The Stormbird in the Shadows: Book One of The Last Lux Trilogy

by Naomi Greensmith

A century after the fall of the last Nox, a new child of darkness bides her time, preparing to bring the island of Britannia to its knees. But as the country is left reeling during the aftermath of a bloody coup, no one pays heed to the prophets warning of a more ominous threat on the horizon.

Skye Bolton is a Mind Breaker sworn to protect the former president – until she is captured. While a power struggle rages beyond her prison walls, Skye wavers between protecting her allies and keeping her life, determined to stay one step ahead of her captors. Her enemies know they have a goldmine of dangerous information at their disposal, but to get into her mind, they have to break her first.

Cover art by Joan Culum

768 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 21, 2023

About the author

Naomi is originally from Cheshire, England, but she has lived in four different countries and lost track of how many languages she started learning. Aside from anything bookish, her obsessions include art, mythology, the passing of the seasons, and drinking too much tea.

Naomi studied languages and translation at university, but her core passion has always been to write. Her dream of seeing her name on the cover of a paperback novel finally came true in November 2023, with the release of her debut urban fantasy novel, The Stormbird in the Shadows.

Reviews

[Nick Burgoyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Stormbird in the Shadows is a fantasy set in an alternate version of Britain full of complex political ties and shaky alliances between powerful families. It's an ambitious story with a big cast of characters, each with individual points of view on the changes of power at the core of its intrigue. Phaedra is my favourite, who ends up trying to live a normal, free life whilst caught in the middle of these warring families. This is a enjoyable debut full of memorable characters that promises to become a great series. I'm looking forward to seeing where this story goes.

[Tom Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Told from multiple POV’s this character driven fantasy saga of feuding families and their political manoeuvring's set in a dystopian Britain had me hooked from its tantalising prologue.
My favourite characters are Cameron and Skye Bolton, a mind breaker sworn to protect the President, until she is captured by enemies of the state. But as her tormentors are about to find out, Skye is not so easily broken.
An impressive debut from Naomi Greensmith, Stormbird is the first in the Last Lux Trilogy.
Definitely check it out if you’re into epic urban fantasy, warring families, prophecies and elemental magic.
Loved this, now onto the sequel.

[The Michelleing Of Monte Cassino · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a debut, The Stormbird in the Shadows explodes onto the page with a country in strife! Gone are the British Isles and the annexed bit of Northern Ireland that the reader knows. They are replaced with a UK as a totalitarian fiefdom. The reigning families stay cheek by jowl in their various spheres of influence, fighting for control of the familiar English cities and towns we all know.

Intermarriage to maintain house power, and wars to put down those who won’t bend to the will of the ruling family, are now the order of the day. Thrown among the members of these great houses through multiple POVs, this omnipresent wheel of changing power shows itself to the reader by the end of Chapter One. It’s the ruling class and their old, decrepit family squabbles that have this alternate-universe England’s common people in a stranglehold.

If it weren’t for the magic system of elemental powers, known as Talents, and the duality of light and darkness made flesh—the Lux and the Nox—this 2021 era UK could have easily been ripped from the headlines of a newspaper. A country reeling from the horrors of street-level war and totalitarian crackdowns. A country that is almost medieval in its myopic national identity.

We follow many viewpoints as they navigate this much changed UK, but the female MC, Skye Bolton, is both the standout POV and the author’s greatest leap of faith. Skye isn’t your usual protagonist, and I think that’s why people will enjoy this book. It doesn’t give you what you expect, keeping you engaged and on your toes. Right from the jump, Skye is a bully and an alcoholic, and we follow her through the mud of this world. A soldier and a firebrand for her faction, we cheer for her when she’s on top and grind our teeth for her when she’s brought low.

Personally, I struggled to find the humanity in a woman whose talents of Telepathy and Lightning are used to a chilling effect as a soldier and interrogator. War has soured and burned all the kindness out of Skye, and all we are left with are the sinew and bones of her rage. She’s messy and well worth anyone’s time.

With the third and final book on the way, the TL;DR is: Give this series a try, and you won’t be disappointed!

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a lot of fun! I really love Cameron! The powers are so cool and remind me of avatar the last airbender! Skye is an interesting main character, I didn't like her much at first but she grew on me! Even though she wasn't my favorite, I enjoyed her POV. Greensmith's writing is so easy to get lost in, it's like a movie inside my head, and its not often an author can describe things in a way that makes that happen for me.

If you like Sarah J Maas or V.E Schwab, elemental magic (or just any kind of cool magic), a headstrong unapologetically herself Female Main character and a band of characters you'll wish you could join in, this book is for you!

[SabrinZ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story follows several people on different sides of a conflict. It took me a while to get used to the switching POVs, but those switches also provided the opportunity to see characters from multiple ides and how they are perceived.
I was really intrituged by the plot but also the backstory and what the Nox and Lux (and their ongoing conflict) is about.
I am definitely curious to see where this is going and how the characters we have met will handle with the recent events and what else will be uncovered.

[Helen Salsbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent debut which kept me reading late into the night several times. It's one of those 'just one more chapter' books. The world building is complex and intriguing, the political elements and the interweaving of factions and families is masterfully constructed. Written from a number of viewpoints, Naomi Greensmith has built a compelling and unpredictable narrative, with a wide canvas of engaging and often flawed characters, and an intriguing mix of reality and fantasy.

[Karlein · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE STORMBIRD IN THE SHADOWS is perfect if you love:
⭐ Morally Grey Characters and Cinnamon Rolls with unique Talents.
⭐ Multiple POVs and immersive character arcs.
⭐ Urban fantasy set in modern day alternative Britain
⭐ Feuding Families + Generational Conflict
⭐ A looming prophecy causing absolute grief for our characters
⭐ Prepare to laugh, cry, and feel all the feels!

I can't wait for book 2!!!

[Cecelia Rohrbacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this first book in a fantasy series - it created an interesting world and characters that I came to care about. Looking forward to the next book to see how it progresses.