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The ShadowLight Saga #1
Bonded
Hallad Avarson's vow to protect a mysterious warrior maiden pits his best friend against him, endangers the life of his little sister, and leads him into a treacherous realm of magic and intrigue.
This richly imagined epic fantasy transports readers into a tale of seductive power, heart-wrenching love, and edge-of-your seat thrills, while following inspiring young heroes and heroines as they discover their abilities and destinies interweave with the fate of a captivatingly original world.
This richly imagined epic fantasy transports readers into a tale of seductive power, heart-wrenching love, and edge-of-your seat thrills, while following inspiring young heroes and heroines as they discover their abilities and destinies interweave with the fate of a captivatingly original world.
286 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 13, 2011
64 people are currently reading
806 people want to read
About the author
Mande Matthews
19 books91 followersMande Matthews is the author of the ShadowLight Saga. Her debut novel is "Bonded" - book one of the ya epic fantasy trilogy. A free prequel to the ShadowLight Saga, entitled "The LightKeepers" is now available for free at most online retailers.
While attending a performing arts college for writing and arranging, Mande discovered Joseph Cambell's Masks of God series. Her desire to understand humanity through myth and legend mingled with her love of fantasy fiction, birthing her life-long quest to create original new worlds for readers.
A hermit at heart, Mande recedes into the realms of imagination where she occasionally surfaces to face the real world aided by her minions: a husband who plays the dog drum (the belly of their border collie), and a menagerie of furred, feathered and mostly magical friends.
While attending a performing arts college for writing and arranging, Mande discovered Joseph Cambell's Masks of God series. Her desire to understand humanity through myth and legend mingled with her love of fantasy fiction, birthing her life-long quest to create original new worlds for readers.
A hermit at heart, Mande recedes into the realms of imagination where she occasionally surfaces to face the real world aided by her minions: a husband who plays the dog drum (the belly of their border collie), and a menagerie of furred, feathered and mostly magical friends.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
February 8, 2014
This book has led me to conclude that Norse mythology in fantasy books is entirely underrated. I had so much fun reading this and experienced such a wide range of emotions. It was different from other books I’ve read in its fresh take on the Nordic legends and its storyline and premise and I am very, very excited for Broken coming this year!
The plot:
This book starts off with a lot of questions—who is Swan? Who’s after her? Why can Hal hear her in his head? We are given a lot of answers, but a few new questions by the end that only serve to entice one for the next book. I greatly enjoyed this story and the characters and I was rooting for them, cheering at their victories, and cringing at their defeats.
The characters:
The main focus of the story is Hal, though his younger sister, her intended, and several others all have chapters in their perspectives. Hal was a character who took responsibility very seriously as the heir apparent to his father’s leadership of the village. I quickly grew fond of him and the relationships between him and Emma and him and Swan were precious.
Erik is Hal’s blood brother and Emma’s swain. He was headstrong, stubborn, overreacted, and could be very difficult to reason with. And I adored him to bits. I normally just want to clobber those sorts of characters, but Ms. Matthews made Erik relatable and showed his loving side in a way that made up for it even when I got frustrated with him. He truly loves Emma and is willing to do anything for her and it was just so sweet! (Fangirl moment over. Promise.)
Swan is a rather mysterious and one doesn’t quite know what to make of her. Even if you have read the prequel novella, there are still things that aren’t quite clear. Normally, the maiden warrior characters are hit or miss for me and Swan was definitely a hit. She can hold her own, but Ms. Matthews made sure to give her enough vulnerabilities to make her sympathetic. She was certainly one of my favorite she-warriors of 2013.
Emma was so adorable. Loving, caring, innocent, with a desire to see everyone safe, but not an airheaded, oblivious moron. It was tormentive to see her in the clutches of Lothar and I kind of hated her mother for :SPOILER: giving her over to him. :SPOILER OVER: I really hope she and Erik get their HEA in the end.
I am very excited for the next book in this series and wish the author would hurry up and publish it already. It’s not everyday I find a good YA Epic Fantasy and I want more of this one!
