this was a great book! I enjoyed the blend of fantasy and sci-fi. It felt so realistic and yet drew me into a fantastical world full of high speed chases, and a wide range of interesting characters! Overall, recommend!

Shadowblade by Anna Kashina is a straightforward second-world fantasy featuring fabulous weaponry, intrigue, and instalove enlivened a bit because the warrior participants think it’s a really bad idea. The plot follows the heroine’s ascent from being a bullied sword student to a major actor in a plot to overturn the empire. My favorite part was that the heroine experiences swordfights with the hero as the best thing ever.

Just as there are times when I go into a book, really looking forward to it and I end up disappointed, there are also times when I start a book with a bit of trepidation and wind up really liking it. The latter is the experience I had with Anna Kashina's <em>Shadowblade</em>.

Naia is a young woman who would love to join the ranks of the elite Jaihar and become a Blademaster. Her natural talent is evident but so is her temper. When she assaults one of her tutors she suspects her dreams of becoming a Blademaster are completely dashed. What she doesn't know is that Dal Gassan, head of the Daljeer Circle, has been watching her and has special plans for the young girl. She is to be trained as a Jaihar and then impersonate the legendary Princess Xarimet of Challimar and lay claim as the legitimate heir to the throne.

Jai Karrim, the top Blademaster in the Jaihar (and one awfully sexy man, to whom Naia has long been attracted), will train her and then be her escort (and Dal Gassan's insurance that Naia won't try to keep the throne once she gets it). What could go wrong?

In many ways this book is a YA "Mary Sue" novel (Google the term if you don't know what I mean). But otherwise this has just about everything it needs to be an exciting read. It's got action - lots and lots of fighting (mostly training, but not entirely), some mystery and intrigue, betrayal, a few twists and turns in the plot, and romance and sex. I didn't need the explicit sex - something a little more discreet and private seemed more in line with the characters and story. It also struck me that everything about the sex, and her partner, were <em>perfect</em>.

But overall I really enjoyed this story. I really liked the character of Naia - brassy but determined, with a natural gift. I even liked Karrim, even though he seemed unrealistically perfect. Of course that would be one of the attractions in a Mary Sue story - the perfect man who treats the main female character, well, perfectly.

The betrayal wasn't too much of a surprise, though the reasons for it were.

It would seem to me that we're only beginning a longer story here, but this book is a complete book (beginning, middle, end) and is very satisfying.

Looking for a good book? <em>Shadowblade</em> by Anna Kashina is a very exciting YA fantasy. The main characters don't seem to have any flaws - which is actually a little bit boring - but it is a fun, quick read.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. A great story. So long story short: action packed, strong female lead, and entirely addicting book - that ended up leaving me wanting more. Everyone needs to read this book.

I received a copy of this for review from Netgalley.

4 stars. Really enjoyed the characters and the storyline. I found the romance a bit meh and the ending was predictable but it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment. Will definitely continue this series.

The worldbuilding was great, the protagonist was very interesting too. I do wish that the book wasn't so rushed. I liked learning about the world and the story within it but I do think eventhough fast paced it did feel a little rushed nearing the end.

Great world building. Syrong female lead character. And a very fast paced story. Although I found the ending a little bit rushed.

Protagonist Naia is a feisty, interesting character but there was very little background on her, which was disappointing. This book is fun, fast-paced, with a lot of great twists! However, it does have insta-love for Naia, and the ending was a bit rushed.

I received this via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved it guys. This book was just what I wanted It to be. The world building was fun. The characters were very well flushed out. I loved the plot of this. I can not wait to read more by this author. I highly recommend this book.

I loved the original concept of this plot. The heroine is part of an elaborate scheme and poses as the long lost heir to the throne. However, the love at first sight aspect of the story was unbelievable and unrealistic. It felt contrived and rushed, undermining the other solid elements. The secondary character development fell short as well.
There were several grammatical errors, primarily in sentence structure, and word choices that did not fit into the context of the paragraph.

I’ve always found swordfights terribly romantic.

And not even in like, the Romantic sense of the word. (Which I studied and therefore hated a lot in school, but rediscovered a weird love for it once I was out and about in a literary world dominated by a bunch of grimdark BS.)

But maybe it’s my weird love of the battle-couple trope, or recognizing that a good swordfight is like a good tango, but there it is. Just bared a bit of my soul there. Once of these days I’ll publish something and you’ll remember this and think, “Oh yeah. Huh. Should’ve known to expect that.”

You know who else likes mixing swordfights and dancing? Anna Kashina!

You know who I talked to about her new book? Anna Kashina!


SHADOWBLADE is a brand new universe that differs from her previous trilogy. Our protagonist Naia has only one dream: to be a Jaihar blademaster. We follow her journey through her victories and setbacks as we see the inner mechinations of the the Jaihar order.

There’s drama, there’s romance, there’s a good tension that keeps you on the edge of your seat in a “will they/won’t they?” sort of a way. Questions in desperate need to be answered, stories in desperate need to be told – y’all know how it goes.

Look y’all, I’ll be honest. This isn’t a book I’m dying to analyze. I don’t want to pick it to pieces and discover the secret to storymaking in its innards. You know what this book makes me want to do? It makes me want to set up my hammock and deck umbrella, slather on some sunscreen and bugspray (because I’m the whitest kid you know and burn quicker than a cheese beneath a broiler), and camp out to read this book in one sitting.

I’m not joking. I absolutely adore this book for the sheer feeling of summertime reading it gives me. It harkens back to my high school days of finally being free for the summer and eating my weight in sunflower seeds while at camp, or being cramped in the backset of the family car for a day trip to Kansas City for Worlds of Fun. Maybe my feelings are colored by the sheer fact that it’s starting to finally warm up in Omaha, maybe not. But this book has such a delightfully summer vibe to it that I can’t help but enjoy it.

(Please note that my other absolute “summer vibe” is The Stand, so your mileage may vary and all that jazz.)

So TL;DR: this is a fantastic book, and Anna is a fantastic person for sitting down and chatting with me about it, and this is 10/10 a book to pack in your bag for camp, a roadtrip, or a suntanning session on your porch. Check out Anna’s interview with me on iTunes, Spotify, or Awesound!

So you want to stage a soft-coup and manipulate the succession, but you have one problem: you need some kind of plausible heir. Fortunately for you, about 17 years ago you encountered a baby at the same time there was a royal massacre, and well, you know, one thing led to another, and you ended up stashing her with some super skilled warrior so she would grow up all big and strong. Also, you read this play called Anastasia you found lying around near that weird door that leads to another dimension, and it gave you some ideas….

This is basically the plot of Shadowblade (minus the multi-dimensional shenanigans, sorry to say). Anna Kashina tells the story of a young woman, Naia, manipulated by old, ambitious men (and one old, perhaps even more ambitious woman) to take over the empire—albeit temporarily. Along the way, she has to learn to be more confident in herself. Because as the overarching plan goes awry, Naia finds it necessary to step in and fill the gaps with her own ideas. That doesn’t make anyone happy! And there are fight scenes. And sex too. Thanks to Angry Robot and NetGalley for the eARC.

I’m going to jump right into the things I disliked about this book.

There’s way too much telling versus showing happening here. We’re told that the emperor is a bad dude and that his heir is also a bad dude—but we never actually meet the emperor. Conversely, we’re supposed to take Dal Gassan at his word that he has the empire’s best interests at heart—but aside from knowing that he’s a healer, we only really ever see him interacting with Naia, with some of the Jaihar, etc.

Kashina has created, frankly, an intriguing world here. I like how she weaves together the disparate cultural elements of Challimar, the Jaihar, the Daljeer, etc. It’s creative and fun and interesting, and I want to know more. Yet for all of these ideas, Shadowblade’s narrative scope is frustratingly shallow. The pacing and plot are almost so spare that we seldom get to see the characters do anything other than move the story forward by conversing about politics or having some cool battles. Perhaps the closest we get are some nice scenes between Naia and Karim near the beginning of the book where they spar and then go for dinner and he basically gives her a pep talk while he tries to figure out if she’s worth keeping in the order. For the most part, however, we move forward because a select few people tell us we need to move forward with this secret plot, without ever really giving us much reason to trust them other than the fact the book is following their point of view….

Content notice for somewhat graphic sex scenes as well. The romantic subplot here is predictable; however, Kashina at least makes its development gradual enough to feel more believable. Romance (and especially) sex don’t do much for me personally in these books, though, so I skimmed those parts. Just a heads-up if you’re not a fan of that stuff. I do like, however, that the older character at least attempts to consider the power imbalance created by their age and position (although the power imbalance created by position actually changes by the end of the book, interestingly enough).

Even with regards to that relationship, though, Kashina might have explored more deeply. That’s my overall critique of Shadowblade: it has so many opportunities to get deeper and even more interesting, but it never manages to take the plunge.

So why read this book? Well, Kashina knows how to write combat. She focuses both on what the characters do as well as what they’re feeling. Even though there’s a little bit of magic involved with “iron-sensing,” the characters with this ability also train tirelessly to become skilled fighters regardless of their innate senses. Kashina and her characters also have a keen sense of how storytelling is important to national identity and pride and to any good con. The plot, while predictable, is executed in an enjoyable way.

In other words, Shadowblade was a fine diversion for a holiday Monday afternoon. Alas, I was in the mood for fantasy that would ignite my senses and make me crave more, more, more … and it doesn’t quite go that far.

Creative Commons BY-NC License

I was dubious about Shadowblade as the average rating on Goodreads is around 3*. While I often feel disappointed by books that have a lot of hype surrounding them, I was pleasantly surprised to find the opposite was true this time.

Naia is an orphan with no clue to who she is. Taken in by elite warriors, she works to prove herself as a powerful fighter to join their ranks. Her temper makes her enemies, while her good heart gets her into trouble.

Naia is a likeable character. At times, her temper does seem extreme and I doubted whether someone would lash out with such violence given the circumstances. But you understand why she does. She is always anxious to prove herself, whether to her superiors or to herself. She feels things deeply; determined to protect those less able than herself and unwillingly to sacrifice the love she felt for someone even when things turn against her. She doesn’t see things in black and white, which meant her reactions weren’t predictable.

Karrim, part love-interest, part-strongest-warrior-in-the-land was my favourite character. No one can match him with weapons, but he, too, has a good heart and he lightened a number of scenes with his humour.

Other characters – Gassan, the man who set the whole thing in motion, Mehtab, Naia’s teacher and Arsat, head of the Jaihar warriors – help shape Naia into the woman she becomes and you like/dislike them just the way you’re supposed to, following Naia’s emotions.

When a betrayal was revealed (I’m not mentioning names here), I was unsure of its positioning in the book, despite starting to have suspicions. However, the change in narration and switch in view point to other characters worked to keep the plot moving forward, even when Naia isn’t fully aware of a situation.

The pacing felt slow: the majority of the book is setting up Naia’s skills and chance to take on the assignment. But it meant you connected with the characters and while the tension wasn’t high, it didn’t drag. You got invested in the characters as well as the plot.

The latter part of the book had a much stronger pace and the tension was higher, helped by the changes in narration. It could have been a very strong book if this stretched for the entire thing, but I still found it enjoyable.

There are a few explicit sex scenes in the book: two in particular. The first one didn’t work for me; it completely stalled the rhythm just to explore the emotions from both parties involved, which made it feel it dragged. Again, that worried me about the rest of the book, but it thankfully picked up momentum after that. The second scene felt more natural. The scenes work if they advance the plot, but the initial one felt it was in there for the sake of it.

I enjoyed this book. It was well-developed and had a satisfying end, which makes a change from leaving it open for a sequel.

The Shadowblade by Anna Kashina was a really good story and I recommend it. It was action packed with a well-defined world and characters. My only complaint is that it's a standalone and it definitely could have been stretched out into a duology or trilogy.


***I received an Angry Robot and NetGalley for the eARC of Shadowblade by Anna Kashina In exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book! I loved the action, the intrigue and the plot is amazing. I would have loved the author to have spent more time on the training Naia went through to become a blademaster as this training would have been brilliant to read and would really help us as readers to understand the hardships and reality of beconing so skilled.
Other than that I enjoyed this title and will look out for this authors other works.

3 Stars

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This was a fun book to read if you just take it for what it is and don't dig too deep into it. There was plenty of action and intrigue to keep my attention. I liked the main character, Naia, a young girl that dreams of becoming a Jaihar Blademaster. After she assaults a teacher at her school, her future seems uncertain. Unexpectedly, an important stranger intervenes on her behalf and she is elevated to train in the elite Upper Grounds training facility. What she doesn't know is that she is being secretly trained to impersonate a legendary princess to challenge the imperial family and wrestle the throne away from tyrants that massacred an entire Court of people, and achieve peace.

I liked this book but thought it was a bit uneven. It has pretty glaring flaws that prevent me from ranking it higher than 3 stars. The author makes a big deal about Naia being an exceptionally skilled fighter who could be a great Blademaster once trained, but then skips through her training years with hardly a mention. I would have liked to read more about what she went through. There is also very little world-building, so we don't really know how the kingdom is structured, why the current ruler and his family are bad and need to be replaced, or why the rulers slaughtered an entire Court. There is no explanation as to why or how the impostor princess can challenge the imperial succession, or why the scheme has a chance of success. There is also no mention as to what happens if she succeeds, and why a young, weaker son of the ruler is the better choice to lead the kingdom.

Even so, it's a fun read if you just want a bit of escapism.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Having enjoyed Kashina's previous offerings I was eager to read Shadowblade, however, it was an oddly disappointing tale. I felt feisty protagonist Naia was an interesting character, but I would've liked for there to be more background about her as she remains enigmatic the whole time.

I am not a fan of reading about romantic liaisons at the best of times and it was difficult to accept here because it came out of nowhere; I really don't like insta-love. On the other hand, it is a fun, fast-paced, clean young adult fantasy with some smart twists. Of course, the concept is a dime a dozen in the epic fantasy genre.

The ending leaves a lot to be desired too and felt rushed. I'm not sure whether this has been optioned as a series or is merely a standalone. I await either the follow-up or the authors next book. Many thanks to Angry Robot for an ARC.

Shadowblade is a wonderful story about loyalty, honor, and doing the right thing in an environment ripe with treachery and scheming. While having some similarities to high fantasy, this world has a distinct Arabian Nights feel in both the scenery and the approach to certain problems.

The various cultures are elaborate, and grounded in history and circumstance, making them solid even in their mythology. The blend of science and what appears to be magic is steeped in cultural roots both those forgotten by all and those kept alive through the efforts of a class of historian healers.

Yes, I’m biased toward Middle Eastern cultures, but the world setup is intriguing and complex enough to draw any reader.

There are many layers running beneath the main tale, and each informs or twists the known events beautifully. On the surface, it’s a heroic story of overthrowing a brutal, corrupt regime. But the more you learn, the more a mystery unfolds from within the plot.

To make this come about, the historians construct a plausible background using law and tradition to create firm grounding beneath their actions. The mystery comes into play as this background seems to follow close to what little remains known and raises questions about who the main players really are. There are several plausible links with significant consequences even though circumstance and history deny both reader and characters the facts necessary to prove construct or truth.

The balance of myth, deliberate influence of the characters’ understanding, and truths known only to a limited group makes every moment rife with fascinating possibility. The neat thing about this is how I had my suspicions, many of which proved true, but with so much shifting and deliberate manipulation, I couldn’t fix on an answer. I remained open to various possibilities until the big reveal. Even better, when I got the answer, I knew enough about the main characters to choose a side no matter how my sympathies had been triggered by the various positions.

There is a large cast with Naia and then Karrim at the center of it all while the healer Gassan and historian Mehtab run a close second. I don’t remember who had a POV scene and whose positions became evident through observation (beyond these four), but the cast members play distinct enough roles in the unfolding story that I never got confused.

Naia is a complicated person unwilling to keep her head down at the cost of others while Karrim is her perfect match in more than just blade skills. The machinations surrounding them are not their own, but don’t think they are in any way passive participants. While staying true to the intent behind their orders, they both choose the path of honor even when it goes against their wishes. They’re good people with rare skills and set into play at a tumultuous time when flexibility and intent are key to defending the empire they swore to protect from both external and internal attacks.

This is not a sweet novel. There is violence, sensual scenes, and moral struggles. Each forms a critical piece of the story where politics, personality, history, and emotions ranging from revenge to passion impact the complex plotting. The characters are dynamic. You come to love, hate, respect, and/or revile them. Whether you burn with their struggles or cheer their defeats, I doubt you can stand separate from these events. I certainly couldn’t.

I fell head first into this story and resented any distractions that pulled me from it. The plot raises questions without laying out a clear path so there’s much opportunity to speculate, and the end proved satisfying even where it didn’t follow my expectations. It’s a worthy visit to a vibrant, fascinating world.

P.S. I received this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I don't know what I was expecting but I DNF'ed the book after some pages because I couldn't wrap my head around its plot, didn't know what to think about what was going on and how, and it all sort of felt rushed and I didn't get to pick the pace of the book. Probably it was me, that coudln't connect with the book.

I found this book to be a very light read. It was easy to get into. I didn't have a convoluted plot line and was pretty easy to see how it would end. There were places where things didn't make sense like time skips. The main character started out strong but somehow ended up being influenced by others which I found disappointing. I would almost consider it more of a romance than fantasy.