Scan barcode
A review by mollymortensen
Shadow Magic by Joshua Khan
5.0
My Summary:
Thorn was a slave who was bought by the executioner for the Shadow family.
The Shadow family are known for their strong necromancy magic, but girls are forbidden from learning it.
Lily is the last of the Shadow family. At only 13 she's now in charge of the kingdom. To save her people from a war she's to marry her enemy.
My Review:
How awesome is that cover?! There are also illustrations throughout the book.
The good:
This was the author's first book, but it doesn't show. This book is well written and a quick fun read. It was rather predictable for me, but I didn't mind.
We start with Thorn's story and it took me a bit to warm up to him. He's a bit rough around the edges and he doesn't trust easily. I liked Lily right away though. A strong willed tomboy who dreams of welding magic is my kind of character!
The side characters were all good too. Is it wrong that my favorite was the executioner? He was just so tough!
One thing I enjoy about middle grade is the pets and Shadow Magic has one of the best! I just loved Hades! (But I am an oddball who likes bats.)
The world was interesting. I liked how the different kingdoms each had an element they related to. I'm a sucker for characters that are thought evil, but aren't. (Which is what initially drew me to this book. That and Riordan's blurb.) I might hate zombies, but I love necromancy. The necromancy is done more as a magical magic rather than the structured kind with rules.
There was a bit of humor. The kind kids will appreciate, like when the pompous Prince falls in poo. There were also some cute exchanges between Lily and Thorn.
Though most of the book was predictable, there were enough mysteries going to keep me interested and I liked how everything wrapped up. There is going to be a sequel! (Though this book could easily stand alone.) I can't wait to find out what's next!
Point of View: Third Person (Thorn, Lily)
Series: Yes! The sequel's called Dream Magic!
Predictability: 5 out of 5 (Where 1 is totally unpredictable and 5 is I knew what was going to happen way ahead of time.)
Source: NetGalley
Thorn was a slave who was bought by the executioner for the Shadow family.
The Shadow family are known for their strong necromancy magic, but girls are forbidden from learning it.
Lily is the last of the Shadow family. At only 13 she's now in charge of the kingdom. To save her people from a war she's to marry her enemy.
My Review:
How awesome is that cover?! There are also illustrations throughout the book.
The good:
This was the author's first book, but it doesn't show. This book is well written and a quick fun read. It was rather predictable for me, but I didn't mind.
We start with Thorn's story and it took me a bit to warm up to him. He's a bit rough around the edges and he doesn't trust easily. I liked Lily right away though. A strong willed tomboy who dreams of welding magic is my kind of character!
The side characters were all good too. Is it wrong that my favorite was the executioner? He was just so tough!
One thing I enjoy about middle grade is the pets and Shadow Magic has one of the best! I just loved Hades! (But I am an oddball who likes bats.)
The world was interesting. I liked how the different kingdoms each had an element they related to. I'm a sucker for characters that are thought evil, but aren't. (Which is what initially drew me to this book. That and Riordan's blurb.) I might hate zombies, but I love necromancy. The necromancy is done more as a magical magic rather than the structured kind with rules.
There was a bit of humor. The kind kids will appreciate, like when the pompous Prince falls in poo. There were also some cute exchanges between Lily and Thorn.
Though most of the book was predictable, there were enough mysteries going to keep me interested and I liked how everything wrapped up. There is going to be a sequel! (Though this book could easily stand alone.) I can't wait to find out what's next!
Point of View: Third Person (Thorn, Lily)
Series: Yes! The sequel's called Dream Magic!
Predictability: 5 out of 5 (Where 1 is totally unpredictable and 5 is I knew what was going to happen way ahead of time.)
Source: NetGalley