Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for permitting this book to be a Read Now to help members develop their Feedback Ratio in exchange for an honest review.

Review Summary:
This novel is set in the city of Jereste, a city with a heavy class divide but also full of the wonderment of the arts; acting, music, magic. A city where fencing and duelling is in the heart of its proud, chivalrous culture. We follow our main character Damelas Chadementaigne as he escapes pursuit by a vengeful noblewoman, seeking refuge in a famous acting troupe. Little does he know that this acting troupe would become a political tool to solve a conspiracy within the city relating to a rebel group of violent ‘revolutionaries’. A conspiracy relating to the Duke of the city and his family history. All the while Damelas must fight his inferiority complex to discover who he is and the talents he possesses, whether or not these talents are related to his famous Grandparents renowned for their political and duelling prowess.
Positives are that the characterisation in this novel is almost impeccable with both main and supporting characters being a delight to read with natural and really quite funny dialogue. The world of Jereste is enchanting and inherently believable only adding to the enticing plot. The plot was interlaced with interesting twists and turns without being predictable.
Negatives were that the romance plot felt a little unconvincing to me, which was a real shame because of how much I adored the main character and would have loved to have seen him in more flirtatious, sexually tense situations. There were also a couple of side characters that possibly needed fleshing out a bit more as they became motives for Damelas later on which could have felt more impactful had we felt more attached to them.

4.5 stars. This is an absolute triumph of a novel. I hadn’t heard of the author or his Greatcoat universe until reading this novel and I can confidently say I have been missing out. Throughout I couldn’t help but compare it to Patrick Rothfuss’ Name of the Wind - another genius novel in my eyes - because of its impeccable storytelling, world-building and characterisation. It also has a real British sense of humour, similar to Name of the Wind, which is fascinating as I don’t think either author is British! Take Name of the Wind, blended with The Princess Bride, and make them all from medieval England and you have the world of Jereste. As close to perfect as this novel is I had to knock off half a star for a little bit of weakness in the romance element of the story which didn’t grip me as much as I hoped it would. There were also phases in the earlier stages of the book where I felt the pacing slowed a bit and I would have a few days off to regain the motivation to pursue it again.

FULL REVIEW BELOW. AVAILABLE WITH THE ADDITION OF HIDDEN SPOILERS ON GOODREADS.

World-building:
Fantastic. Jereste has a comfortably established political/class hierarchy and culture and the novel delves even further into the origins of this by uncovering more of its history. There is a real focus on art and its role in commenting on society, particularly plays for Damelas and the troupe. There are clever parallels with the importance of theatre in real life democracies such as Ancient Greece with their satirical comedies or poignant tragedies, which if utilised in certain ways could then sway public opinion or be used as propaganda. We are also shown the influence and power brought by money and nobility whether technically ruling class or not.

Characterisation:
Phenomenal. Damelas is complex, flawed but irresistibly likeable and charismatic. His growth and development is beautifully written and paced and feels very organic. He’s also hilarious. Pretty much every notable character in the acting troupe, whether main or not, has a recognisable personality. Berretto is a beautiful, utterly loveable sidekick and I particularly enjoyed his natural banter with Rhyleis. Even characters from the past were interesting and I found myself rooting for them. The only troupe member I wish was fleshed out more was Roslyn as she becomes very important for Damelas and his development later on but I felt a little indifferent towards her as there was limited dialogue involving her. Similarly Zina could have been fleshed out a little more to justify her importance for our main character. My main frustration in otherwise wonderful characterisation was Lady Shariza. I found her a little too vague as a character and her interactions with Damelas felt unconvincing and unnatural in stark contrast to the vast majority of other characters.

Story:
The storyline has everything you could ask for. We have a complex mystery with twists, double bluffs and danger. A mystery with multiple layers relating to both past and present. Political scheming. We have an unlikely hero discovering his true strength and abilities. We have enthralling action sequences, ridiculous plays and soliloquies. Most importantly we have a charming overtone of humour.

Prose:
Again, this book has it all. The vocabulary in this book is beautiful, made even more so through the medium of theatre performed throughout the book. The dialogue in particular is really strong in this story.

It is not easy to write a review for this book (and lately this is almost a refrain in my reviews, sorry about that!) because I have some mixed feelings toward this book. I still enjoyed it a lot. I don’t have any doubt about this, I had fun, I had feelings, and I am extremely happy to have read this book. But I think that trusting the author here made all the difference.
The point is that in the beginning I was at first fascinated by this new setting because it is the same world as the Greatcoats series, but the MC is not a Greatcoat, he is completely different, so it was all sort of new but in a familiar contest (and I appreciated this immensely) but then we get started pretty soon with the mistreatment of Damelas (more on that in a second) and I was just so mad! But not because the author did a poor job or something like that. I was mad because it was just so unfair! (And I mean, what the heck was I expecting? I knew how things were with this author!). Poor Damelas is thrown in bad spot after bad spot, with a ton of responsibilities (and he didn’t ask for any of those!). And I know that it is immensely naive on my part, but the unfairness of all this, time and again, really hit me hard. (And I think that if the author wasn’t someone I loved… well, I would have probably ditched the book because I was not ready for all that suffering!). But let’s rewind a second here!

The Greatcoats is one of my favorite series so I was curious and scared about this one because, as I said, it is set in the same world, but we are not following the characters that I loved to pieces, but a completely new one, whit a completely different career. (But Falcio is mentioned around and at every mention of him, my little heart soared. This small thing made me so incredibly happy! And in the end, we see one of the fantastic trio on the scene and I was full-on in fan-girl mode! That really made my day!!)
That said Damelas is a great character who the author treats unfairly. Because De Castell is one of those authors who mistreat their characters. And I hate them for this. But I love them for the characters, the world they create, and the story they gift us. So yeah, I am complaining because he is bad, but I love him because he is bad.
Anyway, Damelas is the MC, but with him, we have a full cast of interesting characters, some I loved to pieces (Beretto, Shariza, and Zina above all), some I loved to hate (Albastrini, and damn, he is an amazing character! He is a masterpiece, trust me!) and some I despised so much! (Iron Orchids and the Vixen ).
And let me tell you a thing about the Vixen. She is bad, and I really mean bad, but she is also your classical villain, the one that is always there, that appears from nowhere every time things are going bad for our beloved hero. So much so that you start to roll your eyes when you see her appear, because really? Again?? It wasn’t enough all the rest?? And I think that here the author did an amazing job, too. Even if I wanted her dead from the start. So so dead!!

And the characters are not the only good thing in this book. The plot is pretty full of action, mystery, and plot, it is never boring, but what I really loved was the dark and dry humor that we can see from time to time, and that cracked me up. I just live for those moments when the humor of the author shows. De Castell has a peculiar sense of humor, that makes his books funny even when they are not, by any means, funny books. And yet, from time to time, I find myself laughing or smiling because, sure, they are pretty dark but there is still some light in them. And I so love this!

And, last but not least, I love that we have some epic scenes, that almost made me cry out because they are so so satisfying and epic! And yes, satisfying because sometimes we get to see some justice or some payback delivered in some delightful way. And in these cases, the feelings are all over the place, and it feels so rewarding!!

So… yeah, I loved this book. A lot. It made me suffer, it made me mad, but it made me also delighted, and happy, and it made me go fangirling around. It is the whole package: smile, laugh, tears, rage, satisfaction… whatever! It is just soooo good!

This was my first Sebastian DeCastell and it will not be my last!
I adored the writing style in this. The action was perfect, the intrigue and humanity was bliss. The found family was lovely and underdog reluctant hero was superb. I gobbled this up and smiled all the way through, don't get me wrong there was plenty not to smile about but these characters were so vivid and the banter and dramatics were just so lovely and heartfelt. I was hooked throughout with no real idea what was going to happen and no care that didn't. The atmosphere and world building was lush and immersive and I am giddy to carry on this new series.
Thanks to Quercus Books and Netgalley for an arc all thoughts are my own and left voluntarily.

“We Bardatti are the country's memory. Our gift is to record those truths which others would see forgotten.”

Ever since I read “The Greatcoats” a few years ago, I’ve been intrigued by the mysterious order of the Bardati. While, to some, they might come across as just humble bards or mediocre poets, this book sheds some light on their true calling and importance in the kingdom of Tristia. I really enjoyed figuring out (alongside Damelas) what being a Bardati truly encompasses and seeing our hero embrace his rare and unique gift.

“Everyone has a talent, and these days, mine is running”.

“I can never quite tell if you're a timid person who pretends at times to be brave, or a brave one who's been trying to convince himself for far too long that he's a coward.”

When I first met Damelas, I didn’t know what to expect. He is the nephew of two amazing Greatcoats, yet he can barely fence and would describe himself as a coward. However, as the story progresses, everyone can see Damelas learn to deal with his past and inner conflicts and overcome his fears, while also growing into his role as a Bardati Veristor.

“Beware of getting too comfortable in your role. That's always when another actor comes to take it away from you.”

