[REVIEW] Shadowblack by Sebastien de Castell

34913716

Shadowblack [Spellslinger #2]

written by Sebastien de Castell

352 Pages

Published by Hot Key Books

Published on October 5th 2017

Summary (from Goodreads)

It’s a few months since Kellen left his people behind. Now aged sixteen, Kellen is an outlaw, relying on his wits to keep him alive in the land of the Seven Sands. He misses home, he misses family and more than anything, he misses Nephenia, the girl he left behind.

Then he meets Seneira, a blindfolded girl who isn’t blind, and who carries a secret that’s all too familiar to Kellen. Kellen and Ferius resolve to help – but the stakes are far higher than they realise. A Shadowblack plague is taking hold – and Kellen can’t help but suspect his own people may even be behind it.

You guys!

It gets better!

In Shadowblack, the second book in the Spellslinger series, we come back to Kellen, Ferius and Reichis as they make their way through the Seven Sands as outlaws. We get to explore a little more of the world of Spellslinger, and learn more about these characters, even Reichis. The squirrel cat gets character growth, people. And it only makes him even more awesome. Sure, he still wants to eat people’s eyeballs, but now there’s context. Shadowblack also introduces a new character, Seneira, and I’m always weary of new characters, cause usually it means they’re coming in to mess with my Ships and all, but… I liked Seneira. I really did, and her interactions with Kellen were almost as brilliant as his interactions with Ferius and Reichis. She’s a keeper, you guys.

The plot was far darker than in the first one, and there’s a feel for a much larger, arching story developing here that I didn’t get in Spellslinger, and I am SO THERE FOR THIS. Finding out this was not a trilogy but a six book series was one of the best days of my life.

de Castell’s writing is just as good, if not better, than in the first book. The humour, guys, I can’t handle it. The bit with all the whispering nearly killed me. I had to stop listening, so I could breathe and, you know, not die from lack of breathing.

Yep, I listened to the audiobook of this too, and Lord Jesus, it is so worth it I can’t explain it. This narrator GETS it. If you only get one audibook this month, make it this one.

Buy it, borrow it, skip it? Buy it!

Perfect for: Fans of the first book, Spellslinger, duh. And fans of magic. And squirrel cats.

Happy reading!