Travelling with Ferius and Reichis, Kellen continues to battle his insecurities as he comes of age. When they stumble across what appears to be a shadowblack plague, they pause in their journeys to investigate.

Spellslinger was a high bar to kick off a series with. While Shadowblack is fun, it never quite matches its predecessor, at its best in its comic asides and episodes of squirrel cat belligerence, but I would have liked to see the same depth of world and character building that made the first novel stand out.

That said, Shadowblack is once again loads of fun - good for giggles and highly cinematic. Kellen remains a likeable narrator with a good heart, and both Ferius and Reichis are a delight to spend more time with. And because I like my characters spiky and unexpected in their ethics, Rosie intrigued me more than she was perhaps intended to. There's no such thing as your average Argosi, and that alone may keep me coming back for more.

This one is such fun. While I had enjoyed the first book, this one is tighter in focus with a stronger, more coherent storyline. And of course Reiches, the incorrigible squirrel cat is back, giving us some much-needed light relief as the storyline becomes a whole lot darker. I love the relationship between Kellen and Reiches – it’s not remotely sentimental and although there is plenty of humour, it is always edged with the prickly sensibilities of the squirrel cat, which is convinced he is superior to all the pesky humans around him.

Once again, Kellen’s first person narrative pings off the page and immediately drew me into the story. While you don’t need the first book to appreciate this one, I would recommend it as having more Spellslinger goodness in your life can never be a bad thing. What I really appreciated is that in this slice of the adventure, we get to discover more about Ferius, the Argosi who inexplicably turns up in the first book. I thoroughly enjoyed her intervention during Spellslinger but felt a little unsettled that by the end, we still don’t know all that much about her motivation and why she sees fit to get involved in Kellen’s life. As Ferius and Kellen encounter another Argosi, we learn a lot more about how they operate and get a further insight into what makes Ferius tick – particularly when we see her vulnerable and unable to fight back.

The other highlight in this story is the addition of a really nasty antagonist. His manner of attack is chilling and left me wriggling with disgust – eww. We get to know him well enough that we completely understand his motives even though the people behind his horrible scheme remain disturbingly shadowy – until the end. Although I already knew that de Castell isn’t afraid to kill off characters, I was shocked at the death which certainly upped the stakes and injected a real sense of menace.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this one and it is highly recommended for fans of entertaining fantasy adventure. While I obtained the arc of Shadowblack from the publisher via NetGalley, this has in no way influenced my unbiased review.
9/10

This series just keeps getting better. I really enjoyed the first book and this one brought in even more intrigue and mystery. The new characters were interesting and fitted in well with Kellen, Feruis and the squirrel cat. Who were all just as good as in the first book.

I still really love the setting. I think that it's interesting to have the slightly western theme, but I do think that the characters and the Argosi are the best part of it. It was interesting to meet Rosie and see how different Ferius is to her and how they both fit together well as Argosi while still arguing over the right way to follow the way of the Argosi.

I'm really looking forward to the next book. Things were really heating up in this book and I'll be interested to see how it goes on.

Shadowblack is the stunning sequel to Spellslinger, it is hilarious from the start and kept me engaged enough to finish in one sitting.

Shadowblack introduces new characters in particular a new younger female who is mysterious and her Argosi partner who seems to be complete different to Ferius in every way. The favourite character still has to be Reichis as he is so vicious and smart mouthed, but that bath scene made it!

The world the spellslinger series is set in will never cease to amaze me as it is so interesting to have a magic system with a wild west feel.

I highly recommend this book for anyone looking a fast paced but funny adventure story that they will blast through in a lazy evening.

*Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for giving an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

I feel like Sebastien de Castell will never write a book I won't enjoy. There's something about the worlds he creates and how he writes that just has me hooked from page 1 of every book, and no matter how long the book is, I'll be able to finish it in a day or so. This book is no different.

If anything, I preferred this book to the first one, because the worldbuilding is pretty much all finished, and the action starts immediately. Like the books in the Greatcoats series, it stands on its own, so there's no cliffhanger or serious continuation from the previous book. In this book, Kellen and Ferius have travelled to the borderlands, and have discovered that people there are getting infected by the shadowblack, a plague that should only affect mages.

There's a whole cast of new characters too, perhaps my favourite of which only showed up for a chapter and was never mentioned again thereafter. One thing I didn't like about that though was that obviously there had to be another love interest introduced. Because that girl that Kellen kissed in the last book and claimed to love (who's name I don't even remember...) wasn't enough. He needs to be collecting love interests wherever he goes apparently. (At least he found out that the girl back home had got engaged to someone else before he started anything. Small mercies.)

Anyway, the girl this time is actually also engaged (and has been since childhood) to another guy (who is actually a properly nice guy, so you can't even hate him). Then, of course, to clear the way for Kellen/Seneira to happen, he has to die. But even worse, you find out he was actually a gay character. I mean, fair enough, you find that out well after he's died, but yeah. Still not too happy with that. Kellen and Seneira also don't actually seem to have that much chemistry, either. Maybe I'm just inured to all attempts at chemistry between hets in YA lit now, because I was more bored by that storyline than anything. At least it ended in the same book it started though.

Overall, this was another solid book by Sebastien de Castell. I only wish he hadn't insisted on having a romantic subplot.

This is fast becoming a favourite series of mine. This second instalment tells about Kellen's travels through the borderlands to the city of Seven Sands, where a shadowblack plague is ravaging through the wealthy population. What I enjoyed so much about Shadowblack, was the introduction of the quest narrative. While the first book was definitely more intricate and did a great job of introducing the world and magic system, this one is far more straightforward in it's plot, which meant that the narrative flowed beautifully as there was just one key point of focus. We have more of the wonderful Reichis and his squirrel cat antics and Kellen is developing well as a character, struggling with his abandonment and trying to find a place for himself in the world. Again, the author has included some fabulous new magical elements, but the magic has been pared down a little to facilitate the streamlining of the plot, which I think works really well. Ultimately, this is a funny and well written book and I really look forward to the next instalment.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

What do you get when you mix a YA book with magic, some exceedingly sarcastic characters and a good dollop of Western? Apparently, the answer is Shadowblack, the second book in the Spellslinger series…and it’s a great read. (Hooray!)
Now, I’m a huge fan of Sebastien de Castell, and really enjoyed the first book in the series, where we were introduced to Kellen, the almost magic-less Mage from the Jan’Tep tribe, his talking squirrel-cat (where most of the sarcasm comes from) and the mysterious traveller, Ferius. Even if you’re not familiar with the series, though, it’s easy enough to pick up, as the story operates in almost a fully self-contained arc that gives you all the context you need.
For this story, de Castell has upped the Western element, taking us to what feels like a frontier town with a nasty case of the Shadowblack plague, and some rather rough locals, as he meets Seneira, a non-mage who has the disease. As a result, we get the chance to see more of the world de Castell has created beyond the Jan’Tep tribes, which makes for a great read- especially as we learn just where the Argosi and Jan’Tep fit into it.
He’s also upped the darkness levels: the stakes are higher, and our characters are in real danger from mages, Shadowblack and pretty much everything in between. No punches are pulled, which I enjoyed, and the plot fairly romps along as Kellen and Ferius try to solve the mystery of what’s happening in Teleidos, the frontier town in question. It’s full of interesting characters, the odd double-cross and some very unexpected twists that had me going back a few pages to read it all over again.
We also get to learn more about the characters in the novel- both old and new. I really like that Kellen is still very much a character in development- he’s realistically flawed, and awkward around girls, but he’s also selfish, and by the end of the book you do feel that he’s grown as a person, which makes for a rewarding read. Similarly, we get to learn more about Ferius, and the ways of the Argosi, and meet Seneira, who is sassy enough to match Kellen blow for blow, as their relationship develops. As far as funny goes, Shadowblack is still funny, mostly thanks to Reichis, the angry (but loveable) squirrel cat who has a sweet side despite being Kellen’s annoying ‘business partner’- though perhaps it feels a little more forced, as the tone of the book overall is darker- and Kellen’s antics with girls, and in trying to be ‘cool’- both lessons that Ferius gives him- are definitely something I found myself laughing at.
Overall, Shadowblack is a great read: it mixes danger, several hundred genres, a smidgeon of romance and above all the angst of trying to find yourself in a dangerous and unstable world very successfully. De Castell’s sure hand doesn’t miss a beat, and had me gripped throughout. If you’re looking for a YA book with some magic and some punch to it, then choose this one. Even if you’re an adult, you’re not too old for stuff like this.

Quality Rating: Three Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Four Stars

I really enjoyed the first book in this series and was so excited about where Kellen went, so when I saw the second one listed on NetGalley it took me under three seconds to request it. Lo and behold, I read it in under five days during the chaos that is university and had great fun doing so.

Back when I read Spellslinger, what grabbed me was the quick-witted dialogue and the humour running throughout the story and, of course, Kellen as our protagonist. Shadowblack still had that humour, but it wasn't quite present. This book felt more serious, but not necessarily darker. I think there was a lot of world building around Kellen and the Jan'Tep people that made the stakes higher before things kicked off in the last book, and events were a little more rushed here. I would've liked more of a balance between that silver-tongue dialogue and the mystery-style plot.

What sets this series out is its western genre. Especially for an audience of young adults, who don't often get that cultural experience of the genre (both in books and things like film and television), I think it's something different straight off the cuff. Its combination with high fantasy is a really nice fit as well, even though I would never have thought it would work.

While I disagree, I've seen it compared to Firefly. A big part of this, I'm sure, is to do with the clearly episodic structure of the series. Even two books in it's easy to see that it would make a great TV show because it already feels set up as a long-form story that has individual plots broken into it. We have the same characters and basic magic system, but with each book we're been taken out into this world and shown a different society. It's really good for building the feeling that Kellen's universe is expansive because we're getting to explore it with him. There's also something to say about the fact each book ties up its own plot. I feel like I could leave the series anytime I wanted, and that freedom - at a time where book series' are so confining and it feels like a marketing ploy half the time - makes me want to keep reading. Because the author has given me the freedom to choose, as opposed to trying to manipulate me into half finishing a story in one book.

The one significant issue I have with this series is its female characters. They're not terrible, but I'm unconvinced by them. I feel like de Castell is trying to make diverse and capable women, but falling short in a couple of fundamental ways. The positions he puts them in for one; the use of masculine characteristics to imply they're strong; the fact that we have yet to meet a young woman who doesn't fall in love with Kellen (past his sister, but that doesn't count). I remember having the same uncertainty in Spellslinger and I'm sad that that concern has come up again.

Although I was excited to see where this series went, I didn't enjoy Shadowblack quite as much as Spellslinger. I think there was more focus on the mystery than the characters and culture - which was what I really liked about the first book. Having said that, I still read it for a couple of hours at a time because I was enjoying it so much. Hopefully, in the future we'll go back to exploring the people and their societies over the plot.

Like Spellslinger this is a fairly well contained novel on it’s own. You might understand things fractionally better if you read book one first but it certainly isn’t necessary. As someone who can never find the first book in a series in the library that suits me to a tee.

We join our heroes as outlaws, in new places but with similar struggles. Ferius is still a badass, Kellen is still an endearing failure and Reichis is still the best character. We do meet some new characters however, including the satisfyingly blunt Seneira and the somewhat unusual Rosie. It’s good to throw some more characters into the mix in a second novel and these do the job nicely.

Where book #1 felt more like an action novel this book has a bit more of a pronounced mystery element to it. That’s not to say that there isn’t action in spades in this book, just that the mystery was more prominent in this instance. That suited me also since I was raised on Agatha Christie and I adore a mysterious evil force.

Again, however, I have been forced to deduct a star for pointless romance. In this book, not only is Kellen still mooning after Nephenia which I still don’t understand, but there’s a whole other female character for him to pointlessly stare at. I just can’t understand why the author keeps spoiling these perfectly good stories, which have well written female characters, with romance plots which are devoid of any purpose and aren’t written that well. It frustrates me no end.

This is still an entertaining book that will appeal to a lot of different people. I’m interested to see if this develops in later books (if there are later books) as I think that the characters and the relationships I am invested in can only get better as time goes on. We shall see.

My rating: 4/5 stars

Shadowblack releases on the 5th of October so keep your eyes peeled for this lovely blue cover!

By the way, I received a digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.

I really, really enjoyed this followup to this the first Spellslinger novel.. Shadowblack follows Kellen as he begins his life as an outcast and an apprentice to Argosi wanderer Ferius Parfax, and wandering the borderlands with his business partner, the sarcastic, bloodthirsty, thieving squirrel cat Reichis. Still my favourite sidekick ever.
This second adventure was definitely worth the wait, as it's more wit, more danger, more of Kellen being surprisingly useless and yet managing to bumble his way through somehow. The introduction of a second Argosi wanderer, known as Rosie (much to her chagrin) and more sufferers of the Shadowblack plague made for a hugely interesting adventure. Although this book was a little slower to start than the first in the series, and I found myself reluctant to pick it up at first, once it got going, it was almost as enjoyable as its predecessor.
I have only one major complaint, and it's a huge spoiler. So once the origin of the Shadowblack plague in the borderlands is revealed, it's never explained how those infected didn't feel the pain which was obvious when we saw the infection happening first-hand. I don't understand how the plague could have gotten into so many people without them noticing immediately. That was my only real complaint, and the rest of the book was a rip-roaring adventure, with top-notch action, humour, and magic sequences. I can't wait for the third in this series!

"Look at all of those stars. Why'd you need to pick just one to follow?"

* * *
3 / 5

This book reminded me of a tv episode: a small contained plot that didn't really move along the main story arc, but that was still fun and had the great original characters, but also added some new side ones I didn't really care about and vanished at the end. Shadowblack has Kellen, Reichis, and Ferius from Spellslinger and is focused around the sudden spread of the shadowblack plague in the Seven Sands.

"Four months in the borderlands had brought me to one irrefutable conclusion: I made a terrible outlaw"

We have Kellen, exiled from his homelands and his people, the Jan'tep mages, living the life of an outlaw with his sidekick cat-squirrel Reichis and his somewhat mentor the wandering Argosi Ferius. Kellen has the shadowblack, a magical plague that can be recognised by swirling black markings around the eyes, that steadily drives a person into madness. To make his year worse, Kellen was also forcibly counter-banded by his parents, meaning he cannot access five of the six mage disciplines. Left only with a small touch of Breath magic, Kellen has taken, badly, to the life of a spellslinger. I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Spellslinger, and so I picked up this sequel eagerly anticipating returning to the characters and the world that de Castell has lovingly crafted. We get a new setting, the desert borderland of the Seven Sands, which is depressingly underused and the only mention it really gets is the occasional trek through the sands, and a couple of new characters in Seneira, a blindfolded yet not blind girl, and her Argosi mentor Rosie.

Rosie is basically irrelevant. She drops in and out of the book and vanishes towards the end in a puff of, well, I'd say magic, but there's not exactly a lot of that in this book. I loved the magical system that de Castell had created in Spellslinger, and I really was hoping to read more about it, but alas. Mostly we just get Kellen throwing around his exploding powders and that's about it on the magical front, much to my disappointment. Then there's Seneira. I didn't really care much for her either; mostly I felt sort of apathetic towards her. If Spellslinger was a video game, Seneira would be that random NPC you'd help out in order to get some XP to level you up for the main quest.

"You talk about magic like it's a joke, but it's not Magic is power, Ferius."
"Kid one day, if you live long enough, you're gonna figure out that power is the biggest joke of all"

Despite this negative talk, I did enjoy Shadowblack. Reading the book felt like watching Avatar: the legend of Aang, a weird comparison, but bear with me! First we have the similarity in characters, the magical (or not) special boy Aang/Kellen, the animal companion Reichis/Appa, the slightly sarky sort of blind girl Seneira/Toph, and the goofy one Ferius/Sokka. But mostly, Shadowblack made me feel comfortable and fuzzy; I knew how the plot was going to go, I rooted for our hero Kellen, I enjoyed his character developments and spiritual/self-discovery arc.

Shadowblack didn't wow me, it didn't make my heart race or flip through the pages like Spellslinger did, but it was a fun read, and I'll be joining Kellen on his next adventures.

My thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of Shadowblack

4 - 4.5 / 5 stars

This was a great second instalment to the Spellslinger series. The humour, the snark, the thievery and tricky situations were just as good, if not better, than book one.

This book was a lot darker than book one and I really enjoyed that aspect. It definitely took turns I wasn't expecting and I can't wait to see what else Sebastien de Castell has in store for us next.

However, I still wanted to learn more about the Argosi. I feel like this book teased us with hints about their background and ways of life, so I'm holding out hope that the next book will explore it a lot more.

As always, Sebastien de Castell's writing is beautiful and flows so effortlessly. I found myself simultaneously not wanting this book to end, and needing to know what happens next!

I'm definitely enjoying this series a lot and I can't wait for the next instalment.

What a great book. I could really write a long, detailed review waxing lyrical about how good it was. And maybe it deserves it. But i can truly just sum it up by saying that this book mad me happy. Damn happy. Very few books seem to do that now. I picked it up and started smiling, and as the book went on, that smile just kept growing. When it was finished i had a huge grin on my face, because i enjoyed it that much.

Honestly, stop what you're doing and pick up a Sebastien de Castell book. They're worth it. I really cant wait for book 3. And i really want a squirrel cat.

This is my review from Goodreads. I plan to write a more detailed / longer one for my blog and will update with links.

I really shouldn't have needed to reread book one before reading this given that I only read it a handful of months ago, but my terrible memory for plots and details struck again and I found myself wading through the early chapters with only the haziest memory of the backstory and context, trying to pick it up from clues. I got there eventually, but I still think that perhaps I'd have found it more enjoyable if I'd read them one after the other.

This book did improve on one of the failings of the first book, which was the repeated use of gendered insults and some rather male gazey descriptions that veered toward the misogynistic. Both of those were, to my recollection, absent from this book, though whether because the author was acting in response to criticism or because Kellen has matured after spending time on the road with Ferius wasn't entirely clear. Still, it made it a more comfortable read.

However, it didn't have quite as much in the way of cool worldbuilding, because after the magic system was explored and explained in book one, it's largely been left behind at this point, with the majority of the book not involving much magic. (Due to the whole nature of Kellen not being able to do it, and so on.) This made sense, and there was some political intrigue and social worldbuilding to fill its place, but it was a bit sad because that was one of the aspects I found most original and interesting.

I have to admit, I'm still not convinced about the squirrel cats. They have their redeeming features, and talking animals are slightly less cringey when only one person can talk to them, but even so, I'm not sure they're entirely suited to my sense of humour. Though there were moments when I considered revising that position.

The plot was engaging enough, but I have to admit I didn't get a very clear sense of motivation or emotional drive. I guess that was partly due to the nature of their antagonist and their behaviour not HAVING an emotional basis, but it still made it a little less compelling than it might perhaps have been. Then again, I'm tired and distracted (I stopped at 75% to have an epic rant to a friend about something that wasn't even slightly related to the book, and then had to try and find my way back into the story), so maybe that was part of it.

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oh Kellen, I just love your story so much! 😍 Shadowblack was everything I hoped it would be and more - I particularly liked that it twisted my expectations and did something a bit different (and even better!) I love the originality of this series and that Kellen is still relying on his smarts, even if that doesn't always work out and he gets hit ;)
This book in particular really just got better and better as I went through - it has the sense of widening up their universe and setting the scene for the rest of the series, and while also managing the self contained story for this book which is truly excellent. I loved the twists towards the end, and Kellen coming to realise a bit more about who he wants to be. Also top marks for him being sad about liking a girl who is potentially unavailable but also just dealing with that. 👍🏻
So yeah - go read this book when it comes out. I will definitely be buying this in hardback and getting the next one in the new year 😍😍

"Kid, one day, if you live long enough, you're gonna figure out that power is the biggest joke of all."

So Spellslinger was a fun, twisty turny adventure with added magic and angst and great characters, with wit and a few darker moments, but not so much of a wild west influence as the cover would suggest.

For Shadowblack, Castell has upped the darker moments by like 75%, upped the angst by 50%, upped the western style by 10% and kept everything else - the characters, the magic, the twisty turns, the funny bits - about the same.So you could prefer either Spellslinger or Shadowblack, depending on your tastes.

We left Kellen running from his childhood home with a price on his head, taken in by the continuing-to-be-a-badass Ferius and accompanied by his squirrel cat companion Reichis. Just like Spellslinger, the novel opens with a fight (and a beating. Poor kid), and Ferius showing Kellen how its done. Here begins the change.

"I know you're scared, kid, and you've got good reason to be. You want to do the right thing, but your fear makes you look for ways to protect yourself."


Think of Shadowblack like many superhero sequel films. Remember Spiderman 2? Or Iron Man 2? Or even Captain America: Winter Soldier? Shadowblack is all about the classic crisis of confidence, not knowing what to do or where you belong, feeling like you're all alone in a big and scary world. Kellen is a hunted, hated exile, and Ferius is not teaching him what he wants to learn. He's beginning to harbour some resentment, feeling useless and honestly, getting a bit fed up with getting beaten all the time. You can see where he's coming from, as Kellen was just as relatable in Spellslinger, and again, this is a strong element of the novel.

The story, too, is darker. Spellslinger had its moments of animal cruelty and sinister plots, but Shadowblack is easily the Evil Trophy Winner. Our characters get hurt harder and more easily, their friends don't always make it, and winning is not a sure thing. The twists remain, with a couple of fun double-bluffs to enjoy, and some really tense scenes. Again, I'm not really going to expand on the plot very much - its much more fun to go in blind.

"Let us make no maps of lands yet unseen."

There are some fun new characters to enjoy, including a mysteriously blindfolded girl and her companion - another Argosi like Ferius. I loved the interactions between the 2 Argosi, which helped expand Ferius' character a little more. There was also an added element of romance in this instalment, which I didn't entirely hate.

There was less emphasis on the magical aspects overall, which I didn't mind since there was so much more emphasis on dark, murdery plot lines which I am always going to enjoy. Overall, it was a great sequel, with a bit of a tone shift that didn't take away from the enjoyability of the series.

This is an impressive sequel and sets the scene for more of the same. As with the previous book there is strong characterisation and a richness of description that enhances the story. The world building remains at a very high standard with coherent mapping of location to plot development.

There are fewer twists and turns to this story but that does not mean the story is weakened as a result. This remains a tale of personal realisation and growth through experience. But all of that aside it is a fine story with a strong cast and plenty of action.

Structurally the book has good pace with interesting and credible characters interacting in ways that make sense in the context. The magic system enhances the story but whilst it is core to the plot it does not dominate but rather complements the human decisionmaking throughout.

There is a little romance but nothing that would affect the balance of the book. It is also good to see passing mention to other kinds of love. It is one of the strengths of the book that the central characters are strong regardless of their sex and that it is their inner qualities and personality characteristics that make the difference.

This book is strongly recommended and a look forward to the next chapter in this story.

I was sent a copy of Shadowblack by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

After listening to the Spellslinger audiobook a few days ago I was really excited to get stuck into Shadowblack!

The story continues to follow Kellen’s journey; he has since fled his city with Reichis and Ferius with the fear that he will be hunted down if he were to be found by any Jan’Tep mages. Along the road they encounter another Argosi and her travelling companion.

Kellen and Seneira embark on a very different kind of adventure, one of deceit and curses, and the two must come together to help a number of cursed Academy students. We still hear of happenings back at Kellen’s home, Shalla keeping him well informed, but this time she is desperate to get him home. With Ke’heops stil not crowned clan prince – who can ensure Kellen’s safety?

Once again de Castell weaves a fantastic story of adventure, fantasy, and magic and keeps up the pace throughout the book. It keeps the reader turning page after page, reading chapter after chapter. I read this book in just two sittings! (I started it the night before and had finished by dinner the next day!)

And again, the author shows us the rich and 3-dimensional characters in his story, introducing each of them and crafting them in such a way they feel like family and friends. I particularly enjoy the way Shadowblack achieves this, since it is told from the protagonist’s POV; the narration is hysterical yet still serious enough that we are able to see clearly through his eyes and thoughts. I really hope in the up-coming books we are given more of an insight into Ferius and Shalla, since I am sure their characters have so much depth and complexity about them; I think de Castell wants them to be mysterious, and drip-feeds us just enough to build a picture, but so we continue to be intrigued by their obscurity. I also believe Kellen is coming along in leaps and bounds with his character development, which is a great thing to see with any protagonist! And he and Reichis just kill me in this book – I love the humourous side of this series, it really makes for an enjoyable and easy read!

Overall I’m giving this book a 4/5, it had all the good points from the previous book but again I was finding it quite predictable in places. I do love reading it though, since its so light-hearted, funny and entertaining! The pace of the book is great too, and characters really come to life!

I would recommend this book to any YA/ fantasy lover who wants a chilled out read that keeps them engaged and absorbed.

Thank you so much for the e-ARC!! I have enjoyed this vook so much and CANNOT WAIT for book #3!

Shadowblack is the second of Sebastien De Castell’s ‘Spellslinger’ series. The first, a cunning blend of coming of age tale, fantasy and weird western, was very enjoyable – so I had high hopes for this one too. Shadowblack re-emphasises a lot of the good things about the first volume, including the sharp banter, the well observed, convincing characterisation, and the world I wanted to see more of, then adds some new narrative spices of its own.

Where the first book was set in an oasis of magic users, and centred around Kellen, an adolescent coming rapidly to terms with the fact that he didn’t actually have any magic to speak of, we, along with Kellen, are now outside that oasis, thrust into the wider world and wondering what on earth happens next. Unfortunately, it turns out that the Badlands outside of the oasis are, well, not very nice. There’s radiating heat, scrubby brushland, and rather a lot of horse manure. It’s a barren land with a big sky; to me it evokes a start, Western-style vista. De Castell draws out the difficult beauty of these Badlands in the tribulations of his protagonist – struggling against an uncaring space, but one with a beauty of its own, means that geography helps shape character.

If the Badlands, and the fractured region of which they’re a part aren’t enough, then there’s the Academy. A thriving university town, with students from the richest and most influential of this world. If it feels a little parochial in some ways, that just serves to provide a patina of authenticity to the experience. If the Badlands feel like the edge of the world, then the thriving, hopeful town in which the Academy sits is its crowning jewel and greatest contrast. It’s to De Castell’s credit that he makes both environs feel alive.

The unlikely trio from the first book are back. I have to admit that for me the star of the show is always Reichis, the squirrel cat. He’s a few pounds of fur, sharp teeth and a sharper attitude. Reichis has a degree of focus which I suspect the other characters envy – he’s a fan of baubles, and of murdering small animals, and as long as nothing interferes with those cat-activities, he’s fairly happy. That said, he also enjoys trying to educate Kellen in the ways of the world, with a distinct lean toward solving problems by disembowelling them. Acerbic, he may be, but Reichis leaps off the page as a convincing portrayal of a person who isn’t also a human. Over the course of the text, he exhibits a bit of personal growth, bringing his team mates a little further into his heart. But in the meantime, his dialogue is sharp, witty, and often hilarious, and the action sequences he appears in are have a penchant for kinetically charged brutality which kept me turning pages.

Ferius is Kellen’s other mentor, a traveller with a set of alchemical pouches, cards that are both prophecies and weapons, and her own line in dry repartee. Where Reichis is the personification of the id, Ferius is calmer, more collected. She has her own goals, and a certain enigmatic magnetism. Quite what drives Ferius has remained unclear, but in the interim she serves as a solid counterpoint to Reichis, and as one of the few people around Kellen who seem prepared to let him realise his potential, rather than have him enact some scheme of theirs.

Having spoken about Reichis and Ferius, I just want to take a moment to say that the dialogue here is absolutely pitch perfect. The banter has that amiable edge to it, as colleagues and friends take swipes at each other. Where it’s more serious, the emotional payload is raw and convincing, and threats of violence come freighted with depth and weight that gives them serious menace. In either case (and indeed in the more standard everyday chit chat as the characters go about their business) the language absolutely scintillates, and the rhythm and texture of the dialogue goes a long way to keeping the pages turning. That it is (much like in De Castell’s Greatcoats series) by turns hysterical and genuinely emotional and honest is a great help too, of course.

Kellen is our protagonist again, and I have to admit, he feels spot on as a teen conflicted about his place in the world. The coming-of-age tale is in full flow here, as he steps into a world which is fairly confident that he isn’t special. Being on the run from his own people, and not entirely willing to share who he is with the world, Kellen is rather occupied trying to work out who he, well, is. Or rather, who he wants to be, now that he’s out from under the constraints of his society. There’s a part of Kellen which is a sulky, surly teen, but there’s a score of moral choice there as well, and the steel of adulthood slowly becoming visible beneath it all. Quite who Kellen is I’m not entirely sure, and he isn’t either, I suspect – but watching him try and work that out, deciding what his own principles and morals are, and what they’re worth, well, it makes for an intelligent, sometimes troubling, but always interesting read.

The plot – well, no spoilers here. I will say that it rumbles along at a reasonable pace though. There’s an assortment of trickery, thievery and fast talking. There’s even a little bit of magic, here and there. The stakes, as ever, are high, both personally and in a wider context, and there’s a tension and sense of consequence which ties up with the stellar characterisation and cracking dialogue to keep the pages turning. Is it worth reading? Oh yes. Our trio are always at their best when they’re in hot water, and they’re definitely there this time. This is a worthy successor to Spellslinger, and if you were wondering if the sequel could be as good, I’d say you can now stop wondering, and start reading.

This series is fast becoming one of my all time favourites. Following my epic adventures with Spellslinger after picking it up in a deal in Asda, I couldn't wait to get my hands on Shadowblack and thanks to the lovely people at Bonnier Zaffre and Netgalley I have done!

Shadowblack was even better than Spellslinger which is hard because 1. Spellslinger was really good and 2. It's rare a Middle book in a trilogy is any good at all never mind better than the first one!

So, we meet back up with Kellen the Spellslinger, Ferius the Argosi and Reiches the Squirrel Cat as they make their way across Seven Sands, the Border Lands of their world; as outlaws.


On their journey they meet new friends, but also new foes and end up fighting not only for their own lives but the lives of others as well, something evil is lurking and it seems to Kellen like it's coming straight from his own people, the Jan'Tep but as for whether Kellen and his friends will manage to stop them in time, that's for me to know and you guys to find out!


Not only is this a really well written book, which i could go on to praise for hours on end, it's also got a stunning cover and despite this being an ARC on my kindle, I will definitely be buying a hard copy come publishing day as it will look amazing on my shelf beside Spellslinger!