in return without resorting to fear tactics to maintain obedience. I also found the relationship she had with her partner to be a much-needed answer to the vacuum of female-female friendships in many of my reads over the past year. The bond they had was basically equal to a spousal level of love, trust, and intimacy except it wasn’t romantic or sexual – just a very deep bond that went past friendship. We get to know her friend, Sari, through her lingering presence in Talyn’s mind. Often times Talyn has a voice in the back of her head telling her this and that, getting into arguments, egging her on etc, and it’s always Sari. This year the finalists have been full of memorable characters and I’ve enjoyed myself so much.
As a closing note for my second round of being a SPFBO judge I have to say this was a spectacular year. Last year my highest score given out was an 8.6, this year I had three books hit that score or higher – those books being Sword of Kaigen, Fortune’s Fool and this one!
Ratings:
Plot: 12.5/15
Character: 13.5/15
World Building: 13/15
Writing: 13/15
Pacing: 13/15
Originality: 13/15
Personal Enjoyment: 9/10
Final Score: 87/100 or 8.7/10 for SPFBO
This book has extremely ‘readable’ prose, it’s light while also being descriptive enough to create an immersive experience. The scene where she makes it to Dock City had beautiful imagery that sucked me into the moment and I shared a moment of awe with the character. The writing was clean with very few errors – the ones I caught were things that wouldn’t be picked up by spell check because they were real words that were misused e.g. ‘bought’ instead of ‘brought’. However, there weren’t many and it didn’t detract from my enjoyment at all. I felt like the pacing was nice and even, there wasn’t a point where I felt things were rushed or dragging and I particularly liked the ending.
I enjoyed the world-building quite a bit, it’s been a long while since I’ve read about a race that has wings/flies that isn’t a dragon based race. The city felt absolutely real and thought out, all the way down to how the wingless young of the winged folk would get around their city. The writing was extremely atmospheric, so this hot, humid, sea-side city came to life for me. I knew how it smelled, I knew what the people looked like, I knew how the architecture looked like and its functionality (lots of ropes and ladders on the winged folk side).
Although there were two POV’s, Shadowhawk and Talyn, I definitely feel like Tal was our main character, she got significantly more page time and we got to know her much better earlier on. Shadowhawk remained a mysterious character for most of the book. Talyn was a great character and I loved her approach to leadership. Taking control of a group of criminals and attempting to turn them into soldiers is a big ask, and it felt natural the way she took command rather than forced to make the story work. She’s smart, disciplined, and can read others well. She knows when to push and when to hold back, and how to show respect and also demand it in return without resorting to fear tactics to maintain obedience. I also found the relationship she had with her partner to be a much-needed answer to the vacuum of female-female friendships in many of my reads over the past year. The bond they had was basically equal to a spousal level of love, trust, and intimacy except it wasn’t romantic or sexual – just a very deep bond that went past friendship. We get to know her friend, Sari, through her lingering presence in Talyn’s mind. Often times Talyn has a voice in the back of her head telling her this and that, getting into arguments, egging her on etc, and it’s always Sari. This year the finalists have been full of memorable characters and I’ve enjoyed myself so much.
As a closing note for my second round of being a SPFBO judge I have to say this was a spectacular year. Last year my highest score given out was an 8.6, this year I had three books hit that score or higher – those books being Sword of Kaigen, Fortune’s Fool and this one!
Ratings:
Plot: 12.5/15
Character: 13.5/15
World Building: 13/15
Writing: 13/15
Pacing: 13/15
Originality: 13/15
Personal Enjoyment: 9/10
Final Score: 87/100 or 8.7/10 for SPFBO
November 29, 2019
I utterly adored this book. Read our full group review here.
September 14, 2019
The Full Review : https://bibliomedico.wordpress.com/20...
Thanks to Rachel From Rachel's Random Resources For giving me the opportunity to be part of this Blog tour and for giving me the chance to read such a great book .
As This is the first book I've read by Lisa Cassidy , I was really surprised by her amazing writing style , deep words , incredible world building , visual descriptions and outstanding complex characters . This book was the perfect Fantasy read , It got everything .
The characters were well-developed , strong and really interesting . The story wasn't that different from any other fantasy books but it was really entertaining and what gave it a special place in my heart , the world building , so cool and different .
I loved Talyn character so much , strong , independent , powerful , a born leader with a great character development .
A tale of Stars and Shadow is a must read for every fantasy lover , I'm really grateful that I had the chance to discover Cassidy Brilliant writing and Talyn Outstanding character .