Up until the very end, I was mesmerised by the way Damelas managed to not only submerge himself, but the reader too, in Corbier's dangerous past and the unique way in which this book manages to present a history of love, betrayal and suffering through the masterful tellings of a Veristor, who, even though might be just a little in over his head, will not let anything stop him from uncovering the naked truth.

✦Thank you to Sebastien de Castell and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. ✦

This started as a silly, unserious comedy of errors about a hapless coward who bluffs his way into an acting troupe, but by the middle I was gasping at the emotional impacts and the mysteries slowly unfolding.

The method of discovery - gazing into the secrets of the past through the Power of the Theatre!! makes for a very weird sort of detective mystery, and there’s some rapid skating over what is happening in the background for this all to work - and the villain indeed remains very ill-defined for me and slightly disappointing - but the story itself is powered by its characters.

The characters are simply delightful. I was charmed by how vividly they were drawn, the wittiness of their dialogue, and their relationships and their GROWTH. The concept is also fantastic: theatre kids, what a treat?! You get to be the hero. The power lives with anyone who draped a curtain over their shoulders and declared themselves a knight. The whole thing is an elegy to how storytelling holds deeper truths and it’s honestly beautiful. Bravo!

Loved being back in this world, it took me a little while to adjust to the characters since we aren't following the greatcoats this time but I really really enjoyed it. Looking forward to more.

The theatre , the drama , the characters . I loved every minute of it . An immersive world I didn't want to leave .Fabulous read

I really enjoyed the setting and the authors previous books as well. Overall this book is a start to an exciting new venture by the author, and i am looking forward to what comes next as well as future endeavors.

Received arc from Quercus Books and Netgalley for honest read and review,this review is my personal experience.
As I have said before I love anything written by Mr De Castell and if he were to write a shopping list, even with just a hint of a sword, I would read that as well.😀
This is a.little bit of a slow burner but kicks in and doesn't let up.
Brilliantly was always with of course the standard bunnies thrown in as well.
Well crafted story with the main character Damelas outstanding.
For me The Greatcoats series is the best books I have read for years and this is continuing with this new series as well.

Like Heinlein’s Double Star, Mary Gentle’s Black Opera, Robert Silverberg's Lord Valentine and Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven, Play of Shadows is a story of a play within a story, where the fantasy element is allied with another fiction, that of a theatre production.

Initially, Damelas Chademantaigne appears to be one of those ‘Han Solo’ type characters - a charming rogue, living on his wits and with a quick tongue rather than any other virtues. To reflect this, the book begins with a chase. Damelas is being chased through the streets of Jereste by the Vixen, the most feared duellist in the entire city for having upset one member of the gentry too many. Damelas manages to avoid her and the Iron Orchids (the name of which might be a nod to Michael Moorcock), the local militia that seem to run law and order, to take refuge in the Operetta Belleza, one of the ensembles of actors in the city. It just so happens that due to an ancient law that dictates that anyone in an acting troupe is exempt from prosecution, he is protected from attack.

He then manages to get himself a minor part in the group’s latest production, and along with his loyal friend Beretto meets a diverse group of characters – Hujo Shoville, the group’s director, pompous Ellias Abastrini, the lead actor, actresses Roslyn and Ornella, ill-tempered musician Rhyleis, street minor Zina and assassin Shariza, whose target may or may not be Damelas himself. De Castell does well to integrate unusual locations and memorable characters into an exciting and engaging plot.

Things begin slowly but quickly build into something quite interesting. For much of the first part of the novel Damelas appears to be passive, carried along by events and never in control of things, and despite his bravado often unconfident and seemingly with little grip on events. However, one night a ghostly voice in his head causes Damelas to fumble his lines, inadvertently blurting out a dreadful truth - that Prince Pierzi, the city’s most legendary hero, may actually be a traitor and a brutal murderer. This causes outrage and Damelas finds himself brought to the attention of Duke Monsegino, the new and seemingly weak reigning Duke of Pertine.

Seemingly as a punishment, Damelas is commanded by Monsegino to present a play telling the story of Pierzi’s nemesis, Corbier, who is usually the villain of such tales, with Chademantaigne himself elevated to the lead role of the Red Eyed Raven (another nod to Michael Moorcock, I think) - even though the troupe know that such a heretical tale will be greeted with outrage and protests. To me this sounds like something similar to the story of Jesus Christ being told from the perspective of Judas Iscariot.

At the same time, Damelas finds himself more and more susceptible to visions showing him things that he should not know, things seen from Corbiers's perspective that show a very different range of events from those traditionally told in the play. More so, he finds himself on stage giving dialogue that is not his, but seemingly words from the Red Eyed Raven himself.

