Shadowblack

I don't care who knows it, I'm a fanboy. Yes, it's fantasy YA, but after the first novel and having loved the flow so well and where it wound up, there's nothing that might convince me to stop now.

On the road.

Everything about the characters is fun. Sorry. It's just super easy reading and what's not to love about a wisecracking thieving racoon-cat who is the nightmare of every mage alive as your best friend? Or having a wily dancer/charmer showing him the ropes on the road in a permanent exile? Or how about solving the riddle of a plague of shadowblacks overwhelming a far-off city?

This one is mostly about living off the land and surviving in it, enjoying the characters so expertly developed in the first book, and learning a bit (or a show more lot) about oneself in the process.

The exile is coming into his own! Evil or not evil? We shall see. :) :)

Totally looking forward to the new audiobook this month for book 3! :) show less

I've never been a great fan of fantasy novels (with the exception of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings), finding that the necessary world-building can get in the way of a good story.
However, I felt I was taken straight into the action in Shadowblack, the second in the Spellslinger series aimed at Young Adults, and I didn't have the benefit of having read the first book. I grew to like the main characters as the good hearts concealed by the bantering tone were revealed. Kellen, the teenage outcast trying to find his place in the world, is faced with several life-changing choices, and it is never obvious where these will take the story.
I was also interested by the tensions between nations and within the societies described, as well as the show more various attitudes towards those who were trying to change things.
Ultimately though, it is Kellen's story, and I found the conclusion surprisingly moving. show less

Outlawed Kellen is wandering in the Seven Sands region with his mentor Argosi Ferius Parfax and his "business partner" squirrel-cat Reichis when they come upon another Argosi and her charge who are also being chased by bounty hunters. When they discover the Path of Stones and Roses' charge Seneira has the same shadowblack around her eye that Kellen has.

The Path of Stones and Roses, who is called Rosie by Ferius, is on the track of a possible shadowblack plague and so they take Seneira back to Teleidos which is a town in the Seven Sands that is famous for its Academy which draws the best and the brightest from all the countries in the world.

Once in Teleidos, they find that Seneira's younger brother and her betrothed also have caught show more shadowblack. They also find another outlaw named Dexan Videras who claims to be able to cure the shadowblack but needs to find the mage who cursed the suffers. Dexan also causes a conflict for Kellen. He offers to make Kellen his partner and teach him all that he has learned as an outlaw. But following Dexan means leaving Ferius behind.

Kellen is torn between his need to help Seneira and his need to find a way to be safe from the bounty hunters who are pursuing him. He also has to decide what he wants for his future instead of just living moment to moment and staying one step ahead of the bounty hunters.

I really enjoy the characters and the worldbuilding in this series. Kellen is a young man who is trying to find his purpose and learning about himself. Reichis is great comic relief but also has surprising depth. Ferius is the character who is the most mysterious, perhaps deliberately so, as she helps Kellen in his growth.

I can't wait to see what further adventures Kellen, Reichis, and Ferius have. show less

My husband, daughter and I listened to this audiobook before bedtime and we (my husband and I) enjoyed it... but sadly, we didn't feel the same joy and wonder we felt with book #1. The narration by Joe Jameson was just as brilliant as the first book but a narrator's skill alone can only carry a book so far. The premise was decent but we 3 all agreed (to varying degrees), it wasn't as gripping as its predecessor.

Here are each of our reactions:

- Hubby (38 years old)- "this book was okay. The plot was interesting but it was very slow. I am interested enough to continue with the rest of the series but honestly, this was so sluggish at times it helped me fall fast asleep... even when I wasnt trying to. I rate it 3 Stars."

- Daughter (11 show more years old)- "the first book was way better. Even though I still like Rikus and Ferius, I think I'm done with the series." (She was DNF, and onto the next read, ~ a third of the way through).

- Me (grumble mumble years old)- I wholeheartedly agree with my husband. The premise was interesting. The unique magic system (much like the humans finagling with it) seems to be in a constant state of flux... an aspect I actually enjoy and appreciate. It's nice to see the Magic adjust and mutate in response to outside factors just as we mere mortals adjust, change and grow (willingly or not) in the face of Life and all if its trials and spoils... mostly trials.

In addition to the characters that resonated with me from the first book, in this installment, I really liked Sonara... she was strong willed, intelligent, loyal and sweet... a great addition to the diverse cast.

Now that narrator... have I mentioned Joe Jameson yet?!? Mr. Jameson's contribution was exceptional... his range of voices is pure skill and mastery but the pacing... now THAT was a problem. It made me zone out more times than I cared for, seeing that it's being played at bedtime and all. A few times we knocked out early and had to go back the next day and replay everything we missed while (prematurely) snoozing away. And then there was that ending... I call shenanigans... shenanigans I say!! I'll try and keep it spoiler free but at one point Kellen is offered (almost) everything he ever wanted in life. Guess what?? When given options, he decided to take a course of action totally incongruent with, what I have come to believe to be, his hopes, dreams and all around Kellen(ness)... this irked me to no end BUT hey... hopefully it leads to a more riviting third book.

I definitely agree that this book deserves a lower rating than the previous one BUT I still think that it's a solid read, so I'll rate it 3.0 Stars

Overall:
This Middle Grade book, World, Characters and writing were all unique and better than Decent but worse than Exemplary... so basically, it's a few notches above Meh. The problem, most assuredly, was the pacing. My daughter was bored enough to throw in the towel pretty early on and it was (at times) an unwanted sleeping aid for us old folks. I found it to be enjoyable enough, but just not as gripping as the first book... this caused mixed reactions from my audio-bibliophile family. Is the rating for this series going in the wrong direction? Yes, but it is still, imo, enjoyable enough to stick around and see where it leads us. So, for now, 2 of us shall venture on to book #3- Charmcaster. And hey... 2 out of 3 ain't bad.

~ Enjoy show less

Travelling with Ferius and Reichis, Kellen continues to battle his insecurities as he comes of age. When they stumble across what appears to be a shadowblack plague, they pause in their journeys to investigate.

Spellslinger was a high bar to kick off a series with. While Shadowblack is fun, it never quite matches its predecessor, at its best in its comic asides and episodes of squirrel cat belligerence, but I would have liked to see the same depth of world and character building that made the first novel stand out.

That said, Shadowblack is once again loads of fun - good for giggles and highly cinematic. Kellen remains a likeable narrator with a good heart, and both Ferius and Reichis are a delight to spend more time with. And because I show more like my characters spiky and unexpected in their ethics, Rosie intrigued me more than she was perhaps intended to. There's no such thing as your average Argosi, and that alone may keep me coming back for more.

Full review

I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. show less

vedo che le altre recensioni sono più entusiaste delle mie (te pareva!)

mi è piaciuto ma è un libro da ombrellone non la rivelazione letteraria del secolo
è leggibilissimo, scorrevole, le 400 pagine finiscono in un baleno e questo è tutto il buono che si può dire sullo stile.
Il protagonista è azzeccato e il suo "famiglio" è divertente per le prime 3 pagine.
per il resto c'è margine di miglioramento

Kelsin must flee his homeland and finds out about life as an exile in the surrounding lands. His Argosi mentor is still with him as his companion squirrel cat. Getting inot troubel as much as he manages to get out again he discovers a nefarious plot to influence surrounding lands, and in the argosi way, lacking other alternatives attempts to thwart it himself.