Thanks to Rachel From Rachel's Random Resources For giving me the opportunity to be part of this Blog tour and for giving me the chance to read such a great book .
As This is the first book I've read by Lisa Cassidy , I was really surprised by her amazing writing style , deep words , incredible world building , visual descriptions and outstanding complex characters . This book was the perfect Fantasy read , It got everything .
The characters were well-developed , strong and really interesting . The story wasn't that different from any other fantasy books but it was really entertaining and what gave it a special place in my heart , the world building , so cool and different .
I loved Talyn character so much , strong , independent , powerful , a born leader with a great character development .
A tale of Stars and Shadow is a must read for every fantasy lover , I'm really grateful that I had the chance to discover Cassidy Brilliant writing and Talyn Outstanding character .
August 2, 2025
SO good!! The first half of the book is a bit slow moving as it sets up the characters and the world, but after that, it slowly builds into an awesome, can’t-put-down, think this series will be amazingness!
April 2, 2021
I knew who the Shadowhawk truly was even though I did doubt myself there at the end. It was so obvious but at times, I did question if I was right. This was really good. Talyn and her self made wing guard were the best. I cared about them more than I ever did Prince Cuinn. Even more than Shadowhawk. I couldn’t get enough of their growing friendship and how they grew to care so much for each other. Especially the way they all cared for Tierclin. I wasn’t mind blown by anything in this book cause so many things were too obvious but it was enjoyable nonetheless. I can’t wait to start the next!
January 5, 2024
vote tayln for president!! we love a woman in power
September 2, 2019
This was a complex tale of 2 warriors the Dumronix Princess Tayln and the Shadowhawk. Both had a mission to help the human folks of Mithranar. A tenuous bond was forged until an enemy began to upset the balance.
My first book by author Lisa Cassidy, the worldbuilding was amazing. It was quite a detailed and slow read to begin with where I got a bit confused until both the characters reached the land of Mithranar. Talyn and Shadowhawk were covered more in shadows but walking in the path of light, where diversity and culture marked the layers of the book.
The author's writing had a depth to it which caused me to take the time to savor the depiction of a magical world clashing with human determination and tenacity. The words written spoke of a world surrounded by mystery where both had to move with caution. Trust was not easy.
It was to Talyn that my eyes were drawn to. There was something mesmerizing about her. A woman broken by the loss of her partner, digging deep into herself, finding the courage to help the people, and in the process, healing herself. She was a born leader who was meant to fight in the path of light even when her life was cast in shadows.
The action scenes had my heart thumping in joy. Talyn was poetry in motion. Shadowhawk was an enigma. To try to solve the puzzle that he was, took Talyn and me a long time. The land of winged folk and humans, the story put me through a wringer of emotions with the high and low of adrenaline. Certain interactions caused my breath to hitch, some made me think and snap through the pages.
I was left with two words burning through my mind when I finished the book - COMPLEX AND INTRIGUING!!
My first book by author Lisa Cassidy, the worldbuilding was amazing. It was quite a detailed and slow read to begin with where I got a bit confused until both the characters reached the land of Mithranar. Talyn and Shadowhawk were covered more in shadows but walking in the path of light, where diversity and culture marked the layers of the book.
The author's writing had a depth to it which caused me to take the time to savor the depiction of a magical world clashing with human determination and tenacity. The words written spoke of a world surrounded by mystery where both had to move with caution. Trust was not easy.
It was to Talyn that my eyes were drawn to. There was something mesmerizing about her. A woman broken by the loss of her partner, digging deep into herself, finding the courage to help the people, and in the process, healing herself. She was a born leader who was meant to fight in the path of light even when her life was cast in shadows.
The action scenes had my heart thumping in joy. Talyn was poetry in motion. Shadowhawk was an enigma. To try to solve the puzzle that he was, took Talyn and me a long time. The land of winged folk and humans, the story put me through a wringer of emotions with the high and low of adrenaline. Certain interactions caused my breath to hitch, some made me think and snap through the pages.
I was left with two words burning through my mind when I finished the book - COMPLEX AND INTRIGUING!!
October 25, 2024
☆4.09☆
Genre: Fantasy ➡️NOT Y.A.⬅️
✅️ Different World
✅️ Worldbuilding
✅️ Different Species: Humans, Winged race
✅️ Magical system
✅️ FMC is a badass warrior
✅️ Healing
✅️ harbinger of Change
✅️ Training sequences
✅️ Make your own family
✅️ Second chances
✅️ Secrets and mysteries
✅️ Dual POV
Trigger Warning: There is a fighting, and mention of slavery. A sub-plot where the heavy rains turn into floods, and lives are lost (not of main characters).
REVIEW
Talyn is an elite warrior and belongs to the royal family that rules the Twin Thrones. But she has suffered a recent loss that has left her confidence crippled. When the First Shield gives her an assignment to visit her father's motherland, Talyn has no choice but to take it. There she is given a different assignment—rather than train their warriors, Talyn will have to form a protective wing out of criminals for the youngest Prince who has no guards. But she is loyal and dedicated to her duty.
I was pleasantly surprised by how good the book is—the mysterious plot, the strong characters, experiential world-building, and great execution on part of the author.
I was wholly consumed by what was going on, and went through the book quickly. Though the plot wasn't fast-paced, it was comfortable enough to allow the words to penetrate and settle in. And pulling me in all the same was the rag-tag crew that Talyn assembled. Though there were some lines and scenes that could have been cut out from the book, I found them alright by the end.
This book was an entire journey, and I am off to take on the next one. I will add to my views as they develop.
P.s. To be clear, this is a fantasy and not fantasy romance. Yet.
Courage isn't about not being scared. Courage is about being absolutely terrified, and still going forward.
Genre: Fantasy ➡️NOT Y.A.⬅️
✅️ Different World
✅️ Worldbuilding
✅️ Different Species: Humans, Winged race
✅️ Magical system
✅️ FMC is a badass warrior
✅️ Healing
✅️ harbinger of Change
✅️ Training sequences
✅️ Make your own family
✅️ Second chances
✅️ Secrets and mysteries
✅️ Dual POV
Trigger Warning: There is a fighting, and mention of slavery. A sub-plot where the heavy rains turn into floods, and lives are lost (not of main characters).
REVIEW
Talyn is an elite warrior and belongs to the royal family that rules the Twin Thrones. But she has suffered a recent loss that has left her confidence crippled. When the First Shield gives her an assignment to visit her father's motherland, Talyn has no choice but to take it. There she is given a different assignment—rather than train their warriors, Talyn will have to form a protective wing out of criminals for the youngest Prince who has no guards. But she is loyal and dedicated to her duty.
I was pleasantly surprised by how good the book is—the mysterious plot, the strong characters, experiential world-building, and great execution on part of the author.
I was wholly consumed by what was going on, and went through the book quickly. Though the plot wasn't fast-paced, it was comfortable enough to allow the words to penetrate and settle in. And pulling me in all the same was the rag-tag crew that Talyn assembled. Though there were some lines and scenes that could have been cut out from the book, I found them alright by the end.
This book was an entire journey, and I am off to take on the next one. I will add to my views as they develop.
P.s. To be clear, this is a fantasy and not fantasy romance. Yet.
February 13, 2020
Excellent
I have really enjoyed read this spfbo 2019 finalist, best one I have enjoyed so far.
A good strong female characters with flaws and nicely written over coming all the odds storyline.
Nicely interesting unseen ending, but kinda was expecting a twist but not that one.
Good but at moment under explained magic system, good slow world building and can’t wait for book 2.
I like this style of book, it’s what grew up reading in the 80s and the 90s.
Highly recommended to all my Goodreads friends.
I have really enjoyed read this spfbo 2019 finalist, best one I have enjoyed so far.
A good strong female characters with flaws and nicely written over coming all the odds storyline.
Nicely interesting unseen ending, but kinda was expecting a twist but not that one.
Good but at moment under explained magic system, good slow world building and can’t wait for book 2.
I like this style of book, it’s what grew up reading in the 80s and the 90s.
Highly recommended to all my Goodreads friends.
April 19, 2025
I enjoyed this one, though fair warning - as is typical for a fantasy, the first book can be a bit of a slog at times. There's just so much to set up.
I also have some quibbles.
First, it was so obvious who the Shadowhawk is that hiding it for the whole book felt silly. I mean, really.
Second, aside from Talyn and her Wolves, I legit hate all the other characters in this book. Yes, even the Shadowhawk, because he's just so emo and exhausting. And the double life is ridiculous - does he really have to be that asinine?
I think all the winged people should have their wings chopped off, and then get thrown off their big fancy wall. Literally all of them. They are worthless bags of shit, ruled by the biggest bag of shit of them all. Oh, I'm sorry, are you surprised you raised a monster? Really? When the entire foundation of your society is basically your ludicrous superiority complex despite the fact that you are lazy fucks that have accomplished nothing, other than being born into wealth? The only thing actually surprising is that you don't have a plague of monsters, like shit-eating locusts who all imagine they are God's gift to the world.
