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A review by nooralshanti
Between the Shade and the Shadow by Coleman Alexander
5.0
Between the Shade and the Shadow by Coleman Alexander is a unique fantasy novel that has excellent characterization, wonderful world-building, and is full of action that had very personal stakes. Basically, it's awesome and has certainly earned a place among the best books I've read this year - and in the past few years, really. I think you should all go read it so I'll try to keep my review as spoiler-free as possible.
The main character Ahraia is a spriteling who lives with her family in the depths of woods. In order to grow into a full-fledged sprite and gain the status and acceptance that comes with that she has to go through a process of training that ends with her sprite test. As Ahraia progresses along this path she starts to uncover some of the mysteries of her society and the woods they live in and she faces some very difficult decisions when she starts to question whether her people's ways are right. This growing understanding of how her society works and her discovery of some of the dark secrets of the people around her is extremely well-written and it brought a wonderful moral and introspective dimension to all the action and danger. It created some moments of heartache and some very personal stakes as Ahraia discovered betrayals, fought against dangers, and struggled between doing what she felt was right or just giving in to her society's ways and losing a part of herself. It's very rare to see these kinds of elements so well-written.
One of my favourite things about reading fantasy is the world-building and this book delivered such a well-built and unique world. If the sprites (and younger spritelings) are exposed to light it scars their skin so seeing the world from their eyes is great because it's all coloured by their perspective in some really cool ways. To them, the time to rest and shelter in their homes is the daytime and the time to be out and about is during the darkest hours of the night. Even the moonlight or human fires can harm them, but the sun is so feared that they literally call it the Dae-mon. There are all kinds of other little interesting tidbits like this that I loved discovering and it made for a very unique setting.
The sprites have magic, of course. They have the power to make bindings, literally using their minds to influence the living things around them. So Ahraia's first task on the road to becoming a full sprite is to bind a creature to her that will become a companion and help her train to make stronger bindings. This bond makes for an excellent relationship between Ahraia and her shadow. It also made for some great action scenes where Ahraia had to use her ability to bind things in order to try and escape from danger. There were also many creepy and dangerous situations she got into when she ran into bindings made by other sprites and had to fight against their control. I really loved this magic system because it gave the character so much potential, but also put obstacles in her way and put her and those she loved in real danger.
The story is told from Ahraia's point of view, but it's full of so many interesting characters including her shadow Losna, her family members, various evil sprite characters that betray or threaten her, and some humans and elves she comes across. Each of these characters feels real and has their own motivations and thoughts and realistic actions. Even the few little animals that Ahraia formed fleeting bonds with and only showed up for a paragraph or two had their own personalities and just made the story that much richer.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book, especially if you enjoy fantasy or if you're looking for something unique. And I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for more books by this author and especially in this world!
The main character Ahraia is a spriteling who lives with her family in the depths of woods. In order to grow into a full-fledged sprite and gain the status and acceptance that comes with that she has to go through a process of training that ends with her sprite test. As Ahraia progresses along this path she starts to uncover some of the mysteries of her society and the woods they live in and she faces some very difficult decisions when she starts to question whether her people's ways are right. This growing understanding of how her society works and her discovery of some of the dark secrets of the people around her is extremely well-written and it brought a wonderful moral and introspective dimension to all the action and danger. It created some moments of heartache and some very personal stakes as Ahraia discovered betrayals, fought against dangers, and struggled between doing what she felt was right or just giving in to her society's ways and losing a part of herself. It's very rare to see these kinds of elements so well-written.
One of my favourite things about reading fantasy is the world-building and this book delivered such a well-built and unique world. If the sprites (and younger spritelings) are exposed to light it scars their skin so seeing the world from their eyes is great because it's all coloured by their perspective in some really cool ways. To them, the time to rest and shelter in their homes is the daytime and the time to be out and about is during the darkest hours of the night. Even the moonlight or human fires can harm them, but the sun is so feared that they literally call it the Dae-mon. There are all kinds of other little interesting tidbits like this that I loved discovering and it made for a very unique setting.
The sprites have magic, of course. They have the power to make bindings, literally using their minds to influence the living things around them. So Ahraia's first task on the road to becoming a full sprite is to bind a creature to her that will become a companion and help her train to make stronger bindings. This bond makes for an excellent relationship between Ahraia and her shadow. It also made for some great action scenes where Ahraia had to use her ability to bind things in order to try and escape from danger. There were also many creepy and dangerous situations she got into when she ran into bindings made by other sprites and had to fight against their control. I really loved this magic system because it gave the character so much potential, but also put obstacles in her way and put her and those she loved in real danger.
The story is told from Ahraia's point of view, but it's full of so many interesting characters including her shadow Losna, her family members, various evil sprite characters that betray or threaten her, and some humans and elves she comes across. Each of these characters feels real and has their own motivations and thoughts and realistic actions. Even the few little animals that Ahraia formed fleeting bonds with and only showed up for a paragraph or two had their own personalities and just made the story that much richer.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book, especially if you enjoy fantasy or if you're looking for something unique. And I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for more books by this author and especially in this world!