A Clash of Shadows

The Silent War #2

by Elí Freysson

Young Katja has survived her first skirmish in the Silent War, finally getting to satisfy her inborn warrior nature. But now she has had a taste of adventure and grows restless for another one as her mentor Serdra continues her training in combat and their mystical gifts.

Katja‘s wish for further action is granted when a mysterious night-time clash sets a terrible demon loose in the world of mankind. Katja and her mentor travel to investigate and destroy the monster, as their nature demands.

Between stalking and being stalked by shadowy foes, Katja‘s ability to stand on her own is put to the test. And her excitement fades as the true cause of the conflict they have walked into becomes clear. A truly terrible threat to the world lies at the centre of it, and Katja’s greatest battle yet awaits.

Genres: Fantasy

225 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Born and still living in north Iceland in 1982, Elí divides his spare time between the gym, the swimming pool, video games, walks, reading, baking and writing about himself in the third person.
His first fantasy novel was published in Iceland in 2011, followed by a self-published one each year. In 2015 he finished translating the first of a trilogy into English and published online.
And that's how history was made.

Reviews

[Ben Mariner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is more of the same great stuff from the first. Now that Katja is a little more seasoned, you get to follow her as she begins to branch out from Serdra and learns to deal with things on her own. I'm still loving the story line and the characters and I can't wait to see where things go in the final book.

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

After their brief victory over the Brotherhood, Serdra and Katja have settled into a relative peace with the Shades to continue their training. Unfortunately, peace cannot last and they're drawn back into the Silent War with the Brotherhood while another old threat, the Night Hands, reemerges.

As with The Call, I really enjoyed the world building and sense of history Freysson weaves into his storytelling. Serdra is a wonderful, stoic mentor and Katja continues to grow into her new role as a Redcloak. Seeing her eagerness and fears as she both welcomes the battles and realizes she may be in over her head at times is well done.

I also enjoyed the little heist side plot of sorts, where our heroines were aided by the mysterious Haflidi and Mikael, with his pet raven, who I suspect our tale may not yet be done with.

The writing style is somewhat simple, with some minor editing issues, but never failed to keep things moving along. I could picture the world well and had a good sense of the history of the world, without being overwhelmed by details about it. The story moves along steadily, for the most part, with the majority of the action coming in the closing chapters.

A solid read for fans of adventures.

[Dan Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read slow build

This, the second book of his Silent War series builds on the first and shows that Eli is becoming a better writer. The story has a wonderful climax and I can't wait to read the next book.

[Chocomeiske · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 * rated up.

In this the second instalment of the Silent War series, Katja and Serdra are using the resources of the Shades to gather intel on the Brotherhood of the Pit. They soon find out that there is dissension between the ranks of the Brotherhood and the new leadership is out to get rid of the Redcloaks once and for all and to use such sorcerous means that it will mean employing one of the infamous Death Lords. Katja and Serdra must make sure their plans are thwarted but that’s easier said than done; a Clash of Shadows indeed!

This sequel packs a punch. It’s fast-paced, intense and action-packed with a few close calls for our heroes. Katja has grown as a character and is now more knowledgable about the Redcoats, the different factions on the side of evil and her fighting skills have improved vastly. Her ability to wield the Sentinel Flame has been strengthened and she is able to put it to good use herein.

The plot progresses steadily as Katja and Serdra track down demons and root out the Brotherhood from their hiding places and uncover their plots. Katja has had to rely on her own instances more often and she is far from perfect but learns from her own mistakes. This makes her such a likeable and relatable character.

A Clash of Shadows is an exciting, action-packed instalment in the Silent War Series sure to delight readers.

[Raptori · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Clash of Shadows shares the strengths of the first book in the series - The Call - and dispenses with most of the weaknesses (you can check out my review of The Call if you'd like a more detailed idea of what to expect).

Katja continues to grow into her abilities, and begins to take more responsibility and act with more autonomy as she gains confidence. The protagonists felt more active than in The Call, as they spent more time planning and reasoning things out. Even with that added layer of strategising there's still a focus on action - which is again well-written - and the story again builds up to a satisfying conclusion.

Further detail is added to the world without detracting from the pace, strengthening the sense of place which will hopefully be built upon further in the sequels. As per the first book, the characters are well depicted without being the focus of the story.

There isn't really much else to say - it's an action-filled and entertaining story, and if you enjoyed The Call you'll like this even more.

4 stars.

[Óttar Sigurbergsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gef þessari 5 stjörnur m.v. þennan litla markað sem bókin er gefin út á. Ekki margar íslenskar bækur sem eru í þessum fantasíu flokki og byggja á tilbúnum ævintýraheim. Gaman að sjá Elí berjast á móti straumnum á litlum markaði og þar að auki að gefa bókina út sjálfur.
Hef lesið allar fjórar bækurnar og haft gaman af. Mæli klárlega með þeim öllum þ.e. ef lesandinn hefur gaman af því að leyfa nördanum að njóta sín.

[Jóhann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fjórða bók Elí Freyssonar, heldur áfram frá þriðju bókinni Kallið og lýsir sögu Kötju sem berst við ill öfl til verndar mannkyni. Bækurnar fjórar lýsa óstöðugum heimi ekki ósvipuðum miðgarði Hringadrottinssögu, miðalda tækni, galdrar og forn illska sem býður í dvala eftir enn einu stríði um yfirráð heimsins.
Frásögninn er grípandi og heldur manni vel við til enda. Býð spenntur eftir næstu bók