I'm also a little miffed by how much Talyn just sucked up all their bullshit, but I'll give her a pass because she was really, really broken at the start of this book. But I really wanted her to tell bitch queen, who was so condescending about how Talyn can't possibly understand her struggles as a ruler, who she was. Like, "bitch please. My uncle is the king of the Twin Thrones, and unlike you fucking leeches, my family believes we serve the people we rule. And we expect excellence - two months of training human criminals scooped off the street and they fucking spanked your elite warriors, despite those scum cheating with their bladed weapons. You fucking fail, your whole people fucking fail, and when I come back it will be with my uncle's armies, to beat you into roadkill and let the good people you treat like your slaves, happily starving them, take this place over. You are no ruler, you're just a slumlord who is really full of herself."
Mostly, though, I wanted her to take her Wolves with her. They don't deserve to be left there with a worthless emo prince who will let them be fodder.
I also have some quibbles.
First, it was so obvious who the Shadowhawk is that hiding it for the whole book felt silly. I mean, really.
Second, aside from Talyn and her Wolves, I legit hate all the other characters in this book. Yes, even the Shadowhawk, because he's just so emo and exhausting. And the double life is ridiculous - does he really have to be that asinine?
I think all the winged people should have their wings chopped off, and then get thrown off their big fancy wall. Literally all of them. They are worthless bags of shit, ruled by the biggest bag of shit of them all. Oh, I'm sorry, are you surprised you raised a monster? Really? When the entire foundation of your society is basically your ludicrous superiority complex despite the fact that you are lazy fucks that have accomplished nothing, other than being born into wealth? The only thing actually surprising is that you don't have a plague of monsters, like shit-eating locusts who all imagine they are God's gift to the world.
I'm also a little miffed by how much Talyn just sucked up all their bullshit, but I'll give her a pass because she was really, really broken at the start of this book. But I really wanted her to tell bitch queen, who was so condescending about how Talyn can't possibly understand her struggles as a ruler, who she was. Like, "bitch please. My uncle is the king of the Twin Thrones, and unlike you fucking leeches, my family believes we serve the people we rule. And we expect excellence - two months of training human criminals scooped off the street and they fucking spanked your elite warriors, despite those scum cheating with their bladed weapons. You fucking fail, your whole people fucking fail, and when I come back it will be with my uncle's armies, to beat you into roadkill and let the good people you treat like your slaves, happily starving them, take this place over. You are no ruler, you're just a slumlord who is really full of herself."
Mostly, though, I wanted her to take her Wolves with her. They don't deserve to be left there with a worthless emo prince who will let them be fodder.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 6, 2020
A request for a Kingshield guard to another country, normally would be denied because the Kingshield’s are used strictly for the protection of the Dumnorex family (basically royalty) but this request is the perfect opportunity to gather intel on the Shadowhawk whose Robin Hood-esque activities have become interesting to certain people of rank.
Enter Talyn Dynan- a Dumnorex princess who was once part of the elite Callanan soldiers, until the loss of her partner and friend, Sari. Now she is basically hiding in the Kingshield, pretending everything is fine to those her know her. This mission is her last opportunity to gather her life back.
***
This starts off feeling like any other broken leader gains a team and has to whip them into shape story and as trope-filled and somewhat predictable as those stories can be- there is nothing I enjoy more than an underdog team story and this was so much more than just team building.
Talyn is competent, clever and she is fiercely protective of her team. She genuinely cares about people. You would never know she carries around some pretty large wounds in her soul from the loss of her Callanan partner to see her in action. That wound, runs deep. Her confidence is at a low and she is hesitating with decisions and with people, scared she will have to face, or cause , that kind of loss again.
I didn’t warm up to Talyn right off. Some of this is my aversion to broken characters spending time thinking about how they are broken (I think there are better ways of showing us) and some of this may be to do with her past partner Sari’s voice in her head, which does help soften Talyn to us (and to cut down on the inner monologue feel of working out problems) but might have worked better for me, if I had gotten to know Sari a little better first and seen their relationship in action, so I didn’t spend my time trying to decide if this really was Sari, or if Talyn was just trying to keep Sari close by pretending it was. (Or maybe it came down to the fact that I have read like four books recently using the head-voice crutch and I was overthinking it all.)
Either way, I did admire Talyn as a character and I enjoyed the story around her, which made a huge difference while waiting for her to eventually worm her way into my heart. I didn’t even realize how much she had come to mean to me- until the moment in the story when she is reflecting on how far her team has come, and how proud she was of them and their accomplishments and I felt every bit as proud as she did of them, and of her.
