A fantastic 2nd book in the series. Action packed with a lot of character development and humour. My favourite character by far is Grub - he definitely provides the humour but would love to learn more about him! I hope he features more in the upcoming books!

"Heroes don't have to fight. They don't even have to be the best at anything.
So what do they do? They keep going."

The Shadow Casket was my second read from the author and absolutely wont be my last. The story following young man who must leaved his hometown to start coming age journey and quest to become hero/leader. Aren is likeable MC, he doesn't standout as characters and weaker than other sidekicks. But now and then the author surprises readers with raw leader qualities he has to touch people heart and got their support.

The writing is good and balance. The story itself was predictable and felt classic. But I like how the world describes and cant resist to know more about it. The magic is there but not much except from several characters. The plot was not as thick as previous one.

Thank you Gollancz from Orion Publishing Group for providing a copy of this E-Book, I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A very good story although not *quite* as sparkly as the Ember Blade. The original characters are just as compelling; I love Aren, Grub, Klyssen. I found the story moved quite slowly in places. Themes of friendship and betrayal run through the book. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

Really good follow up, but it didn't live up to the first book. A lot of middle book syndrome and conversations going in circles. However, the last quarter was great! Really excited for the next one.

The Shadow Casket is the long-awaited and highly anticipated second instalment in The Darkwater Legacy series. Based on how much I enjoyed The Ember Blade, I thought this would be an easy 5-star read for me, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit let down by this sequel. I do want to preface this entire review by saying that this may have just been a case of ‘wrong book, wrong time’ for me, because the majority of readers seem to have had a blast with this sequel and I can totally see why!

Now, this book picks up three years after the explosive events that took place at the end of book 1. Our characters have been trying to recover from all the traumatic events they have experienced and they are only now starting to fully commit to their plans of rebellion and revolution. In theory, I really liked the idea of a little timeskip, except I personally didn’t believe that 3 years had passed here when I started this book. The characters still felt like their 16-year-old selves and there was barely any progression in their interpersonal relationships, which I thought was odd considering how much time they (should) have had to bond since we last saw them.

Luckily I could get past this little quibble quite quickly, because Wooding just has a way of making you sink into the world and story very easily. The rich history and lore of this world is woven into the story in an organic way and I adore exploring the clashing cultures of these lands through the eyes of our diverse cast of characters. The breadth and depth of the world building remains just as impressive and exciting as in book 1, which resulted in me being hooked into the story within just a couple of chapters again.

I particularly enjoyed the deeper exploration of heroism, loyalty, morality and trust in this instalment. While this series has a lot of elements reminiscent of older, heroic fantasy, it’s much more nuanced and complex in its themes and characters. There isn’t a clear good vs. evil story here, it’s just a matter of which side of the conflict you are on. No big surprise that my favourite POVs in this instalment were those of the ‘antagonist’ and of some other characters (who I won’t name for the sake of avoiding spoilers) who are struggling with their own loyalties and moral dilemmas. And while I was initially a bit disappointed with the character development between book 1 and 2, I did enjoy seeing the growth of these characters over the course of this particular instalment itself. I wasn’t fully on-board for some of the character arcs, but then there were others that I absolutely adored, so it balanced out in the end. These characters all have some very emotional and complex personal journeys, which I am always a sucker for in my stories!

Unfortunately, I do feel like this book suffered from middle book syndrome in terms of the plot. This is a fairly fast-paced story and there is constantly a lot going on, but I also can’t really tell you what exactly was accomplished over the course of this 800+ page chunker. I honestly feel like this book was too long and kept circling around to the same conversations and conflicts, which is why it failed to keep me engaged.
There is also a quest storyline that didn’t hold my interest and I personally thought that the resolution of that plotline wasn’t satisfying at all. Plus, I never warmed up to the newly introduced characters (except for one of them, because we stan Megwyn!), so that ended up really hurting my overall enjoyment as I am such a character-driven reader. Some emotional moments, shocking revelations and supposedly funny moments of comedic relief just didn’t land for me, because I was feeling so apathetic about the whole thing.

