Sebastien de Castell

'One hell of a good book' Conn Iggulden The Greatcoats have found the heir to the throne . . . but now they must keep her alive, against all the odds. Falcio Val Mond has completed the final task given to him by the late King Paelis: he has found the King's Charoites (well, one at least). But his task isn't over, and now he, Kest and Brasti must protect the girl from those her want her dead. That would be simple enough, if it weren't for the renegade Knights and legendary Dashini assassins, getting in their way, not to mention the Dukes, who are desperate to hold on to their power at any cost, or Trin, the merciless daughter of the ruthless Duke of Rijou and the cruel Duchess of Hervor, who is determined to be Queen of Tristia. Of course, the fact that the heir to the throne is thirteen years old doesn't help, nor the fact that every day brings Falcio closer to dying from the poison running through his veins. And then there is the Greatcoats Lament . . .

The Greatcoats Book 2

Knight's Shadow

Janice Hopper

I kinda hate to say this, but as much as I liked the first book is how much I DIDN'T like this book. 

It went on for a REALLY long time, and contained ANOTHER extended torture session that the character just seemed to shrug off. There's a handwaving explanation for why that should be, but it strained my credulity that he could just walk away from that kind of abuse.

So: disappointed. Characters are still likeable, but getting tedious now too.

2.5 stars, rounded up.

Tristia is a nation overcome by intrigue and corruption. The idealistic young King Paelis is dead and the Greatcoats - legendary travelling magistrates who brought justice to the Kingdom - have been branded as traitors. But just before his head was impaled on a spike, the King swore each of his hundred and forty-four Greatcoats to a different mission. Falcio Val Mond, First Cantor, with the help of fellow Greatcoats Kest and Brasti, has completed his King's final task: he has found his Charoites - well, one at least, and she was not quite what they expected. Now they must protect the girl from the many who would see her dead, and place her on the throne of a lawless kingdom. That would be simple enough, if it weren't for the Daishini, an equally legendary band of assassins, getting in their way, not to forget the Dukes who are determined to hold on to their fractured Kingdoms, or the fact that the heir to the throne is only thirteen years old. Oh, and the poison that is slowly killing Falcio. That's not even mentioning the Greatcoat's Lament...

Bergen Anders Nelson Eickhoff

There are some books that are worth staying up far too late into the night to finish. This is one of those books.

Aleena Korell

There's something just so surprisingly compelling about this series. 
It could be just another (quality) swashbuckling story-- de Castell is a fight choreographer, so the swordplay and battle scenes (as well as dialogue) are like something straight out of the Princess Bride. But there's something more here that makes it more than just another Three Musketeers remake. 

The first strange thing is that our main characters are serving a dead king and his cause. They're carrying out his dying wishes-- which in Traitor's Blade, we discover, include finding and protecting his heir, and putting her on the throne. It's an interesting take on loyalty; we never get to meet the King to which our heroes are loyal except in occasional flashbacks. But for Falcio especially, the king was a beloved friend, and he would do anything to uphold his wishes-- no matter how crazy they might seem. And through Falcio's deep love for King Paelis, we come to love him as well.

Falcio, Kest, and Brasti have one of the best bromances out there. Their friendship is perhaps on par with Locke Lamora and Jean Tannen, which is a classic bromance in my book. The banter and compatibility and love they have for each other is entertaining to read, but what's even more compelling is the fact that Falcio-- our lovable MC, isn't the best at everything. In fact, he fails. Often. And when he succeeds, it's often accidental, or because of his friends' support. Kest is the best swordsman, and Brasti is the womanizer (not to mention the funniest). But Falcio is the most passionate, and so they follow him.

The bromance may rock, but all of the characters interactions are fascinating and entertaining. There are some wonderful female characters who are not by any means overshadowed by our main trio of bros. The Tailor is always delightful to read and delivers some of the best zingers I've heard in a while. Valiana shows surprising depth coming out of the last installment when she was basically a spoiled brat. And Dariana is enjoyably elusive and somehow always surprisingly violent.

The most enjoyable thing about de Castell's writing is that he has no qualms about throwing his characters into utterly horrible situations. Falcio went to some dark places in the first installment, but it seems to me that de Castell pushes him even further in this one. There are plenty of great twists that surprised me. And Falcio's unbreakable attitude and propensity to talk his way out of impossible situations are still as compelling as they were the first time around. 

As with the first book, the only complaint I have about Knight's Shadow is the love interest. Ethalia and Falcio met, like, once ever and are deeply in love? Uh. Ok. Sorry, but I don't care about Ethalia. She does get better in this book, because she actually does one or two things, but I still don't buy their "epic love." But I do like that they allow each other to be themselves, and don't expect the other to give up who they are in order to be together. 

No second book syndrome whatsoever here. Definitely continuing with this series.

Lea de Sousa

3/5 ⭐ 

It's the end of the road for me and this series I'm afraid. The areas I found lacking in the first book were only amplified further in this one. Mainly the lack of character depth (Ethalia, uugh) and continuous pushing of the bravado and jibes from the good guys who will never lose. After two books I can clearly see that the next two will be a continuation of the blind heroism of the three-musketeers-vibe gang trying to save a country that isn't worth saving. 

My favourite part of this book: The fight scenes! I hate conflict so this means a lot. The scenes are so vivid it's like de Castell manages to transport the reader into the fight itself.


My least favourite part: That insanely long torture scene. I'll be honest and say I skimmed through those pages.


But as I said in my review of the first book: it is good, it is readable and it keeps you interested! It's just too predictable and lightweight for what I'm in the mood for right now.

Sebastien De Castell

Tristia is a nation riven by intrigue and corruption - its idealistic young king is dead and its heroes, the Greatcoats, have been disbanded and branded traitors - but that doesn't mean Falcio, Kest and Brasti no longer have a mission. Falcio Val Mond has completed the final task given to him by King Paelis: he has found the King's Charoites (well, one at least), and now he, Kest and Brasti must protect the girl from those her want her dead. That would be simple enough, if it weren't for the Dashini, the legendary assassins, getting in their way, not to mention the Dukes, who are desperate to hold on to their power at any cost, or Trin, the daughter of the ruthless Duke of Rijou and the cruel Duchess of Hervor, who is determined to be Queen of Tristia. Of course, the fact that the heir to the throne is thirteen years old doesn't help, nor the fact that Falcio is slowly dying of poison. And then there is the Greatcoats Lament...

Crystal Counterman

HOLY CRAP!!! Such a good read! I LOVE this series! ❤️

Lisa Beasley

Oh my god. Well that was intense. I wanted to hug Falcio so much and just protect him from the world. A lot of moments that had me holding my breath as well as on the verge of tears and then laughing and rolling my eyes at other points. I adore the characters and world Sebastien has created and cannot wait to continue.

Lucy Richards 

Phoenix

Hana 

Michael Pejin

Keagan Hilliard

Tetiana Bilokin

Vince Nguyen

Xavier Roy

Mahit

Kathleen Boyle

Sebastian de Castell

Following his beloved debut, Traitor's Blade, Sebastien de Castell returns with volume two of his fast-paced fantasy adventure series, inspired by the swashbuckling action and witty banter of The Three Musketeers. Knight's Shadow continues the series with a thrilling and dark tale of heroism and betrayal in a country crushed under the weight of its rulers' corruption. A few days after the horrifying murder of a duke and his family, Falcio val Mond, swordsman and First Cantor of the Greatcoats, begins a deadly pursuit to capture the killer. But Falcio soon discovers his own life is in mortal danger from a poison administered as a final act of revenge by one of his deadliest enemies. As chaos and civil war begin to overtake the country, Falcio has precious little time left to stop those determined to destroy his homeland.

Judy McClure

Jenna Kathleen

Kareema A Godhrawala

Emily Booth

Ruud Gras

Falcio val Mond is the first Cantor of the Greatcoats. Trained in the fighting arts and the laws of Tristia, the Greatcoats are travelling Magisters upholding King's Law. They are heroes. Or at least they were, until they stood aside while the Dukes took the kingdom and then began fighting among themselves. The horrifying murder of a duke and his family sends Falcio in a deadly pursuit to capture the killer. But Falcio soon discovers his own life is in mortal danger from a poison administered as a final act of revenge by one of his deadliest enemies. As chaos and civil war begin to overtake the country, Falcio has precious little time left to stop those determined to destroy his homeland.

Knight's Shadow The Greatcoats Book 2

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