The rest of the team is rounded out with a collection of interesting characters- some I found more interesting than others but all I came to love and root for by the end. I am excited to see how (or if) they have roles in the next book.
This was just an enjoyable read all around for me- the pacing was great, the reveals nicely placed and shown in ways that while the story is using the old build a team trope- it never felt tired or overdone to me because so much was happening around it.
This story also hit a lot of my likes with the building the team dynamics, and the mystery of who the Shadowhawk might be (cos who wouldn’t want to read a fantasy mash-up of the Mighty Ducks and Robin Hood). Couple those loves with the very complicated city of Mithranar, with its huge divide in class, political in-fighting and culture of the Winged-people (which was enough to keep me interested in this story by itself) and we have barely touched on the Dumnorex family, the Callanan and the possible power plays their country’s may have going on in the background- I was just intrigued all around.
I had such a feel-good sense of satisfaction when I finished this story, I was ready to run out and grab the next book immediately upon finishing (and would have if I wasn’t drowning in requests).
To sum it up because this is getting lengthy- I loved it!
Other notes-
I don’t think it would have hurt the story to have left the reveal of the Shadowhawk’s identity until the next book- it did feel a little tagged-on to me.
It might have been me, and maybe I’ve read one to many alpha-male romances but it kind of felt like behind Prince Cuinn’s sneer, he was fascinated with Talyn. I have to admit I kind of shipped them even though he is privileged and nasty, but he did seem a little lonely at times- like he is hiding his hurt little soul behind a foul veneer. (I’m totally a sucker for that kind of character and this worked for me here because we don’t see him thinking about how broken he is)
9/10 or 5 stars (8.5-10/10)
Go here to find out more about SPFBO contest and to find links to all the participating bloggers/authors and reviews.
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
Go here for more team reviews.
https://starlitbook.com/2020/03/27/sp...
February 20, 2020
One more SPFBO5 left!
May 31, 2020
"Burn Bright and True"
I stumbled across this book by pure chance and I am so glad for that because A Tale of Stars and Shadow was brilliant!
Twin Thrones, an island where fierce warriors called Callanan are the police and Kingshield are the protectors of the Dumnorix (royal) bloodline. The story follows Talyn Dynan, a Dumnorix-Callanan turned Kingsguard, after facing a devastating loss. While she's recuperating, she sails to Mithranar, for a covert mission to guard the youngest prince of a foreign country, while everyone else knows she's going to train Winged guards.
In Mithranar, things are far from what they appear to be. There's great disparity between the Winged people and the humans and there's a hooded Robinhood (Shadowhawk) in town stealing from the royal coffers to feed the poor. She's given the impossible task of training a band of misfits, the dregs of the society, to form a protection wing for the prince who wants nothing to do with it.
The story moves at a pretty slow pace which goes well hand in hand with the characters' backstory and development. I absolutely love the chemistry between Talyn's Wolves. Talyn's internal struggle and her journey to the point where she finally decides to live is incredibly built. While Talyn balances her duties between training her men, protecting the prince and trailing the Shadowhawk there's a bigger power at play which throws her into a world of games, politics and assasinations as mysteries start to unravel. The ending leaves you wanting more and I can't wait to jump into the next book in the series!
I stumbled across this book by pure chance and I am so glad for that because A Tale of Stars and Shadow was brilliant!
Twin Thrones, an island where fierce warriors called Callanan are the police and Kingshield are the protectors of the Dumnorix (royal) bloodline. The story follows Talyn Dynan, a Dumnorix-Callanan turned Kingsguard, after facing a devastating loss. While she's recuperating, she sails to Mithranar, for a covert mission to guard the youngest prince of a foreign country, while everyone else knows she's going to train Winged guards.
In Mithranar, things are far from what they appear to be. There's great disparity between the Winged people and the humans and there's a hooded Robinhood (Shadowhawk) in town stealing from the royal coffers to feed the poor. She's given the impossible task of training a band of misfits, the dregs of the society, to form a protection wing for the prince who wants nothing to do with it.
The story moves at a pretty slow pace which goes well hand in hand with the characters' backstory and development. I absolutely love the chemistry between Talyn's Wolves. Talyn's internal struggle and her journey to the point where she finally decides to live is incredibly built. While Talyn balances her duties between training her men, protecting the prince and trailing the Shadowhawk there's a bigger power at play which throws her into a world of games, politics and assasinations as mysteries start to unravel. The ending leaves you wanting more and I can't wait to jump into the next book in the series!