But then, there was the ending. And dang, does Wooding know how to write an exhilarating conclusion! Even though I might not have enjoyed the journey to get there all too much, I was still on the edge of my seat when things started to really escalate at the end. If you have read book 1, you won’t be surprised to hear that there were a lot of unexpected twists and brutal betrayals in this instalment, which were all executed brilliantly in my opinion. You never know who you can fully trust and there are multiple characters who are all spinning their own web of intricate schemes, which keeps the tension and intrigue high.
I also really appreciate that Wooding doesn’t give his characters too much plot armour. There are multiple losses and sacrifices throughout this story that really surprised me and I loved that.

Overall, I am glad I read this book and I will certainly return to this series when we finally get the conclusion. There was a lot of set-up in this instalment, so I am curious to see if we will get the great pay-off that I am hoping for.
If you like epic fantasy with expansive world building, well-realised and morally complex characters, layers upon layers of schemes and all the exciting twists and turns, then The Darkwater Legacy series is the perfect choice for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Gollancz for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The shadow casket. What should have been one of my best books of this year

Only it wasn’t.

I was left feeling disappointed. What I expected after the ember blade I didn’t get. I want big battles revolution and while there was a big battle, this book just felt like a lot of filler for the next book. Ot was more political than adventure which is what I expected. Things happened.
And it had me in a chokehold from SPOILER CHARACTER and Aren. I also really loved Klyssen POV. He really stepped up in this book
Oh and Grub! GRUB IS THE BEST.

But the plot… left me wanting. It meandered and drove away from what I felt like the characters should have been paying attention to.

And some of the characters. They changed and things happened that didn’t add up. I won’t get too much into spoilers but I feel the author tries to ☠️ characters or bad things happen to these characters and I just don’t feel much? In the ember blade I loved the character but in this they lacked a lot.

Fen. We NEED to talk about fen

If you’ve read the book you know what the author did. And I can tell you I don’t like it. It doesn’t fit well with fens character but also WHY.
Not only did I question one moment that happened to fen as it came across unbelievable and while after talking to some friends or could be possible I also find it highly unlikely someone like Fen would react to this SPOILER in that way.
It left me feel sour and like the author has no idea about women.

I am going to note that it seems like every female character Aren comes across there has to be a hint of romance. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing but I don’t like how that makes me feel as a woman

It was an okay read. i feel the last book is going to be a big banger and I wish the middle book wasn’t so middley

Wow! Epic fantasy at its best.

Strong characters, battles, rebels, strange goings on, baddies: this book has everything. It’s a chunkster but keeps you drawn in and unable to stop - no second book syndrome.

Set three years after the events of the first book, our heroes are waiting for the uprising when word of a strange weapon reaches them…

This features some lovely twisty moments and a subtle humour. Grub is fantastic, constantly coming out with one-liners: “Grub like going for drink with Mudslug. More dangerous than expected”. He’s definitely a favourite.

I was late starting and missed finishing before the release date which meant I could purchase the audiobook which is excellently narrated

Despite being 800+ pages, I finished in a week. I shed tears too, there are battles. I need the next one now.

Thanks to Netgalley and Gollancz for an E-arc in return for an honest review.

The Ember Blade was my favourite read of 2022 so I had fairly high expectations going into its sequel: The Shadow Casket.

I can say for certain; this book didn't dissapoint!

The Shadow Casket takes place 3 years after the conclusion of The Ember Blade and continues the journey of Aren and the companions that he has picked up along the way.

This book was was equal parts inspiring and heart renching and I have now lost my ability to trust anyone!

Chris Wooding has clearly been inspired by other fantasy authors but he is able to put his own spin and style onto tried and true ideas and tropes - his work doesn't come across as at all derivative.

His prose is well crafted but also super accessible and he seamlessly builds the world and cultures of Embria into the pages.

Now let's talk characters. How did Grub go from someone who I found really irritating when we met him to my favourite character? All of the characters are well developed, changing and growing through their struggles but Grub, Aren and Fen in particular.

I now have to start the long wait for book 3 to be written... 😅

ARC provided by the publisher—Gollancz—in exchange for an honest review.

The Shadow Casket is an action-packed sequel full of lovable characters colored by a shade of gray morality and believable motivations.

“Such profound consequences from the smallest actions. As if each was a raindrop falling on a lake, a tiny impact spreading ripples outwards, becoming vast.”


Almost five years have passed since I first read The Ember Blade by Chris Wooding in 2018. Since then, I have often mentioned how much I loved the criminally underrated fantasy novel, and I still do. You might have noticed this if you check my reading history. But ever since I have my own Booktube channel, I never binge-read a series anymore. It is difficult for me to concentrate my focus on one series for a while due to how many books and series I want to read and reread. But having access to The Shadow Casket, I did a reread of The Ember Blade and jumped into The Shadow Casket immediately. I could not resist. The Shadow Casket is one of my most anticipated novels of the year, and it had a lot of high expectations to fulfill. And the majority of the novel succeeded in meeting my high expectations, making this a worthy sequel to The Ember Blade.

“The things we value make us weak, he thought. Or they can make us unstoppable.”


The story in The Shadow Casket starts three years after the end of The Ember Blade. The battle between Ossia and the Krodans continues, and our main characters are on the precipice of a life-changing revolution. But revolution does not come as easily as expected. And to make things worse, Aren cannot find anyone to fully trust. The Shadow Casket is a sequel with themes centered around heroism, friendship, sacrifice, trust, and betrayal. The latter is probably more than the other. I loved these so much. Heroism is a theme explored countless times in fantasy, but Wooding did a wonderful job elaborating upon its meaning in relation to the context of the series and more.

“Heroes were simple. They didn’t trouble themselves with consequences. Those who fell by the wayside in their service were left unmourned, at least in the stories. But the stories never told of the quiet times. When the heroes laid down their heads at night and the memories crept in. The lonely meal by the campfire, recalling the smiling eyes of those now dead. The cost in death and grief, one piled upon the other until it was too much to bear, and the only escape was the sanctuary of purpose. They never spoke of what happened when that purpose was fulfilled, and there was nothing to protect them anymore.”


As I mentioned in my review of The Ember Blade, one of the elements of The Darkwater Legacy series is how Wooding implemented both classic fantasy tropes and the grey morality often encountered in modern grimdark fantasy into the narrative. That is still strongly evident in The Shadow Casket, and I believe readers who enjoyed The Ember Blade will at least have a great time reading this long-awaited sequel to it. Personally speaking, though, I loved the plot structure in The Ember Blade more than The Shadow Casket. The found family, journey, quest, and heist-centered plotlines in The Ember Blade hit me more emotionally, even on re-read. The Shadow Casket took me longer than The Ember Blade to feel completely immersed in. There were several sections in the first half of the novel where my interest did wane. Mainly, these were the plotlines dealing with Fen's romance subplot and how the story slightly felt like they were repeatedly going around in a circle. I also think the way Fen behaved and acted toward Aren felt unbelievable at times considering everything that happened in The Ember Blade. However, the rewarding pay-off in the second half of this 800 pages novel was undeniable, including Fen’s character development.

‘It’s the journey that makes a hero, Grub. Not the destination. And you and I, we’ve a long way to go yet.’ He smiled gently at his companion. ‘But we’ll travel together. And when they tell our stories, they won’t be able to speak of one without the other.’


I don’t know about you, but if you’re like me and you’ve read and loved The Ember Blade, then we might be in agreement that believable characterization is Wooding’s strongest skill as a writer. In The Shadow Casket, readers are introduced to many new characters. And although none of them were as compelling as the main characters we knew from The Ember Blade, they helped increase the complexity of the conflict. I truly appreciate the way Wooding handles characterizations. As I said, this is not a grimdark fantasy series, but the genuine moral dilemma the protagonists and antagonists constantly encounter was superbly written. In times of war and revolutions, as Aren said, the world endlessly tries to change them into someone they're not. Someone who needs to cheat and do ruthless things to win. Whether they succumb to cruelty or not, that's for you to find out. However, betrayal, deception, schemes, and forgiveness are some of the key themes in the narrative.

“Life was too precarious to hold grudges against the ones you loved. You never knew when they’d be gone.”


Other than Aren and his tumultuous relationship with the other characters, I strongly believe Grub is one of the best characters I've read. Wooding did such a fine job writing his character. A high level of distinction is given to the character's voice and actions. Every scene with Grub is a scene I highly enjoyed reading. Funny, intense, and emotional; it felt like Wooding succeeded in hitting various notes of emotions every time Grub appear in a scene. I can repeat this praise when I'm talking about the other main characters, too, but Grub (in my opinion) definitely stole the spotlight. His presence, antics, dilemma, and development are too memorable to ignore.

‘Right now, all the people want is a leader, a warrior: the hero with the bright blade. Hope is simple, and they want hope. But afterwards, after we’ve won– they’ll want to know every piece of it. Then your tale will be told. Grub the Cunning. Grub the Strong. Grub the Brave. And it will be passed from one generation to the next, just like Orica’s song will.’


Lastly, this review will be incomplete if I don't mention a thing or two about Klyssen. Klyssen is one of the main villains of the series. He has been there since the first book, and we have received a few POV chapters from him in The Ember Blade. In The Shadow Casket, Klyssen has more portion of chapters. And my god, I felt for his characters. I feel like Klyssen, as villainous as he is, is truly the character who could totally be on Aren's side if only he was born and raised on the side of Ossia. The affection and love Klyssen has for his daughters felt so genuine. And he has a strong unbending sense of justice even though he IS on the opposing side of Aren. I loved reading his POV chapters, and I think Klyssen displayed, once more, why Wooding is so good at writing characters, both protagonists and antagonists.

“The debased actions of a few powerful men didn’t represent an entire nation. Their philosophies, their art and learning, the civilisation they brought– you couldn’t throw out all those wonderful things just because a part of it was rotten.”


Although the last action scenes were not centered on a heist like in The Ember Blade, The Shadow Casket managed to end strongly with a tension-packed climax sequence. It was pretty much, in a different way, still just like how it worked in The Ember Blade. I honestly do not think The Shadow Casket was as magnificent as The Ember Blade. A few minor issues I mentioned aside, the journey and resolution for the quest for The Shadow Casket also did not feel as satisfying (or necessary, but it depends on the third book) as the quest for The Ember Blade. But overall, the 840 pages tome filled with bloody sacrifice, conquest, glory, and incredibly well-realized characters and relationships ensured me that the five years of wait for The Shadow Casket was worthwhile. There is still one book left in The Darkwater Legacy trilogy to read. We might not get it soon, but I will wait for it. Patiently. Until then, my days as one of the champions for The Darkwater Legacy resume.

“History liked to put names to its heroes, but all great endeavours were the sum of many sacrifices, and most went unsung.”


You can pre-order this book from: Blackwells (Free International shipping)

The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions | I also have a Booktube channel

In many ways, The Shadow Casket picks up where The Ember Blade left off, but in one important way, it does not. This second book in the Darkwater Legacy starts off three years after the events of the first.

This was slightly jarring to me, as that’s a lot of time for something to happen, but it seems like nothing major has. In fact, if I wasn’t told that there was such a gap, I would probably have guessed just a few months had passed between the events of the two books.

In everything else though, The Shadow Casket takes what The Ember Blade gave us and builds on it, with great characters, action, and suspense. I really liked how my favourite character, Grub, was developed in this book. He has real heart, despite what he might like you to think, and he had some great moments in this book.

He also has a great knack for making me laugh. Because I was still reading an ARC when the book was published, I switched to the audiobook as I’d enjoyed listening to book one. The book two audio was also excellent and the delivery of Grub’s lines is one thing that stood out above all else for me. Someone asked, “Why are we running?” and Grub’s reply was, “Because walking takes longer.”

Overall, this was a book with some ups and downs, but the downs were not too low, and the highs were pretty high. The story is just about on a par with The Ember Blade, which I really enjoyed, but with the expansion of the worldbuilding and character development, The Shadow Casket maybe sits just slightly higher.

Every bit as good as the first book!
I've waited 4 long years since reading The ember Blade, and I was so scared The Shadow Casket wouldn't live up to expectations. But it 100% did!
It was so good to be reunited with Aaron, Cade, Fen, and of course Grub! This is one of my favourite series and I'd recommend it to everyone!

Sometimes I need to read fantasy book like this one: epic, action packed and full of interesting characters.
This a well plotted story set in a fabolous world and featuring great characters.
Had fun and love it.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

4.5*

Before we get to review, allow me to channel Grub:

<b><blockquote>"Don't be Stupidface, read about Grub's glorious deeds! It was all Grub! Grub is the hero!"</blockquote></b>

There. Best recommendation ever. :)

I always thought that the best thing going for [book:The Ember Blade|34673711] is that old, classical adventure feeling you get from it. Action-packed, relentlessly fun and delightful, but not without high risk situations and scary, horror-ish moments.
So, don't worry, The Shadow Casket is just more of the same of everything you enjoyed about The Ember Blade.

<u>Bare bones</u>: It's been three years since the events of Hammerholt. Newly formed Dawnwardens are on the run from Krodan army who is ruthless in their search for them. The life for Ossians under Krodan's rule was never this bad due to death of their prince and the stealing of Ember Blade. That is why Aren, Grub, Vika, Mara, Fen and Harod travel to distant Reaches to talk to Fell Folk and gather their support. It is high time for a true revolution to starts, but there is an old enemy intent on finding Aren and Krodans are meddling with magic better left alone. With unexpected allies on the way, traitors among them, old debts to be paid and troubles that always seem to find them, can Aren do what Aspects and people of Ossia expect of him?

These are still characters we got to know. Aren, despite carrying the burden of Champion is still that boy who stumble in battle and doesn't come of particularly heroic on a first glance, but he is still strategic and reads people in order to see how to approach them best. He is also painfully experienced about some finer things of dealing with girls and to my eternal frustration rarely has the right reaction. This is is, of course, tied to Fen who is still surly and doesn't communicate clear enough for thick headed guy. Look this romantic drama is just what you'd expect and it fits the age of the characters so I don't mind it.
Grub is still... Grub. :) Being Dawnwarden didn't make him bathe more often and he is always a welcome comedic relief in a tense situation.
Vika is revering her Champion, but as much as her faith is strong, magical foes they are fighting against make her doubt Aspects fro the first time in her life.
Harrod is still the noblest person in the Empire and the book. I love him.
They meet other interesting characters on the way expanding their group, and some familiar faces whom Wooding developed in interesting ways.
And underneath the adventure there is an everlasting question: what is the price of rebellion? The true price of freedom? And how much are you willing to sacrifice for it? In a clever way, through Ossia and this ragtag group of unlikely heroes Wooding showed the complexity of the land they defend, the cultural differences of many folks in Ossia and and how they all suffer under Krodan's boot. It's always easy to imagine bad guys marching in black uniform in tune of Imperial march, but Wooding also showed a different way colonial forces work, the assimilation and indoctrination. It is a very common theme in fantasy novel, but things become common exactly because they work. And that's my ultimate take on this. I will never get bored of a story of underdogs defying the odds and fighting the oppressors. :)
You can expect laughter, adventure, more dreadknights who are scarier than ever, daring rescues, glorious battles,, a trip to the dangerous and unknown lands and one epic siege.
It's fast-paced, it's fun, it's thrilling and enjoyable read. Wooding spoiled me with this series and I already want to read the next book immediately.

It’s not uncommon that second books in fantasy series are denser that first books. And it usually is necessary, but it’s quite difficult to write a denser book without tiring the reader or making them give up. And when half of the book is filler plot, uncalled for, unnecessary or pointless you may lose the engagement with the reader, and that’s what happens with “The Shadow Casket” in my opinion.

