A Kingdom of Shadows

by Emily Bain Murphy

A band of misfits seek to fight the darkness that's slowly overcoming their kingdom—the start of a grand adventure series in the tradition of The Chronicles of Narnia and the Wingfeather Saga.

The shadows have been overtaking the light, ever since The Great Betrayal. Now, the sun shines increasingly dimmer, it takes more firewood to brighten a room, and the world is growing more desperate and dangerous by the day.

Twelve-year-old orphan Finn survives in this world by being a thief, along with his best friend Adrion and younger sister Lydia. When the three meet a mysterious stranger who claims to know of a lake of light, they set off on an adventure across the kingdom. They discover that Wildfel is a place of great danger and great beauty, where the mist can steal your most precious memories, starlight gathers in waterfalls, spiders spin shimmering webs of glass as deadly as they are dazzling. If they can find this mythical lake of light, it could change the course of their lives, and the kingdom itself.

There are also secrets hiding in the darkness that could change Finn’s very understanding of everything he knows to be true, even about himself—but only if he's brave enough to step into the light.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Christian, Christian Fiction, Childrens

Unknown Binding

Expected publication March 3, 2026

About the author

Emily Bain Murphy is a critically acclaimed author of books for adults and young adults. She was born in Indiana and raised in Hong Kong and Japan. She graduated from Tufts University and has also called Massachusetts, Connecticut, and California home.

Murphy is the author of the YA fantasies The Disappearances, which was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, and Splinters of Scarlet, which received starred reviews from School Library Journal and Bookpage and was nominated for the MASL Truman Readers’ Award. Both are available now from HarperCollins.

Murphy’s adult historical mystery Enchanted Hill is available now from Union Square and Co./Hachette. The Ivory City, a standalone adult historical mystery set at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, will be published in November 2025 from Union Square and Co./Hachette.

Murphys’s debut middle grade fantasy trilogy Lightseekers will be published in March 2026 from WaterBrook Multnomah/Penguin Randomhouse.

Murphy is represented by Peter Knapp at Park, Fine & Brower Literary and Media. She currently lives in the St. Louis area with her husband, three children, and a rescue bunny. Find her online at Instagram @emilybainmurphy and Facebook @emilybainmurphy.

Reviews

[Emily ✞ || [fallon's vrs]]

If Emily Bain Murphy writes it, I want to read it. plain and simple

[Leilani Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first stumbled across this book on NetGalley and was immediately drawn in by the cover. Then I knew I had to read it when the author's site described this middle grade novel as "in the tradition of the Chronicles of Narnia and the Wingfeather series."

The first line was SO good and pulled me in immediately. This group, comprised of a few hopefuls, some runaways, and a mysterious, kind leader are traveling to find a way to bring light back to a kingdom that is being overcome by darkness.

I absolutely loved this and cannot wait for its release, as well as further books in the series!

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read an advanced copy!

[Lotta Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Christian Publishing | WaterBrook for this ARC!

I have been reading a couple of chapters of this with my son (9) over the last few days. Last night we really got into it and ended up basically finishing the book. He really enjoyed this story and so did I to be honest!

The main characters are all children and my son really enjoyed their adventure to fix the dying light of the Kingdom of Wildfel. The book perhaps would suit older children more - maybe 10-12 plus - due to some of the language used, multiple characters in any one scene, and more complicated storylines than standard. However, my son is used to reading older style books so he coped just fine. I did need to remind him who was who a few times though so that might be the same for other children but it was still a good fun read!

This light vs darkness aspect of the book was quite a unique concept that my son had not read before so he enjoyed that. He also really liked Mops and her broom. He said he could see her character really clearly in his head.

The world building was interesting and the plot was engaging. Can only recommend to anyone with children!

Thanks for reading!

[ezra [semi ia] · Rating 4 out of 5]

‧₊˚⊹꒰ “𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫“ ꒰‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

3.75 stars rounded up to 4.
‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

okay, first off i was a bit scared that this book wasn’t going to deliverer the ‘similar to wingfeather saga,’ promise in the description well enough for my standards… since wingfeather is pretty much the peak and most original middle grade book that i’ve read—but it certainly did!
i literally had a similar vibe while reading this book, so fans of wingfeather… PICK THIS UP!!

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

setting that aside, the book itself was pretty good. not my absolute favorite, but good.
although it felt a little dark at times, the author handled it really well, making sure it that the topics wouldn’t weigh the reader down.
a little BTS; i wouldn’t usually comment on this, but since this is a middle grade novel, thought I might touch on the topic…
i mean, the book itself is literally called, ‘kingdom of shadows,’ and it’s all about the darkness slowly chasing away the light. but setting that aside, the author handled the themes extremely well, weaving everything in the story so nicely and seamlessly i often felt like i was immersed in the world myself, expierincing the events right along with the characters.

