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megatza 's review for:
Shadowheart
by Laura Kinsale
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Shadowheart is the sequel to For My Lady's Heart (one of my top books of 2024!). It takes place years later; Allegreto is no longer the spiteful youthful boy courtier Melanthe kept by her side, but a grown pirate and master of his own domain. Elayne, who we met as a child in the epilogue of FMLH, is a young woman learning her own place in the courtly intrigues of Richard II's reign and her own birthright as a powerful key to an important city-state.
I've been deep in the medieval world this week, and Shadowheart feels deeply tied to the historical context. Elayne's native Monteverde is an invented Italian city-state, but this era saw the rise of many such economically powerful city-states vying for power throughout the region, and I love the way Kinsale imagines the rise of power for a woman to rule such a realm. The way Kinsale focuses on the politics, infighting, and courtly persuasion, makes this one of my favorite styles of historical romance.
That said, the book itself is complicated. Allegreto was always a deeply flawed character - he's up there on the list of tortured sad boi heroes for Kinsale - and seeing him as a complicated anti-hero and mastermind was not as satisfying as I had hoped. He's extravagant and manipulative, and also cruel. He's directly cruel to his heroine, Elayne (CW: SA!!) and he's cruel to children on-page. (Don't worry, he mostly has a redemption arc.) Elayne is in love with one man, promised to another, and then captured by Allegreto - and all three of those men play a key role in the plot of the book. She's a strong character, and we see how she grows into her power as well as her understanding of love. But she does fall for Allegreto rather quickly and without much explanation. One day she's his captive and married to him mostly against her will, and the next she's taking control of him in the bedroom and suddenly she thinks she loves him. We're in Elayne's head for the majority of the book, and yet, I didn't understand all of her choices and emotions. The central romantic relationship proved challenging for me to fully engage and enjoy.
Kinsale completionists, anti-hero aficionados, and lovers of medieval romance, pick this one up. It was published in 2004, and yet has one of the "oldest school feels" of Kinsales books that I've read to date, from the plot to the hero. I liked a lot of it, but recommend with reservations to most readers.
I've been deep in the medieval world this week, and Shadowheart feels deeply tied to the historical context. Elayne's native Monteverde is an invented Italian city-state, but this era saw the rise of many such economically powerful city-states vying for power throughout the region, and I love the way Kinsale imagines the rise of power for a woman to rule such a realm. The way Kinsale focuses on the politics, infighting, and courtly persuasion, makes this one of my favorite styles of historical romance.
That said, the book itself is complicated. Allegreto was always a deeply flawed character - he's up there on the list of tortured sad boi heroes for Kinsale - and seeing him as a complicated anti-hero and mastermind was not as satisfying as I had hoped. He's extravagant and manipulative, and also cruel. He's directly cruel to his heroine, Elayne (CW: SA!!) and he's cruel to children on-page. (Don't worry, he mostly has a redemption arc.) Elayne is in love with one man, promised to another, and then captured by Allegreto - and all three of those men play a key role in the plot of the book. She's a strong character, and we see how she grows into her power as well as her understanding of love. But she does fall for Allegreto rather quickly and without much explanation. One day she's his captive and married to him mostly against her will, and the next she's taking control of him in the bedroom and suddenly she thinks she loves him. We're in Elayne's head for the majority of the book, and yet, I didn't understand all of her choices and emotions. The central romantic relationship proved challenging for me to fully engage and enjoy.
Kinsale completionists, anti-hero aficionados, and lovers of medieval romance, pick this one up. It was published in 2004, and yet has one of the "oldest school feels" of Kinsales books that I've read to date, from the plot to the hero. I liked a lot of it, but recommend with reservations to most readers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: War