The plot:
This book starts off with a lot of questions—who is Swan? Who’s after her? Why can Hal hear her in his head? We are given a lot of answers, but a few new questions by the end that only serve to entice one for the next book. I greatly enjoyed this story and the characters and I was rooting for them, cheering at their victories, and cringing at their defeats.
The characters:
The main focus of the story is Hal, though his younger sister, her intended, and several others all have chapters in their perspectives. Hal was a character who took responsibility very seriously as the heir apparent to his father’s leadership of the village. I quickly grew fond of him and the relationships between him and Emma and him and Swan were precious.
Erik is Hal’s blood brother and Emma’s swain. He was headstrong, stubborn, overreacted, and could be very difficult to reason with. And I adored him to bits. I normally just want to clobber those sorts of characters, but Ms. Matthews made Erik relatable and showed his loving side in a way that made up for it even when I got frustrated with him. He truly loves Emma and is willing to do anything for her and it was just so sweet! (Fangirl moment over. Promise.)
Swan is a rather mysterious and one doesn’t quite know what to make of her. Even if you have read the prequel novella, there are still things that aren’t quite clear. Normally, the maiden warrior characters are hit or miss for me and Swan was definitely a hit. She can hold her own, but Ms. Matthews made sure to give her enough vulnerabilities to make her sympathetic. She was certainly one of my favorite she-warriors of 2013.
Emma was so adorable. Loving, caring, innocent, with a desire to see everyone safe, but not an airheaded, oblivious moron. It was tormentive to see her in the clutches of Lothar and I kind of hated her mother for :SPOILER: giving her over to him. :SPOILER OVER: I really hope she and Erik get their HEA in the end.
I am very excited for the next book in this series and wish the author would hurry up and publish it already. It’s not everyday I find a good YA Epic Fantasy and I want more of this one!
March 2, 2015
I feel weird giving this book such a low rating.
It was filled with fun Norse mythology, which I don't see often enough in fantasy books. What's better, it took that mythology and gave it an unexpected twist that made me, quite literally, go "Ooooh!" when I figured it out.
It split the characters up, had them run amok in several different story lines, then brought those story lines cleanly together for the climax. That's rarely done satisfyingly, but it was handled quite well.
It was written in a style meant to make one feel like they had been transported back to Ye Olde Tymes, and it did not falter once. My illusion of reading about characters centuries removed from me did not so much as waver.
That being said, I was bored stiff throughout most of this book. I had to tell myself, "Look, just a few more chapters and you'll be done and moving on to a new book." The characters seemed vaguely stock, and I was never really able to feel emotionally connected to them. I was never able to believe that they were emotionally connected to each other, despite the fact that the prose assured me that they totally, for realsies, guys, absolutely would do anything for each other.
So. I feel weird giving this book such a low review. Technically speaking, it's quite a sound book. But I just didn't enjoy it.
It was filled with fun Norse mythology, which I don't see often enough in fantasy books. What's better, it took that mythology and gave it an unexpected twist that made me, quite literally, go "Ooooh!" when I figured it out.
It split the characters up, had them run amok in several different story lines, then brought those story lines cleanly together for the climax. That's rarely done satisfyingly, but it was handled quite well.
It was written in a style meant to make one feel like they had been transported back to Ye Olde Tymes, and it did not falter once. My illusion of reading about characters centuries removed from me did not so much as waver.
That being said, I was bored stiff throughout most of this book. I had to tell myself, "Look, just a few more chapters and you'll be done and moving on to a new book." The characters seemed vaguely stock, and I was never really able to feel emotionally connected to them. I was never able to believe that they were emotionally connected to each other, despite the fact that the prose assured me that they totally, for realsies, guys, absolutely would do anything for each other.
So. I feel weird giving this book such a low review. Technically speaking, it's quite a sound book. But I just didn't enjoy it.
