This is a brand new fantasy series, and I just had to read it. I have read previous books by this author and know they write immersive tales. I just hoped that this new series would be as good.

The Assassin's Shadow is a thrilling and solid start to the Legends of the Shadow series. The world building snatched me away from real life, and I was sucked right into Locan's world. This is exactly what reading is for, in my opinion. To escape the stresses and strains of my everyday life. R.S. Moule has the ability to do exactly this.

The characters grabbed my attention, and their journey is packed full of tension, excitement, and moments of holding my breath! The character development is so clear, and the foundations are firmly in place for the next book to build upon.

I didn't want this book to end. In one breath, I was turning the pages so quick, and in the other, I prayed I didn't reach the conclusion too quickly. As always with R.S Moule, I  can't wait to see what is in store for the characters next. Thanks to Second Sky and NetGalley for my ebook to write my honest review.

I was very excited to read this since Moule’s previous serious was absolutely outstanding. This book was definitely good but not exactly good enough to want to read again. It gives me a D&D vibe with familiar characters with a slight twist to them. Vampires, elves, trolls, etc.
Some of the scenes had a little horror sprinkled in it which I liked. I think the big kicker for me was the character work was pretty bland. I absolutely think his previous series is a must read and I think you should start there before reading this book.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Prince is not highly thought of by his family and he decides to leave his home and search for the greatest assassin ever known, Locan A’Shadow. They will meet by accident when bandits attack Locan’s home and kidnap the children. Who is behind this attack and what do they want with children? It seems Solis Deadhand is not dead as thought and he wants the children for their hearts. He must be stopped no matter the cost.

Loved this very well written novel. The audiobook was also very well narrated (I enjoyed both versions). Great characters full of personality, qualities and faults. Well paced and action packed. Fights will be fought, deals made and broken, friends lost and dangers faced. A real adventure so highly recommend.

This book had so much potential but unfortunately I just struggled through it 🙁 maybe the whole Nordic viking stuff isn't for me. I did like the writing and the fact that we were basically reading Cetriks journal but i feel like it was just missing a big twist or heartbreaking moment... there were maybe 2 or 3 "omg" moments but they just fizzled out and were never made it anything more... a shame because I was excited to read it!

3.5. (Rounded up) This was a fun epic coming-of-age fantasy about Cetrik and the famed assassin, Locan A’Shadow. The world building was extensive with creatures such as vampires and elves and all the political intrigue one could want. It was refreshing to read about a young man who could actually feel his feelings- who could cry and grieve and love and have his heart broken. I enjoyed the side characters, especially Morvolt, the horse with an attitude. While the pace erred on slow, the plot was compelling.

I did not like the extensive politics that occurred around the 80% mark. I know it was necessary for the plot, but I feel like it could have been woven throughout the story instead of bundled near the end out of necessity. Cetrik’s brother deserved more character development.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read. I will be reading the next book in the series. Thank you Second Sky for the advanced egalley.

1.5🌟

I almost DNF’d this book at 40% and several times since. However I was determined to stick it out to figure out if Morvolt was a mythical creature. Because that is the only explanation how a horse and riding could be described so terribly even if one has never seen a horse in real life. Unfortunately that was never explained and once you’re thrown out of the story because of the riding/Morvolt you’ll notice the plot holes and grammatical errors and red flags.

I gave it a half star for the fact that due to the overly verbose writing I did have dreams about vampires so gotta give credit for vivid imagery even if there was poor world building.

Loved this storyline so much! Had my attention from the start and never lost it. Very intriguing plot and characters. Looking forward to the next book!

Compelling debut fantasy. I went in not really knowing what to expect but enjoyed the story over all. Though it felt predictable and low stakes. It is a bit slow paced for the most part , told as Cetrik our lead as he recounts the past. Leading from when he leaves his family to set out in search of a legendary assassin. Things do pick up through out in the end. He of course begins naive but learns things are not always as expected. An interesting magic system, that brings together adventure, secrets and found family.
In general I feel like the story and characters make for a decent light read that many that are fans of classic fantasy can enjoy.
Im not quite sure yet if I will continue the series.

Great book! Action packed, silliness, humour, great character development and i love the fact the main protagonist were men!
Lorcan was my favourite character the whole way through this book.
The magic system in them is book was very unique!

Would 100%recommend this book to anyone.
Happy release day for the 14th March R.S. Moule ❤️
Thank you so much Net Galley and Second Sky books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book! I have not read as much high fantasy, so this was really interesting and out of my usual comfort zone! I enjoyed the world building, and didn’t find it too difficult to follow. It was entirely in first person, and I tend to prefer third person point of view to get a broader scope of the world and get more in depth with multiple chapters. I definitely need to know more about Locan and why he is the way he is! 4/5 stars overall for me!

Starting this book and discovering a classic epic fantasy was like breathing fresh air because sometime you have to read something classic, something which like a small black dress that you will always enjoy.
It's a fast paced, action packed story. I fell in love with the narrator since the beginning and loved the self deprecating tone and the promisses of plenty of adventure, creatures, a remote kingdom.
I was disappointed and had a lot of fun. I can't wait for the next novel
Go and enjoy it
Many thanks to Second Sky for this digital copy, all opinions are mine

Thank you, Netgalley, for this arc!

Sadly, this book wasn't for me. I had to DNF this cause I was kinda disappointed. I did like that it reminded me of Lord of The Rings/The Hobbit, but that's it. I was at times just confused and did not understand what was happening. The characters felt flat to me. There was action in the book, but I didn't feel the suspense, the excitement.

This is my opinion on this book. Do not let this demotivate you. Perhaps you'll love this book!

Full of action, intensity and high stakes. I thoroughly enjoyed this. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this.

I was excited to read this book since I enjoyed Moule's previous series. Sadly, these characters didn't grip me as much as I had hoped. I liked Locan, but Cetrik's idealism and naivety got annoying after a while. I give this book 3/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Second Sky for the opportunity to review The Assassin's Shadow by R.S. Moule.

Let us talk about "The Assassin's Shadow" by R.S. Moule.

I went into this book with no expectations, just wanting to get back into some high fantasy antics and found myself really enjoying this book. I found that R.S. Moule was very crafty in his description of his characters, the world building, and overall story telling. A bit slow at first, but as the story took off, the action and world really came into its own.

Reading this from a first person standpoint (from the eyes of Cetrik) - I understood that we were in a sense reading a "journal" on what was happening during Cetrik's younger self, but part of my own bias was a wish that we could have seen it more so from a third person point of view. I would have liked to have really known more about Locan and what his thoughts were throughout. (But again, that's a bias for my own reading.)

For those looking for a fun adventure, and a new high fantasy series to jump into, this one will be right up everyone's alley to read.

Thank you again to NetGalley and Second Sky Publishing for the ARC.

✨ Magical Creatures
✨ Found Family
✨ High Fantasy
✨ Political Intrigue
✨ World Building
✨ Magic

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

The Assassin's Shadow by R.S Moule - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - publish date 14th March 2025

I absolutely loved this book! Epic fantasy with fantastic world building, interesting magic, great characters and lots of humour. A joy to read and even made me cry at one point.

The way this story is told keeps you fully interested. It's paced well and the fight scenes were well written.

I loved Cetrik and the journey we get swept up into. Locan is absolutely hilarious, morally grey and a badass.

The dynamics of Cetrik and his family were really well written. He can't seem to do right for doing wrong and despite him not particularly wanting to be part of the royal family, the treatment he receives made me so angry!

It had a lot of elements of what I love about Grimdark so I definitely recommend this if that's your bag, like me!

There's a small romantic sub plot in the book that made my heart ache for Cetrik. It's packed with emotion in this book and you find yourself desperately rooting for the underdog. Watching him become a man and stand up for himself is such a great journey to be a part of.

I can't wait to read about the next adventure. This was so enjoyable. I can tell that this series is going to be immense!

Thank you to Second Sky, NetGalley and the author for the arc. This is my honest review of the book!

This book is VERY high fantasy and readers who love a chaotic “mentor” and a mentee who doesn’t know what he’s getting into I think will really enjoy this.
Cetriks upbringing makes him very posh and haughty at the beginning of the book but by the end he’s a new person. This book does start off as a story telling/journal entry then evolves into the story itself. If you enjoy high fantasy, vampyres, a sassy horse, and a group of misfits then you’ll definitely enjoy this book!
Thank you Second Sky for the arc!

Well this is a great start to a series! I loved the fantasy world building and the banter between the characters. It was a mix of a coming of age and adventure and I enjoyed every minute of it.

As much as the world building was awesome- it did take me a little longer than expected to fully become immersed into the world, around the 28% mark but once I was there it was great.

I’ll definitely be ordering a paperback copy and waiting for the next installment!

Thank you to NetGalley and Second Sky for the ARC in exchange for a review!

Wow, what a start to a series! This was my introduction to Moule's writing and I really loved it! I have not read a book told in first POV with the main character retelling their adventures, and I found that I really enjoyed it. Reading from the perspective of a naive youth going through these trials and tribulations was really fun, and I especially loved his interactions with Locan. Locan as a character was also very enjoyable to read. I loved reading how a great legend ends up being after their prime days are over. I also liked the magic system, with Locan's abilities being unique.

The beginning of the book was a bit slow and I wasn't sure how this book was going to go, but as I got to around 1/3 of the book, I was hooked! The latter half of the book ended up being very fast paced and I enjoyed every second of it. I do wish there was a bit more world building to give more information about the great battle before this story's events as well as more on the magic system, and I do hope we get more details with the later books in the series.

I will be checking out the author's other works, as well as continuing this series!

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for approving me to read this book. I’m rating it 3.5 stars rounded to 4 on here.

This was an interesting story following a mythological assassin and it’s quite the adventure for our MMC. There are twists and turns along the way, the story was darker than I expected. I found it a little slow in parts, but the core of the story had the intended impact.

I would happily continue series to see how the story further expands.