The first book “The Ember Blade” was amazing. It was fun, interesting, refreshing and original even though it was traditional high fantasy. It was a pleasure for me to read that book, I had bought it almost blindly and it was worth it. And the best think about it is that it can be read as an only book and not continue reading the series. Now if you decide to continue journeying with Aren and the rest of the crew beware that the plot is mostly messy, that there are many perspectives which the author couldn’t manage and therefore some are much better than others in terms of pace, interest and relevance to the main path of the story and some others are simply uncalled for, included a love story at some point that I guess was there for the sake of it, it has no point whatsoever and it’s even boring.

I wanted to like this book, I had such high expectations that I struggled when the book didn’t meet them for the most part. There were moments that I felt that I was climbing a very high mountain without any aid, it was too steep a narration. I’m sad because it’s taken the author five years to publish the second installment of “The Darkwater Trilogy”, “The Ember Blade” was published in 2018 (although I read it last year) so I guess Chris Wooding has written, rewritten, read, corrected, rewritten again, changed parts… What could have happened in that very long process? Was it worth it? When 50% of the book translate into 400 pages approximately, the answer to that question is “not really”.

But I have faith that the third book will be better. The story is good and it’s well written, it is not lack of talent that spoils the general enjoyment of the book, it’s the unbalanced pace and those filler parts that the book didn’t really need, because they lesser the quality of the narrative instead of adding up to it.

I really enjoyed the continuation to this series, and I am very pleased I could read it early. Wooding has once again done a stellar job of keeping you engaged even through another large title, with his engaging characters, sneaky and surprising plot twists, and big epic world. I think anyone who enjoyed book 1 would love the continuation here, and I was super happy to fly through this and remember why I loved book 1.

This story definitely has more deception, betrayal, factions and fractures in the groups we follow, and anti-heroes. It shows that in a world which is being ruled over by tyrants, there is no good/evil. everyone is a little bit of a shade of grey. Even the characters we think of as the 'bad guys' are painted in a more humane light in this one, and we can understand more of this mission and logic (even if you don't agree).

What I liked in this one the most is that even though the mystery of where is this rebellion going isn't fully answered (there's clearly more to come), we do see progression in the plot and by the end of the story many big clashes have shaped the fate of the nation.

I also liked seeing more from some of the more minor races and people who are affected by the tyrants of the world. We don't just see The Krodans and the Ossians, we also see the Sards, and the neighbouring lands who have sent their own people into the fray to find out what's going on. Seeing each of these cultures clash and spy on one another added to the epic scope and made this one feel grand.

Aren is still our main character in this book, but we get a variety of other characters to follow too, some of whom have magic which I liked getting more insight into. We see how the dark artifacts and orders of the world are being hunted and power is shifting, and we follow various groups of people who meet in secret and have unique hierarchies and ways to pass knowledge along.

I would recommend this to fans of expansive epic worlds and slow but engaging plots. This does have moments where it appears that the plot isn't moving super fast, but there's always a lot of ground-work being laid out, and I liked the gradual build and then the exciting reveals as we went. A solid 4*s from me :)

10 / 10 ✪

https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2023/02/09/the-shadow-casket-by-chris-wooding-review/

—

<i>A man who cannot live with himself is apt to find something to die for.</i>

—

The Dawnwardens have returned. The crown prince of Kroda is dead. The Ember Blade has been taken. And the revolution has begun.

Kinda.

It’s been three years since Aren and the Dawnwardens stole the Ember Blade. Since then they’ve been on the run, moving the Blade from safe house to safe house, visiting nobles and private mercenaries, attempting to subsequently kickstart and fund their rebellion. With little to show for it.

Aren himself is growing more and more disillusioned. The cost of the Ember Blade proved to be too high. Conditions in Ossia haven’t improved since the theft, with the Krodans only tightening their grip on the nations. Indeed, suspected spies and traitors have been executed without trial, and Shoal’s Point—the birthplace of both Aren and Cade—has been wiped from the map. Cade himself lies dead, something Aren still dwells on daily. Meanwhile the Dawnwardens have done little to inspire anything, had no tangible success that Aren can see. And the longer they wait the heavier it weighs on him. As does the yoke of Vika’s prophecy. Aren is approaching his breaking point, and can’t see any way to stop it.

