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The Wishing Blade #2
The Shadow War
Though a shadow is as good as a ghost, with no free will to speak of, they may still be saved...
The kingdom of Cirena is under attack from an army of shadows—beings who can only be hurt by magic or fire. Magic has been stolen, and as the shadows spread, infecting all they touch, the last two ribbon mages race to the nearest port city to warn them of the impending invasion.
One of those mages, Toranih, is among the few who can see the Trickster-cursed army, and she’s determined to get magic back—no matter how much she distrusts it. When she is captured by shadows and a dark secret is revealed about her future, her best friend, Daernan, is left to defend the city. But his only methods of stopping the shadows are by fire and the devastating magic of the shodo'charl.
With the knowledge that the shadows are innocent townsfolk forced to do a warlord's bidding, Daernan must choose between saving the shadows or saving those who have not yet turned.
This is a 55,000-word novel. Book Two of The Wishing Blade series.
The kingdom of Cirena is under attack from an army of shadows—beings who can only be hurt by magic or fire. Magic has been stolen, and as the shadows spread, infecting all they touch, the last two ribbon mages race to the nearest port city to warn them of the impending invasion.
One of those mages, Toranih, is among the few who can see the Trickster-cursed army, and she’s determined to get magic back—no matter how much she distrusts it. When she is captured by shadows and a dark secret is revealed about her future, her best friend, Daernan, is left to defend the city. But his only methods of stopping the shadows are by fire and the devastating magic of the shodo'charl.
With the knowledge that the shadows are innocent townsfolk forced to do a warlord's bidding, Daernan must choose between saving the shadows or saving those who have not yet turned.
This is a 55,000-word novel. Book Two of The Wishing Blade series.
ebook
Published March 16, 2017
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2 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie Flint
42 books56 followersHello, and thanks for visiting my Goodreads page. :-)
Though all my new works should show up on this page, please visit my Stephanie Bibb account if you want to see what I've read or follow my reviews.
Also, I have a Wordpress blog where I talk about writing and book cover design here.
Feel free to ask me questions through Ask the Author, and I'll get to them as I can. :-)
Thanks!
Stephanie Flint
~
Stephanie Flint (formerly Stephanie Bibb) graduated from the University of Central Missouri with a Bachelor of Science in photography and a minor in creative writing. She merged the two interests into book cover design and photographic illustration, but she particularly enjoys writing speculative fiction and plotting her stories in the form of table-top RPGs with her creative partner, Isaac. They cofounded Infinitas Publishing in June 2015.
Though all my new works should show up on this page, please visit my Stephanie Bibb account if you want to see what I've read or follow my reviews.
Also, I have a Wordpress blog where I talk about writing and book cover design here.
Feel free to ask me questions through Ask the Author, and I'll get to them as I can. :-)
Thanks!
Stephanie Flint
~
Stephanie Flint (formerly Stephanie Bibb) graduated from the University of Central Missouri with a Bachelor of Science in photography and a minor in creative writing. She merged the two interests into book cover design and photographic illustration, but she particularly enjoys writing speculative fiction and plotting her stories in the form of table-top RPGs with her creative partner, Isaac. They cofounded Infinitas Publishing in June 2015.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 26, 2017
The Shadow War (The Wishing Blade Book 2) by Stephanie Flint takes off where book one stops. This book has more suspense than book one. There is more danger, twists, turns, and surprises for our duo also. This book has lots of action, mystery, suspense, intrigue, adventure, magic, and plenty of good fantasy. This is a young adult novel but adults of all ages will love this. Loved the plot. Characters well developed. Great book. I was given this book to read and the review was optional.
April 26, 2017
"The Shadow War" is book two in Stephanie Flint's The Wishing Blade series. Having thoroughly enjoyed book one, "Magic's Stealing," I immediately delved into this one. The author has created a mesmerizing world and you'll want to get lost in the pleasure of reading about these characters and their adventures. This book ups the stakes a bit and I found myself eagerly flying through the pages at each twist and turn of the plot. I can't recommend this author, and this series, highly enough. I was sad to turn the last page and can't wait to revisit this world again.
**I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review **
**I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review **
August 4, 2017
Flint expands her fantasy world without bogging down the action, creating an engaging tale of magical urban warfare that isn’t merely combat for the sake of it.
This book is the second volume in The Wishing Blade series. Possible spoilers ahead.
Unable to defend their home city, Toranih, Daernen, and Siklana race ahead of the army of Shadows in the hope of warning the neighbouring city of the threat. Separated from her companions almost as soon as she walks through the gates, Toranih is captured by the vanguard of the Shadow invasion, leaving Daernen to mount a defence against an army that few can see and that can turn people to its service with even the slightest blow. Armed with both fire magic and an artefact of the gods, Daernen can destroy the Shadows with ease; however, how can he justify it when they are innocents bound to service by dark sorcery?
This novel picks up immediately after the end of Magic’s Stealing, opening on a mad dash toward the nearest port. With the world already set in the previous volume, Flint keeps this focus on the action apart from brief moments of exposition. As these moments are also usually set into dialogues where at least one person doesn’t know the information, the book does not have the same feel of slight distance that the first volume had in places.
Drawing the perspective back from the personal-scale conflict of the previous book, Flint makes use of several point-of-view characters to show the Shadows’ assault on the whole city from first move to massed combat without losing the reader’s sympathy. Having Toranih within the enemy camp from almost the beginning of the book especially builds this sense of breadth without distance.
These multiple viewpoints also permit dramatic irony: while Daeren worries that there might be a way to save the Shadows from their master, readers see someone who is able to keep their free will after infection; thus, each time Daeren or other defenders choose to destroy Shadows to save the uninfected, the reader knows that they are ending someone’s hope of rescue.
