Took me a while to read this book. Almost 8 months. I nearly gave up, then would read a page or 2, put it down and forget about it, pick it up, read, be bored to tears and wonder if i was going to have to file it under my dnf list which i hate to do. Anyway im glad i stuck with it in the end because it did get better after the 1st 100 pages and opened up into a much better story overall.

I found this one pretty tough to gel with, im normally a fan of Castells work and have a collection of hardbacks from him, but this didnt cut it for me.

Solid book. I enjoyed it a lot. Interesting story with great characters. I'm very curious what is waiting for all of them next. I'm not writing about characters from it to not spoil other peoples reading. Totally enjoyable read for anyone who likes mixes of action/romance/fantasy.

I ended up not finishing the book.
I usually live Sebastien de Castell's books, but this one did not click for me.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book!! I loved the world in which it is set and I found myself invested in the characters. Everyone likes romance but what really shines here is the friendships... Cannot wait to see what happens next!!

Highly recommend to those who likes intrigue and magic and of course swords!

I hadn't read Sebastien de Castell before, I had many occasions his books to read but just hadn't been sure where to begin if I'm honest. Then I saw Play of Shadows, the cover drew me in and the synopsis had me curious so I had to click and pray I'd get accepted because I was utterly intrigued.

Theatre, swash-buckling action and a world-building that is so wonderfully done that I knew I'd made a terrible mistake not reading his books before. That would be me enraptured by this book, which is the first in the Court of Shadows series.

This book is incredibly written and I couldn't help but feel as though elements of it resembled the Elizabethan era or I had those elements created in my mind as I read and was drawn into the adventures, calamities and wonder of our protagonist, Damelas's life.My hopes were truly rewarded with a story that holds your attention and stands up on its own even though it's placed in an already established world of de Castell's previous books. (Which will be read now because I've unwittingly denied myself literary masterpieces imho..)

The various characters we meet bring so much depth to the story and help to grasp ahold of you so you as the reader could be a player on the stage with them of one of Damelas's adversaries...

I loved how there is antagonism between characters that shows the realities of proximity and circumstance and a fair few had me chuckling at their absurdities but it's a rarity in fantasy books that problems, anxieties and anger remain - you always need balance in personalities and sometimes it feels one dimensional but not in this case. Damelas is the cause of his issues and it's not an easy fix by any means, and he has to have help so even as the hero, (albeit he's begrudgingly and uncertain that he's one) Damelas acknowledges he cannot do it alone and again, the way de Castell writes makes it feel real so you want to shout some sense into him.I'm so glad I read this, I couldn't put the book down and loved every moment of it.

Sebastien de Castell is a genius in how he brings worlds and people to life, and this series will be a firm favourite for me from now on.

I've read one of the books in the main Greatcoats series and really enjoyed it, but this one unfortunately didn't work as much for me and I don't think I'll be continuing.

It's weird, because I feel like a lot of things were very much close to the mark for me, but somehow still missed. The main character sometimes irritated me and I've felt like the book was just too long. I've listened to an audiobook and still felt like it didn't hold my attention.

The last portion was good, and I've started enjoying the book more, but overall I feel like it could have been edited down. I'm sad it wasn't for me, but I'll definitely look out to the author's other releases!

I absolutely loved this book! The world of The Greatcoats is one of my favourites and I really enjoyed getting to see a different area of it!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for a copy of the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is my first Sebastian de Castile novel and I was so excited when I was granted a copy. Given I have all of his other novels I was hoping I loved it like others did, but I was a bit disappointed. I am not sure if it is because I have not read the Greatcoats series first and I will definitely go back and read that series and then give this book another go.
Unfortunately I could not get into it and found that it dragged. I did finish it as I felt that I needed to give it a real go to complete but it took me weeks to get through it.
I am hoping that when I try a reread I will have a more positive review to write.

Huge thank you to Quercus and NetGalley for sending me a eARC copy of Play of Shadows.

I have read and enjoyed Sebastien de Castell’s YA series, but had never picked up any of his adult fantasy novels. When this one came up on Netgalley I jumped at the chance. I was also very intrigued by the blurb of the novel. A fantasy novel set in a theatre, giving Shakespeare vibes, and featuring sword fighting, what more could I possibly want?

This novel is action-packed from the first page, and it never stops! It really kept me engaged throughout all 500ish pages.

The characters were, in general, really great and I loved them all. The female characters were excellent I thought, very well crafted and developed, something I do think De Castell does really well! I loved the found-family aspect of the novel, the group of actors who band together was so lovely and fun to read. Unfortunately the only character I didn’t really like was the main character himself Damelas. He was very irritating to me, and I couldn’t really get attached to him at all. He was rude to the other characters and I thought he was very self-centred which I couldn’t really see past.

However, despite my dislike of Damelas, I actually really liked the novel overall. I loved the other characters and the plot itself a lot.

The magic system within the novel was fascinating and really unique. It’s one of my fave parts of a fantasy novel, that and the world-building. De Castell does both of these things brilliantly in Play of Shadows, and I am very interested in seeing where the series goes!

Overall I liked Play of Shadows a lot. It was a fun historical fantasy featuring a very dramatic group of actors who I loved. I would highly recommend the novel, especially for fans of De Castell’s other works, and for general fantasy lovers!

Huge thank you again to Quercus and NetGalley for the eARC.

With thanks to NetGalley and Quercus books for the arc.

A follow up series to the authors previous Greatcoats series, this is set significantly after and whilst I felt this comfortably stood independently, I was reliably informed that this does give away the previous story. So if you’re planning on reading the other series, I suggest you do that first!

After a bit of a slow start (I almost gave up), it really turned a corner and I had a fantastic time. The action, humour and banter of the characters really pulls you in and you do become invested in the happenings of the players. I felt the overarching story was a little weak, but the in-the-moment storylines were interesting and overall very swashbuckling!

Would recommend.

An absolute fabulous new book from De Castell. His fabulous humour is present as always, along with fabulous characters and a plot full of twists and turns. Slow to start but once it gets going the intrigues will shock you and you won’t be able to put it down. Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for permitting this book to be a Read Now to help members develop their Feedback Ratio in exchange for an honest review.

Review Summary:
This novel is set in the city of Jereste, a city with a heavy class divide but also full of the wonderment of the arts; acting, music, magic. A city where fencing and duelling is in the heart of its proud, chivalrous culture. We follow our main character Damelas Chadementaigne as he escapes pursuit by a vengeful noblewoman, seeking refuge in a famous acting troupe. Little does he know that this acting troupe would become a political tool to solve a conspiracy within the city relating to a rebel group of violent ‘revolutionaries’. A conspiracy relating to the Duke of the city and his family history. All the while Damelas must fight his inferiority complex to discover who he is and the talents he possesses, whether or not these talents are related to his famous Grandparents renowned for their political and duelling prowess.
Positives are that the characterisation in this novel is almost impeccable with both main and supporting characters being a delight to read with natural and really quite funny dialogue. The world of Jereste is enchanting and inherently believable only adding to the enticing plot. The plot was interlaced with interesting twists and turns without being predictable.
Negatives were that the romance plot felt a little unconvincing to me, which was a real shame because of how much I adored the main character and would have loved to have seen him in more flirtatious, sexually tense situations. There were also a couple of side characters that possibly needed fleshing out a bit more as they became motives for Damelas later on which could have felt more impactful had we felt more attached to them.

4.5 stars. This is an absolute triumph of a novel. I hadn’t heard of the author or his Greatcoat universe until reading this novel and I can confidently say I have been missing out. Throughout I couldn’t help but compare it to Patrick Rothfuss’ Name of the Wind - another genius novel in my eyes - because of its impeccable storytelling, world-building and characterisation. It also has a real British sense of humour, similar to Name of the Wind, which is fascinating as I don’t think either author is British! Take Name of the Wind, blended with The Princess Bride, and make them all from medieval England and you have the world of Jereste. As close to perfect as this novel is I had to knock off half a star for a little bit of weakness in the romance element of the story which didn’t grip me as much as I hoped it would. There were also phases in the earlier stages of the book where I felt the pacing slowed a bit and I would have a few days off to regain the motivation to pursue it again.

FULL REVIEW BELOW. AVAILABLE WITH THE ADDITION OF HIDDEN SPOILERS ON GOODREADS.

World-building:
Fantastic. Jereste has a comfortably established political/class hierarchy and culture and the novel delves even further into the origins of this by uncovering more of its history. There is a real focus on art and its role in commenting on society, particularly plays for Damelas and the troupe. There are clever parallels with the importance of theatre in real life democracies such as Ancient Greece with their satirical comedies or poignant tragedies, which if utilised in certain ways could then sway public opinion or be used as propaganda. We are also shown the influence and power brought by money and nobility whether technically ruling class or not.

Characterisation:
Phenomenal. Damelas is complex, flawed but irresistibly likeable and charismatic. His growth and development is beautifully written and paced and feels very organic. He’s also hilarious. Pretty much every notable character in the acting troupe, whether main or not, has a recognisable personality. Berretto is a beautiful, utterly loveable sidekick and I particularly enjoyed his natural banter with Rhyleis. Even characters from the past were interesting and I found myself rooting for them. The only troupe member I wish was fleshed out more was Roslyn as she becomes very important for Damelas and his development later on but I felt a little indifferent towards her as there was limited dialogue involving her. Similarly Zina could have been fleshed out a little more to justify her importance for our main character. My main frustration in otherwise wonderful characterisation was Lady Shariza. I found her a little too vague as a character and her interactions with Damelas felt unconvincing and unnatural in stark contrast to the vast majority of other characters.

Story:
The storyline has everything you could ask for. We have a complex mystery with twists, double bluffs and danger. A mystery with multiple layers relating to both past and present. Political scheming. We have an unlikely hero discovering his true strength and abilities. We have enthralling action sequences, ridiculous plays and soliloquies. Most importantly we have a charming overtone of humour.

Prose:
Again, this book has it all. The vocabulary in this book is beautiful, made even more so through the medium of theatre performed throughout the book. The dialogue in particular is really strong in this story.

It is not easy to write a review for this book (and lately this is almost a refrain in my reviews, sorry about that!) because I have some mixed feelings toward this book. I still enjoyed it a lot. I don’t have any doubt about this, I had fun, I had feelings, and I am extremely happy to have read this book. But I think that trusting the author here made all the difference.
The point is that in the beginning I was at first fascinated by this new setting because it is the same world as the Greatcoats series, but the MC is not a Greatcoat, he is completely different, so it was all sort of new but in a familiar contest (and I appreciated this immensely) but then we get started pretty soon with the mistreatment of Damelas (more on that in a second) and I was just so mad! But not because the author did a poor job or something like that. I was mad because it was just so unfair! (And I mean, what the heck was I expecting? I knew how things were with this author!). Poor Damelas is thrown in bad spot after bad spot, with a ton of responsibilities (and he didn’t ask for any of those!). And I know that it is immensely naive on my part, but the unfairness of all this, time and again, really hit me hard. (And I think that if the author wasn’t someone I loved… well, I would have probably ditched the book because I was not ready for all that suffering!). But let’s rewind a second here!

The Greatcoats is one of my favorite series so I was curious and scared about this one because, as I said, it is set in the same world, but we are not following the characters that I loved to pieces, but a completely new one, whit a completely different career. (But Falcio is mentioned around and at every mention of him, my little heart soared. This small thing made me so incredibly happy! And in the end, we see one of the fantastic trio on the scene and I was full-on in fan-girl mode! That really made my day!!)
That said Damelas is a great character who the author treats unfairly. Because De Castell is one of those authors who mistreat their characters. And I hate them for this. But I love them for the characters, the world they create, and the story they gift us. So yeah, I am complaining because he is bad, but I love him because he is bad.
Anyway, Damelas is the MC, but with him, we have a full cast of interesting characters, some I loved to pieces (Beretto, Shariza, and Zina above all), some I loved to hate (Albastrini, and damn, he is an amazing character! He is a masterpiece, trust me!) and some I despised so much! (Iron Orchids and the Vixen ).
And let me tell you a thing about the Vixen. She is bad, and I really mean bad, but she is also your classical villain, the one that is always there, that appears from nowhere every time things are going bad for our beloved hero. So much so that you start to roll your eyes when you see her appear, because really? Again?? It wasn’t enough all the rest?? And I think that here the author did an amazing job, too. Even if I wanted her dead from the start. So so dead!!

And the characters are not the only good thing in this book. The plot is pretty full of action, mystery, and plot, it is never boring, but what I really loved was the dark and dry humor that we can see from time to time, and that cracked me up. I just live for those moments when the humor of the author shows. De Castell has a peculiar sense of humor, that makes his books funny even when they are not, by any means, funny books. And yet, from time to time, I find myself laughing or smiling because, sure, they are pretty dark but there is still some light in them. And I so love this!