October 15, 2012
I first came across The Light Keepers-a prequel to Bonded on Kindle for FREE, and decided to check it out. I read it and found it to be a great introduction of characters to the Shadow Light Saga. Therefore, decided to give Bonded a try.
For a book under five dollars, Bonded was a great fantasy read! The world and the plot that Mande Matthews created was refreshing; and each character stood out on their own. I love a great fantasy book that offers an epic adventure to discovering oneself; with subtle romances, and variety colors of profound emotions. Throughout the book, from the time Holland and Swan meet; though it is rather embarrassing for me to say, I went on an emotional ride with both of them ... well ... more like ALL of the characters. However, I felt more for Holland and Swan because of the situation they were both placed in and the pressure that was both put upon them. To be honest, there was a certain part of the book that was unforeseen and caught me by surprise, yet, for me that was the charm of the book-unpredictable! I am looking forward to the next chapter to the Shadow Light Series!
Full review:
http://starryeyed-bookblog.tumblr.com/
For a book under five dollars, Bonded was a great fantasy read! The world and the plot that Mande Matthews created was refreshing; and each character stood out on their own. I love a great fantasy book that offers an epic adventure to discovering oneself; with subtle romances, and variety colors of profound emotions. Throughout the book, from the time Holland and Swan meet; though it is rather embarrassing for me to say, I went on an emotional ride with both of them ... well ... more like ALL of the characters. However, I felt more for Holland and Swan because of the situation they were both placed in and the pressure that was both put upon them. To be honest, there was a certain part of the book that was unforeseen and caught me by surprise, yet, for me that was the charm of the book-unpredictable! I am looking forward to the next chapter to the Shadow Light Series!
Full review:
http://starryeyed-bookblog.tumblr.com/
June 25, 2016
mythology fantastically brought to life
Hallard is godhi, sworn to serve the God like his father before him. and he guards his beloved half sister, Emma with the same strength of duty. the appearance of a mysterious maiden with white hair sets Hallard, his family and friends on a mission to save not only those they love but kingdoms they have never seen.
so very nice to read books based on mythology. there is already a base to start with but Mande has taken great pains to lead the reader in a whole different direction. many kudos
Hallard is godhi, sworn to serve the God like his father before him. and he guards his beloved half sister, Emma with the same strength of duty. the appearance of a mysterious maiden with white hair sets Hallard, his family and friends on a mission to save not only those they love but kingdoms they have never seen.
so very nice to read books based on mythology. there is already a base to start with but Mande has taken great pains to lead the reader in a whole different direction. many kudos
October 28, 2013
Cute, made me wanna keep reading the series! Then I found out there is no second book - yet. It's OK, I already told Amazon to let me know when it's available (hurry up Mande Matthews!) :)
It's a sweet story, with lots of interesting mythical elements going on. I enjoyed the relationship formed between the brother and sister who didn't even know each other existed. It's well written, and a page turner.
A lot of possibilities from here on out. Looking forward to the next one! :)
It's a sweet story, with lots of interesting mythical elements going on. I enjoyed the relationship formed between the brother and sister who didn't even know each other existed. It's well written, and a page turner.
A lot of possibilities from here on out. Looking forward to the next one! :)
January 9, 2017
As a native Swedish speaker I just have to comment on the stylistic choice of replacing "yes" with "ja" and "no" with "Nei".
There are two words for "no". One for the negative answer which indeed makes sense to translate with "nei" - and one for "zero amount", as in "there are no wolves here". This one is *not* "nei". This threw me off quite a bit. :(
There are two words for "no". One for the negative answer which indeed makes sense to translate with "nei" - and one for "zero amount", as in "there are no wolves here". This one is *not* "nei". This threw me off quite a bit. :(
April 7, 2014
Great Book
Great Book
this book kept my interest for the entire book. some books don't always keep me involved but this book made my find time to read when I needed to be doing something else.
Great Book
this book kept my interest for the entire book. some books don't always keep me involved but this book made my find time to read when I needed to be doing something else.
December 29, 2013
This is storytelling of the finest caliber. I felt like like I was reading a legend of old...loved this story and recommend it to anyone who loved the old myths and legends like I did.
February 21, 2014
Entertaining from beginning to end :D Loved it <3 Here's my review :D http://mygalleryofworlds.blogspot.com...
February 26, 2014
Great adventure. There were times I struggled go keep up with all the different threads, but it resolved itself nicely. Clean finish with a promise of more.
December 5, 2017
So far this is the book I loved most! It has a magical atmosphere which keeps you inside the story all of the time. What attracted me at first was the idea of a warrior girl. I love strong female characters. Swan was a blend of power and gentleness, and the fact she could not speak was really intriguing. I really enjoyed those moments of meeting with the Evil, so well described and so enchanting! I remember reading this during some stressful times, and I reallly liked that it had the power to carry me away from reality. After all, what's fantasy for? :) After the prequel I felt that the story became a little fast-paced, and the focus shifting away from the main characters towards Hallad's sister, but that did not steal from the story's magic.
August 22, 2017
Wow awesome book cant wait for the next one!!!
This book is exciting for males and females. I would say older teens and up. The story twists are exciting. The author leaves you wondering at many places. What you think is happening or going to happen is not at all what you expect. Very exciting with turns you never imagine. Keep reading!!!!
This book is exciting for males and females. I would say older teens and up. The story twists are exciting. The author leaves you wondering at many places. What you think is happening or going to happen is not at all what you expect. Very exciting with turns you never imagine. Keep reading!!!!
June 26, 2017
Great read
Great, enjoyable and fast read, very hard to put it down. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
Great, enjoyable and fast read, very hard to put it down. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
August 26, 2017
Ok
This book is definitely OK. I don't even know what I didn't like about it, yet I had to make myself finish it. And wouldn't spend $5 on book 2.
This book is definitely OK. I don't even know what I didn't like about it, yet I had to make myself finish it. And wouldn't spend $5 on book 2.
June 17, 2018
ShadowLight Saga series
Action-packed fantasy adventure. Geared towards adults but appropriate for YA's as well. Definite good vs. evil. Some violence. No sexual content.
Action-packed fantasy adventure. Geared towards adults but appropriate for YA's as well. Definite good vs. evil. Some violence. No sexual content.
August 17, 2018
Interesting first book.
Not throat grabbing but still thought provoking. I will be interested to see if the books improve. My a bad storyline but longwined
Not throat grabbing but still thought provoking. I will be interested to see if the books improve. My a bad storyline but longwined
August 21, 2018
Nice book good storylines
Good storyline with a twist keeps you waiting for the next chapter which I hope is just as good but will have wait.
Good storyline with a twist keeps you waiting for the next chapter which I hope is just as good but will have wait.
September 29, 2018
2 stars. Couldn't finish. Liked the prequel and first 10% of this book; then story became boring/juvenile
March 2, 2019
Meh. The plot is a mess. There is a woman locked in a castle and another woman who has been cast into an unnatural sleep and only a man can save them. So over those tropes.
August 25, 2020
Loved it.
A well-crafted beginning of a saga-type series. The characters come to life well and scenario descriptions are really atmospheric. Love the Norse setting.
A well-crafted beginning of a saga-type series. The characters come to life well and scenario descriptions are really atmospheric. Love the Norse setting.
October 16, 2023
I loved this book. A wonderful story of Norse mythology told in an extraordinary way.
March 9, 2012
Mande Matthews's writing is characterized by a smooth, capable writing style that ranges from matter-of-fact to lyrical as required by the situation. Her strong and complex characters are fun to journey with as they traverse Matthews' own variant of ancient Scandinavia, meeting "real life" versions of many of its beings, such as Valkyries and Dwarfs and Elves. Both high drama and comedy alternate -- and we all know that the former without the latter is hard to take. The two parallel plotlines -- Hallad's struggle to care for his mute sister Swan (shown on the cover), and Erik's quest with his brother Rolf the Skald to regain his true love Emma (Hallad's sister, who can talk to animals), both kept me clicking the "next page" button on my Kindle 2. Lord Lothar is the kind of villain you love to hate.
Certain stylistic decisions, such as substituting "Nei" for "No," and using Norse-sounding versions of certain words (Vestr for West, etc.) were particularly charming and gave the book a distinct feel that I enjoyed. Norse mythology made a nice change of pace.
The metaphysical aspects of this book, regarding the gods good and bad, the Shadow, Bonding, and dimensional travel, are highly complex, and I will need to read the book a second time to understand as well as I like. Suffice to say that Mande Matthews has created a complex magic system suited to development the multiple volumes the ShadowLight Saga will eventually contain.
I have heard rumors that the next book in this series is close to completion. I can't wait to get it on my Kindle.
Certain stylistic decisions, such as substituting "Nei" for "No," and using Norse-sounding versions of certain words (Vestr for West, etc.) were particularly charming and gave the book a distinct feel that I enjoyed. Norse mythology made a nice change of pace.
The metaphysical aspects of this book, regarding the gods good and bad, the Shadow, Bonding, and dimensional travel, are highly complex, and I will need to read the book a second time to understand as well as I like. Suffice to say that Mande Matthews has created a complex magic system suited to development the multiple volumes the ShadowLight Saga will eventually contain.
I have heard rumors that the next book in this series is close to completion. I can't wait to get it on my Kindle.
April 17, 2015
Part of me wanted to give three stars, but I just couldn't quite do it. Probably more like 2.5 stars than 2. The last fifth of the book was pretty good, but the rest of it not so much. It just seemed to move really, really slow, which was compounded by the fact that we were tagging and following several different characters so it kind of jumped around a little bit. I also had a hard time keeping up with the different terminology (drengmaer, sal drengmaer, shadow touched, shadowalker, voice of the shadow) and names (Glitner, Grimnear, shadowlands, Ginnungagap), and keeping them all straight in my head while I'm trying to read the story. Maybe if we weren't jumping around so much to different places and different people it would be easier to keep it all straight in my head as to which names belong with which secondary characters in the story, and which lands the various groups were traveling through and trying to get to and on and on. In all honesty the last fifth of the book did get better, and show that there could be some promise for the rest of the series, but not enough that I want to continue reading.
March 2, 2013
Life was never simple for Astrid dealing with isolation, loneliness and a destiny most would run from but her inner strength and resolve kept her fighting to survive the Shadow. I enjoyed reading about Norse Mythology and the odd translation thrown in from time to time but initially I was overwhelmed by the overload of information. The world building was amazing but I struggled to absorb it all as I felt it was more like reading a documentary rather than experiencing it with the characters. There was quite a few battle scenes and the relationship between Erik, Emma and Hallad was explored in depth yet the relationship between Astrid and Hallad was left to the end. I understand that Astrid could not speak out loud but I would have liked to have seen more telepathic communication between the two main characters cementing their bond further. I found myself skipping over some parts of the story to find the battle scenes though overall I did enjoy reading this book.
March 7, 2015
Not much happens in this book. I feel like it suffers from "first in series syndrome"--it is not written with any kind of conclusion or, honestly, a very interesting story--because it was written as a tease for the series as a whole. I understand that the author wants people to buy their other books, but I wouldn't buy anything else they wrote based on this thoroughly unsatisfying story. The "Epic" collection does "Bonded" no favors, either. I found myself reading the next book without realizing Bonded had ended, because the chapter numbers consistently went up. There was no title page for the new book at all, so I was frustrated and couldn't tell for sure why we were suddenly following new characters. Obviously not the authors fault, but the fact that Bonded ends so abruptly is. 2 stars for interesting concept.
December 11, 2014
A nice epic fantasy mythology read. I liked the setting the the mythology aspects, which were woven into the story quite well. The characterisation was generally quite good, although I felt the female warriors were too stereotyped and there wasn't a lot of distinction between them, other than the two main ones who got a lot of attention. The plot was good and kept me interested, and wrapped up with a nice climax and ending, though I wasn't really sure who was leaving to go where when they all set off at the end. And a little too predictably, all the young, single main characters ended up paired with someone who they'd stumbled across in their travels. But overall a good read and I'd be interested to pick up the next one.
December 31, 2014
I received an electronic copy of this book, as part of the EPIC: Fourteen Books Of Fantasy boxed set.
DNF. I tried to read this, but couldn't finish it. It was simply too cliche. Men are all dumb, brute warriors who rush into everything without listening to the poor downtrodden women who know everything and who would make everything work out if everyone was just patient enough. It's also heavy on Norse mythology, vocabulary, life and manners. Almost a historical romance rather than a work of fantasy.
I was unable to care for any of the characters and the plot left me yawning. I found this book to be tedious and annoying.
DNF. I tried to read this, but couldn't finish it. It was simply too cliche. Men are all dumb, brute warriors who rush into everything without listening to the poor downtrodden women who know everything and who would make everything work out if everyone was just patient enough. It's also heavy on Norse mythology, vocabulary, life and manners. Almost a historical romance rather than a work of fantasy.
I was unable to care for any of the characters and the plot left me yawning. I found this book to be tedious and annoying.
May 25, 2015
I really really liked this book when it started.
I loved how it was set in norse culture and mith and how magic and the gods came into play.
But soon as the travels began and the main group parted ways all the characters suddenly couldn't take advice or listen to reason and went head on into all the dangers and traps...
I got bored for most of the middle part of the book when nothing at all happens for oh so many pages...
The ending was good enough to make me like it again and gain this 2 stars, and I love the fact that I can leave the series here without tearing my hears from my head in despair to know what happens next, which means I can get back to the series sometime in the future and give it another shot, just not right now.
I loved how it was set in norse culture and mith and how magic and the gods came into play.
But soon as the travels began and the main group parted ways all the characters suddenly couldn't take advice or listen to reason and went head on into all the dangers and traps...
I got bored for most of the middle part of the book when nothing at all happens for oh so many pages...
The ending was good enough to make me like it again and gain this 2 stars, and I love the fact that I can leave the series here without tearing my hears from my head in despair to know what happens next, which means I can get back to the series sometime in the future and give it another shot, just not right now.
August 8, 2016
When this books synopsis stated it was an "Epic Fantasy Adventure", they meant it!!
The adventures of Astrid and Hallad truly are epic as promised. You quickly become pulled into the intriguingly riveting world of shadow walking. What will happen to the official Guardian of the Svenna, and will the bond that they share make or break them? In order to find these answers you must begin reading the series by starting with book zero, "The Light Keepers," then book one is this book, entitled "Bonded," book two is "Broken." Try not to accidentally read the books out of order the way that I did. The editing errors were not terrible but I did notice them, they didn't detract anything from the book at all.
Enjoy the series and Happy Reading!
-Becca
The adventures of Astrid and Hallad truly are epic as promised. You quickly become pulled into the intriguingly riveting world of shadow walking. What will happen to the official Guardian of the Svenna, and will the bond that they share make or break them? In order to find these answers you must begin reading the series by starting with book zero, "The Light Keepers," then book one is this book, entitled "Bonded," book two is "Broken." Try not to accidentally read the books out of order the way that I did. The editing errors were not terrible but I did notice them, they didn't detract anything from the book at all.
Enjoy the series and Happy Reading!
-Becca
August 15, 2012
Bonded is a wonderful fantasy book that has everything that you would want in this genre: adventure, magic, strange new lands, evil that must be defeated, a little romance, humor, and a fantastic new hero and heroine to start this trilogy off right. Never a dull moment in this book, the reader will be drawn into this new world that Mande Matthews has created. The characters are well-developed and very likeable. By the end of this book, you will be eagerly awaiting the next. A wonderful start to this trilogy, hopefully the next one will be coming soon!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews