Reviews

A Threat of Shadows by J.A. Andrews

ellyrarg's review against another edition

3.0

A nice distraction-y book. Dove right in, lovely pace enough intrigue to keep things interesting without giving too much away, a few twists I didn’t foresee and some I did (which made me feel smarter than I am). Character wise there was some development, but the way I ripped through I didn’t become overly fond of any of them. I was sad at the switch, though. She was an interesting character.

I ripped through this so quick (because: distraction) but it was a lovely little read. I’m excited about the next instalment.

kaine_'s review against another edition

adventurous hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

catrink's review against another edition

5.0

I rarely rate any book 5 stars, but this first book in a trilogy is wonderful. Sold characters and strong character arcs, well developed plot. All really good fantasy fiction dives into the human heart and this one does. I hope the second book in this story doesn't disappoint! It's pretty clean but it goes deep.

thn001's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

raelie24's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I enjoyed this book (and series) more than I expected.
When I first started reading, I was expecting it to be a grimdark fantasy, which I don’t enjoy. While there certainly are some darker themes, it’s definitely not grim dark. 
I loved the writing style, and the plot, even if I saw some of the twists coming. It was done in a way that I enjoyed.

thebiasedbibliophile's review against another edition

5.0

Alaric is a Keeper, a person with magic who is tasked with protecting the people of Queensland and recording their stories. But after he falls in love, his only concern is to save his wife, and he is willing to do some very un-Keeper-like things to do so. His quest leads him to a ragtag group of treasure hunters, which includes Douglon the dwarf, Gustav the wizard, and Ayda the elf. The group goes on an adventure of a lifetime filled with peril and discovery.

I have to be honest with you; I have a secret…. I’ve never read any of the classic epic fantasy novels…like not a single one. However, after reading A Threat of Shadows, I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t need to because they could never be as good as this book!

You know that feeling when a book is just so fantastic that you don’t have the words to describe it, and you feel like screaming aimlessly and extremely loudly is the only possible way to convey your feelings? Nope, just me? Well, that’s how I felt about this book. I think I’m going to have a book hangover for the rest of my life. 

Okay, okay, I’ll try to put what I liked about the novel into words. First off, the epicness (which is not technically a word, but it should be) of the story is unparalleled. You really feel like you’re going on an adventure with the characters, getting to know them, bonding with them, and feeling their wins and losses as if they were your own. I’m completely convinced that this book is somehow a portal to another universe because there’s no way I was on Earth while reading it.

Additionally, the themes in the novel are extremely powerful. Andrews has an uncanny ability to write strong themes, something I wish we’d see more often in fantasy. The theme of loss is not one I typically seek out in the novels I read, but it was so compelling in this story. Right from the start, you have Alaric, who is facing the loss of his wife. Each character experiences loss in their own unique way, and I absolutely loved what Andrews did with that theme (even though I bawled my eyes out).

Finally, I was moved by the message that our misdeeds do not make us who we are. The idea that we can reach our darkest point and still be redeemable is one that will stick with me for a long time to come. It was an absolutely beautiful message woven through an equally beautiful story. 

*Please note: Spelling of character names might be incorrect because I listened to the audiobook.

solrac1245's review against another edition

adventurous emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

Fun read. A few parts seemed really obvious but there was a couple surprises. The ending felt a little flat but was still nice.

wheelerdavid44's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

tometower's review

3.0

Overall I enjoyed this book and can definitely see it working for a lot of people. I just don’t think it’s the right fit for me.

The world and the overall atmosphere of the book were definitely its strongest points, it almost felt like a classic dungeons and dragons campaign.

I loved the main character Alaric. It was refreshing to have a MC that is 40 years old and had already lived a full live before we met him. Whilst I didn’t dislike the rest of the characters, there wasn’t a whole lot of depth to them. One in particular I would forget about entirely until she was mentioned. This is obviously the first book in a series and could very easily be addressed in the sequels.

There were A WHOLE LOT of ideas thrown into the plot, some of them landed and some of them didn’t. I would recommend this book to people who love plots that are constantly moving with very little down time. I would personally prefer less ideas that are more fleshed out.

goonerette's review against another edition

adventurous dark lighthearted relaxing sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0