The protagonists each display a good balance of enduring traits and plausible changes from the previous book: Toranih still wants to be a warrior, but has accepted the need to use her magic; Daeren still strives to be the good guy, but has realised it’s more complex than killing the enemy to save your own side.
The antagonists display a similar new yet consistent behaviour. While the army of Shadows is seeking to conquer, its leaders reveal a more nuanced, and sometimes conflicting, set of reasons for their behaviour.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel. I recommend it to readers looking for fast-paced fantasy set in a complex world.
I received a free copy from the author with a request for a fair review.
This book is the second volume in The Wishing Blade series. Possible spoilers ahead.
Unable to defend their home city, Toranih, Daernen, and Siklana race ahead of the army of Shadows in the hope of warning the neighbouring city of the threat. Separated from her companions almost as soon as she walks through the gates, Toranih is captured by the vanguard of the Shadow invasion, leaving Daernen to mount a defence against an army that few can see and that can turn people to its service with even the slightest blow. Armed with both fire magic and an artefact of the gods, Daernen can destroy the Shadows with ease; however, how can he justify it when they are innocents bound to service by dark sorcery?
This novel picks up immediately after the end of Magic’s Stealing, opening on a mad dash toward the nearest port. With the world already set in the previous volume, Flint keeps this focus on the action apart from brief moments of exposition. As these moments are also usually set into dialogues where at least one person doesn’t know the information, the book does not have the same feel of slight distance that the first volume had in places.
Drawing the perspective back from the personal-scale conflict of the previous book, Flint makes use of several point-of-view characters to show the Shadows’ assault on the whole city from first move to massed combat without losing the reader’s sympathy. Having Toranih within the enemy camp from almost the beginning of the book especially builds this sense of breadth without distance.
These multiple viewpoints also permit dramatic irony: while Daeren worries that there might be a way to save the Shadows from their master, readers see someone who is able to keep their free will after infection; thus, each time Daeren or other defenders choose to destroy Shadows to save the uninfected, the reader knows that they are ending someone’s hope of rescue.
The protagonists each display a good balance of enduring traits and plausible changes from the previous book: Toranih still wants to be a warrior, but has accepted the need to use her magic; Daeren still strives to be the good guy, but has realised it’s more complex than killing the enemy to save your own side.
The antagonists display a similar new yet consistent behaviour. While the army of Shadows is seeking to conquer, its leaders reveal a more nuanced, and sometimes conflicting, set of reasons for their behaviour.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel. I recommend it to readers looking for fast-paced fantasy set in a complex world.
I received a free copy from the author with a request for a fair review.
June 5, 2017
The Shadow War is another amazing book by Stephanie Flint. Inside you’ll find great character development, action scenes, witty dialogue, and, of course, magic! Toranih and Daernen return as main characters in the second volume of The Wishing Blade series, except this time, Toranih’s sister, Siklana, plays a leading role as well. The three are separated at various times in the book, allowing for different points of view, which I always enjoy, especially when the bad guy gets some of the talking time. The story continues where it left off in Book 1. Some questions are answered, while others arise. I was pleased and intrigued to find out who the mysterious “Destroyer of Worlds” turned out to be. My imagination flew, trying to figure out how the person came to be this way. No spoilers, though!
In this volume, Toranih, Daernen, and Siklana go to Cirena to warn the inhabitants of the impending shadow army’s arrival, only to find they are too late. Shadows are spreading through the town, turning townspeople into shadows themselves. Daernen, the only one who can terminate a shadow, faces his conscience when he learns there may be a chance the shadows can be saved. Much of the book is about the moral and weighty decision of stopping the spread by killing the current shadows (who are, after all, innocents), or letting the spread continue with the hopes of saving them. This reminded me of zombie/viral infection dilemmas. Do you sacrifice the few to save the many? Or do you try to save the few, at the risk of killing everyone? Daernen experienced a lot of emotional growth in this book. When Toranih is no longer able to help, he has to take the lead and grows up quickly. It was a fantastic read and definitely a mind-bender with loops and twists that have you turning the pages. If you enjoyed Magic’s Stealing, you will certainly like The Shadow War. (Reviewed by "Amazing Books You Never Heard of" amazingbooksynho.com")
In this volume, Toranih, Daernen, and Siklana go to Cirena to warn the inhabitants of the impending shadow army’s arrival, only to find they are too late. Shadows are spreading through the town, turning townspeople into shadows themselves. Daernen, the only one who can terminate a shadow, faces his conscience when he learns there may be a chance the shadows can be saved. Much of the book is about the moral and weighty decision of stopping the spread by killing the current shadows (who are, after all, innocents), or letting the spread continue with the hopes of saving them. This reminded me of zombie/viral infection dilemmas. Do you sacrifice the few to save the many? Or do you try to save the few, at the risk of killing everyone? Daernen experienced a lot of emotional growth in this book. When Toranih is no longer able to help, he has to take the lead and grows up quickly. It was a fantastic read and definitely a mind-bender with loops and twists that have you turning the pages. If you enjoyed Magic’s Stealing, you will certainly like The Shadow War. (Reviewed by "Amazing Books You Never Heard of" amazingbooksynho.com")
March 27, 2017
Book 2 is a fantastic follow on from Magic's Stealing. The fight to get the mages magic back continues but the Toranih gets separated from Daernan and Siklana. Daernan finally meets his father but is he a mage that can help or hinder?
Stephanie Flint really has a way with words with this series
Stephanie Flint really has a way with words with this series
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews