Shadowblack Short Book Review

Shadowblack by Sebastien de Castell

From Goodreads: It’s a few months since Kellen left his people behind. Now aged sixteen, Kellen is an outlaw, relying on his wits to keep him alive in the land of the Seven Sands. He misses home, he misses family and more than anything, he misses Nephenia, the girl he left behind.

Then he meets Seneira, a blindfolded girl who isn’t blind, and who carries a secret that’s all too familiar to Kellen. Kellen and Ferius resolve to help – but the stakes are far higher than they realise. A Shadowblack plague is taking hold – and Kellen can’t help but suspect his own people may even be behind it.

The Spellslinger book arrived to me in a book subscription box. While I enjoyed it, and had a great time discussing the book with the author, I didn’t think it was put-down-everything-and-read amazing. Sure, it was cool, and the inclusion of a violent squirrel-cat definitely made it a page-turner, but it just didn’t seem all that different from the mountain of other YA books strewn around my room. So when I saw book two, Shadowblack, on Netgalley, I thought it was a very good way of deciding if I wanted to continue reading the series, or give it up in pursuit of other reads.

And I’m super glad I did. Shadowblack was, IMO, a lot better than book one. For one, I found the plot more focused. There was more direction, a better pace, with lots of fight-scenes and high-stakes drama along the way. Some of the twists were fabulous, and I can’t wait to see where the series goes next. But for me, the real selling point was the characters themselves. I thought there was some serious growth in this book, and whenever it got uncomfortably intense between characters, there was always the squirrel-cat around to make a joke. There’s also something quite refreshing about a protagonist who is not a chosen one, whose magic is weaker than other peoples’, rather than the overused ‘chosen-one’ trope. Kellen was so unique, and I thought his sarcastic teenage voice came across really well in the tone of the book.

Perhaps the only drawback to Shadowblack was the settings. There were moments when I felt like I could almost breathe in the desert dust or the paper and ink smell of the Academy, and then at other times I struggled to even picture a background to the drama. Maybe it was because the action was so attention-grabbing, but I suspect it was more a lack of detail than anything else. A shame, but all in all, I found the book a really interesting read, and it has convinced me to continue buying the series.

7/10 stars from me.