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

okay we’re kind of veering a little bit off here to talk about the characters:)

finn was quite literally the best, and I LOVED his character arc! his growth as a character was so realistic in my opinion, and at one point i had to sit back and say, “wow. he’s grown A LOT.”
pretty crazy experience, but yeah.
and also he reminded me soo much of janner it was almost nostalgic! loved him!

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

to wrap this up, the book was alright. I found myself growing bored at times and unfocused… but at other times I was completely gripped in a scene. it probably has something to do with the fact that I just finished a five star book that surprised me soo many times.
that being said, this book truly was original. the world was really well-thought out, and I feel like many christians—and non-christians—will enjoy this book!!
hope you guys will enjoy this as much as I did!

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲, 𝐦𝐬. 𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐡𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐀𝐑𝐂! 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew I had to read this series when I saw it pitched as the Chronicles of Narnia meets The Wingfeather Saga. It was a beautiful story with a fun and lovely cast. Although the fantastical plot centered around a war between light and darkness is very thematically obvious, the themes remain timeless and the final chapters made me cry. It also makes me happy that high fantasy middle grade like this is still being written but with a fresh voice. I'm looking forward to seeing where Murphy takes the rest of the trilogy!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Christian Publishing | WaterBrook for the ARC!

[haidyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story begins with Finn, a young thief living in the Bells. Orphaned and alone, save for his younger sister, Lydia, and his best friend Adrion, Finn dreams of a life where he no longer has to steal for food or hide away from bullies. And in a world surrendering to darkness, a home where light is abundant and never-ending. One day the three meet a mysterious stranger, a young man named Ehrit, who offers them friendship and an adventure: a journey to the lake of light and a mission to break the curse of darkness.

A Kingdom of Shadows flows like other Christian fiction fantasies, such as The Chronicles of Narnia and Tolkien's Middle Earth series. The familiarity of it, combined with the story's own unique qualities makes for a wonderful, cozy adventure that readers of all ages are certain to enjoy.

Some of the things I liked:
1. Finn's gift to see a person's inner forest, understood to be a reflection of their spirit. Loved how he came to recognize this connection and see how his own inner forest (his spirit) was growing stronger and changing for the better as the story unfolded.
2. the clever and well-placed Christian symbolism, some obvious and others more subtle, allowing the audience to make the connections for themselves. Each felt like a little gift tucked in the pages.
3. Murphy's characters are well-written and complex. They have personality, emotion, and individual histories that add depth to each character. This creates a level of connection and relatability that some stories lack, and it truly makes a difference.

There were a few areas that felt slow or were harder to stick with, but I'll just acknowledge that I'm not the intended reading age (though I enjoy a good middle-grade fiction) and leave it at that.

I truly enjoyed getting to read through this story. Looking forward to future additions to the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for an arc of this book!

[Emily B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

YES ✨

[Victoria (hotcocoaandbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
this is not the first book I have read by Emily Bain Murphy, so I am familiar with her style.

There were times when reading this book that I was trying to understand what was going on, the purpose of the journey that was being taken, and to learn the words that were new terms. It wasn't too much at once, but it did take me a little bit of time.

Finn and his sister Lydia were abandoned by their mother (they don't see it as such) when they were quite small. They were left with a woman who raised them until she left them to care for themselves (also still quite small).

Wildfel is a place filled with darkness (just a little bit of light here and there), especially in the Bells, the place where Finna and Lydia live. There are insect type of lights used called Auerflies (different than lightning bugs/fireflies - which are also in this book at one point). Finn and his best friend Adrion are used to stealing them and selling them for money and survival. They want to get out of the Bells and see what is outside of the city. This puts them on a journey to explore more of Wildfel.

There is also a king and a general that are talked about throughout this book. The king has taken away the light and is the enemy of the people. The general was once close to the king and wants to protect the people and be able to bring the light back. This is what they have been taught their whole lives.

There are also seftars, vidkins, and other creatures mentioned throughout this book (this is what I had to try to learn more about as I read it). I think it would have been better if these things were described a little more than how they were.

Finn, Adrion, and Lydia end up meeting another who is a teenager on a similar mission, named Ehrit. They end up going on a journey with a couple other people too (and later even others). This book talks a lot about trust, understanding, trying to figure out the truth. Ehrit seems to be a guide and a bit like Jesus, from what I can gather, as this is written with a Christian understanding (kind of like Aslan in the Chronicles of Narnia).

The journey is to find the Lake of Light, which is talked about in terms of legends. Finn and Lydia also want to see if it is possible to find their mother too, or at least learn more about her.

Finn has this one ability where he can "see people's forests" within them. To me, that came out of nowhere, though it was nice to learn about.

The coolest part of the journey was about a weird spider and what their webs and bites are like and what they do to you. I feel like in these adventure stories, there is always some spider in them, but at least this has a unique take on it. I found it creative and exciting.

The book was not bad at all, but I wanted to be taken in more heavily into it. The descriptions just could have been a little better at times to make me enjoy it, but the book wasn't that long, and maybe in a way, it should have been.

The way the book ended was really good and definitely prepares for the second book, which I do hope to read when that comes out (granted I am writing this review months before this book, the first book, actually comes out too). Oh yeah, so I am reviewing this as the publisher has sent it to me, which I read on my tablet/Nook. It was a really great book to get access to, and I am sorry I didn't embrace it more. I hope to love the second book.

This was a sentence I enjoyed reading in the book. It's not crazy, but I did like it and wrote it down.
"The weight of those instructions hit Finn. He had no idea how to keep the others safe. He wasn't a leader. But he didn't have time to second-guess himself. He plunged into the forest, his footsteps instantly muffled by pine needles."

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A Kingdom of Shadows" is a middle grade, Christian fantasy. This adventure was exciting, with non-stop danger: running from a rival thief to avoiding soldiers and witches to fireflies that literally start fires and spiders that spin pure glass and whose bite can kill. The main characters were engaging. A Christ-like teenager invited several children to help him gather what's needed to make a key to open the way to the Lake of Light. He used the various trials they faced to build their trust in him, but not all of the children chose to remain as one of his followers. Finn had to decide if he'd continue living for his own gain (even if it hurt others) or join the fight for the Light. Both good and bad characters could do magic, with the witches using it to create the shadows that threaten life (less sun means less food, etc.) and the good people used magic to fight the darkness. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this exciting adventure.

I received a free ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Hailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A questing fantasy adventure.

The themes of light and dark were well done, with other biblical themes woven in as well.

I guess I expected to spend a little longer in the Bells from the cover, so I was a little disappointed that we didn't get to explore much of the canal city. Though that probably just has to do with me being a fan of that type of setting.🙂

It's clear from the places we do get to explore and the new characters we meet that Murphy has well developed the storyworld, which will likely only get further explored in future installments.

I didn't connect with the book like I was hoping to, but I've been finding that happens more and more often with middlegrade books lately. 😕

The ending ties things up nicely, while leaving plenty of room for more adventures in the series.

Cautions: brief, non-graphic violence

(I received an eARC through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)

[Priscilla A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot even begin to express how much I enjoyed this book! I was glued to the pages from beginning to end! A Kingdom of Shadows is about a group of young misfits that find themselves working together “mostly” in search of a common item, light. This light is more than just a brightness that fills the world, but it is also magically intermingled with a feeling of joy. Although light is something that brings joy it can also be used for self-gain as we see in this story. There are those who want the world to live in a constant state of darkness and they monopolize light for both power and financial gain.
Travel along with these Lightseeker’s as they search for the lake of light and grow through each of their own internal struggles as they choose to live for the light…or the dark.
5 out of 5 stars! I highly recommend this book for young readers and adults alike! Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Anna |This Curly Girl Reads| · Rating 4 out of 5]

Confession: I initially read this book for its cover 😊 it’s so pretty! I don’t read a lot of middle grade fiction, but I am so glad I read this one. I definitely see why it’s compared to Narnia and the Wingfeather saga. It also made me think of the Benedict Society (though that one contains no faith content.) and the Winter King—good versus evil, children showing courage, teamwork, etc. There are Christian elements sprinkled through though those moments are subtle.

I loved the characters, and the mystery kept me turning pages. This is the first book, so there’s a lot of world and character building, and I expect the next to be even better.

Highly recommend for kids 12-adults who love an inspiring adventure story.
Content: some scary moments, child abandonment, some injuries

Note: I received an ARC from Netgalley. I wasn’t required to leave a positive review. All opinions are my own.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great adventure and journey A Kingdom of Shadows took me on! We get world building, character building, and all the fun fantasy and imaginative magic. Light vs Darkness is a key battle throughout this book, and it's well written! I also thought the characters seemed relatable and made decisions I felt were pretty relatable too. I could see my kids being able to relate to these characters and not feel that it was too unrealistic. It honestly gave me Narnia/Wingfeather vibes. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to any more that comes from this series. It's a great clean read for middle grades and those who enjoy Narnia, The Wingfeather Saga, adventure, and anything similar.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for the opportunity to read an advanced e-copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Kate Goforth · Rating 5 out of 5]

"We're just travelers," Ehrit repeated, "trying to make our way home."

This middle-grade fantasy quest story is perfect for lovers of Narnia, The Hobbit, and the Wingfeather Saga. This cozy adventure is filled with clever Christian symbolism, in-depth world-building, and well-written characters. I would have loved this book as a kid (and I love it now as an eighteen-year-old *laughs*). I highly recommend this book and am waiting not-so-patiently for the next one!

Content warnings: some violence and wounds, but minor, dead parents (but they don't "show" them dying), and some "magic" but no spells (very much Narnia and Wingfeather Saga magic).

Note: I received this book as an eARC from the author on NetGalley.

[Erin Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC. Emily Bain Murphy is a great author and one that I’ll be watching for!