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A review by dawson001
Shadowblade by Anna Kashina
5.0
In her newest epic fantasy novel, SHADOWBLADE, Anna Kashina mixes sword fighting, political intrigue, and romance with practiced finesse. Her action scenes are beautifully written with a skill few authors can replicate. The sword fighting is never tedious, never too complicated to follow. It’s also integral to the story.
The main character, Naia, is a seventeen-year-old orphan with the sun-kissed eyes of the Challimar, given over to the Jaihar Order because of her affinity for swords. She hopes to attain an elite Jai rank, but circumstances and prejudiced trainers keep her dreams out of reach.
Her luck changes when she meets two men, one who has kept an eye on her since she was orphaned as an infant, the other a handsome elite Shadowblade - the highest rank among the Jaihar Order. One guides her toward her destiny while the other sets her on the path to becoming a fellow Shadowblade. Both encounters change her life forever.
The romance in SHADOWBLADE is a slow burn, teasing the characters and the reader throughout the novel. It’s enough to pull a reader through the book if sword fighting isn’t their cup of tea. The politics are integral, though like the romance, it takes time to heat up. What doesn’t take time is the connection with the main character.
This is definitely a character-driven fantasy, with a main character that pulls the reader in and holds them close. And while Naia isn’t the only point-of-view in this book, all the characters are fully-developed and interesting. Their motivations are engaging, and Ms. Kashina weaves them into a strong storyline with an intriguing plot.
I’d be interested in a sequel, but this is an excellent stand-alone novel. I’d read anything by this author and recommend her work to anyone who loves the sword and sorcery sub-genre of fantasy. She excels at writing books involving sword-fighting heroines and romance.
The main character, Naia, is a seventeen-year-old orphan with the sun-kissed eyes of the Challimar, given over to the Jaihar Order because of her affinity for swords. She hopes to attain an elite Jai rank, but circumstances and prejudiced trainers keep her dreams out of reach.
Her luck changes when she meets two men, one who has kept an eye on her since she was orphaned as an infant, the other a handsome elite Shadowblade - the highest rank among the Jaihar Order. One guides her toward her destiny while the other sets her on the path to becoming a fellow Shadowblade. Both encounters change her life forever.
The romance in SHADOWBLADE is a slow burn, teasing the characters and the reader throughout the novel. It’s enough to pull a reader through the book if sword fighting isn’t their cup of tea. The politics are integral, though like the romance, it takes time to heat up. What doesn’t take time is the connection with the main character.
This is definitely a character-driven fantasy, with a main character that pulls the reader in and holds them close. And while Naia isn’t the only point-of-view in this book, all the characters are fully-developed and interesting. Their motivations are engaging, and Ms. Kashina weaves them into a strong storyline with an intriguing plot.
I’d be interested in a sequel, but this is an excellent stand-alone novel. I’d read anything by this author and recommend her work to anyone who loves the sword and sorcery sub-genre of fantasy. She excels at writing books involving sword-fighting heroines and romance.