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A Tale of Stars and Shadow #4

A Duet of Sword and Song

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The time of the Shadowhawk was gone. Now he needed to be more.

In the space of a night Cuinn Acondor lost his crown and almost his life. Devastated by Talyn’s disappearance, he’s on the run, fleeing from Armun and Shadow hunters who want to destroy everything he stands for. But he won’t give up. Together with the resurgent Wolves, he begins preparing to take back what Azrilan stole from them.

After killing their Shadow betrayer, Talyn is captured and thrown in a Montagni labour camp. With no way of knowing what happened to Cuinn or her Wolves, she fights desperately to find a way out, to return home to them. Like Cuinn, she refuses to give up, no matter what… even if escaping means allying with her greatest enemy.

In the Twin Thrones, the Dumnorix are banding together and marshalling their forces. Firthland has brought war to their shores.

And they intend on fighting back.

Kindle Edition

Published April 1, 2021

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787 people want to read

About the author

Lisa Cassidy

18 books256 followers

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5 stars
910 (62%)
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387 (26%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 174 reviews
Profile Image for Bea27x.
125 reviews15 followers
December 21, 2023
You know that bittersweet feeling you have when you find a series to add to your favourites and the story wraps up perfectly and that's great but also sad because it's the end? Yep, that's where I am at, asking myself "now what?".

Disclaimer: this is an overall comment on the whole series.

This is an amazing series, the story is incredibly compelling, there’s a lot of politic, something that I love to see when done right (and it is done right in here), there are a lot of questions and everything gets answered in due time, and it made for a very interesting read to put together the pieces and discover the truth of what was really going on.

The world is very rich and well developed, the nations all have different histories, cultures and organizations, and I wouldn’t mind reading more about it in spinoffs.

Another big strength of these books are the characters, Talyn and Cuinn are both great protagonists, well developed, with struggles, fears and determination, I really felt for both of them in their moments of pain and was proud of them in their victories. Throughout the story Talyn learns to live again, she finds a new place in the world and discovers a new version of herself; Cuinn learns to face his fears, he comes out of the shadows and finds out that he has more strength than he thought, but mostly they both find new people, a new family, after either having lost one or never really having it. The bond between the Wolves, Talyn and Cuinn is heartwarming and I could really feel the loyalty and care. In truth I think that all the relationships felt real and well developed, time passes throughout the story, weeks and months, and you’re not only told that but you feel it, the bond between the characters it’s not immediate, there are struggles and it takes time for it to form, so by the time it does it’s believable and I could feel how these people had grown to trust and love each other; that is true for the bond between Talyn and her Wolves, the one between the Wolves and Cuinn and for the love story between Talyn and Cuinn (also yes, they are perfect together and I shipped them a lot).

A few lines about things I had or hadn’t figured out: Tarcos was definitely sketchy since the beginning for me, Azrilan on the other end I was more unsure of and didn’t start really distrusting him since later on;

Other thoughts:

Jasper best character, period, no one got things done as much as him.
I fell in love with Cuinn quite a lot, so proud of him.

5 stars. How I wish there were more books.
Profile Image for Brittany.
1,292 reviews191 followers
April 30, 2022
5 Stars ✨!!!

“Burn Bright and True”

Well this is how it’s done!! What a fantastic ending to an amazing, addicting series. When I read the first book I wasn’t sure I would stick with it because of the pacing, even though I really enjoyed it, but i powered through and I am so glad that I did. The world building was great, and the writing was fabulous. But my absolute favorite thing about this series was the character development it was so character driven. I adored all the characters and enjoyed seeing them grow throughout the series even the villains!! This last installment was so good , I had no idea what to expect going into it but Cassidy finished this with a bang! What a journey so many twists and turns! Excellent - Highly Recommend, I’ve definitely found a new must read author.
Profile Image for Sheia (Hiatus).
606 reviews38 followers
November 9, 2024
☆4.6☆

So this was war.

Genre: Fantasy with romance

✅️ Kingdoms at WAR
✅️ Royal politics
✅️ Duel
✅️ Antagonist turn ally
✅️ cavalry arrives
✅️ all hope is not lost
✅️ Rag-tag crew turned family
✅️ Vicious pet
✅️ Magical System
✅️ Fantastic creatures and races
✅️ Completed Series

Trigger warning: there is violence, and bouts of fatal injuries. There is death and destruction. There are also immersive scenes with slavery at the forefront, set within a slave camp.

