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The Luminance Saga #2
Shadow Bound Souls
Shadow Bound Souls, blends Science Fiction and classic high fantasy in a steampunk world.
The frontier of alchemy, magic and machines nears a breaking point.
Book two of The Luminance Saga is an action-packed sci-fi fantasy adventure, charged with a tension inherited from the epic climax of book one. Shadow Bound Souls picks up where the first novel left off, with a band of heroes stranded in a world on the brink of war.
The Sagean Lord has emerged.
While the Wrythen's influence grows stronger, the Sagean and his power-hungry acolytes, the Court of Dragons, are intent on delivering the gem of souls to the Temple of Ama; where the Sintering Fountain can transform the acolytes into Luminaries.
Meanwhile, the band of heroes find themselves separated in a world starting to tear itself apart. Having suffered a huge loss, Ellaria and Elias must escape the Mainland with the Sagean’s agents pursuing them. When Elias becomes sick, Ellaria decides to hide amongst the Showman’s Traveling Show of Wonders. But their journey is shadowed by darkness and when troupe members turn up murdered, Ellaria struggles to find the killer amongst her company.
Far away in the Warhawk Mountains, the three young rogues are stranded with the Tempest Stone. Aimless about what to do, their paths take a turn when they discover the horrifying magnitude of the Sagean’s return to power, the Scree.
Shadow Bound Souls continues the steampunk saga with a sequel that takes the plot to greater depths, while expanding upon the immersive world; with a ending that hurtles the series toward the coming World War.
The Luminance Saga
Book 1 – The Binding Tempest
Book 2 – Shadow Bound Souls
The frontier of alchemy, magic and machines nears a breaking point.
Book two of The Luminance Saga is an action-packed sci-fi fantasy adventure, charged with a tension inherited from the epic climax of book one. Shadow Bound Souls picks up where the first novel left off, with a band of heroes stranded in a world on the brink of war.
The Sagean Lord has emerged.
While the Wrythen's influence grows stronger, the Sagean and his power-hungry acolytes, the Court of Dragons, are intent on delivering the gem of souls to the Temple of Ama; where the Sintering Fountain can transform the acolytes into Luminaries.
Meanwhile, the band of heroes find themselves separated in a world starting to tear itself apart. Having suffered a huge loss, Ellaria and Elias must escape the Mainland with the Sagean’s agents pursuing them. When Elias becomes sick, Ellaria decides to hide amongst the Showman’s Traveling Show of Wonders. But their journey is shadowed by darkness and when troupe members turn up murdered, Ellaria struggles to find the killer amongst her company.
Far away in the Warhawk Mountains, the three young rogues are stranded with the Tempest Stone. Aimless about what to do, their paths take a turn when they discover the horrifying magnitude of the Sagean’s return to power, the Scree.
Shadow Bound Souls continues the steampunk saga with a sequel that takes the plot to greater depths, while expanding upon the immersive world; with a ending that hurtles the series toward the coming World War.
The Luminance Saga
Book 1 – The Binding Tempest
Book 2 – Shadow Bound Souls
- GenresFantasy
560 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 1, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 15, 2022
“We take the path before us, come what may.”
✨This series was unlike anything I’ve read in, maybe ever. It was a genre-blending of many of my favorite styles—one part steampunk, one part fantasy, one part epic adventure, and such a very good time. The heart and themes in this book were so relatable-the main characters find themselves on the precipice of a civil war between the people and an ancient order seeking to reclaim political and cultural power.
✨The characters themselves are a mix of war heroes/revolutionaries of the last overthrow (now in their 50s and 60s), a new generation of rebels/outsiders, and the people who come alongside them to save the world.
What I love:
-The characters—they feel so real and relatable. They’re seeking their own places in the world or coming to terms with the realities of their choices.
-Found family plays a huge role in the story, and I always love it.
-The wonderfully weird genre bending.
-The realistic portrayal of an epic quest/war. At one point, a character tells one of the MCs, “I am happy to help the heroine of the Great War. However if there is to be another ear, promise me something. Get the aftermath right this time.”
I will say that this book is dense—the author writes with such incredible detail, and it’s easy to be swept up in it and lose what’s happening-so definitely be aware of that!
✨This series was unlike anything I’ve read in, maybe ever. It was a genre-blending of many of my favorite styles—one part steampunk, one part fantasy, one part epic adventure, and such a very good time. The heart and themes in this book were so relatable-the main characters find themselves on the precipice of a civil war between the people and an ancient order seeking to reclaim political and cultural power.
