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Where Shadows Burn
She was only a child when she tore open the veil between worlds and let death slip through.
Now, fifteen years later, the girl once blamed for unleashing a monster is the kingdom’s most valuable prisoner. Feared for her untamed power and kept hidden away by a king with dark ambitions, she knows nothing of her past—only that the magic inside her is dangerous… and growing.
When a desperate escape leads her to Brigada, a mythical dwarven sanctuary thought lost to legend, she finds unexpected refuge—and an even more unexpected ally in a prince with secrets of his own. Slade, a warrior hiding royal blood, walks a razor-thin line between loyalty to a tyrant father and the quiet rebellion stirring beneath the surface.
As war brews and the kingdom begins to crumble under the weight of a returning terror, she must face the truth about what she is, and what the creature that once destroyed everything was really after. Because death isn’t done with her yet.
And neither is fate.
Now, fifteen years later, the girl once blamed for unleashing a monster is the kingdom’s most valuable prisoner. Feared for her untamed power and kept hidden away by a king with dark ambitions, she knows nothing of her past—only that the magic inside her is dangerous… and growing.
When a desperate escape leads her to Brigada, a mythical dwarven sanctuary thought lost to legend, she finds unexpected refuge—and an even more unexpected ally in a prince with secrets of his own. Slade, a warrior hiding royal blood, walks a razor-thin line between loyalty to a tyrant father and the quiet rebellion stirring beneath the surface.
As war brews and the kingdom begins to crumble under the weight of a returning terror, she must face the truth about what she is, and what the creature that once destroyed everything was really after. Because death isn’t done with her yet.
And neither is fate.
168 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 28, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 17, 2025
This book flashed by so FAST but I loved and devoured every second of it. The cliffhanger left me dying for more!! I need book 2 ASAP!!! I loved the characters & atmosphere. Alexis has a fun writing style. I can’t wait to read more!
June 16, 2025
Great and very quick read (too quick if im honest!) I can't wait for more!!
June 12, 2025
If you are thinking about reading this book, the answer is you want to. Alexis Almanzar delivered something I long for in fantasy books but have not seen done well since I was a teen trading paperbacks like I did mixtapes. She built a cohesive and engaging fantasy realm and book in under 600 pages.
I love to read and watch movies, but the movies are getting to average over 3 hours and the fantasy books get longer and more detailed. What Almanzar does in 159 pages is a complete world with developed characters and a pace that keeps you engaged!
The characters and species and world building become a part of you as you read and enjoy. And yes, it does end with a cliffhanger, but you genuinely want to read more because your understanding of the main characters has shifted, but you also know the characters well enough that the shift of understanding is a revelation for them and their world as well. Almanzar does this throughout the book in a manner that not only keeps the pace as already mentioned, but skillfully and organically allows you to feel their humanity (even though there is not a human among them).
It is a 90 minute movie, it is a 159 page book, and it takes a skilled storyteller to give you a world, characters, and plot that enriching and engaging.
Now that I have said the story and the storyteller are amazing, lets get into the mechanics.
Her word choices are wonderful and I love good use of words. Like magic and love, words have power. Almanzar has a character that is beyond the binary so to speak. As a parent of a trans offspring, this sometimes has me on the defensive when it is not someone of that community writing. But that part of the character's identity is no more their sole characteristic any more than my child's gender is. The tropes you see all too often is not there. The character just is and those who love the character just do and the ones who do not... suck. You can tell there was sensitivity readers in play and that she knew where to go to have this character be who they are. In this case... advocate parent approved! My kiddo and I have read some horrifically written characters.
Her pacing has a rhythm and a masterful beat. As a writer who thinks in terms of beat and rhythm I love love love her use of ellipses and em dashes! It shows an understanding that story is more than the words on the page, but the beat like a base line or drummer in the background.
Finally there is her comprehensive balance. Some writers excel at description of events and surroundings but the dialogue lacks. Or the dialogue is on point, but everything else is missing. Almanzar's book is the total package with a true harmony of description and clever and engaging dialogue.
Start this series and enjoy a proper 90 minute movie in paperback! I did and cannot wait to read book 2. Goddeses and Odin I hope there s a book 2.
I love to read and watch movies, but the movies are getting to average over 3 hours and the fantasy books get longer and more detailed. What Almanzar does in 159 pages is a complete world with developed characters and a pace that keeps you engaged!
The characters and species and world building become a part of you as you read and enjoy. And yes, it does end with a cliffhanger, but you genuinely want to read more because your understanding of the main characters has shifted, but you also know the characters well enough that the shift of understanding is a revelation for them and their world as well. Almanzar does this throughout the book in a manner that not only keeps the pace as already mentioned, but skillfully and organically allows you to feel their humanity (even though there is not a human among them).
It is a 90 minute movie, it is a 159 page book, and it takes a skilled storyteller to give you a world, characters, and plot that enriching and engaging.
Now that I have said the story and the storyteller are amazing, lets get into the mechanics.
Her word choices are wonderful and I love good use of words. Like magic and love, words have power. Almanzar has a character that is beyond the binary so to speak. As a parent of a trans offspring, this sometimes has me on the defensive when it is not someone of that community writing. But that part of the character's identity is no more their sole characteristic any more than my child's gender is. The tropes you see all too often is not there. The character just is and those who love the character just do and the ones who do not... suck. You can tell there was sensitivity readers in play and that she knew where to go to have this character be who they are. In this case... advocate parent approved! My kiddo and I have read some horrifically written characters.
Her pacing has a rhythm and a masterful beat. As a writer who thinks in terms of beat and rhythm I love love love her use of ellipses and em dashes! It shows an understanding that story is more than the words on the page, but the beat like a base line or drummer in the background.
Finally there is her comprehensive balance. Some writers excel at description of events and surroundings but the dialogue lacks. Or the dialogue is on point, but everything else is missing. Almanzar's book is the total package with a true harmony of description and clever and engaging dialogue.
Start this series and enjoy a proper 90 minute movie in paperback! I did and cannot wait to read book 2. Goddeses and Odin I hope there s a book 2.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews