Shadowcaster

Fells Princess Alyssa Lyss Gray, aka The Gray Wolf, much prefers the battlefield to the throne room, but her sister's assassination by King Gerard of neighboring Arden means she's now heir to the throne. The war with Arden is dragging on, and finally she convinces her mother to stage a preemptive strike, capturing an attractive Ardenine lordling in the process. Meanwhile, Breon a fugitive, magically talented musician who has no idea of his heritage is trying to avoid both Lyss' men and a mysterious, ruthless empress bent on taking his magic for herself. This ambitious yet effective follow-up to Flamecaster (2016) marks the second installment in the Shattered Realms series. Chima skillfully develops multiple story lines while fleshing out characters that we come to care about. Some of the lesser characters here were front and center in Flamecaster, and although the author gives some background, it is best to start with the first book in this series. Lyss' fondness for military strategy offers a potential way in for those who might not typically read fantasy.--Welch, Cindy Copyright 2017 Booklist

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 naivet 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 butlike the entire sagaessential for any epic-fantasy collection and catnip for lovers of the genre. (Fantasy. 12-adult) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.