January 20, 2020
Brilliant book
This book was a joy to read from start to finish, female heroine, winged folk, what more could you ask for. Going to start book 2 as soon as I've finished this review.
This book was a joy to read from start to finish, female heroine, winged folk, what more could you ask for. Going to start book 2 as soon as I've finished this review.
December 4, 2019
I read this as one of the fantasy-hive's semi-finalists in the fifth self publishing fantasy blog off.
This is an intriguing tale of a woman warrior damaged by grief on assignment to a city characterised by deep inequalities between the human workers and the winged aristocrats who our protagonist is contracted to serve.
There are few points where nautical or military details might have been a little more convincing but this is a strong character driven story and as a team we selected it as the best of our six semi-finalists and so our chosen finalist to go forward to the next stage of the competition.
You can find out more about why we liked it here
https://fantasy-hive.co.uk/2019/11/a-...
This is an intriguing tale of a woman warrior damaged by grief on assignment to a city characterised by deep inequalities between the human workers and the winged aristocrats who our protagonist is contracted to serve.
There are few points where nautical or military details might have been a little more convincing but this is a strong character driven story and as a team we selected it as the best of our six semi-finalists and so our chosen finalist to go forward to the next stage of the competition.
You can find out more about why we liked it here
https://fantasy-hive.co.uk/2019/11/a-...
February 11, 2021
OK let me break this down because I have a lot to say. First I’m going to complain a little, but ultimately I love this book. And most of my complaints are ticky-tacky things. Like like I don’t get what is going on with titles like this. It seems like every book I pick up is “a blank of blank and blank.” Should I make a bookstagram game out of that? I think I will. (Find me here: @j.m.waldrop)
The next thing is something is revealed on the very last page of the book and I did not see it coming. At all. I feel like when there is a big twist or reveal I need to feel like I did not see it coming but can look back and see all the hints after the fact. Either her hints were so subtle and I am too dense, or they weren’t there. IDK...
And it was very, very long. Yet, somehow I never got bored.
Outside of that everything about this book was sheer perfection. The main character is so deeply built, the world is so interesting... This book felt like a more modern version of classic fantasy at its finest, which the genre needs desperately.
It has a strong female protagonist, a ragtag group of soldiers that form a bond, a Robin Hood character, secret assassins, petty royals, magic, people who fly.... The only thing it didn’t have that I love in to book was *those* (🌶) scenes. Highly recommend.
The next thing is something is revealed on the very last page of the book and I did not see it coming. At all. I feel like when there is a big twist or reveal I need to feel like I did not see it coming but can look back and see all the hints after the fact. Either her hints were so subtle and I am too dense, or they weren’t there. IDK...
And it was very, very long. Yet, somehow I never got bored.
Outside of that everything about this book was sheer perfection. The main character is so deeply built, the world is so interesting... This book felt like a more modern version of classic fantasy at its finest, which the genre needs desperately.
It has a strong female protagonist, a ragtag group of soldiers that form a bond, a Robin Hood character, secret assassins, petty royals, magic, people who fly.... The only thing it didn’t have that I love in to book was *those* (🌶) scenes. Highly recommend.
January 11, 2020
You can never go wrong with a warrior princess! Never! This book has fantastic heart, action and world building. It was a joy to read and i found the pages flew by. I can’t wait to pick up the sequel.
March 22, 2020
Full review is here on my blog!~
I really quite enjoyed this one! I didn’t know what to expect because I hadn’t really read up on it beforehand, but it grabbed my attention and held right on!
This is the story of Talyn Dynan, who was once a part of an elite fighting unit known as the Callanan. When her partner died unexpectedly, Talyn left the Callanan and became a Kingshield, sworn to protect the regal Dumnorix family (of which she is also a part). She receives a mission to travel to Mithranar, a country made up of winged people, and the humans whom they oppress. Her task is to guard Prince Cuinn, the youngest prince of the royal family. Cuinn is not expected to ever take the throne, and is known for being a playboy. Talyn is surprised to learn that instead of the unit of winged people she expects in the unit that she leads, she is told to pick from the human criminals in the Dock City prison. It’ll be hard work getting this unit in good shape, but Talyn takes her job very seriously.
Meanwhile, we have the Shadowhawk, a mysterious figure who lives in the shadows of Dock City. A little like Robin Hood, he steals from the winged folk and gives it to the poor humans of Dock City. Talyn’s arrival makes him curious about her, and Talyn is similarly curious about him. Perhaps they can work together to make the lives of the humans of Dock City just a little better.
