The Shadow Beasts

The Sunclaire Chronicles #1

by Eleanor M. Byrne

This is an alternate cover edition of ASIN B07QNT6RFW

In a world that mirrors our own...

A dimensional world is hidden from our view. Kingdoms are ruled by royals with unique abilities. Tribes with deep roots of loyalty and honor dominate the landscape. An ancient organization continues to seek infinite knowledge. All are bound together by the thread of magic.

Seventeen-year-old Emily had always thought that she was ordinary. Suddenly, her life is turned upside down as a childhood friend's troubled past catches up with him. Emily finds herself in the Kingdom of Sunclaire alongside her friend, James, and her aunt. Stranded in a world that is not her home, she must figure out how to survive.

The world is in turmoil as dark forces rise and gather on the horizon. In this unknown world, she must figure out who her real friends truly are. Shadows lurk at every corner and Emily finds herself held captive by the prince of Sunclaire Kingdom.
As Emily starts questioning everything about herself, her newfound powers may put her into even more jeopardy.

Genres: Fantasy

110 pages, ebook

First published April 16, 2019

Reviews

[Josephine Calabrese · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Shadow Beasts: The Sunclaire Chronicles Book 1
By Eleanor M. Byrne

If I didn't have many interruptions while reading this story, it would have been a quick read. It was an interesting story of different dimensions, kingdoms, and time periods.

Prince Declan suffered a loss and was determined to get revenge. Emily, Rayna Archwood, the female he wishes to marry, doesn't have the same feelings and leaves. Before leaving, she advises Prince Declan to cease his revenge of James, who is also known as Kator. It was James' parents who caused Prince Declan's loss. James wasn't responsible.

I rate this story and book five stars. It was interesting and well written.

[AnniG · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give 4.5 stars. Seventeen-year-old Emily had always thought she was a normal girl. Her life is turned upside down as secrets from the past are exposed. Thrown into another world, she must figure out how to survive. I enjoyed the short read. It is definitely for teens and young adults. A nice touch of fantasy and I loved how the main character developed through the course of the book. I would give it 4 stars because it kept me on my toes. It did have some spelling mistakes. Other than that the book was great.

[R.V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Shadow Beasts is an engaging story written in a teen/YA style. It begins with a very credible portrait of High School/Adolescent life. The plot then carries the heroine into a fantasy realm. While the text of the edition I read had several typos and some clunky prose, it was as a whole a good piece of story telling, and character development. I saw a lot of potential in the world building, and further stories in the series would be welcome, as would a little more editing for the typos.

[Tess Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the character's growth from a timed person who developed into a strong-willed warrior. I found it very entertaining and it was a quick read for me.

[Jaime K · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this in a Goodreads giveaway.

We begin with Emily being bullied and her aunt helping her out, and end in another dimension of Earth where a lot of things are the same and yet are totally different.

In that world, Emily's aunt is actually her [family's] protector, her former friend James is being hunted for his family's treason (even though he did nothing), and the prince of one of the kingdoms tries to court Emily.
And we all find out about Emily's past together.

The premise really is good--girl with strange powers, high-ranking families in each kingdom with different powers, protectors and warriors, etc.
And the prose itself is great. It's descriptive and realistic in the sense that people pause while eating, they quiet down when nature gets loud, etc.
Emily is spunky and I like how she talks to Prince Declan--with a no-nonsense attitude.

Here is where things go wrong for me:.
- "Aunt May" and James are MIA for over a month, and Emily barely thinks of them after she is abducted. There is no rescue mission for Emily.
- Although she's a prisoner, Emily is immediately treated well by Prince Declan, his protector Clover, and the captain of the royal guard, Lionel. In fact, her first day there has Lionel TRAINING HER WITH THE PIKE. This makes no sense at all.
- Clover almost immediately tells Emily info about the tribes and kingdoms, and is surprised when Emily doesn't even realize Declan is courting her.
- Declan is trying to court the girl he abducted, whose friend is a person he has a vendetta against for a reason he won't provide.
- When Emily escapes, she's helped by "friends of [James]" and Emily immediately considers them HER friends as well. Why does she trust randos she just met?!

If this wasn't such a short book, and if it wasn't a Goodreads win, I would have marked this as DNF because I can't get behind the unrealistic characterizations and relationships.

[Ashleigh · Rating 1 out of 5]

The ideas behind the plot of this story have potential. However, it lacks sufficient editing and suffers from telling not showing. There were many instances where I found typos, repetitive descriptions, and even switches from third point of view to first point of view in the middle of a scene. There were also inconsistencies in the plot (For example, we are told that the main character's parents died 16 years ago and that she is now 17 years old. However, about 30 pages later we learn that her parents died when she was 5 years old...making the character 21 years of age). Additionally, the dialogue felt inorganic and the story telling jumped from scene to scene.

I received this book for free in a giveaway for an honest review.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fantasy novel geared for the younger reader. There's lots of action and magic and a bit of humor but no sense of real danger or suspense. The young heroine, Emily, is feisty and bold and the characters surrounding her are fairly interesting. This all adds up to an easy read that promises to lead to more to come.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway for this honest review.

[Kerri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over all I think this book had great bones and a lot of potential. There is magic/powers, different worlds, warriors, royal courts, and actually a very good idea for a story line. It was just missing some crucial development and detailing. The scenes often feel forced or rushed, it just needed a little bit more.

I won this book in a giveaway in exchange for an honest review.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

This book is definitely geared for the younger set. It was interesting. There were some mistakes that were missed and should be corrected. The characters were interesting and the next in the series will be awesome!