Shadows and Light

This book makes my stomach churn in a good way. If you want a fantasy book with all The Handmaid's Tale vibes, this series is for you.
This starts off right from the end of the previous book. The Barons are meeting to decide the fate of women, the Bard and the Muse are trying to save the witches and convince the Fae of the dangers of the Black Coats, and the Fae in the West are becoming aware of the peril headed their way. Every character is compelling, and I love how Ms. Bishop alternates between their stories, building the tension in each arc.
While the Black Coats evoke early Puritans or Inquisitors, they bring their own evil here in the intense focus on women. I read this series a long time ago, but I still tense over their actions show more and the parallels to today's society, including women's circumcision. I can't wait to read the conclusion. show less

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68 points/100 (3 ½ stars)

More witches are falling, and evil is gaining more of a foothold is Sylvalan. The Bard, the Muse, and the Gatherer of Souls are some of the only fae with the desire to stop it. Add in a ragtag group of humans and witches, spread across the land, and things are starting to look hopeless.

Shadows and Light was one really long transition book. It suffers from middle child syndrome quite heavily. Nothing really happens. We just got more of what happened in book one, just with more despair. Nothing was really solved. More was just heaped into the shitpile to be solved in the last book.

This was also just depressing as hell. It was so dire. It show more had so little hope. Like The Pillars of the World, I just had trouble really wanting to continue reading this. This time because there just was no hope. I couldn't see how this was going to end with a good ending, simply because there doesn't appear to be a good ending to be had. There were moments were it was funny. For instance, my favourite character of the entire book was a dog who doesn't listen. He surprised a really big laugh out of me, and I thought I was going to wake up my dad with it. However, it was also just kind of boring for most of the time.

Honestly, just not a lot happened. I can't point to many things that happened in this book. Adrian and Lyrra are wandering around, trying to find someone who will listen to what they say. Morag is struggling to come to terms what she has learned and looking for a place that will hear what she has to say and help. Liam is being introduced into the world he lives in, and his sister Breanna is starting to become a place where others will turn. And Ashk is seemingly the one with all the answers, but no one has made it to her for those answers yet. It was kind of boring.

The best part of Shadows of Light was probably the fact that the bad guys are basically not in this book. There are a few chapters from their perspective, but nothing like the last book. This is good because in general, I don't really like reading Bishop's villain's perspectives. But also because I really just didn't feel like reading torture scenes again.

Overall, Shadows and Light is just setup for the final book in the trilogy. I just struggled trying to continue reading this, and that was even after taking a break after reading the first book before jumping into this one. I want to love this, but I can't help but hate it a little bit, even as I enjoyed it. I feel like a walking contradiction when it comes to this book. It was well done, though, and that is sometimes all I really ask of something. show less

I bought this book.

Shadows and Light brings readers back to a world of witches, magic and fae, and a growing evil that threatens them all.

By this book in the series readers know that the witches are really the descendants of the House of Gaian and that when a witch dies, slaughtered by the evil minions of jealousy and twisted magic, the tether to the magical fae land of Tir Alainn is broken and that part of the fae realm is lost.

This book strays from following the witch Ari as a primary character and instead travels with Aiden, The Bard, and Lyrra, The Muse, both exiled from the fae by Dianna and Lucian's rage, as they try to convince the rest of the fae to save the witches to save their world. This volume also introduces new show more characters; Brianna and Liam, half siblings struggle to deal with each other as well as the evil creeping into their land; Ashke and Padrick, fae, and human world baron and baroness as well; and a collection of humans, fae, witches and other who are finding themselves forced to choose sides. Each character is compelling and interesting and likely could carry the story on their own. Combined it leads to an epic, large scale feel as readers form a solid picture of Bishop's world.

Most interesting is Morag, the Gather, Death's Mistress, the one fae with the power of life and death which sets her apart even from the other fae. It also puts her in the position of being the only one who can stop the rotten core of the Black Coats' evil.

This volume also introduces the western fae, who never forgot their roots like Lucian and Dianna have and whole towns where fae and witch are synonymous with neighbor and friend.

Lyrra and Aiden are trying to make the adjustment from the eastern fae and their exile, to the western fae, who are guarded not because of the Bard and Muse's intent but because of the reputation of the eastern fae. They set out on a search for the mysterious Hunter. He may be the only one with enough command and power to counter the damage Dianna and Lucian are doing that threatens to split the fae into their own civil war.

Again Bishop spins a fantastic world, rife with beauty, humor and danger, and populated by fleshy characters struggling to do what's right. The heroism aspect in this volume is its only potential flaw. Despite the glory of Bishop's world there is a very clear cut line between good and evil and characters fall on one side or the other, though some don't realize the full extent of their actions.

The Tir Alainn trilogy remains one of my all-time favorite reads and has, several years after its release, stood up to repeated reads and still delivered a highly enjoyable reading experience. show less

The Bard and the Muse now know what's causing the bridges between the clan homes of Tir Alainn to vanish into mist. Unfortunately, knowing what's causing the problem is one thing. Finding a solution, and managing to convince the remainder of the Fae to go along with the plan is quite another. Far from finding the witches worth protecting, the Fae, although determined to keep the witches in the Old Places, are not disposed to do much of anything to keep them from being slaughtered.

Their one hope is to find the Hunter - which means a dangerous trip into the west. And if they can't find the Hunter, or can't convince him to help... the Fae and the witches may be doomed.

Not a typical middle novel, although this installment bridges the gap show more and builds the action, it's qute a ride along the way. show less

Good read. There are similar elements to the Black Jewels series - strong women, stubborn men, intelligent (opinionated) horses. I have a feeling the third book will be the strongest of this trilogy. This was really a "bridge" book. It laid the foundation for the action and consequences in the last book. All of this is very similar to the Black Jewels story arc.

The Bard Aiden and the Muse Lyrra embark on a dangerous quest to convince the isolated Fae to protect humans and witches from an encroaching evil.

Aiden and Lyrra must travel to find a specific Fae capable of forcing the others to leave their secure, detached, and privileged existence to fight the impending danger. The Inquisition is spreading westward, forcing many to take sides and turning rulers against the witches and the Fae.

I usually love Anne Bishop but this series just does not work for me at all. I find the story confusing and sort of boring and I cannot relate to the characters at all. I feel like this series gets worse as it progresses.