Name: A Tale of Stars and Shadow
Rating: 4.6 (5 reviews)

Lisa   Cassidy

A Tale of Stars and Shadow

Lisa Cassidy

Dumnorix princess and born warrior, Talyn Dynan was the finest fighter of her generation. With her Callanan partner at her side, she was invincible, reckless, a death-knell to their enemies. But after her partner is torn away from her, Talyn is left broken, wracked with guilt and unable to regain the confidence she once had. Could an unexpected mission to the mysterious country of Mithranar, home of the magical winged folk, be the thing that saves her? Or will the danger and secrets she finds there finally break her completely?

The Shadowhawk lives a life in the shadows. Constantly hunted for his criminal exploits, yet desperate to help the human folk of Mithranar who are oppressed by their winged folk rulers, he haunts the streets of Dock City. The arrival of a foreign warrior threatens to upset the carefully balanced life he leads, but when she begins to offer a hope for the humans he's only ever dreamed of, can he risk trusting her?

And unbeknownst to both, a mysterious foe stalks the dark corners of Dock City. One that answers to a single purpose...

Vengeance.

A Tale of Stars and Shadow #1

Talyn has suffered a great loss and doesn’t feel ready to get back to being a warrior, but her free time runs out and she finds out that she’s being sent to Mithranar on a secret mission, where even she doesn’t know all the details. The Shadowhawk helps the humans living in Mithranar as much as he can because the winged folk don’t concern themselves with those they see as inferior to them.

While this book doesn’t have a romance in it, I loved seeing all the characters get used to each other and create a found family. Talyn’s mission isn’t turning out how she thought it would but she’s going with the orders she has and trains the unlikely recruits to be warriors. They’re all reluctant and untrusting, but it was great seeing them slowly open up and work together.

I liked Talyn’s character. I was unsure about the Shadowhawk, but my initial suspicions turned out to be right (Cuinn is the Shadowhawk and the only thing that made me hesitate was that glamour magic was never mentioned in the book, so I didn’t know how it was possible that he looked like a human).

At the beginning, Talyn seems to be in a casual relationship with someone which I wasn’t sure about, but since she leaves to go to a different kingdom it didn’t bother me. Also, she doesn’t seem to be interested in anyone in this book, so her not talking about her relationship to the guy in more depth was fine.

The plot was really interesting, and I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next because this book ends on a cliffhanger. What’s the reason for the Callanan’s interest in the Shadowhawk? Who is Cuinn’s father? Will Zamaril and Corrin’s Callanan potential be talked about in more detail? Will Tiercelin get the chance to go back to the Wolves? What’s the Queen’s agenda? Who was Talyn’s father when he lived in Mithranar?

I really liked this book.

Talyn has suffered a great loss and doesn’t feel ready to get back to being a warrior, but her free time runs out and she finds out that she’s being sent to Mithranar on a secret mission, where even she doesn’t know all the details. The Shadowhawk helps the humans living in Mithranar as much as he can because the winged folk don’t concern themselves with those they see as inferior to them.

While this book doesn’t have a romance in it, I loved seeing all the characters get used to each other and create a found family. Talyn’s mission isn’t turning out how she thought it would but she’s going with the orders she has and trains the unlikely recruits to be warriors. They’re all reluctant and untrusting, but it was great seeing them slowly open up and work together.

I liked Talyn’s character. I was unsure about the Shadowhawk, but my initial suspicions turned out to be right (Cuinn is the Shadowhawk and the only thing that made me hesitate was that glamour magic was never mentioned in the book, so I didn’t know how it was possible that he looked like a human).

At the beginning, Talyn seems to be in a casual relationship with someone which I wasn’t sure about, but since she leaves to go to a different kingdom it didn’t bother me. Also, she doesn’t seem to be interested in anyone in this book, so her not talking about her relationship to the guy in more depth was fine.

The plot was really interesting, and I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next because this book ends on a cliffhanger. What’s the reason for the Callanan’s interest in the Shadowhawk? Who is Cuinn’s father? Will Zamaril and Corrin’s Callanan potential be talked about in more detail? Will Tiercelin get the chance to go back to the Wolves? What’s the Queen’s agenda? Who was Talyn’s father when he lived in Mithranar?

A Tale of Stars and Shadow

Reviews

Highlights