REVIEW

I feel like I just read two books for the price of one. What an epic conclusion to a great series with heart-pounding action and a lesson in loyalty, brevity and sacrifice.

That is the best part about this book—the characters and the arc assigned to them. Prince Quinn, at first a reluctant hero who all but wanted to do good, is refreshingly relatable. His insecurities, moments of self-doubt, and moral struggles with violence in the face of war, give him depth beyond the standard 'alpha hero' trope. Alongside him are his Wolves, and Talyn Dynan—a true and a genius warrior. The relationship between Cuinn and Talyn, though not the main focus of the book, is thoughtfully portrayed, adding emotional substance to the entire adventure.

“Talyn and I don’t save each other, Alyna. We save ourselves. For each other.”

While the plot is not wholly new, there is enough originality to keep it fresh. Unexpected twists and moral dilemma keeps it on edge. There are difficult choices with big consequences. The genius of it lies in the conclusion where all threads are untangled.
“Well obviously I have a plan for that too.”

Talyn, with her strategic plans and help from others, set the beginning of a better Mithranar, Firthland, Twin thrones and Montagn.

One minor drawback is the pacing. The book is lengthy, though not significantly. There are lines and periods of time that I would cut out from here and there, and some scenes that are unnecessary. But still, the entire plot's grace lies in its immersive experience, and I wouldn't demean the words if the author thought them worth publishing.

I would recommend this series to fantasy lovers who put plot first, and want to read a ground-level story, that snowballs into a true change.

Burn bright and true.
Profile Image for Jon Adams.
295 reviews58 followers
August 10, 2020
First, thank you to the author for the ARC.

Second, this is how you close out a series. Well done.
Profile Image for Milo (if lost, return to hot fictional character).
445 reviews339 followers
January 5, 2025
1st reread january 31st

It never seizes to amaze me how well written this ending it. Everything folds away so beautifully.

I can say with certainty that this series is my all time favourite series ever and I highly recommend you picking this up.

The initial review still stands, because my brain is awesome that way


—————————
This book broke me, in multiple ways.
And I would absolutely do it again.

The way how Lisa Cassidy wrapped up this very complicated story was pure wizardry.
Every plot point got hit, until the last page. The satisfaction I got through this ending was amazing, never betraying the characteristics of the world or characters.

The only thing I can say is just read this series. It’s now one of my favourites, by far.

Burn bright and true.
Profile Image for Carol (StarAngel's Reviews) Allen.
1,691 reviews635 followers
May 27, 2021
5 Stars

This was such an amazing series that is so easy to become invested in. The world building and character development topped the charts. The emotions the author brings out in the reader spans from anger, sobs, happiness and frustration. Perfect all the way around!
Profile Image for Katyana.
1,776 reviews285 followers
April 24, 2025
Well, I have to say it: I liked this book least in the series. I'm only giving it 3.5 stars.

it wasn't all bad by any means, but there was a lot that just didn't work for me. Firstly, the opening like 30% was fucking torture to read, just utter misery. The only real saving grace was getting some time with the rest of the Dumnorix clan, whom I generally like very much. But I'm not a fan of watching my main characters go through torture, and generally avoid that shit.

But the fundamental flaw overall was Cuinn. He might be the weakest MMC I've ever read about, though he has spots of stellar leadership scattered nonsensically in the section of the book where he was Regent in Twin Thrones. Honestly, I liked that part a bit because it felt like he was growing into the reality of ruling - it's suffocating responsibility, difficult decisions, and people die. It's unavoidable. Especially in war.

