The Shadows of Xuntwin

Broken Wynn #2

by M.L. Banks

Ancient ruins of a destroyed kingdom. A lost artifact that could wake those trapped by the Shadowed Ones. Can two enemies work together to save everyone in time?
Nyrnn Ashall made the wrong choice. To save herself, she destroyed the stonetych needed to wake the patients. Filled with guilt, she is forced to work with a former enemy to discover the location of a second artifact that is buried deep within the ruins in the Great Forest. But when they identify the location, Nyrnn is hit with devastating the patients have begun to die. She will have to trust the man who betrayed her if she is going to save everyone in time.

Travelling among the ruins of Xuntwin, Nyrnn struggles to keep up with her friends and strange new companions even as she continues to be mystified by her own powers. But the forest is not like Nubrai, and it hides many The Free People are wary of them, the raiders from Draihan would capture any wynn to trade to the King in exchange for riches, and at every turn Nyrnn is reminded that out here there are no healing pods if someone gets hurt.

With the lives of the patients hanging in the balance, will Nyrnn and her companions find the artifact in time and return to Nubrai? And even if they do, what will be the cost?

The Shadows of Xuntwin is the second book in the Broken Wynn epic fantasy series.

640 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 18, 2024

Reviews

[Kelly Peasgood · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I enjoyed this second book, I did find some of the characters' mindsets (eg. their belief that they alone could do what no one else could, or that they could fix everything, even though they lacked key information) a little irritating. Believable and to an extent understandable, given their background and thought process, but annoying nonetheless.
I look forward to the next installment.

[Alison Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a fantastic follow-up to The Curse of Starfall, the first book in the Broken Wynn series by M. L. Banks. In the first book, readers were presented with the story of Nyrnn Ashall, a sickly, young woman looking for a cure to her illness; supposedly the result of attacks from strangers called the Shadowed Ones. At a slow, deliberate pace, the truth about the Shadowed Ones and how they are connected to Nyrnn's condition were revealed. Book Two continues the investigation of the secrets of the magically-gifted Wynn and how comatose patients are relying on Nyrnn and her friends to uncover a cure. To do so, they are required to leave the island of Nubrai to the mysterious mainland. The deliberate, slow pacing of the story builds and deepens the mystery that is at the heart of this series. M. L. Banks does an incredible job answering some questions, only to uncover more; drawing readers into a detailed world with multiple cultures and hidden conspiracies as Nyrnn and friends realized there's far more going on than they ever anticipated. This novel has more layers than an onion and invests the reader in its intriguing premise and a deep desire to find out what happens next. Highly recommend.

[Jayden]

Read in September 2025

The Shadows of Xuntwin is a powerful and gripping sequel to The Curse of Starfall. Nyrnn’s journey through the ruins and the Great Forest is filled with danger, guilt, and uneasy alliances that keep you turning the pages. The world-building is vivid, the stakes are higher than ever, and the emotional weight of her choices makes this story unforgettable. A fantastic continuation of the Broken Wynn series—I can’t wait for the next installment!

[Louise Larcombe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book, I highly recommend to any fantasy book lovers. I was engrossed the whole time I was reading it.
You have to read the first book to be really invested in the characters and the storyline, the Curse of Starfall.