And, last but not least, I love that we have some epic scenes, that almost made me cry out because they are so so satisfying and epic! And yes, satisfying because sometimes we get to see some justice or some payback delivered in some delightful way. And in these cases, the feelings are all over the place, and it feels so rewarding!!

So… yeah, I loved this book. A lot. It made me suffer, it made me mad, but it made me also delighted, and happy, and it made me go fangirling around. It is the whole package: smile, laugh, tears, rage, satisfaction… whatever! It is just soooo good!

This was my first Sebastian DeCastell and it will not be my last!
I adored the writing style in this. The action was perfect, the intrigue and humanity was bliss. The found family was lovely and underdog reluctant hero was superb. I gobbled this up and smiled all the way through, don't get me wrong there was plenty not to smile about but these characters were so vivid and the banter and dramatics were just so lovely and heartfelt. I was hooked throughout with no real idea what was going to happen and no care that didn't. The atmosphere and world building was lush and immersive and I am giddy to carry on this new series.
Thanks to Quercus Books and Netgalley for an arc all thoughts are my own and left voluntarily.

“We Bardatti are the country's memory. Our gift is to record those truths which others would see forgotten.”

Ever since I read “The Greatcoats” a few years ago, I’ve been intrigued by the mysterious order of the Bardati. While, to some, they might come across as just humble bards or mediocre poets, this book sheds some light on their true calling and importance in the kingdom of Tristia. I really enjoyed figuring out (alongside Damelas) what being a Bardati truly encompasses and seeing our hero embrace his rare and unique gift.

“Everyone has a talent, and these days, mine is running”.

“I can never quite tell if you're a timid person who pretends at times to be brave, or a brave one who's been trying to convince himself for far too long that he's a coward.”

When I first met Damelas, I didn’t know what to expect. He is the nephew of two amazing Greatcoats, yet he can barely fence and would describe himself as a coward. However, as the story progresses, everyone can see Damelas learn to deal with his past and inner conflicts and overcome his fears, while also growing into his role as a Bardati Veristor.

“Beware of getting too comfortable in your role. That's always when another actor comes to take it away from you.”

Up until the very end, I was mesmerised by the way Damelas managed to not only submerge himself, but the reader too, in Corbier's dangerous past and the unique way in which this book manages to present a history of love, betrayal and suffering through the masterful tellings of a Veristor, who, even though might be just a little in over his head, will not let anything stop him from uncovering the naked truth.

✦Thank you to Sebastien de Castell and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. ✦

This started as a silly, unserious comedy of errors about a hapless coward who bluffs his way into an acting troupe, but by the middle I was gasping at the emotional impacts and the mysteries slowly unfolding.

The method of discovery - gazing into the secrets of the past through the Power of the Theatre!! makes for a very weird sort of detective mystery, and there’s some rapid skating over what is happening in the background for this all to work - and the villain indeed remains very ill-defined for me and slightly disappointing - but the story itself is powered by its characters.

The characters are simply delightful. I was charmed by how vividly they were drawn, the wittiness of their dialogue, and their relationships and their GROWTH. The concept is also fantastic: theatre kids, what a treat?! You get to be the hero. The power lives with anyone who draped a curtain over their shoulders and declared themselves a knight. The whole thing is an elegy to how storytelling holds deeper truths and it’s honestly beautiful. Bravo!

Loved being back in this world, it took me a little while to adjust to the characters since we aren't following the greatcoats this time but I really really enjoyed it. Looking forward to more.

The theatre , the drama , the characters . I loved every minute of it . An immersive world I didn't want to leave .Fabulous read

I really enjoyed the setting and the authors previous books as well. Overall this book is a start to an exciting new venture by the author, and i am looking forward to what comes next as well as future endeavors.

Received arc from Quercus Books and Netgalley for honest read and review,this review is my personal experience.
As I have said before I love anything written by Mr De Castell and if he were to write a shopping list, even with just a hint of a sword, I would read that as well.😀
This is a.little bit of a slow burner but kicks in and doesn't let up.
Brilliantly was always with of course the standard bunnies thrown in as well.
Well crafted story with the main character Damelas outstanding.
For me The Greatcoats series is the best books I have read for years and this is continuing with this new series as well.