✨The characters themselves are a mix of war heroes/revolutionaries of the last overthrow (now in their 50s and 60s), a new generation of rebels/outsiders, and the people who come alongside them to save the world.
What I love:
-The characters—they feel so real and relatable. They’re seeking their own places in the world or coming to terms with the realities of their choices.
-Found family plays a huge role in the story, and I always love it.
-The wonderfully weird genre bending.
-The realistic portrayal of an epic quest/war. At one point, a character tells one of the MCs, “I am happy to help the heroine of the Great War. However if there is to be another ear, promise me something. Get the aftermath right this time.”
I will say that this book is dense—the author writes with such incredible detail, and it’s easy to be swept up in it and lose what’s happening-so definitely be aware of that!
October 1, 2024
I had the opportunity to read book one The Binding Tempest via NetGalley back in 2021. Sadly, book two has been on my radar for far too long and I hadn't worked it into a monthly TBR. I finally buckled down and put it on the list for May. I'm beating myself up now for waiting so long to continue this great story!
I've found myself getting into these types of stories more and more lately. It's branching out from my more traditional fantasy with magic into a bit more technology advancement. This doesn't necessarily mean modern but these worlds find a way to use the magic available to advance either military or quality of life inventions.
The pacing that Steven Rudy deploys just works so well for me. These are meaty books but in no way do they seem thick or chonky to me. They just flow so smooth. There is rarely any point in the book that I feel we are just kind of plodding along to get to the next bit of action. Even when there isn't any kind of fighting or battles, things always seem a bit on edge as our heroes try to find out how to save this world.
The world building continues to shine in The Luminance Saga with book two. There were so many times I lost myself in reading, when it felt like I was right there with our characters. We certainly have some grand distances covered across this world but even more so the level of detail the author gives us along the way is what draws me into this world.
The character development was another bright shining aspect to book two. We have many returning characters but we see so much more of them this time around. Our younger characters continue to grow into their own, while our heroes from the old war show more of their vulnerability to elude to a changing of the guard so to speak. We are introduced to some really great new and supporting characters in Shadow Bound Soul as well! One thing that I truly feels can carry a book above just good is the quality of it's villains. Shadow Bound Souls nails this for me! Not only on the first level of things but even beyond. We think we know who the real villains are only to find out there are always worse out there!
I want to wrap on just a couple of additional things. The first is that chatting with Steven, I found out he is currently plugging away on book three. Hopefully we will see this out later this year! While discussing when the hardcover version of book two will be available, I hadn't truly noticed the details on these covers. I will say, looking back at these covers now that I've read these books, there is SO much going on. Littles pieces of the stories scattered throughout these covers!
As I've mentioned earlier in this review, I'd recommend this series to readers of fantasy that like a little bit of technology sprinkled in. This has still been quite the epic tale along the way. I just want people to know this is a bit different perhaps a low or no magic setting or even just your more traditional sword and sorcery tale.
I've found myself getting into these types of stories more and more lately. It's branching out from my more traditional fantasy with magic into a bit more technology advancement. This doesn't necessarily mean modern but these worlds find a way to use the magic available to advance either military or quality of life inventions.
The pacing that Steven Rudy deploys just works so well for me. These are meaty books but in no way do they seem thick or chonky to me. They just flow so smooth. There is rarely any point in the book that I feel we are just kind of plodding along to get to the next bit of action. Even when there isn't any kind of fighting or battles, things always seem a bit on edge as our heroes try to find out how to save this world.
The world building continues to shine in The Luminance Saga with book two. There were so many times I lost myself in reading, when it felt like I was right there with our characters. We certainly have some grand distances covered across this world but even more so the level of detail the author gives us along the way is what draws me into this world.
The character development was another bright shining aspect to book two. We have many returning characters but we see so much more of them this time around. Our younger characters continue to grow into their own, while our heroes from the old war show more of their vulnerability to elude to a changing of the guard so to speak. We are introduced to some really great new and supporting characters in Shadow Bound Soul as well! One thing that I truly feels can carry a book above just good is the quality of it's villains. Shadow Bound Souls nails this for me! Not only on the first level of things but even beyond. We think we know who the real villains are only to find out there are always worse out there!
I want to wrap on just a couple of additional things. The first is that chatting with Steven, I found out he is currently plugging away on book three. Hopefully we will see this out later this year! While discussing when the hardcover version of book two will be available, I hadn't truly noticed the details on these covers. I will say, looking back at these covers now that I've read these books, there is SO much going on. Littles pieces of the stories scattered throughout these covers!
