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Spellmonger: Legacy and Secrets #2
Shadowheist
A young heroine learns that, when you hide in the shadows, something darker may be waiting there for you . . . as the fantasy adventure saga continues.
Having discovered her true heritage, young Gatina is embracing her evolving role as an apprentice shadowthief. It turns out procuring things that don’t actually belong to you can be rather exciting. But the first thing a good thief must learn is how to not get caught. If the evil usurper Count Vichetral snares Gatina or her beloved family, a truly unpleasant fate awaits.
So her defiant father has deposited Gatina and her brother in the last place Vichetral’s men would think to look for them: stately Palomar Abbey. Under the alias of Maid Avorrita of Dentran—a purposely dull, bucktoothed maiden studying to be a novitiate—Gatina quickly comes to enjoy her new life among the elite. And then the trouble truly begins . . .
When Gatina’s father takes her along with him to Inmar to meet a fence who can handle their stolen goods, they discover a new threat to their Shadow Council: the checkered-cloaked Royal Censorate of Magic, dedicated to the ruthless enforcement of centuries-old laws pertaining to the use of magic. Later, Gatina’s dormant rajira unexpectedly emerges at the abbey, and she’s secretly tutored in shadowmagic by the mysterious Lady Silva.
What Gatina doesn’t realize is that very soon she’ll need every trick in her secret book. For a sinister new threat has arisen, one that will doom any who oppose its growing power. While Minalan the Spellmonger toils in distant lands to save humanity, Gatina must prove her skills in steel, sorcery, and the stars in order to save herself, her family, even freedom itself, by pulling off the ultimate SHADOWHEIST!
Having discovered her true heritage, young Gatina is embracing her evolving role as an apprentice shadowthief. It turns out procuring things that don’t actually belong to you can be rather exciting. But the first thing a good thief must learn is how to not get caught. If the evil usurper Count Vichetral snares Gatina or her beloved family, a truly unpleasant fate awaits.
So her defiant father has deposited Gatina and her brother in the last place Vichetral’s men would think to look for them: stately Palomar Abbey. Under the alias of Maid Avorrita of Dentran—a purposely dull, bucktoothed maiden studying to be a novitiate—Gatina quickly comes to enjoy her new life among the elite. And then the trouble truly begins . . .
When Gatina’s father takes her along with him to Inmar to meet a fence who can handle their stolen goods, they discover a new threat to their Shadow Council: the checkered-cloaked Royal Censorate of Magic, dedicated to the ruthless enforcement of centuries-old laws pertaining to the use of magic. Later, Gatina’s dormant rajira unexpectedly emerges at the abbey, and she’s secretly tutored in shadowmagic by the mysterious Lady Silva.
What Gatina doesn’t realize is that very soon she’ll need every trick in her secret book. For a sinister new threat has arisen, one that will doom any who oppose its growing power. While Minalan the Spellmonger toils in distant lands to save humanity, Gatina must prove her skills in steel, sorcery, and the stars in order to save herself, her family, even freedom itself, by pulling off the ultimate SHADOWHEIST!
388 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 25, 2022
131 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
About the author
Terry Mancour
42 books1,174 followersTerry Mancour is a New York Times Best-Selling Author who has written more than 30 books, under his own name and pseudonyms, including Star Trek: The Next Generation #20, Spartacus, the Spellmonger Series (more than 11 books and growing), among other works.
He was born in Flint, Michigan in 1968 (according to his mother) and wisely relocated to North Carolina in 1978 where he embraced Southern culture and its dedication to compelling narratives and intriguing characterizations. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he majored in Religious Studies.
Terry, his beautiful wife and three children live just outside of Durham, N.C. atop Red Mountain. He was nominated for the 2018 Audie Award for Best Fantasy for the audiobook for Spellmonger (narrated by John Lee), the first book in his Spellmonger Series.
He has plotted the Spellmonger Series for at least thirty books, in addition to his Spellmonger Cadet (young adult) series, stand-alone novels, short stories and novellas set within the Spellmonger Universe, all of which will be published by Podium as audiobooks. He is also the author of a series of sequels to Golden Age sci-fi master H. Beam Piper's novel, Space Viking, as well as original sci-fi novels.
He was born in Flint, Michigan in 1968 (according to his mother) and wisely relocated to North Carolina in 1978 where he embraced Southern culture and its dedication to compelling narratives and intriguing characterizations. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he majored in Religious Studies.
Terry, his beautiful wife and three children live just outside of Durham, N.C. atop Red Mountain. He was nominated for the 2018 Audie Award for Best Fantasy for the audiobook for Spellmonger (narrated by John Lee), the first book in his Spellmonger Series.
He has plotted the Spellmonger Series for at least thirty books, in addition to his Spellmonger Cadet (young adult) series, stand-alone novels, short stories and novellas set within the Spellmonger Universe, all of which will be published by Podium as audiobooks. He is also the author of a series of sequels to Golden Age sci-fi master H. Beam Piper's novel, Space Viking, as well as original sci-fi novels.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 29, 2022
4.5 Stars 🌟
First of all, I need to say that this series has been one of the GREATEST surprises that I have ever experienced as a reader. I know that that might not seem like a powerful statement, but I have over 5000 books rated on Goodreads. I AM a reader. I read ALL different types of genres. This was one of the greatest surprises that I have had the pleasure of being able to experience.
This book itself is billed as the 2nd book int the Legacy and Secrets series. Let me help anyone who is interested - yes, this is the second book in this spinoff - but if you want to know what is ACTUALLY going on, you need to go and find the first book in the original series - Spellmonger - and start from there. I can promise you - you will NOT be disappointed. One of the craziest things is that as a reader, you can actually follow along as this writer finds his "groove" (yes, that's a totally wrong word, but I can't think of any other way to describe it). The first book in this series isn't great - either is the 2nd (it's not bad, but it is NOTHING compared to what it develops into). Honestly, I do not remember when it became great....but it does. Really great.
I'm not even sure what genre this series falls into but I can say that I have fallen into total and complete LOVE with the Minalan (the Spellmonger) and his crazy crew of wizards that have become his allies and even better.... his best friends. The new generation of magicians/wizards now exist in a world where it was against every law to become so. But, I digress.....this book is the second book in a spin off series based on the amazing world building of The Spellmonger Series.
In this series, we are going back in time to follow Gatina and her family of Shadowmancers. This is a wonderful peek into what was going on in Alshar during the same time that Minalan was developing his power in Castal and bringing together his friends/wizards.
This is an amazing companion to the Spellmonger series in that we are getting to not only see what was happening in another part of the world during the time that Minalan was beginning to make changes to the entire existing world, but it was also giving us a wonderful look into the family that is eventually going to be REALLY important to a couple of VERY important members - one could even say...family members - of the Spellmonger....
GREAT addition to this amazing world. I enjoyed the narration by Fiona Hardingham. She did a fantastic job with all the various accents and different characters that we get to meet. Can't wait for the next book......
Seriously......
Can. Not. Wait.....
First of all, I need to say that this series has been one of the GREATEST surprises that I have ever experienced as a reader. I know that that might not seem like a powerful statement, but I have over 5000 books rated on Goodreads. I AM a reader. I read ALL different types of genres. This was one of the greatest surprises that I have had the pleasure of being able to experience.
This book itself is billed as the 2nd book int the Legacy and Secrets series. Let me help anyone who is interested - yes, this is the second book in this spinoff - but if you want to know what is ACTUALLY going on, you need to go and find the first book in the original series - Spellmonger - and start from there. I can promise you - you will NOT be disappointed. One of the craziest things is that as a reader, you can actually follow along as this writer finds his "groove" (yes, that's a totally wrong word, but I can't think of any other way to describe it). The first book in this series isn't great - either is the 2nd (it's not bad, but it is NOTHING compared to what it develops into). Honestly, I do not remember when it became great....but it does. Really great.
I'm not even sure what genre this series falls into but I can say that I have fallen into total and complete LOVE with the Minalan (the Spellmonger) and his crazy crew of wizards that have become his allies and even better.... his best friends. The new generation of magicians/wizards now exist in a world where it was against every law to become so. But, I digress.....this book is the second book in a spin off series based on the amazing world building of The Spellmonger Series.
In this series, we are going back in time to follow Gatina and her family of Shadowmancers. This is a wonderful peek into what was going on in Alshar during the same time that Minalan was developing his power in Castal and bringing together his friends/wizards.
This is an amazing companion to the Spellmonger series in that we are getting to not only see what was happening in another part of the world during the time that Minalan was beginning to make changes to the entire existing world, but it was also giving us a wonderful look into the family that is eventually going to be REALLY important to a couple of VERY important members - one could even say...family members - of the Spellmonger....
GREAT addition to this amazing world. I enjoyed the narration by Fiona Hardingham. She did a fantastic job with all the various accents and different characters that we get to meet. Can't wait for the next book......
Seriously......
Can. Not. Wait.....
November 11, 2022
Great world building and characters, very contrived and forced plot
I'll start with the good, I love the spellmonger series (the main plot, hawkmaiden, the cadet novels all great) and this book gives us a look behind the curtain in Alshar, and gives us some more storybuilding.
The worldbuilding and characters are well developed, and interesting.
Now the negatives. The plot is contrived, and the action forced, to make Gatina the hero of every bit of this story. She does stupid things, at exactly the wrong time, against the instruction if her parents (as a parent I want my kids to listen to me), and it turns out to be exactly the thing that needed to be done, at exactly the right time to save the day. This happens multiple times in this book, and in the one before this. Her parents then scold her for ignoring them and endangering everything, and then reward her with a new exciting assignment.
All of the action is ridiculous, a 12 (13?) Year old girl fighting a trained warmage (even if a bookish and poor one), and winning, the. Fighting the captain of the forcr and holding her own... really? She is repeatedly in exactly the right place, at exactly the right time to gather tip secret intelligence, she always has just the right skills and knowledge to save the day.
Finally, the main premise that one book, and one man, hold all the secrets that will bring down the resistance, and if we get this book, that only had one copy, and stop this man, that gathered all this information himself (apparently all of his subordinates took no notes, and forgot everything after telling him) we can save the day! Especially after the book was stolen and recovered, nobody thought to make a copy? Completely ridiculous. Then they leave their arch enemy, who has killed and tortured many of their friends, alive and free after they had him at their mercy? Why not capture and interrogate him?
I couldn't get past the poorly contrived action, and the lacking intrigue, though the world building was interesting. And while the characters were interesting, they don't quite mesh with what we see of them in the main series... though there are still several years before we meet them, so that is fine.
I'll start with the good, I love the spellmonger series (the main plot, hawkmaiden, the cadet novels all great) and this book gives us a look behind the curtain in Alshar, and gives us some more storybuilding.
The worldbuilding and characters are well developed, and interesting.
Now the negatives. The plot is contrived, and the action forced, to make Gatina the hero of every bit of this story. She does stupid things, at exactly the wrong time, against the instruction if her parents (as a parent I want my kids to listen to me), and it turns out to be exactly the thing that needed to be done, at exactly the right time to save the day. This happens multiple times in this book, and in the one before this. Her parents then scold her for ignoring them and endangering everything, and then reward her with a new exciting assignment.
All of the action is ridiculous, a 12 (13?) Year old girl fighting a trained warmage (even if a bookish and poor one), and winning, the. Fighting the captain of the forcr and holding her own... really? She is repeatedly in exactly the right place, at exactly the right time to gather tip secret intelligence, she always has just the right skills and knowledge to save the day.
Finally, the main premise that one book, and one man, hold all the secrets that will bring down the resistance, and if we get this book, that only had one copy, and stop this man, that gathered all this information himself (apparently all of his subordinates took no notes, and forgot everything after telling him) we can save the day! Especially after the book was stolen and recovered, nobody thought to make a copy? Completely ridiculous. Then they leave their arch enemy, who has killed and tortured many of their friends, alive and free after they had him at their mercy? Why not capture and interrogate him?
I couldn't get past the poorly contrived action, and the lacking intrigue, though the world building was interesting. And while the characters were interesting, they don't quite mesh with what we see of them in the main series... though there are still several years before we meet them, so that is fine.
June 12, 2024
Terry Mancour and Emily Burch Harris collaborate on a good young adult fantasy story here. I appreciated the setting and the struggles. Fiona Hardingham does her normal great job as narrator. Because the word "magocracy" comes up a number of times in this book and Fiona's pronunciation differs from the Spellmonger main series read by John Lee, it did distract me. Speaking of the main Spellmonger series, you do not need to have knowledge of it to enjoy this series; but it does help. I really liked how they developed the aliases the characters play. I like that the characters don't solve all their problems with magic. I'm hoping they will develop their magical abilities more in the next story. The character's magical development seems lacking in comparison to their training in swords and academics "the three Rs". Overall, a good read.
June 13, 2024
I love the Spellmonger universe and the Legacy and Secrets series keeps that love alive. I would say this series and the other spinoff series are more situated for a younger audience. I've always been a little put off by giving children such grown up attitudes, wisdom, and capabilities, but the story is fun and enjoyable, I just pretend the kids are actually older than they are.
November 2, 2022
I need life insurance on Mr. Mancour... I will be beyond upset if he or I don't live long enough to finish everything Minalan started. That being said, I'll read as many as you write so please don't stop anytime soon!
October 15, 2023
Great story. I enjoy seeing the early days of Gatina, her family and the events transpiring in Alshar. It's always hard to write believable stories from such a young perspective, but I think it's overall pretty successful and I'm looking forward to the next chapter.
February 21, 2024
Shadowheist ( Spellmonger: Legacy and Secrets Book 2 )
Terry Mancour is one.of my favourite authors. My only complaint is that I read his books faster than he can write them! His World and character building is extraordinary!
Terry Mancour is one.of my favourite authors. My only complaint is that I read his books faster than he can write them! His World and character building is extraordinary!
October 29, 2022
an exciting sequel
Enjoyed the book, the characters are well put together and the story flows. A good story from the world of the spellmonger.
Enjoyed the book, the characters are well put together and the story flows. A good story from the world of the spellmonger.
November 7, 2022
A good adventure
Another good addition to the overall series which fills the gaps of earlier releases. Always a pleasurable experience. Worth the read.
Another good addition to the overall series which fills the gaps of earlier releases. Always a pleasurable experience. Worth the read.
February 27, 2023
Another great entry in the Spellmonger world. This book provides some background information on Gatina and helps further the world building. Fun story that would be appropriate for a YA audience.
March 1, 2023
And excellent continuation to the first side exploration that was Shadowplay. A truly good way to get endeared to Gatina and her family.
July 3, 2023
Good, not what I was looking for
Parents are too lenient for her many crazy mishaps. Wish she made better friends like the last book. Wish more mention of future husband.
Parents are too lenient for her many crazy mishaps. Wish she made better friends like the last book. Wish more mention of future husband.
January 11, 2024
Seriously. I cannot wait for the next one in this mini series. Loving it.
June 2, 2024
Brilliant work :) love the series
April 25, 2025
Decent book. Disjointed story.
March 16, 2024
Excellent the second time...waiting on #3 now
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews