Lee is a petty thief and accomplished tracker who has always put herself first in a life that has been crushing and unforgiving. Tala is a seasoned,ĭisciplined soldier, who smiles little and trusts no one, and keeping JimuroĪlive may be the hardest thing she will ever do but she will do everything in And she isĪlso now the person responsible for Jimuro’s safety. Secret who can change everything everyone knows about shadepacting. The worst of war, and who lost her entire family to Jimuro’s army. Jimuro is a young, earnest leader who genuinely cares for his people and who just wants to do better but also maybe doesn’t yet fully grasp the extent of the crimes his family committed because he thinks it was all very civilised. After being kept a war prisoner and prolonged peace talks, the Prince is finally able to return home to be crowned and to start the healing process across nations. A revolution has brought down his kingdom’s rule after decades of conquest and subjugation.
Prince Jimuro of Tomoda is the last surviving member of his royal family. We have the characters, the true heroes of this saga. Meanwhile, the people from Tomoda, can bend and forge Calling out a shade makes it solid until you ask it Islands create a shared, consensual bond with the spirit of an animal whoīecomes part of one’s soul. Shadepacting is when a Shang or someone from the Sanbu Is at the heart of the story, a story that also has a history of Firsts in a Humiliation and annihilation of the defeated as some desire or an attempt at politicsĪnd diplomacy based on mutual understanding and a spirit of cooperation? Issues of colonialism and what happens after the empire is defeated and theĬolonisers are gone but not completely destroyed. Hurt and reeling over everything that has been lost. A war that has ravaged different nations, left people Reading gods have deemed me worthy of reading in 2019. SteelĬrow Saga by Paul Krueger is another brilliant and beautiful book that the How did I get this book: Review copy from publisherĭecemrolls in, I am certain this year will go down in history as myįavourite reading year since the start of The Book Smugglers, 11 years ago.
Stand alone or series: Stand alone (?!) (NOOOOOO) In this battle, they will forge unexpected bonds of friendship and love that will change their lives-and begin to change the world. This band of rogues and royals should all be enemies, but they unite for a common purpose: to defeat an unstoppable killer who defies the laws of magic. But when Princess Xiulan asks her to be her partner in crime-and offers her a magical animal companion as a reward-she can’t say no, and soon finds she doesn’t want to leave the princess behind. Lee is a small-time criminal who lives by only one law: Leave them before they leave you. She’s a princess in disguise, and she plans to secure her throne by presenting her father with the ultimate prize: the world’s most wanted prince.
Xiulan is an eccentric, pipe-smoking detective who can solve any mystery-but the biggest mystery of all is her true identity. Now Tala will be his redemption-or his downfall. But it was his army who murdered her family. Now that the revolution has brought down his kingdom, he must depend on Tala to bring him home safe. Jimuro has inherited the ashes of an empire. But the empress’s crimes don’t haunt her half as much as the crimes Tala has committed against the laws of magic… and her own flesh and blood.
Tala lost her family to the empress’s army and has spent her life avenging them in battle. Four destinies collide in a unique fantasy world of war and wonders, where empire is won with enchanted steel and magical animal companions fight alongside their masters in battle.