Shadowcaster (Shattered Realms Series #2)

by Cinda Williams Chima

Overview

From New York Times bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima, this is a thrilling story of the unfathomable costs of war, the allure of dark magic, and two principled and conflicted characters drawn together despite everything they stand to lose.

Alyssa ana’Raisa, the reluctant princess heir to the Gray Wolf throne of the Fells, feels more comfortable striking with a sword than maneuvering at court. After a brush with death, Lyss goes on the offensive, meaning to end the war that has raged her whole life. If her gamble doesn’t pay off, she could lose her queendom before she even ascends to the throne.

Across enemy lines in Arden, young rising star Captain Halston Matelon is being sent on ever more dangerous assignments. Between the terrifying rumors of witches and wolfish warriors to the north and his cruel king at home, Hal is caught in an impossible game of life and death. 

Lyss and Hal’s intricately linked fates become inseparable when they fall under the shadow of a new enemy—a force that threatens to extinguish the last rays of hope in the Shattered Realms.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062380982
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	03/06/2018
Series:	Shattered Realms Series , #2
Pages:	576
Sales rank:	35,000
Product dimensions:	5.31(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima writes fantasy for teens of all ages, including the Heir Chronicles and the Seven Realms series. Her critically acclaimed books have appeared on numerous state awards lists. She lives in Ohio with her family, and she is always working on her next novel. Find out more at www.cindachima.com.

Editorial Reviews

Shadowcaster runs parallel to the events in Flamecaster (HarperTeen, 2016/ Voya June 2016) and follows Alyssa ana’Raisa, Ash’s mixed-race younger sister, who is heiress to the Gray Wolf throne. Having lost her brother, Alyssa loses herself to leading soldiers into battles against the King of Ardan. Across the battlefield, Halston Matelon, an enemy soldier, finds himself at odds with the king for whom he fights and in league with the kingdom he fights against. Breon d’Tarvos, a street performer, unwittingly strikes a deal to assist in a murder plot and discovers the consequences of ill-advised decisions. Together, the three fill in the background of events in the first book to provide a timeline for what occurred across the border. With a budding romance and a theme surrounding familial obligations versus acting on what the heart desires, the second title in the epic fantasy series is slow to build. Chima takes the time to establish more characters, create more storylines, and focus on the politics of war. Few characters from the previous title make an appearance, and the static plot trajectory due to the timeline fill-in may frustrate some readers, but the pacing is solid, with enough breadcrumbs to keep fans interested. Readers will need to settle in for the long haul for many questions are still unanswered and the big reveal has yet to come. This title does not stand alone and is recommended for fans familiar with the first book in the series, and with Chima’s other work. Reviewer: Jewel Davis; Ages 12 to 18.

VOYA, April 2017 (Vol. 40, No. 1) - Jewel Davis

05/01/2017
Gr 8 Up—This volume continues the vast and expansive story of the Seven Realms and again jumps forward in time to a land of young warrior orphans who have resumed the war of their dead parents. In this sequel to Flamecaster, Chima brilliantly brings to life Alyssa ana'Raisa, who is the teenage heir to the Gray Wolf Throne, and young Capt. Halston Matelon of King Gerard's army. Their fates are unfairly tangled in the grudge match between King Gerard and the witch Queen of the Fells, and their connection blossoms from the deep understanding of fighting a war that no longer makes sense. Both characters have parents who are alive, setting them apart from most of the rest of the child warriors of the Seven Realms, and have been fighting a war for just about half their lives. Both lead armies, and both have the weight of their sides' desire to win squarely on their young, increasingly unwilling shoulders. With betrayal, love, loss, and a spectacular twist, this well-crafted series installment can be read as a stand-alone, as it focuses on a new cast of young, well-developed characters, the next generation of the Seven Realms. Familiar characters make appearances, drawing the thread through the Realms without being heavy-handed. VERDICT A solid, engaging fantasy that will resonate with new readers of Chima's work and fans of her previous titles.—Nicole Coover-Thompson, Maine West High School, Des Plaines, IL

School Library Journal

2017-02-04
The storyline shifts to the reluctant princess-heir of the Fells in this second chronicle of the next generation of wizards and warfare in the Seven Realms. Alyssa ana'Raisa is not yet 16 but already a seasoned officer in the endless war against Arden. Her unexpected victories include capturing one Capt. Halston Matelon, a potentially useful pawn, and the magemarked street busker Breon, roped into an assassination plot that may lead back to the latest sinister threat to the Realms. Readers eager for updates on Ash and Jenna (Flamecaster, 2016) may be frustrated by the scant tidbits here, but they'll be more than satisfied with the author's distinctive, immersive worldbuilding, dense plotting, and complex characterization. Lyss and Hal are both blunt, honorable, war-weary soldiers whose mutual recognition of a kindred soul across battle lines lends conviction to their star-crossed romance even as Breon's charming braggadocio and painful naiveté supply an appealing foil. While both Hal and Breon are white, Lyss' dark skin and wheaten hair indicate her mixed ancestry; the many supporting characters represent "a quilt of faces of all colors, all ages, and every social class." Despite the absence of any overarching narrative arc, the hurtling pace keeps the pages turning through heated battles and embraces, daring plots and escapes, right up to the abrupt cliffhanger ending. By no means a stand-alone but—like the entire saga—essential for any epic-fantasy collection and catnip for lovers of the genre. (Fantasy. 12-adult)

Kirkus Reviews