The Dawnwardens travel far to the north in an attempt to unite the irascible Fell Folk, and create a stronghold in the hinterlands. Only death and betrayal follows them even here. The Krodans ambush the clans at their annual meeting, and attempt to steal the Ember Blade. Only the timely intervention of a few allies—including one former comrade—saves Aren and the Blade from the Dreadknights’ wrath. But they can only flee in the wake of these abominations.

As matters escalate and tensions rise, the Dawnwardens turn their gaze to a mythic weapon that could destroy the dreadknights and legitimize the rebellion. A weapon that—if it exists—could save, or doom them all.

—

<i>Friends let friends do stupid things.</i>

—

It’s been five years since the Darkwater Legacy began, and I’ve to tell you that I’ve been anxiously awaiting the Shadow Casket for some time. Also, I don’t really remember too much from the original adventure, and unfortunately this book does not feature a recap. That is one of <i>two</i> issues I have with it.

The other is that it starts a bit slow.

I mean, that’s to be expected when one can’t really remember the intricacies of the plot. The Ember Blade was stolen, Klyssen thwarted, Cade killed. Otherwise… I’m pretty much in the dark. Luckily, while there is no recap, over the course of the first hundred or so pages, I was able to piece together the events that led us to this point, and gradually regain my excitement for the story to continue.

Which is good, because then it takes off.

Twists and turns galore in this sequel, becoming more and more unexpected the further in you read. This is a dark fantasy epic with an emphasis on the “dark” part. Anything can go wrong. Anyone can die. Anything can happen. The story takes place not over the course of a few days or weeks, but months upon months spent following the Dawnwardens around their fruitless revolt. Klyssen shows up as well, newly demoted and disillusioned with his place in the Empire. As it turns out, he and Aren have more in common than either would’ve ever expected. Spies and traitors abound once more, with everyone acknowledging or indulging their own interests. It’s epic in every sense of the word, and fantastical in more. The places they go, the lands they see—from an island ruled by elaru and ogren (even though I couldn’t even remember what those were!); to ruins swarming with nameless terrors; to a moot of druids; to an internment camp with an even darker secret; to the shores of the Krodan motherland itself.

I feel like I could rant on and on about this book, even though it was a bit slow getting out of the blocks. Even though I was worried about it failing to live up to its predecessor. Even though it took me a bit to come around, a bit more to remember most of what was happening, a bit to fully appreciate the depth of the story, the setting, the world, the lore—I honestly loved it. Pretty much the first and last thing I should say in this review: the Shadow Casket is amazing! An incredible read—easily book of the year thus far.

<b>TL;DR</b>

The Shadow Casket is the amazing followup to an equally amazing Ember Blade that blew me away way back in 2018. My main (and really only issue with the text) is that five years have passed since Book #1, and Book #2 fails to remind us of the events there-within. Fortunately, with a story as good as this one I retained some knowledge of the plot, and with a read as long as this one I had plenty of time to catch up on some of the more intricate points. Even now, as I worry about what I might have missed in-between the lines, I’m having a hard time maintaining any resentment towards the Shadow Casket itself. This story gets a 10/10 from me. The world, the plot, the lore, the twists and turns, the characters and banter and adventures and humor all come together to make this the shadowy ruin in a valley (the dark fantasy equivalent of a shining city on a hill) that one can only dream of when embarking on a fantastical adventure. Now fingers crossed that the finished product comes with a recap, and the Shadow Casket will have achieved perfection—in my view, at least.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Shadow Casket is the second book in his The Darkwater Legacy Series which follows the events of the first book The Ember Blade.

The story of this book takes place 3 years after the end of the first book and we can see how much the characters changed in this time period. From the two books i have read from this author, i can say with 100 percent surely that the characters and the world are the heart and soul for his stories and i can see them here also.

The worldbuilding in this series makes much sense and it makes me enjoy the time when the characters travel from one place to another. It makes the world much lived and makes me want to live there too.

All in all a very enjoyable sequel to one of my much awaited fantasy series.

I loved the second instalment so much more than the first instalment. I stayed up all night reading, I had to finish it. The Shadow Casket exceeded my expectations. If I could give it more than five stars I would. Once again Grub is hands down my favorite. He's a wonderfully well written character you can't help but fall in love with. The growth his character went through had me bawling my eyes out. I definitely would recommend this trilogy to anyone who loves epic fantasies. I can not wait for the last book to come out!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

A land under occupation. A legendary sword. A young man’s journey to find his destiny.
It’s been three years since they struck the spark - a literal spark - that was supposed to start a revolution.

If Ossians wouldn't be ruled like civilised subjects, they'd be chained and beaten like dogs.
So the terror began.

Even worse, looming over our cast of misfits and bedraggled heroes is Vika’s foreboding prediction of a new Age of Chaos, when the barriers between the living and the dead disappear and humanity becomes prey to monstrous entities from beyond the Shadowlands.

Wow, this book.
It grapples with friendships, betrayals, beliefs….
Just when you feel confident and vindicated that you guessed a plot twist, you are thrown into a turmoil of new revelations that make you want to scream and beat your head against a wall.

I want to rant and rave about the politically ingenious discourse, the betrayals, the tender, heart-wrenching loyalties of friendships, and the justice of right and wrong, but to do so would spoil the experience for the reader.

Again, this second book sees excellent characterisations with inner conflict that grabs you and rattles you with their convictions… or doubts.
Even though the book is dark and twisting, the characters are so fun to follow and root for and I was eager for and entertained by their interactions.

’Hmm. Nice safe boat trip back to the south, or perilous cross-country slog hauling a steadily decaying corpse?' He made an imaginary scales of his hands and weighed up the options. 'No contest, really.’
'I was hoping you'd say that.’

"Oooh, Grub done a stupid thing!' he told himself, as he ran for his life.

If you enjoyed the genius of Dandelion Dynasty and the coming-of-age fantasy and epic battles of Malice or The Shadow of What was Lost, this book will astound, amaze and inspire you as much as it did me.

The Shadow Casket is an absolutely brilliant epic fantasy read. It has everything that I want in a fantasy novel; a brilliant world to explore, characters that I both love and hate and a plot that twists and turns.

The Shadow Casket takes place three years after the events in the Ember Blade and the hoped for revolution has not happened. In fact, life in Ossia has got worse as the Krondons have clamped down hard on Ossia.
We see the new Dawnwardens struggle against the Krondons as well as deal with treachery from their own side. There are also journeys aplenty and some soul searching as Aren tries to live with his new destiny as Champion of the Blade. There is a lot of action as well as a couple of scenes that felt pretty horrific before the book ends with an action-packed conclusion.

The world building is great but the strongest point of the book is the characters that Wooding has created. They all feel very real as they try to fight against the Krondon Empire. Aren really struggles with trying to be the person that he is expected to be and Vika is convinced that she can find all of the answers. However, my favourite character is still Grub. I love his nicknames for the other members of the group and the way that, although he is always looking for himself, he always ends up doing the right thing.

A character that I ended up feeling a lot more sympathy for than I expected was the Krondon Watchman, Klyssen. At one point I really felt sorry for him and seeing his side to the story gave more depth to the Ossian struggle against the empire. There are a lot of different points of view in the story and not all of them survive until the end. Wooding is not afraid to sacrifice his characters when their story has run its course. There are a couple of very grey characters too whose motives are not clear and provide a couple of dramatic plot twists.

The plot is incredibly detailed and I was never quite sure what was going to happen next. The last third of the book had enough thrills to fill any normal sized book before ending with a quiet pause where the remaining characters take stock of where they are. I can’t wait to read the next book to find out what Wooding has in store for the Dawnwardens and the bearer of the Ember Blade.

I definitely recommend both this and the first book, The Ember Blade, to anyone who loves epic fantasy with a great set of characters and detailed plot. Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers, Orion, for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.