As I've mentioned earlier in this review, I'd recommend this series to readers of fantasy that like a little bit of technology sprinkled in. This has still been quite the epic tale along the way. I just want people to know this is a bit different perhaps a low or no magic setting or even just your more traditional sword and sorcery tale.
February 19, 2022
“Never look for meaning in war”
3.5 ⭐
A very strong pro of this book is its worldbuilding: the author put a lot of effort into it; there is history and religion, as well as different cultures, languages and traditions and it also has political complexity and a very cool magic system. This makes the reader feel more immersed in the story. The downside of this is that, since there are so many details and a lot are introduced hurriedly and without having been able to process the prior information, it can get tangled up and confusing. Save for the locations that were repeated a lot, I couldn’t remember or picture the different towns and cities the characters visited.
Like in The Binding Tempest, the story is very interesting, and in this second book there are more things that are added that make the plot more alluring and different from other stories and books. It also has very good and detailed descriptions that will make you feel as if you were right there and then with the characters. Beware, though, that they can get a bit distracting.
As I also said in the review of the first book, something that I really liked was how very age-diverse the characters are. There are the veterans of the war and the three just-turned-20 youngsters, which makes the book richer by blending together the experience and knowledge of the older generation with the fresh ideas and mindset of the younger ones.
One thing I really liked about the first book is the interactions between Kovan and Tali and Learon and Tali, how they are like a little family and just their relationship in general, and I’m a bit sad because I feel like we barely got any interactions between them in this book since they are apart during most of it. Yes, one of the things I missed the most was the interactions between the main characters. The first book had a very solid base from which to build great and rich relationships, but I feel like in this book these relationships weren’t so explored. Don’t get me wrong, is not that they don’t interact or the interactions aren’t good, but that we could have delved into them more.
Related to this, one of the reasons I feel like we didn’t explore more the relationships between the characters and the characters themselves is that in this second book there are a lot of secondary characters, and because of that the main characters and the ones you really are invested in don’t get as much “screen” time. These secondary characters do have their purposes in the book, but maybe we could have gotten at the same ending with fewer characters but those characters being richer. For example, Meroha in the first book has her importance, but in Shadow Bound Souls she’s just following Learon around, sticking around and taking care of the cats, but we don’t know anything about her that we didn’t already learn in the first book.
I did like how the characters have to face the consequence of their actions and what they are doing means. They talk about regret, fear of failure and loneliness. This kind of topics makes the characters more real and likable (but then again, it would have been better to have more about these topics in the story).
A big, BIG bonus of this book is the super detailed maps and drawings of places and objects AND the glossary. This makes it so much easier to follow the story and it also makes for a prettier book and more fun read.
As I said in the review of the first book, the content of the dialogues felt very natural and real, they are not stiff and seem like the kind of conversations you would have with your friends, which makes the relationships between the characters flow naturally. That being said, I still think that the descriptions of the dialogues could do with some improvement. The verb used to describe the conversations is “to say”, with some variations from time to time. But that makes dialogues tiring and boring. The English language is very rich! There are lots of different verbs that could be used to describe dialogues! And sometimes they aren’t even needed.
Thanks, RRBookTours and the author for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review! All thoughts are my own.
3.5 ⭐
A very strong pro of this book is its worldbuilding: the author put a lot of effort into it; there is history and religion, as well as different cultures, languages and traditions and it also has political complexity and a very cool magic system. This makes the reader feel more immersed in the story. The downside of this is that, since there are so many details and a lot are introduced hurriedly and without having been able to process the prior information, it can get tangled up and confusing. Save for the locations that were repeated a lot, I couldn’t remember or picture the different towns and cities the characters visited.
Like in The Binding Tempest, the story is very interesting, and in this second book there are more things that are added that make the plot more alluring and different from other stories and books. It also has very good and detailed descriptions that will make you feel as if you were right there and then with the characters. Beware, though, that they can get a bit distracting.
As I also said in the review of the first book, something that I really liked was how very age-diverse the characters are. There are the veterans of the war and the three just-turned-20 youngsters, which makes the book richer by blending together the experience and knowledge of the older generation with the fresh ideas and mindset of the younger ones.
One thing I really liked about the first book is the interactions between Kovan and Tali and Learon and Tali, how they are like a little family and just their relationship in general, and I’m a bit sad because I feel like we barely got any interactions between them in this book since they are apart during most of it. Yes, one of the things I missed the most was the interactions between the main characters. The first book had a very solid base from which to build great and rich relationships, but I feel like in this book these relationships weren’t so explored. Don’t get me wrong, is not that they don’t interact or the interactions aren’t good, but that we could have delved into them more.