But then he goes back to Mithranar and it is like he forgets all of that. He wants to take the country back but not hurt anyone, and he pretty much paralyzed his forces over his weak-kneed bullshit. Even worse, he fixated on the fucking Kingcouncil voting him in as king, as if no one else gets a say. That was absolute horseshit. They are a bunch of pathetic, narcissistic bullies, and the only thing to do with someone like that is to remove them from power. It is funny how this book wants to make us upset about the plight of the slaves in Montagn (and we are, as we should be), but never once draws the parallel between them and the way humans are treated in Mithranar. Humans are slaves in everything but name. They can be killed at whim by the winged folk. Accused of a crime (with no evidence, no trial) and forced to farm itherdia in the forest of death, where workers are killed by the wildlife daily and they're barely given food. Across the board, the human community is starved while the winged folk gorge on food, hoarding it, even letting it rot rather than feeding the humans. The winged folk are fucking monsters, who generally have so normalized this treatment that even the "good ones" need time to start seeing it as wrong. And the ruling noble families exploit it for power. And these are the people that Cuinn decides, like a lame goddamn Pollyanna, that he'll convince to choose him as king instead of Mithanis. And, he says, if they don't, he will walk away. Well fuck all the people that support you, then, I guess, right? Fuck him. He hasn't got my vote. Because that whole pile of bullshit coming out of his mouth proves that he doesn't see humans as having a right to be part of the ruling of their own country, same as all the other winged fuckheads.

It's like fucking Mother Theresa being put in charge of a war. Hard fucking pass.

It was really disappointing because he got better in Twin Thrones, and then suddenly went home and it was like his spine fell out.

I like Cuinn as a person, and would be happy to have him as a friend, but fuck having him be the person in charge in a world of medieval fantasy with shit like invading berserkers. If he didn't have people at his side to shoot those berserkers in the eye with an arrow, they would have squashed him into roadkill while he tried to sing kumbaya to end the war. Yes, this is a thing that really happened.

Also, I don't like the utter lack of consequences for true evil in this series. No consequences for the Nazi winged folk, all of whom are staying in power (including Mithanis, he's just taking power in the kingdom next door instead of Mithranar). Aside from Tarcos and Az, everyone who gleefully participated in murder gets to just surrender and go home, back to their seats of power, like "oh, our bad, we'll just leave you to it". Like, I have news for you. No consequences for evil just means next time they escalate it further. At one point someone even says something about not killing them because they were just following orders. Seriously. Sorry babe, but that's what the Nazi soldiers argued in their war crimes trials. Guess how that worked out? They were found guilty and executed. As it should be. Those Falcons were given orders to fly through the poor human area of the city and burn it down, execute any human that maybe could be part of the resistance. And they did it. They should have their wings ripped off and be thrown off their wall, something I said in my review of book 1. Where is the justice?

To be clear, I'm not saying that should happen to everyone who fought on the opposite side of a war. I'm talking about pretentious fuckwits convinced of their superiority who happily murder humans as if they are cockroaches.

Anyway. Despite the ranting, I did enjoy it. Talyn is a great.character, an amazing FMC. And the secondary cast is spectacular. I loved the world, I loved finding your way between what you want and your duty. I loved the bond between Talyn and Zamaril.

And I appreciated that this book didn't continue the TSTL stuff, where they totally missed the obvious. Though I have to say, I don't understand Tarcos's original plan. Did he imagine Talyn would stay with him as he killed her family to take the throne? What a dumbass. She'd have murdered that dude in his sleep.


So there we are. 3.5 stars for this book, but 4 stars for the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for TJ.
3,247 reviews258 followers
December 13, 2024
One of the best fantasy books and series I have read in a while. It’s the kind of fantasy that even non-fantasy readers would love. HIGHLY recommend!! This is one series that deserves so much more attention!
Profile Image for Cait | GoodeyReads.
2,687 reviews639 followers
November 27, 2022
EPIC CONCLUSION.

BLOG || INSTAGRAM

This series owned me for a month and I am not upset one bit. I devoured all of these audiobooks and they were absolutely amazing.

EVERYONE GO READ THEM NOW PLEASE.

For a book with low romance to wrap me up this much, you know it’s gotta be good. I LOVE these characters!!! Talyn and Cuinn are both wonderful in their own right, and add them together, and the world is in good hands. I love how bada** Talyn is. She takes on thing after thing and I want to be her when I grow up. This is the kind of fierce heroines I want to read about when I pick up a fantasy book. Cuinn goes through the biggest character arc here and I adored him for it. Coming off a wild ending in the previous book he handled a crappy situation beautifully and found a new place for his focus.

Alongside the amazingness of the main characters, the found family is still here and still the best. I love this group of wolves and all they mean to the plot. Everyone is well created and truly adds to the story.

The plot is intense and it’s hard to take a breath. But within those breathes are the perfect little tender moments that help me love this book even more.