Talyn is a great character who is easy to cheer for. She is dealing with a profound grief following the death of her Callanan partner, and yet she doesn’t let that stop her from doing her job to the best of her ability. Talyn takes charge of her unit of the WingGuard, and despite their being more or less a group of riffraff, she trains them. The unit itself is full of great characters who all grow over the course of the book. Tiercelin, the lone winged folk who was assigned to Talyn’s unit, is probably my favorite member of it. The winged people are very stuck up, and it takes a lot to make them a bit more… down to earth. Tiercelin starts out as a character that, just by his nature, you probably dislike, as he is part of the race of oppressors. By the end, he was my favorite character.
It was well written, well edited, and flowed well. I picked it up before bed most nights and ended up reading it until well past the time I should have gone to sleep. It was full of ups and downs, things that poked me in the feels, or made me angry. I tried guessing the identity of the Shadowhawk as soon as we met him, really. It could be anyone really, but as the story goes on, and you learn more about everyone, you realize it can’t be this person or that person. In the end, I was surprised by the reveal, but in a way that I wasn’t expecting.
This one checked a lot of boxes for me:
Mysterious character whose identity I need to guess, and will guess, with varying levels of success, for the entire length of this story.
The main character is an older woman, and a powerful one (in a few different ways), in a society where women aren’t equals. Doesn’t take any of the shit she’s expected to take. Commanding officer has no idea what to make of her.
Talyn is in an established relationship already, and the events of the story don’t seem to strain it whatsoever. Her and her lover exchange letters while she’s gone.
Rag-tag group of misfits better themselves and become badass. And friends. Or, perhaps more like…
A found family.
And so, if you dig any of these sorts of things, this one will likely check your boxes too! This one had me doing a 3am trip to the internet in order to purchase the next book in the series. Who knows when I’ll have time to read it, but goddamn it, I’ll get there. Because I need more of this series in my life.
I really quite enjoyed this one! I didn’t know what to expect because I hadn’t really read up on it beforehand, but it grabbed my attention and held right on!
This is the story of Talyn Dynan, who was once a part of an elite fighting unit known as the Callanan. When her partner died unexpectedly, Talyn left the Callanan and became a Kingshield, sworn to protect the regal Dumnorix family (of which she is also a part). She receives a mission to travel to Mithranar, a country made up of winged people, and the humans whom they oppress. Her task is to guard Prince Cuinn, the youngest prince of the royal family. Cuinn is not expected to ever take the throne, and is known for being a playboy. Talyn is surprised to learn that instead of the unit of winged people she expects in the unit that she leads, she is told to pick from the human criminals in the Dock City prison. It’ll be hard work getting this unit in good shape, but Talyn takes her job very seriously.
Meanwhile, we have the Shadowhawk, a mysterious figure who lives in the shadows of Dock City. A little like Robin Hood, he steals from the winged folk and gives it to the poor humans of Dock City. Talyn’s arrival makes him curious about her, and Talyn is similarly curious about him. Perhaps they can work together to make the lives of the humans of Dock City just a little better.
Talyn is a great character who is easy to cheer for. She is dealing with a profound grief following the death of her Callanan partner, and yet she doesn’t let that stop her from doing her job to the best of her ability. Talyn takes charge of her unit of the WingGuard, and despite their being more or less a group of riffraff, she trains them. The unit itself is full of great characters who all grow over the course of the book. Tiercelin, the lone winged folk who was assigned to Talyn’s unit, is probably my favorite member of it. The winged people are very stuck up, and it takes a lot to make them a bit more… down to earth. Tiercelin starts out as a character that, just by his nature, you probably dislike, as he is part of the race of oppressors. By the end, he was my favorite character.
It was well written, well edited, and flowed well. I picked it up before bed most nights and ended up reading it until well past the time I should have gone to sleep. It was full of ups and downs, things that poked me in the feels, or made me angry. I tried guessing the identity of the Shadowhawk as soon as we met him, really. It could be anyone really, but as the story goes on, and you learn more about everyone, you realize it can’t be this person or that person. In the end, I was surprised by the reveal, but in a way that I wasn’t expecting.
This one checked a lot of boxes for me:
Mysterious character whose identity I need to guess, and will guess, with varying levels of success, for the entire length of this story.
The main character is an older woman, and a powerful one (in a few different ways), in a society where women aren’t equals. Doesn’t take any of the shit she’s expected to take. Commanding officer has no idea what to make of her.
Talyn is in an established relationship already, and the events of the story don’t seem to strain it whatsoever. Her and her lover exchange letters while she’s gone.
Rag-tag group of misfits better themselves and become badass. And friends. Or, perhaps more like…
A found family.
And so, if you dig any of these sorts of things, this one will likely check your boxes too! This one had me doing a 3am trip to the internet in order to purchase the next book in the series. Who knows when I’ll have time to read it, but goddamn it, I’ll get there. Because I need more of this series in my life.
December 16, 2019
So the reason I didn't give this 5 stars was that the pace for me was a bit slower than what I generally like - I'm not really one for the slow burn but otherwise this book was fabulous!
The protagonist, Talyn, is a broken warrior/princess (although, she's a badass, slit-your-throat-with-her-sai type princess) who is sent on a vague and mysterious mission to train up a protection detail for the youngest prince of a neighbouring country. Also, there is a shadowy Robin Hood-esque character that goes by the name Shadowhawk who cuts an intriguing figure in the story.
Without going into spoiler territory, the world building is magnificent, the character development is gradual and realistic, and the political intrigue is right up there (Holly Black, take notice - *this* is how you do political intrigue).
There is a climax to the story that, although I thought was a bit of a stretch to come to that conclusion by the main character when the problem was first presented, I enjoyed for the action (love me some ass-kicking action). The social injustices made my skin crawl the way I expect Lisa wanted it to, and there were characters I honestly wanted to punch in the face.
Oh, and the twist right at the end - fricking fantastic. I had a feeling something like that was going to happen, but considering I hadn't figured it out before I hit it had me impressed and wanting more.
Now excuse me while I go start A Prince of Song and Shade...
The protagonist, Talyn, is a broken warrior/princess (although, she's a badass, slit-your-throat-with-her-sai type princess) who is sent on a vague and mysterious mission to train up a protection detail for the youngest prince of a neighbouring country. Also, there is a shadowy Robin Hood-esque character that goes by the name Shadowhawk who cuts an intriguing figure in the story.
Without going into spoiler territory, the world building is magnificent, the character development is gradual and realistic, and the political intrigue is right up there (Holly Black, take notice - *this* is how you do political intrigue).
There is a climax to the story that, although I thought was a bit of a stretch to come to that conclusion by the main character when the problem was first presented, I enjoyed for the action (love me some ass-kicking action). The social injustices made my skin crawl the way I expect Lisa wanted it to, and there were characters I honestly wanted to punch in the face.
Oh, and the twist right at the end - fricking fantastic. I had a feeling something like that was going to happen, but considering I hadn't figured it out before I hit it had me impressed and wanting more.
Now excuse me while I go start A Prince of Song and Shade...
April 25, 2024
My favorite epic read of 2024 so far!
This was not the story I expected from the cover. Honestly the cover with crossed swords and lightning doesn't do this book justice at all. The prose was seemless, making the occasional 15 to 20 page chapter be read effortlessly. The plot was well constructed. The characters were emotionally layered, but the best part of this novel had to be the found family aspect: 6 characters with nothing in common coming together with little to no trust between them. Their growing bond in this book made every page worthwhile as they learned each of their strengths, grew in confidence, and defended their little group. I was a little underwhelmed at having guessed the reveal at the end early on, but it doesn't change the fact that I went and bought the 2nd book right after finishing this one.
This was not the story I expected from the cover. Honestly the cover with crossed swords and lightning doesn't do this book justice at all. The prose was seemless, making the occasional 15 to 20 page chapter be read effortlessly. The plot was well constructed. The characters were emotionally layered, but the best part of this novel had to be the found family aspect: 6 characters with nothing in common coming together with little to no trust between them. Their growing bond in this book made every page worthwhile as they learned each of their strengths, grew in confidence, and defended their little group. I was a little underwhelmed at having guessed the reveal at the end early on, but it doesn't change the fact that I went and bought the 2nd book right after finishing this one.
February 23, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I wasn't too sure at first, but only a few chapters in and I was hooked.
I loved the world - it's rich with interesting peoples and politics, as well as the dynamics between the humans and winged folk in Mithranar. And I really, really loved the characters, the members of the Wolves, in particular.
I highly recommend this book. It has great character development, strong women, and an interesting world which I keep wanting to learn more about.
I really struggled to put it down, and when I finished it, I dove straight into A Prince of Song and Shade. I can't wait for the next one to come out!
I loved the world - it's rich with interesting peoples and politics, as well as the dynamics between the humans and winged folk in Mithranar. And I really, really loved the characters, the members of the Wolves, in particular.
I highly recommend this book. It has great character development, strong women, and an interesting world which I keep wanting to learn more about.
I really struggled to put it down, and when I finished it, I dove straight into A Prince of Song and Shade. I can't wait for the next one to come out!
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