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ShadowLight

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AFTER LIVING ALMOST AN ENTIRE CENTURY EXILED without her soul, Gwynore takes comfort in her rituals: the Prayer that keeps her sane and the Vision of her past life that proves she is bound to a world in which she does not belong. A world that is stuck between day and night, a world that never changes—until it does. When a constellation of stars disappears from the sky, Gwynore finds herself falling through the universe, again. This time, with a chance to save herself and the home she has no memories of.

Back on the Continent, Gwynore discovers she is the key to ending a decades-long conflict between the Light and Shadow factions. All she has to do is find the three stones; three pieces of her soul that have been hidden by the Sages, a neurotic family of gods who are watching her every move.

With the help of Kalen Herja, a fierce warrior and traitor to the rival Shadow faction, Gwynore must retrace her last steps and unravel the difficult truth behind her exile. As tensions rise and rumors of Gwynore's return spread throughout the Continent, one thing becomes clear: To reclaim her honor and take back the Light from the malevolent Shadow Sage, Gwynore will have to do the thing she fears most—face the darkness of her own past.

For readers of all things romantasy, ShadowLight introduces a new and addictive fantasy series with infinite heart and spellbinding magic.

354 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 16, 2024

9 people are currently reading
95 people want to read

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Courtney Hours

4 books11 followers

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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
Profile Image for Cassandra Mitchell.
242 reviews93 followers
January 18, 2024
ShadowLight by Courtney Hours
5/5 Stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

•••Spoiler free review below•••

I am SO EXCITED FOR EVERYONE TO READ THIS BOOK! Courtney creates a magical and spectacular fantasy world with descriptions that will leave you swearing you can see it. This book threw me right into an action packed plot that had me holding my breath, kicking my feet, and frantically reading to find out what would happen next!

We follow Gwyn, a murderous guardian who has been locked in a prison world for almost a century and has no memories of her past. When she is finally rescued, she must decide whether or not she wants to attempt to reunite the pieces of her soul and go on a quest to save the world she doesn’t remember. At her side is Kalen - a grumpy, shadow faction, stand-in king. Together they must hope to dodge the puppet strings the gods are pulling and outsmart those wishing to see them fail. The entire light faction is counting on them.

Read this book if you like:
- world building as you read
-Romantasy EVERYTHING
-a grumpy ✨obsessed✨ MMC
-twists and turns
-adventure!

ShadowLight will be released February 16th and if it's not already on your tbr, it should be!
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Special thanks to Courtney for sharing a free copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

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Profile Image for Tara Houston.
43 reviews3 followers
February 13, 2024
first, i want to thank the author and publisher for sending me an ARC of this book! this did not impact my review or rating however.

i really loved this book. gwynore the brave has been alone in a world between land and sea for a long as she can remember, until she isn’t. she’s brought back into the real world, without ever remembering belonging here, and with her soul in pieces spread throughout the world. gwyn has to save her people, and their magic, all while searching for her soul.

the premise is pretty unique and i love the magic system in the world. the author utilizes one of my favorite story building tactics where the reader learns alongside the main character around the world. the author also does a great job of naturally letting the plot and worldbuilding run its course without information dumps or long exposition monologues. it made me constantly wonder about the secrets of the world, and i love when a book makes me think so deeply outside of my reading.
this is a genre i am really familiar with, and am so used to books following formulas to develop their plots. but this book genuinely got me with its plot twists and deception. i found myself having my mouth open at certain reveals, because i normally can guess the plot twist but not here. it was refreshing to be subverted in my reading, instead of feeling like the author thinks i’m stupid.

i do have a couple critiques about this book. first, this entire book needs a lot of editing. there is a lot of grammatical errors and missing words. i understand this is not the final version, but there needs to be a couple more editing and polishing sessions. the main issue i had with this book is the ending. that is actually was moved from rating from 4.5 to 4. this book is pretty long, my version was almost 600 pages long, and the last 30 or so pages attempts to wrap up all the loose ends. and there were a lot of loose ends. i was happy with the ending, but man did it feel rushed there at the end. there are many different conflicts and the end attempts to solve all of them in one go and it just doesn’t work as well. the problem is that the ending and the twists are so good, they just need to be spaced better throughout the last quarter of the book.

overall i really did adore this book. i can’t wait to read the polished version because i just know it is going to be so good!! if you like fantasy romance, strong female main characters, main character with memory loss, and elemental magic, you will definitely like this book. cant wait to see where this author goes next!
113 reviews
February 7, 2024
Put your seatbelt on before you enter Courtney's worlds within ShadowLight.

You will taxi slowly down the runway as you meet Gwyn and get a feel for her and this world she is living in, then as you are really warming up to the magic around her it all starts to change, then BAM, enter Kalen and everything changes as Gwyn is transported to a new world, that is in fact an old world, if only she could remember it, well, remember anything at all - including her name.

Now the taxi down the runway is over and the fighter plane rushes down the runway and leaps madly in the air, its g-forces keeping you pressed in the seat and your ands unable to let go of this book till you reach the cliffhanger that is the end of part one of this series.

The book is full of truths, half-truths and all out lies.

There are old and new loves, broken and dysfunctional families and gods that can’t even share the truth between them and can barely stand each other’s company. The one thing they are united in is how they view Gwyn and her journey.

One thing for sure is listen closely to the hidden words. No one is who they seem and no story is strictly true, though in most cases, in a fashion it is. The half-truth or lie is meant to protect who exactly?

Then as you come towards the end, everything comes together and the truth is outed, both past, present, and possibly the future.

There is new and old love, hate, jealousy, and pain.

Your heart will blead for the stories around Gwyn and Kalen and there emotional and physical journey.

But the end….the end…

You will not be ready for it, prepared for it and for a little while have a full grasp of the implications of it… then it will land and come together as you will cry and make your own decision on what you will like to happen.

The one thing you will be sure of is this…..Courtney, what is the release date for the next stage of this uniquely thought-out journey.

Yes, I received a free ARC of this book to review, but my review is freely and honestly given. Just enjoy the journey and if you love it half as much as I did, you will be so happy and satisfied with this story.
38 reviews
June 26, 2024
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I really enjoyed the descriptions of things showing us that she doesnt remember anything. It was a lot of good show and not tell. The descriptions of things in the world make it really easy to imagine what they'd look like. I really enjoyed being able to imagine it so vividly. The world building in this is exquisite. I also enjoyed how each part of the world was slowly introduced.

The characters were likeable and it was fun to get to know them. I always wanted to come back to read more.

I really like the slow burn here. It's not too slow it feels perfectly paced. The love story is sweet I'm the beginning and then it gets wonderfully spicy. I guessed the plot twist pretty early, but I thoroughly enjoyed the reveal!
Sometimes there are discriptions in between the dialogue that seems unnecessary.
There were Is or roman numberals at the end of each chapter that I found to be a little odd. And there were a few typos. There was some weird spacing in the book. Probably just a formatting error.
Profile Image for Sarah ⟡ Tea & Tomes.
399 reviews15 followers
January 20, 2024
The essence of the story is intriguing, and some parts are beautifully written, but it is in dire need of editing—both for grammar and flow.

The overall story is amazing and so unique. I love the mystery surrounding Gwynore and the journey to uncovering her truth. The way she’s written evokes so many feelings of sympathy; she’s an exquisite character. I love everything about Kalen. He’s beautiful with such a desirable personality.

The worldbuilding is amazing. The magic system is really neat and unique. The lore created for this world and its deities is very thorough, unique, and interesting. I like the history that’s been created and the conflicts therein.

I just really hope the published edition of this book went through some major edits because there are lot of issues with grammar and improper word usage. While it’s still an incredibly enjoyable read of a really fantastic story, it needs a heck of a lot of finesse to make it a truly stand-out book.

Regardless, I am highly anticipating the next book and the continuation of the story.
Profile Image for Alyshia.
111 reviews1 follower
January 20, 2024
I received an eARC for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Spoiler Free Review Below:

The basis of this story is intriguing and beautiful throughout. The world building was immaculate, and I could picture everything including the colors. The magic system is most interesting, as is the fact of Yielding, the Sages, all of it. I loved following Gwyn throughout the entire story. From the beginning I had a soft spot for Kalen and hoped through the whole book that those feelings would be validated. I was immediately hooked when I started this book with Gwyn explaining the world she lived in and her routine.

If you are a fan of fantasy with a side of romance, this is 100% for you. I will say that there were some spots in this book where the sentences or wording just didn't quite make sense, so I'm hoping it gets one last edit. But that is easily overlooked by me for how stinkin' good this story was. I can't wait for the next book in this series!
Profile Image for Lauren.
221 reviews7 followers
March 7, 2024
This book was definitely unique in its writing style, at least in my opinion. I had to reread the beginning of the book a few times because I was super confused and quite frankly disoriented with what I was reading, but that was actually a genius move on Courtney’s part. You’re just as frazzled as our main character and have no idea what is happening so you really feel involved with the character’s journey…or at least I did. Once I figured this out I was able to appreciate everything a lot more. I enjoyed the detailed world building, the unique magic system, and the tension between our main characters. I’d definitely categorize this as one of the more unique romantasy books I’ve read lately. If you’re into quests with twists and turns, flawed characters and a side of romance, check this book out!
Profile Image for Rucky.
47 reviews
February 4, 2024
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

So many emotions during this book that made me enjoy it immensely. I never knew what what was going to happen, which was refreshing to have something not as predictable to read. It was a bit hard to get into at first, as I wasn't sure where it was going (but stated above, the book kept you guessing). Definitely fantasy with a side of romance, and LOVED Gwyn.

