Name: Shadowblack
ISBN: 9781471406683

Sebastien de Castell

SORCERY IS A SCAM . . . Four months after fleeing his own people, Kellen has discovered he's an even worse outlaw than he was mage. It doesn't help that his only allies are a swaggering card player and a thieving squirrel cat. Then he meets Seneira, a blindfolded girl who isn't blind, and whose secrets get them caught up in a conspiracy of magic, blackmail and murder. Now Kellen must find the mage responsible before the entire frontier falls victim to the mystical plague known as the shadowblack. Perfect for fans of The Dark Tower, Firefly, Guardians of the Galaxy, Terry Pratchett, Ben Aaronovitch and Jim Butcher. *** 'Magic with a Wild West flavour, served with flair.' Financial Times 'A bucket-load of tension is offset with humour, power struggles, lots of magic and some great characters. Fantasy junkies will devour with relish.' The Guardian 'gloriously escapist fantasy' The Observer

Book Two in the page-turning new fantasy series

Shadowblack

A failed mage turned outlaw must use guile and a handful of spells to challenge a dangerous rival in the second book of an exciting adventure fantasy series from Sebastien de Castell. Forced to live as an outlaw, Kellen relies on his wits and his allies to survive the unforgiving borderlands. When he meets a young woman cursed with a deadly plague, he feels compelled to help. But her secrets draw powerful enemies and it's not long before Kellen is entangled in a conspiracy of blackmail, magic, and murder. As the bodies begin to pile up, Kellen fears he's next. The second novel in a compelling six-book series, bursting with tricks, humor, and a whole new way to look at magic. Spellslinger SeriesSpellslingerShadowblackCharmcaster For more from Sebastien de Castell, check out: The Greatcoats QuartetTraitor's BladeSaint's BloodKnight's ShadowTyrant's Throne

Ariel

** spoiler alert **
           I found that the book did not capture me as much as the first book, and the introduction of the blind girl ( whose name I can't remember) threw the pacing for a loop. I found her to be a little annoying and unnecessary. All in all, what made me dnf it, was the PACING, it made me want to tear my hair out, waiting for it to pick up and I read through HALF the book, hoping that it would pick up, but sadly no.

Melea Mullican

I am really enjoying this series. It is defintely plot driven and action packed. I wish we saw more character development and fleshed out plot lines, but I still enjoy the character's quirky personalities. The writing style is a lot of fun, and the squirrel cat is by far my favorite of them all. He's sassy, yet fluffy and wants to eat your eyeballs? Overall, I think this is a good second book in the series. The pacing is a little off, but I think that will improve the further along we go.

everlinet

It's just super cute and enjoyable read. I loved the first one as well. It's the type of book you need to read when you just want to relax a bit! 3,5*

Sebastien De Castell

A Shadowblack plague is taking hold. It's a few months since Kellen left his people behind. Now 16, Kellen and Reichis have developed something of a reputation for being able to kill unruly mages. So it's no surprise when a wealthy but desperate father asks for their help in hunting down the men who've blackmailed him by putting a deadly curse on his only daughter. But when Kellen realises the girl is showing all the symptoms of the Shadowblack, he starts to wonder if those same mages might be able to cure his own disease for the right price.

Alizée Euphrosine

I was happy to be back in this series with its world and its characters. 

I found it fantastic the way you learn more about the world. It's an easy way to make you discover new spaces, their traditions, history and politic. Also, the new characters that we have are interesting as they have their own stories that intertwine well with the characters we already know. 

Even if you discover an element of the story pretty quickly, it still was surprising and page-turning as you want to know the who, what, and why.

The slight problem I had was the fact that I was lost at some point in the story. I don't know why I was, but this lost feeling helps to be more immersed in the book as you are in the same mental state that Kellen.

I liked a lot the last chapter; it's my favourite one in the book. I can't wait to read the third book of the series. 

Manon van Heumen

Yet again a brilliant book! I don't really remember why I gave the first book only 4 stars, so I'll make sure I change it to five. I really can't wait for the next book.

Lisa Beasley

I loved this book! I love this series. Everything about this book was great. The plot was intriguing and mysterious and definitely kept me hooked. I also like how while it was a contained adventure it also led into a more overarching plot. The character development was great for everybody, Kellen, Ferius and even Reichis had wonderful moments and finding out a little more about Ferius is always welcome as I adore her. Cannot wait for more from this series. 

I was sent an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Edited to add: I still love this book and adore the characters and storyline :)

A failed mage turned outlaw must use guile and a handful of spells to challenge a dangerous rival in the second book of an exciting adventure fantasy series from Sebastien de Castell. With a death sentence hanging over his head, Kellen is forced to abandon his clan and his home. Living as an outlaw, he relies on his wits and allies, the mysterious wanderer Ferius and thieving squirrel cat Reiches, to survive the unforgiving borderlands. Then he meets Seneira, a young woman cursed with a deadly plague by a ruthless mage. Similarly afflicted Kellen is compelled to help, and it's not long before he's entangled in a conspiracy of magic, blackmail and murder. Loyalties are tested as Kellen races to find the mage responsible before he can claim any more victims The second novel in a compelling six-book series, bursting with tricks, humor, and a whole new way to look at magic. Spellslinger SeriesSpellslingerShadowblackCharmcaster For more from Sebastien de Castell, check out: The Greatcoats QuartetTraitor's BladeSaint's BloodKnight's ShadowTyrant's Throne

Shadowblack Book Two in the page-turning new fantasy series

Reviews

Highlights