Related to this, one of the reasons I feel like we didn’t explore more the relationships between the characters and the characters themselves is that in this second book there are a lot of secondary characters, and because of that the main characters and the ones you really are invested in don’t get as much “screen” time. These secondary characters do have their purposes in the book, but maybe we could have gotten at the same ending with fewer characters but those characters being richer. For example, Meroha in the first book has her importance, but in Shadow Bound Souls she’s just following Learon around, sticking around and taking care of the cats, but we don’t know anything about her that we didn’t already learn in the first book.
I did like how the characters have to face the consequence of their actions and what they are doing means. They talk about regret, fear of failure and loneliness. This kind of topics makes the characters more real and likable (but then again, it would have been better to have more about these topics in the story).
A big, BIG bonus of this book is the super detailed maps and drawings of places and objects AND the glossary. This makes it so much easier to follow the story and it also makes for a prettier book and more fun read.
As I said in the review of the first book, the content of the dialogues felt very natural and real, they are not stiff and seem like the kind of conversations you would have with your friends, which makes the relationships between the characters flow naturally. That being said, I still think that the descriptions of the dialogues could do with some improvement. The verb used to describe the conversations is “to say”, with some variations from time to time. But that makes dialogues tiring and boring. The English language is very rich! There are lots of different verbs that could be used to describe dialogues! And sometimes they aren’t even needed.
Thanks, RRBookTours and the author for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review! All thoughts are my own.
Read
February 7, 2022I am a huge fan of high fantasy novels. I love a good tale that takes it's time building a world and characters that you can really sink your teeth into. I am also intrigued by steampunk and how old victorian-style technology can be woven into a novel. So, when I saw that this series combines the two into one, I just really wanted to read it.
Read my full review on my blog at Thought on Books
Favorite Quote:
Overall, I really enjoyed the first 2 books in this series and will be watching for the next so I can see these 3 intriguing heroes' storylines play out. The world-building in this series is very good, highly detailed and interesting. I am especially drawn to the steampunk elements woven throughout. It makes the stories feel as though the world was once more technologically advanced and they are just beginning to rediscover some of this technology.
Please note: I was offered a free copy of the ARC of this book through Rockstar Book Tours, the Publisher and the author, in exchange for my honest opinion. All thoughts are my own opinion.
Shadow Bound Souls by Steven Rudy
Read my full review on my blog at Thought on Books
Favorite Quote:
The energy of life is in us all and it comes from the same source. It makes no difference what you call that source, just as it makes no difference if that energy is wrapped in different skin color or gender. We all strive for the pursuit of life and in that we can and must stand together against the darkness.
Overall, I really enjoyed the first 2 books in this series and will be watching for the next so I can see these 3 intriguing heroes' storylines play out. The world-building in this series is very good, highly detailed and interesting. I am especially drawn to the steampunk elements woven throughout. It makes the stories feel as though the world was once more technologically advanced and they are just beginning to rediscover some of this technology.
Please note: I was offered a free copy of the ARC of this book through Rockstar Book Tours, the Publisher and the author, in exchange for my honest opinion. All thoughts are my own opinion.
Shadow Bound Souls by Steven Rudy
February 14, 2022
This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
This is a non spoiler review, because you as reader need to read this book. Also, I feel sometimes I have in the past gave away to much of the plot line. This has diminished the pleasure for would be readers.
A Fascinating, Inventive Speculative Fiction.
Shadow Bound Souls
By Steven Rudy is the second installment in The Luminance Saga.
Step into a rich creative world that Steven Rudy has created. An innovative mix up of genres, that surprisingly fit together very well. A stellar age-diverse cast, and a unique older older MC's. The author intricately plots a character driven fantasy giving the reader a propulsive storyline. I highly recommend reading the first book in the series that sets everything up for this follow up. Rudy’s development of characters is well worth noting. More political intrigue, and the reader will not have a hard time becoming fully invested in this adventures tale.
This is one one author to look out for!
#shadowboundsouls #theluminacesaga #steampunkbooks #scififantasy
This is a non spoiler review, because you as reader need to read this book. Also, I feel sometimes I have in the past gave away to much of the plot line. This has diminished the pleasure for would be readers.
A Fascinating, Inventive Speculative Fiction.
Shadow Bound Souls
By Steven Rudy is the second installment in The Luminance Saga.