It wasn't closed door, but it also wasn't overly descriptive in scenes that were intimate, which again, was refreshing. The flow of writing seemed to change a bit to me through out the story, which, personally, was hard to keep with. But this book is truly unique and an idea that I haven't read much of before or even close to.
Profile Image for McKayla.
421 reviews3 followers
January 24, 2024
An absolutely beautiful story with a unique plot about the journey of finding oneself. I took this book in slowly because I never wanted it to end. I fell in love with the main characters and everytime I picked this book up, I would fall right back into the wonderfully curated world Courtney created for her readers. It has medium fantasy, high stakes with high risks, a gorgeous love story, and characters you find yourself constantly rooting for. I would 100% recommend this book to all of my fantasy lovers.
88 reviews3 followers
February 6, 2024
This was something else, and I loved it!

I usually like my romantasy novels with a certain amount of romance and spice, and would not have minded more of it in "Shadowlight" either. But; There is for sure both romance and spice in here, just not the main plot.

We are being introduced to a new and intriguing world unlike any I have read in fantasy earlier, and it is refreshing. I usually prefer fae/fairie tropes, but this novel was the perfect breather in between those.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Profile Image for stephanie cox.
1,168 reviews19 followers
April 26, 2024
After living in exile, missing her soul, our FMC uses her rituals as part of her daily comfort, until one day it doesn't seem to help anymore. Gwynore is a great character, who is written in such a way that I love. The author did a great job with the flow of writing and how the pace is nice, and enjoyable until it is a roller coaster of all feelings. I love the characters, they are amazing and bring so much to the story. The world-building and magic is explained nicely and easy enough to follow.
Profile Image for dina .
32 reviews4 followers
January 9, 2024
Wow… just wow!

I received this book as an arc and I am struggling to find the words to put into sentences to describe how much I *loved* it. I was immediately hooked by the plot and the characters are just perfect, even with their personal flaws. I honestly might have to just sit and ponder both what I just read and what comes next. I will definitely be recommending to my friends come Feb 16th!
Profile Image for Ingríð Älva.
259 reviews1 follower
February 4, 2024
This literary masterpiece transcends my expectations, crafting a world that unfolds with every turn of the page.
Gwynore, a character so relatable, guides us through a story that my basic words can't capture—apologies! but you must experience it firsthand, ASAP. :)
The prose dances with eloquence, and each chapter feels like a brushstroke on the canvas of storytelling.
As the characters evolve, so does the richness of the story, leaving an indelible mark on the reader's soul.
Profile Image for Alla.
52 reviews1 follower
February 15, 2024
I really enjoyed this story and I think it was very well written and was easy to read.

I loved the main characters Gwynore and Kalen and it was very interesting to follow the development of their relationship.

This book had just the right amount of adventure, suspense and romance so I was feeling entertained throughout the whole book.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy!

I received the ARC for free and leaving this honest review voluntarily.
334 reviews7 followers
March 1, 2024
The story is told in an intriguing and exciting way. It captivates you from the start. The world-building is incorporated well as you follow Gwynore's story. The world and the twists and turns make you want to keep reading. I can only recommend this book.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Profile Image for Kellye Gray.
21 reviews
January 22, 2024
This was such a fun read! I couldn't put it down! I absolutely loved the story and the suspense and the twists and turns and the reveals of the FMC life! And Kal. Swoon. That man. Just how he… gush… I won't ruin it! Totally worth reading!
Profile Image for Jennie.
688 reviews48 followers
January 19, 2024
This book was interesting and different loved the whole shadows and light and not knowing who you are and then have to get pieces to get memory’s back and the ending
2 reviews
March 10, 2024
loved this!!

Lyrical writing! I loved reading it. I can’t wait for the next book. The characters are well developed. Excellent story.
Profile Image for Michelle.
240 reviews1 follower
February 29, 2024
Courtney Hours granted me the opportunity to recieve a free copy of this book. How could I say no?

This entire story was a roller coaster of emotions! I was happy, sad, excited, mad, lustful, worried, scared… And most importantly, it kept me on my toes. I'm typically pretty good at figuring out what's going on, using the subtle hints, but when she dropped the bomb? My mind was BLOWN! The vast majority of what I read was completely unexpected. I would have preferred that the intimate scenes were more descriptive, but I was still very happy with what I got.

This is, by far, one of the most original books I have ever read. I've never even heard of the concepts I was introduced to, here. If you are looking for a common story, keep walking! You will not find it here.

Great work, Ms. Hours! I look forward to the next one.
Profile Image for Ashley Korff.
52 reviews
April 20, 2024
3 ⭐️
✔️ Fascinating World building
✔️ Interesting quest-like storyline
✔️ Unique Magic System

Shadowlight was such an interesting read! I really enjoyed the fast paced story, the tension between the love interests, and the world building was super fun! I loved how the world building was something you learned throughout the story instead of info dumping which created a really interesting way to make the story twist and turn without you knowing what will happen next! This one is for the Romantasy lovers! Grumpy MC, Feisty FMC, and all the tension!!!
Most of the critiques I have are mainly editing issues- which may still be fixed but at this point the book needs another round of 2 of editing especially for grammatical and spelling errors.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you, Courtney, for allowing me to ARC read this book!!
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews

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