Basically I want to beg everyone to get this book in their hands and give it a chance.

Overall audience notes:
- Fantasy
- Language: a little mild
- Romance: fade to black
- Violence: high
- Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of loved ones, battle scenes
Profile Image for ♥Dorina♥.
246 reviews14 followers
November 21, 2022
Oh boy, what happened here? I saved this book up like a precious treat to read when I had a streak of bad reads to cheer me up and I can't believe it fell short.

I don't want to be mean, I'm just bitter but it seemed like the author had a checklist of everything she wanted to make happen but also a set number of pages to do it. This book had so much action, it could have easily been two books.
From the beginning when Cuinn lost his wings, was there an accommodation period for the man who grew up with wings to re-learn his balance or anything? Nope, he didn't need any. We wanted to become a Sky Rider. 30 pages in, bam! he is one, on to the next issue. Same for Talyn, she sees it, she wants it, she has it. No plan is too outrageous for her and she never fails.
The important moments seemed rushed, the main characters barely got to spend any time together 'on screen' and so many reunions, don't even get me started on them. The first 30% were Cuinn's reunions, then next 30% Talyn's. And at each reunion there was a small recollection of the events that I read about in the same book. 'Oh, you live!'/'Yes, I was in a slave camp, so much to tell you!' multiplied by 5.

In the end, it was not a bad book, it just didn't match the tone of the previous ones and I didn't love it like the ones that came before.
Profile Image for Asrar Lydia.
112 reviews13 followers
September 7, 2020
You guys, this is it! My last review of a book in A Tale of Stars and Shadow. I’ve been so emotional while reading this, I’ve cried and laughed and screamed and panicked - and it was worth it every step of the way!
I want to thank Lisa for giving us this epic tale and beautiful world, it has been so much fun to explore it. Now that the gushing is done with - let’s get reviewing!

The book picks up at the HORRIFYING cliffhanger (oh my god) that AKOMAM ended with, and let me tell you that shit was intense. I mean I don’t want to spoil anything but it was INTENSE, so intense that I had to walk around my apartment while reading huge chunks of the first 50% of the book!

The characters we know and love support us along the way though, and Talyn is as relatable as usual. Cuinn’s character development in this book is awe inspiring and I loved looking back at both their journeys as a I read on, their evolution through the books is just done so well and it really shows in this book how far both of them have come.

The side characters and their respective stories and development really pushes through in this final instalment of the series as well, and I don’t want to say too much because *spoilers* but one side character in particular just has the most amazing journey and I cried in this book when it hit its culmination.

Overall this is an amazing and adrenaline filled conclusion to Lisa Cassidy’s epic Tale of Stars and Shadow. Her writing makes you lose yourself in the story - her books are seriously un-put-downable.
Profile Image for Patricia.
2 reviews
June 12, 2025
I'm so sad to be done, but incredibly happy at the same time! This book took off at full speed and never let up—a sharp contrast to the slower pace of the first in the series, and honestly, it was everything I’d hoped for. All the groundwork from the previous books finally bloomed into something rich and gripping. Watching the characters grow and the plot threads tighten with each chapter was incredibly satisfying.

And that ending? Absolute perfection. A quiet question that’s lingered in the background for four books got its answer in the most unexpected and brilliant way. The author is a master of subtle setup, threading hints throughout without ever making the twists feel obvious. It kept the suspense alive and had me tearing through the pages. A truly rewarding conclusion to an epic journey. :)
Profile Image for Amanda.
42 reviews
February 28, 2025
A well-written series with incredible character and plot development. The political intrigue was especially intense in this final book, yet incredibly detailed and gripping, that it was easy to feel fully invested in this world.

The slowburn romance and found family aspects were one of the best I've read in a series. No notes, perfectly done.

I can already see this series being a top read for me despite it only being the start of the year. Would rate it 6⭐️ if I could!
Profile Image for Stephen Richter.
901 reviews37 followers
October 26, 2020
The end of this 4 book series that I really enjoyed. The series was filled with hidden identities, political intrigues and the challenge of changing the status quo. I was predisposed to like this series, as the plot was lifted from one of my favorite films from the 1930s. Two POVs are the vehicle used to tell the tale, one a mysterious Robin Hood type personate and the other an elite warrior who needs a change of scenery following the death of her fighting partner. Tasked to form a human division of guards to protect a spoiled winged prince of a city-state where humans are regulated to the lower dirty parts of the city, while the winged folks live in the posh upper parts of the city. So there is a nice class struggle that runs through out the series as other political intrigues come into play. At the end of book one, A Tale of Stars and Shadow the big plot twist is revealed to the reader. Book Two. , A Prince of Song and Shade the focus is on the plot twist slowly being revealed to the secondary characters. In book Three, A King of Masks and Magic , once the plot twist is known, a convergence of goals to change the status quo and , finally this book, after a major set back , a plan to achieve all the equality goals set forth in book one with a series of wild plans, leaning on family relations to go along with the plans, and romance. It all worked for a satisfying Fantasy series.
173 reviews3 followers
June 11, 2021
I’m slightly perturbed that I love a book so much where (distant) cousins marry. But who am I to judge 🤷‍♀️

This series had all the feels
Character development ✅
Unexpected plot twists ✅
Strong main character ✅
Love story (no love triangle) ✅
And a bunch of other stuff ✅

♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
Profile Image for victoria (herondale’s version).
203 reviews17 followers
December 6, 2023
This is my new Roman Empire.

Everything about Cassidy’s writing and planning is absolutely feral and insane. I don’t know if a book has ever caused me to have such visceral physical reactions. It’s embarrassing to say how often I flopped around like a fish on dry land. This being said, I understand people who didn’t quite enjoy the first or second book entirely. They are slower, but it builds a strong foundation for the characters and the plot. It also helps the reader build connections to the characters and world while setting up huge plot twists.
Cassidy wrapped every storyline up, big and small, at the end of this series. There was even a bit foreshadowing in the 3rd book that was perfectly tied together with the very last sentence of the series. The golden star for this is all the plot twists made sense when they happened. They were planned and thought out in a way that allowed them to affect the entire story. The political intrigue and plotting was written astoundingly well. If you pay attention, it’s easy and entertaining to follow. All plot twists were worked into the story and continued to impact all events throughout the series. This made everything have higher stakes.
The characters were all just so special and perfectly thought out. Despite the large number of them, their personalities, morals, and capabilities differed at various amounts, This allowed for great twists and relationships throughout the series. I cannot name ONE character that didn’t portray growth or any change.


Burn bright and true.

(oh, and cuinn is totally a disney princess in some universe. jasper and trystann are evidence.)



first thoughts:
my heart is beating so fast right now. that revelation at the ending!!!!! i’m losing my mind. read this series or you will find me beneath your bed at night
Profile Image for Abby Saywell.
152 reviews
July 26, 2025
Probably my least favourite in the series, but I think I just wanted the series over lol. Really really enjoyed it but I definitely don’t think it needs 4 books. Love the characters and the way it ended. Lovely character development :))
Profile Image for Jamie Gormley.
94 reviews
September 6, 2024
Great 4 book series!!! Happy tears, sad tears, action packed heart pounding moments, and more. Low fantasy, too, so it would be a good pick for someone just getting into the genre.
Profile Image for Alex Jenkins.
40 reviews
June 2, 2024
Super heartwarming found family. I really loved this series. I love all the characters and it had me crying and laughing out loud and just made me feel good and involved. Had some plot twists and they got a bit more predictable as the series went on, but it wasn’t a bad feeling figuring out the plots twists earlier. 💗
Profile Image for Kym's Open Books.
1,067 reviews2 followers
November 5, 2024
Phenomenal
Great ending to a great series
You did it again Cassidy!

Phenomenal. Another 5 star book. How does Cassidy do that?

There is so much excitement, intrigue and adventure in each of her books that I am never bored. I look forward to reading, I soak up all the details as I go.

Because this is book 4, I will not go into details of the book but I will instead talk about the series as a whole and the author.

Things Cassidy does well; 1. World building. She is my all time favorite world builder. It is dense, thorough, imaginative and intricate. Each time I read I am blown away by the details and how the story comes together.

2. Character development. I’ve said it before but honestly, when I open her books, I am greeted by old friends. They feel like people, not characters.

3. Because of her character development, my emotions were formed early in their well being. I feel the pain, loyalty, love or anger in each one.

4. The writing. I will read anything Cassidy writes. I will boost her books any way I can because I honestly feel this series has something for everyone.

Now stop reading my raving review and go buy book 1. It’s $.99 right now or all the books are on Kindle Unlimited. You can thank me later. I appreciate thanks in the form of books, cookies and posting about her books. I fully expect Cassidy to make it big and I want to have a hand in that.

This book is out September 10, 2020. Thanks you immensely to Lisa Cassidy for the opportunity to be on her ARC team.

Reread 11/24 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Content mentions: mild language (no F words), sex but minimal details, war/battles, blood, killing. This book contains a lot of war, war strategy and aggression among people. There is also a prison camp where people are kept as slaves and treated poorly.
Profile Image for Dhananjana Joshi.
35 reviews6 followers
September 24, 2024
Torn between 3.5 to 4

This was more of a Duet of Stupidity & Ineptitude.

Talyn went cold. “Shit, why didn’t I think of that?”

“Because you think you’re the smartest tactician in this war, and you’re not,” Mithanis said flatly. - About sums up the plot(s) of last two book installments.

So many over-promising and under-delivering character traits.!

Talyn had been born to lead. And her strategic mind would have been the asset they needed to win the war.
- Yeah, like ATTACKING Daranin while being help CAPTIVE in a camp FULL of enemy soldiers! Then going on to ambush 5 Armun & Shadow with two persons TEAM! Yes, DEFINITELY "strategic".

And Talyn had made a career of leveraging small somethings into success. - NO SHE HASN'T!

"Strongest Song Mage" who mopes around for most part of the book saving his powers, intelligence and 'stealth' Shadowhawk skills for the latter part of book to give meager semblance of well-built fantasy.

“I’m stiff and store (sore), but I’ll be fine.” -The poor editing just adds on to the flavor of frustration & disappointment. -_-

“It’s a shame she’s (Kaeri) a Venador,” Saniya said as Talyn passed. “I can already tell she’s far more sensible than you. No ridiculous sentiment, just straight practicality.”
- Hear hear!!! The most SANEST characters in the series- Kaeri & Saniya.

Let's be honest- JASPER was the ONLY STAR of the Series that's stayed true to the character; actually delivered MORE than what was expected out of him. Even Mithanis brought refreshing turn of events in the book!

After a few more moments of fierce fighting, the Berserkers were dead. - THAT'S IT???????????????????? -_-

“Cuinn’s father never died, did he?” - Good one.
Profile Image for Adeline.
275 reviews14 followers
August 9, 2020
I want to thank the author for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lisa Cassidy did it again and gave us a perfectly thought out plot, incredibly fleshed out characters and impeccable world building.

I love how the author took the time to resolve each conflicts presented in the precedent book without slowing down or sacrificing the plot nor the characters. So getting to that end was so satisfying to read.



Although this is the last book in the series revelation at the end of the books and the future of certain characters makes me hope for another book (maybe focusing on other characters?) but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

A absolutely perfect ending to this fantastic series.
43 reviews
August 8, 2020
I'm part of the ARC group for this series by Lisa Cassidy. This is the last book in this series and it is definitely the best of the lot - well worth the wait.

It moves at a cracking pace, with lots of dialogue between characters. Jasper continues to be my favourite character of this series, with a couple of scene-stealing moments. However, my favourite part is the way the series ends without compromising the characters' own personalities. Too many times, the 'happily ever after' bit means at least one character (let's face it, often the girl) giving up their ambitions to join someone else's...not here. Here, the characters manage to maintain their own sense of self whilst still moving forward - a sign of excellent character development.

Without giving away any spoilers, I will say that the ending did make me ask soooo many questions, and I definitely want to know the entire backstory now! Here's hoping the author puts out a short story to give us readers some more insights (I mean, there's a pandemic on right now - surely that's a great time to pump out some extra stories, right? :P ).

Definitely recommend this book and series, especially if you're into the fantasy genre or just want to escape reality for a bit (I finished it in about 2.5 days). Romping good read.
Profile Image for ✨mads✨.
68 reviews
August 9, 2022
4/5 ⭐️

What an EPIC conclusion! I think my favorite part of this whole series is the realistic portrayal of Talyn's grief over the loss of her Callanan partner. It is expertly written as something that is all consuming and soul crushing at the beginning and slowly, so slowly, does Talyn's pain lessen and she heals and learns to live with her grief. She never fully recovers from it, but the pain lessens gradually and then occasionally is sometimes harder than other times.