Step into a rich creative world that Steven Rudy has created. An innovative mix up of genres, that surprisingly fit together very well. A stellar age-diverse cast, and a unique older older MC's. The author intricately plots a character driven fantasy giving the reader a propulsive storyline. I highly recommend reading the first book in the series that sets everything up for this follow up. Rudy’s development of characters is well worth noting. More political intrigue, and the reader will not have a hard time becoming fully invested in this adventures tale.
This is one one author to look out for!
#shadowboundsouls #theluminacesaga #steampunkbooks #scififantasy
February 17, 2022
Shadow Bound Souls is book two in the Luminance Saga. I really enjoyed book one and book two is just as epic. A blend of steampunk, fantasy, and epic adventure, this is quite the tale. It is very well written.
I’m really enjoying the characters. I think they are the best part of these books so far. Well-developed and relatable, it makes the story when I can relate to the characters and they feel real.
I love the world-building. Steven Rudy’s writing style is compelling and allows the reader to immerse themselves in the story. I’m really looking forward to what’s next for these characters.
Check this one out.
Thank you to R&R Book Tours for the free review copy. All opinions are my own and unbiased.
I’m really enjoying the characters. I think they are the best part of these books so far. Well-developed and relatable, it makes the story when I can relate to the characters and they feel real.
I love the world-building. Steven Rudy’s writing style is compelling and allows the reader to immerse themselves in the story. I’m really looking forward to what’s next for these characters.
Check this one out.
Thank you to R&R Book Tours for the free review copy. All opinions are my own and unbiased.
February 15, 2022
I really enjoyed Shadow Bound Souls and I devoured this book quickly after reading the first book in the series. In this book we see the amazing characters from the first book, The Binding Tempest. Shadow Bound Souls has strong female characters with unique characteristics.
The world-building and vivid descriptions made Shadow Bound Souls an interesting read. It was great to read book 1 and see how it built up to the action in book 2. I’m curious to see what’s next for these characters in the third book.
Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The world-building and vivid descriptions made Shadow Bound Souls an interesting read. It was great to read book 1 and see how it built up to the action in book 2. I’m curious to see what’s next for these characters in the third book.
Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
March 1, 2022
A steampunk fantasy for the ages!!
I really loved how the characters ranged: they were different ages, had different life experiences, and felt like real, relatable people!
And the world building! I love worlds that I can visualise in my dreams, and I’m sure this one will occupy my thoughts for a long time!
Steven Rudy is an incredible writer.
His words draw you in and hold you tight—every page is intense, intelligent, and entirely gripping, and I was hooked from the first line!
This series will take the world by storm!
I really loved how the characters ranged: they were different ages, had different life experiences, and felt like real, relatable people!
And the world building! I love worlds that I can visualise in my dreams, and I’m sure this one will occupy my thoughts for a long time!
Steven Rudy is an incredible writer.
His words draw you in and hold you tight—every page is intense, intelligent, and entirely gripping, and I was hooked from the first line!
This series will take the world by storm!
February 4, 2022
RATING:
3.5 STARS
Another entertaining steampunk novel with fantasy and sci-fi themes from Steven Rudy. Readers who pick up Shadow Bound Souls can expect immersive worldbuilding, relatable characters, and fun action. This book is on the longer side and packed with details, so don’t expect to be able to finish it in one sitting.
Thank you to the author, Mystic Hawk Press, and Jaime at Rockstar Book Tours for providing me with a complimentary review copy of the book as part of my participation in the tour. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review Shadow Bound Souls immensely! Please note - I voluntarily read and reviewed Shadow Bound Souls. All opinions expressed in the review are my own and not influenced in any way.
Another entertaining steampunk novel with fantasy and sci-fi themes from Steven Rudy. Readers who pick up Shadow Bound Souls can expect immersive worldbuilding, relatable characters, and fun action. This book is on the longer side and packed with details, so don’t expect to be able to finish it in one sitting.
Thank you to the author, Mystic Hawk Press, and Jaime at Rockstar Book Tours for providing me with a complimentary review copy of the book as part of my participation in the tour. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review Shadow Bound Souls immensely! Please note - I voluntarily read and reviewed Shadow Bound Souls. All opinions expressed in the review are my own and not influenced in any way.
October 7, 2022
Another great book by Steven Rudy.
like the first book, Shadow Bound Souls has vivid world-building. The writing style is great as well in describing the scenes. What I loved the most is the characters; the relationship between them is outstanding.
I was given a free copy by the author in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed in the review are my own and not influenced in any way.
like the first book, Shadow Bound Souls has vivid world-building. The writing style is great as well in describing the scenes. What I loved the most is the characters; the relationship between them is outstanding.
I was given a free copy by the author in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed in the review are my own and not influenced in any way.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews