The Shadow of Wings: The Wytchling Chronicles

The Wytchling Chronicles #2

by C.C. Davie

The Heliacle has risen.
But it wasn’t without a cost.

After being freed from her ordeal in Lylican,
Amylia begins to heal as she forges a new life in Asteryn.
But within its borders, bonds are being strained to the limit.
Old wounds test the strength of those closest to each other.

The eight territories of Labrynth are still dangerously divided,
human distrust of Wytchlings cleaving them apart.
After devastating attacks threaten to break tentative alliances,
Asteryn makes a desperate attempt to unite them all.

Attica is stirring…
Imogyn, its Queen, is ready for war…
And she knows something they don’t.

Genres: Fantasy, Lesbian, Romantasy, Romance, Audiobook, Magic, LGBT

380 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 28, 2023

Reviews

[Sam | Haus of Fables · Rating 5 out of 5]

B2 was just as perfect as B1 for me 🙌🏽
This book is very much the middle book of a series, some characters are healing after the events of B1 & you can see the plot is setting up for some explosive events to come in B3.
But what I loved the most is getting to explore the ‘side characters’ & I say that with a grain of salt. Because while there are 3 MC’s & 2 main side characters, they are just as important & have big roles to play in this series as well.
In fact they may even be MY FAVOURITES!
So getting to see more of them, learn their back stories, get in their heads a little more & explore their stories was SO GOOD! Lyrik is probably the Most bad ass FMC I have ever read & Rogue is the biggest cinnamon roll hottie EVER!
The found family element to this series is perfection & such a strength to the series as a whole. The animals characters continue to be a highlight & the ENDING WAS … SHOCKING!
I had some suspicions, & while I was on the right track - I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING!
(Also the spice in this book was some of the best I have ever read… )
This series is fast becoming an all time favourite & I can’t wait for the Novella & final books in the series.

[Sophie Broom · Rating 5 out of 5]

CC has done it again! Another book with another shock plot twist 😲

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Shadow of Wings. Book 2 had multiple POV's which I enjoyed because it meant that we got to know more about the members of the Wynters court. I can confirm I've fallen more in love with my lil CinnaRogue. What I would do to have that man be real and mine....



Even though this book is not a cosy fantasy, there were moments reading this where I was like "why do I feel so cosy and safe reading this..." (please note, this is not a low stakes fantasy books.. stakes a VERY MUCH HIGH). I have a feeling this series will end up being a comfort series.

I've grown quite attached to everyone in this series so i'm nervous and excited to see what the future holds for them (dw I have tissues on standby for when I start Heir of Vasilicia)

[Celeste Raine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Screaming I KNEW IT!!!! in my car this morning when I finished this hahahahaah.

SO GOOD

[ruby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute Favourite!!

I loved this book even more than book 1 and the story was amazing. Following Lyrik and Rogue POVs, allegiance between terrioties, wars. Oh, the Angst!!! It really played with my emotions. The last couple of chapters had me in tears and my mind went blank!! I'm looking forward to Lyrik's book very much! That women was a force to be beckon with. The plot twists came from nowhere and left me 'wtf'? I loved all the characters and banters and my, what a spice!

[Cassie Hollenbeck · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible read!!! I loved the details. It was very interesting to have a book full of each characters pov but wow!!! It was amazing having the second book done like that!! The spice was incredible!

[jess ☁️ · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 37%. These books are literally just the author writing about every character wanting to have sex with another character 😭 a little bit of spice here and there is fine but it gets old when the story line that wasn’t that great to begin with gets lost in it.

[annies.reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75⭐️
2/5🌶️
Jesus Christ the last 100 or so pages 😭 my heart

[Emily Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous!

Thoroughly enjoyed the first book and this one is even better!
Keeps you on the edge on your seat and I’m anxiously awaiting the third!

[First Edition Jessi James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Add this to your TBR immediately!
The Wytchling Chronicles #2 –

✨Non Spoiler Review✨

Star Score - 5/5 ⭐ (Absolutely Phenomenal )

Spice Score - 2.5/5 🌶 (So delicious!)

”Kitten, because I made the wildcat of Asteryn purr like one.. and I want to remember it”

Dark Trigger Score - 1/5💀 🔪 (Always Check Triggers )

What to expect/tropes:
🗡Multiple POV
🗡Queer Rep
🗡Found Family
🗡Magical Animals
🗡Angsty and slow burn

Favourite Quote: ”From the daughter of darkness and the Prince of stars will rise the Queen of Heliacles. As winter falls in crimson tides, only she can weave the sundered threads and heal what once was lost.”

Overall Review:
C.C Davie has done it again and brought us an amazing second book in her series The Wythcling Chronicles.

You will quickly fall in love with the side characters, all the characters make this book a stunning example of “Found Family”. Lyrik is a masterpiece and Rogue is the most adorable golden retriever character to grace fantasy pages.

The pacing and plot of this story is spot on, you are gifted character development with a steady stream of plot delivery. Complete with plot twists and make sure you have some tissues because you will get all the feels while reading this.

I also listened to the audiobook as a reread and holy wow is Laura amazing! Its not often that you have a physical copy AND a audio book that leave you completely breathless and wanting more.
When I finished this book I immediately went to find the next book in the series! I cannot wait for A Song of Chaos to be released!

Mood Reader - @Firsteditionjessijames
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[Nikita · Rating 3 out of 5]

It would have easily been 4 stars had it not been for the horrific typos, like entire words just missing and a lot of words sat in the wrong place. Editing definitely needs to be looked at.

This was a much less action packed book than the first, and at the beginning I was disappointed and felt like the book was too much filler, it managed to really grip me and invest me in the characters more. Though I feel some characters aren’t as fleshed out, mainly Gryffon, I feel like he feels completely flat compared to all of the other characters.

All in all I did enjoy the book and I will 100% be continuing the series!

[Roimata Hooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did not dissapoint

The build up and slow burn of this book did not dissapoint and it has me reaching for the next book in the series!
High fantasy, dark twists and C.C Davie did it again with the ending plot twist that I did not see coming!

[shelly.reads.books · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️! I knew from book 1 this was going to be an all-time favourite series for me, and book 2 has absolutely delivered. I adored being back in this world and with these characters. I am genuinely hurting now it’s over and I have to wait for the next book!

There is no way to say this without sounding like a brat, but please indulge me a moment. Usually I can see a twist coming a mile away—I read too much in this genre and I love storing up breadcrumbs—and as a result I can usually predict the big things. BUT THAT THING. THAT WILD, HEART WRENCHING TWIST. I did NOT see that coming and I’m still reeling. The fallout is going to be epic, but I loved it and the world building around it just makes my heart so happy (sorry to be vague but IYKYK and I want to keep this spoiler free 😂).

Read this series. It’s fab. Now excuse me while I blast more unhinged theories about what is going to happen next at my bookish friends 😂😂😂💀

Random list of things I especially loved in this instalment:

🗡️ Lyrik (one of my all time favourite characters, ever)
⚡️ Rogue “zap daddy” Salvatore (I will not be taking questions at this time)
🐈‍⬛ Animal friends (I love them ALL)
👦 Flea (I can say nothing but MY HEART or I’ll spoiler)
🌶️🌶️🌶️ Excellent spice (🧎👀🥵)
❤️‍🔥 Drom (I have no words to describe the hotness)
🏳️‍🌈 Representation 🙌
💗 Found family (it was already so elite in book 1—but the fam continues to expand in this instalment)

[Helen (Zass) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the next one! I felt the writing definitely improved from the first book, the world was fleshed out really nicely and I loved getting to know all the characters so much better. I do wish there had been a bit more action, it felt a bit like this book was just preparation for the next book. Having said that, I was so sucked in by the characters that I almost didn't even notice!

[Krystina C · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Shifting away from the first book and more towards political, our side characters from HR take a more prominent role.

I felt the book progressed alot more slowly but still delivered. A lot of slow burn and predictable twists with the main action taking place in the last few chapters.

Solid series, can't wait to jump into the next one 🙌

[Samantha Shepherd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this books and the author!! The details and world building are amazing and I love the thruple with the main character and how their relationship develops!!!

[Eva Akers · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF with 100 pages left. I just could not focus on this book anymore and I found myself not wanting to pick this up and read it. I’m so sad because I loved the world this author created and really enjoyed the first book. This one just moved way too slow for me and there was too much focus on things I found uninteresting like Lyriks multiple love interests and the baby.

[Renae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread
I forgot how devastating this book is!

Original Review
This book was fucking phenomenal!! This series is becoming a favourite for sure!

For the plot of the book, it is definitely setting up for the next book in the series but I still loved it. There was a lot of politics and planning.

We added Lyrik and Rogue’s POV and I was worried I wouldn’t like it as much because I love my babies Amylia, Cecily and Gryff so much but I’m of course a dumbass. I absolutely loved getting their POVs.

Rogue is the biggest alpha cinnamon roll ever. He is genuinely such a caring and good man who cares for his family and others. He’s funny and very cheeky and flirty.

I ADORE Lyrik so much. She is such a strong and badass character that has obviously had a fucked up life before finding her family. Underneath that tough exterior she is a kind and caring person and I just want to protect her.

Amylia is healing in this book after what happened in book one. I loved that we actually get to see her healing and that she didn’t just get over it. A feel terrible for her but I loved Gryff and Cecily and how much they supported her. I also loved watching them be parents! It’s so cute!! They are such a power throuple!

The angst in this book killed my soul!! My heart was legitimately hurting in parts of this book. I didn’t know who I wanted Lyrik to be with!

I loved the additional characters we got in this book as well.

The last part of this book killed me inside and the fucking plot twist!! I don’t know how I’m going to wait until December to see what happens!

[achaserigtrup · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the strong prologue, the pace deflated for the first 100 pages until the characters starting moving across Labyrinth. For a while, Gryffin and Cecily felt like background characters relegated to menial tasks and popping by to show that they were still there. Faisen did absorb quite a bit of attention in the first third of the book as well, which made the fated trio scenes rather dull. I also wanted way more of Addelyn, who was basically a babysitter in this text. I can’t figure out why we didn’t get at least one scene between her and her children about their heritage or literally anything meaningful. There were also quite a few typos throughout, which was surprising. Nevertheless, I love this world and loved learning more about Rogue and Lyric, who were center stage in this book.

What was done well was giving Amelya time to deal with the trauma she experienced in book 1, and slowly unraveling Lyric’s and Rogue’s layers and relationship—which we have just begun to do. I also loved the scenes at the inn, falling hard for a new character who enters Lyric’s life.

Overall, it ended in a strong way with our favorite characters jolted back to their strong, amazing selves, setting up the next book perfectly. I could read a dozen books in this world, as CC Davie slowly opens it more, bringing in more political and historical intrigue, along with different beings and their personal motivations.

[The Savage Bibliophile · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know what happened to my previous review so I'll say again that I loved this book.
Just like the first book, it is delightfully dark and filled with banter between the excellent cast of characters.
The characters and relationships develop even further while we also have interesting new additions to the cast to spice things up even more.
Loved it and I'm dying to read A Song of Chaos!

[Kira · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF dragged alot slower than the first, every other name with a Y instead of an I started to get old, just felt like nothing was happening, just a bunch of people going about their every day life. I wanted so badly to love it too.

[Marina Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. What a roller-coaster 😱 this second book sucks you in just a much as the first. Rich description and spicy action. 🥵

[Rose-Bud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


This book was amazing!! The ending of Heliacle Rising really threw me off, I was so shocked- talk about a plot twist. So I’ve been waiting for that little bit of plot to turn up again in The Shadow of Wings and it literally had me so so anxious the whole book.
I was like aww I love this! But when am I going to cry? What part of the book is going to make me biff my kindle out the window? And I think the anxiety made the experience better 😂

Learning more about Lyrik and Rogue filled me with so much joy. They are hands down my favourite characters from this series so far and I really enjoyed getting to know them better. They’re just so funny and I love their relationship dynamic.

I like that Amelya took a backseat to be honest, she’s not my favourite character. Ravyn and Silas are such a cute duo. I could totally see them being a pretty cute couple but they’re adorable as besties.

Overall- I feel personally attacked. This book made me cry. I haven’t cried in the book in a long time but the ending was just shocking and heartbreaking and to be fair, the content itself wasn’t actually that sad but the way that it was written just made me feel it so hard.

I really love the magic system and I love the world that CC Davie has created it’s magical, it’s epic, the “pets” are top-notch, the banter is always bantering, and the characters are so compelling.
I can’t wait for the 3rd instalment to be in my hands!

[Violet Smalley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had already fallen head over heels for the Sylvan world and family I found in Heliacle Rising (B1), this book only served to deepen my love for all of it. I loved getting to know more about the characters we met in B1 as they deal with the events that have unfolded, as well as the sociological and geographical deepening of the world they live in as a whole. Just like B1 the growing relationships between characters and character arcs are woven seamlessly and skillfully into the story telling which is such a joy to read and a profound strength in CC's style of writing. Then there's the 🌶️SPICE🌶️ which is some of the hottest, most passionate and yet most balanced I've read from high fantasy. The book will have you theorising and wildly trying to pick what's going to happen AND YOU STILL WON'T PICK THE TWISTS. Adore this book and cannot wait for the rest of the series, it's clear there's a storm coming and I need to know what's next ♡

[Allison Kayla Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great work of art. For real, I cannot understand why this series isn’t talked about more! We got some relief for a while from the last book and were able to relax a bit and catch up with our characters. We were able to look closer into some characters we began to love from the first book and they grew throughout the story. Of course she couldn’t leave us without bursting bubbles and leaving us with our jaws dropping. I called a few things out early in the story because I am a suspicious reader and can tell when something doesn’t feel right.. however I couldn’t call it for what it was. Left me with my jaw on the floor even when expecting something coming. I loved it and cannot wait for more !!

[Steph H · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️

Absolutely loved this one!

The story did get a little slow in parts, but the final 30% made up for it.
I’m not into baby tropes, so everything todo with that didn’t really add to the story for me.

I absolutely adore Lyric, and I can’t wait to read her story next!
I also had a sneaky feeling about “one of” her new love interest 👀👀 so the shock little twist had my jaw on the floor! Absolutely brilliantly written.
Rogue is also a favourite character and Wyatt was just so adorable, but again kids/pregnancy tropes don’t do it for me, tho he was a valuable little addition.

[Lauren Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will say, this book took me quite a bit to read! I was lagging on it but kept coming back. I think it felt very slow and also very political, involving a lot more introduced places and even characters. I think this book is just building to the third a lot, which is totally fine! It definitely pulled me in at the last 20% which is why I am DYING for the next book.

I loved the focus on Rogue and Lyrik, especially Lyrik who I think is such a well done character! I am very excited to read her book as well :)

[Samantha Peirce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m screaming at that ending!!!! I did not see that sucker punch coming. Like wow, I haven’t been surprised like that in a while. I absolutely love the found family that these characters represent. I love getting multiple points of view and learning more about each of them. I’m so stressed about the war that is coming. Butttt something at the end of this book has me theorizing about a potential plot twist. Guess time will tell 🤔

Going to start the next book asap!

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its a good continuation to the first book. Because its been a while since I read the first one, I struggled a bit as it seems to be a direct sequel with no other recall.

The book dragged and to be honest boring in some parts. I say, stick to it as the moments building to the last chapter is well worth it. I’ll read the next and wont make the same mistake in spacing it out with other books.

[Myah · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my opinion, the writing in this novel surpasses that of "A Court of Thorns and Roses" (ACOTAR). What truly stood out for me were the poly relationships that added to the narrative. Additionally, the author adeptly balanced moments of intense romance with thrilling battle sequences, ensuring a captivating and dynamic reading experience throughout.

[Natika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read my review of the first as the review is also implied in this one with the pet names.
I'd loved the story bringing other characters to life more and I got entranced wanting to know where their stories led to as well!
BUT it also brought alot of themes which would make some people uncomfortable so I'd definitely check for those triggers in this book !

I do recommend this book !!