I loved the complex plot in this, there was a lot of war strategy and politics in this. I found I loved the first third of the book more than the rest of the book


One thing that knocked this down a peg for me was that all of a sudden Cuinn is a skilled warrior with minimal training? And better than all the others immediately? That didn't really track for me. Another thing was how Aeris was this calm and smart level headed 15 year old ready to be king and knew what he was doing for a war already? Seemed odd maybe would have needed a little more backstory there.

This at times was predictable, but overall very enjoyable! I think if you like Sarah J Maas's Throne of Glass series, you would probably enjoy this one!
Profile Image for Mirabella.
197 reviews1 follower
March 13, 2022
WOW! Wow wow wow! I can only repeat myself - this whole series was absolutely fantastic! I can’t believe it’s finished and I have to leave this beautiful world the author created. I wanted to stay longer, to see how Talyn’s and Cuinn’s story develops further, to see more of their lives after everything ended up like they had planned and hoped to archieve.

All the characters were so well written, I still feel like I know them personally, like I was with them during the whole adventure they had. The author did an amazing job with wrapping everything up at the end. I only wished that she would have given Mithanis a little bit more presence at the end. I would have loved to see both brothers to overcome their past - not only for Mithanis to accept his defeat and that Cuinn is King, but for both of them to reach out to each other and try to build a real friendship. I think Mithanis deserves a second chance to learn what being a part of a loving family means, he never knew true love, friendship and loyalty. I would love it if he got his own book some time, to see his story in Montagn unfolding and for him to find his other half and have a HEA :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Valeriya Lloyd.
751 reviews7 followers
January 24, 2021
I liked the final book just as much as all previous, what a beautiful, intense and very entertaining series!! A Tale of Stars and Shadow deserves a lot more attention from high fantasy book lovers!

I felt that now we have all pieces of a puzzle that should click together, and lead to the very end of the story. But no, Lisa had prepared a few jaw-dropping surprises and twists. I liked the way things have ended, and now I am going to miss this beautiful world with its charming setting and lively characters. I hope that writer will consider publishing a couple of spin-offs. I admired Kaeri Venador as a secondary character of the story and would love to read more about her adventures after the events of "A Duet of Song and Sword" book. Also, the story about Cuinn parents and the Shadowhawk journey, in my opinion, deserves a spin-off, and maybe a story about Talyn's life before Sari died.

Thank you so much, Lisa Cassidy, for this amazing journey! I look forward to reading more stories penned by you!
4 reviews
August 9, 2020
Bravo Lisa Cassidy!

I could not put this book down!! It was an agonising wait between A King of Masks and Magic but as advanced reader, A Duet of Sword and Song arrived on the 2nd August. Took every bit of self control to quickly complete the weekend chores and settle down for a reading treat!

The final book in the A Tale of Stars and Shadow series, the story begins with the turmoil in Mithranar. The Wolves are scattered, our hero Capt. Talyn Dynan is missing, Prince Cuinn grievously injured and on the run from Armun and Shadow hunters. The Prince of Games, played a winning hand for the crown - the ripples of instability felt all the way to the Twin Thrones and brings all lands our characters love and the people in it to the brink of war.

This book is fast paced. Definitely do all your chores and keep food and water nearby like I did, because you would not want to put this book down for a second!
Profile Image for Jennifer Waldrop.
Author 7 books44 followers
February 25, 2021
Okay, I am sooooo sad!!! This epic series is over and I will never be able to read it for the first time again! With that said, and if it isn't obvious, I loved this. FIVE STARS!

Cassidy brings the final book of A Tale of Stars and Shadow home with a BANG! This was the perfect ending to this story. The twists and turns are executed perfectly, and the resolution was so satisfying. And the pacing drove the reader through the story, major events happening, keeping the pages turning.

I will thoroughly miss these characters I've spent so much time with. I loved how the side characters developed too, particularly Corrin. And I'm sad for those we lost. My only wish was we got to see more of Talyn and Zamrial's relationship through conversations, not just actions.

I hope this review helps more people discover this absolutely excellent series. If you are considering it, don't hesitate!
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