This retelling of famous historical events does not go down well with everyone. When one of the troupe is killed by the Iron Orchids in order to send a message - they were hoping to catch Damelas - Damelas steps up to the situation and takes a more active role in making things happen, namely to bring to justice the Iron Orchid killers and prop up the new Duke. It is realised that Damelas may be a Veristor, someone who can see and relive memories from the past. The premise of the story may suggest that reincarnation or at least possession is possible, which lead to further questions. Do spirits linger in places where foul deeds have occurred? And why has Damelas been chosen at this time to portray this misjustice?

In terms of bigger issues, the book raises some interesting questions as the characters slipstream through time and the ghostly presences of the past impact upon those of the present Of course, there’s also a huge secret conspiracy that seems to be connected to Damelas and those around him.

With this skill, the play and Damelas, using his visions, are a great success. By the third part of the play, on the third night, we discover a wider truth and find Damelas and his fellow actors rising to the occasion as things all come to a head and chaos reigns across the city. There’s a nice epilogue that I suspect might mean more to those who have read the other 'Greatcoat' books and will please the more regular readers of the whole series.

The first thing that struck me on reading this novel was the luxuriant language used. De Castell fills his narrative with prose that seems somewhat ornate and yet wholly appropriate to the extravagant plot. The names and nomenclature throughout have an Italianate tone which does much to create an appropriately baroque sense of place. As you might expect from a trained fencer, there’s a lot of details of fencing duels going on; de Castell adds a lot of swash and buckle here.

Although the book may be a little too long at about 500 pages, being quite lengthy means that the journey that Damelas takes from start to finish does not seem particularly rushed or forced. Whilst there are definite time pressures involved – creating a play from scratch in seven days is no mean feat! – the events seem appropriately paced. I was pleased that my initial impressions of characters were often actually something different at the end.

With this and the prequel Crucible of Chaos beginning a new series, I can see Play of Shadows as a new beginning of a series with potential. It’s a good place to start if you’ve not tried de Castell’s books before, as you do not have to read the previous Greatcoat books, including Crucible of Chaos to enjoy this one. I haven't, but am now tempted to try them.

Ever since reading the Greatcoats trilogy, Sebastien De Castell became one of my favorite authors, and any new (non-YA) book he writes is an instant buy/read for me. 'The Malevolent Seven' and 'The Crucible of Chaos' were fine books in their own right and I enjoyed reading them, but neither brought me the joy and elation I felt when reading a Greatcoats novel.

I am (so) happy to say that 'Play of Shadows' brings back those feelings and then some. Before reading the book, I had my doubts, though. A cowardly hero? An entire novel about a play? Ghostly voices in some actor's head? Where's the swashbuckle in that? But after devouring this book in three or four sittings, I can honestly say that 'Play of Shadows' is every bit as exciting, clever, funny and charming as I hoped it would be.

It features a great cast of new characters and highlights an entirely different but equally enjoyable part of the Greatcoats universe. The pace is excellent, although I am sure that was a challenge what with the story revolving around a play. What starts out as a small, insignificant personal problem for an unlikely hero concludes with nationwide stakes and the promise of more exciting tales to come. Oh, and then that cameo at the end of the book .... :-)

This is Sebastien de Castell in his very best form, and I gladly award this novel the five stars it deserves.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an honest review.

DE Castell delivers other exciting and well plotted novelsthat kept me hook.
I'm late at the party because I wanted to read Crucible of Chaos and Play of Shadows one after the other.
Well plotted, full of surprises, gripping. A couple of novel that kept me reading and having fun
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Play of Shadows is very unlike anything I've read before! Set in the same world as the greatcoats, but against the backdrop of a playhouse where actors can channel the memories and souls of the deceased to bring history to life, this was a rather unusual read. Our hero openly admits to being a coward. I thought the worldbuilding in this was really imaginative and so different to everything else I've read. I love the larger than life characters that de Castell creates who practically leap off the page. There's a huge amount of wit, humour and heart in this novel. I've only recently discovered this authors works and I'm a huge fan of his style.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for providing an arc in return for an honest review.

It just wasn’t my type of book unfortunately, however it is written beautifully and I do feel others will love it.

Unfortunatelly I had to DNF this book because it really isn't my style. However, the book is beautifully written and I think some people will love it,

3.5 stars

I'm a big fan of Castell's Greatcoats series, and was delighted to return to Tristia with Play of Shadows (and it's prequel, Cruicible of Chaos!). Castell excels at creating larger-than-life characters that are a joy to read. This collection of misfit actors is no exception. There's a wonderful sense of family, particularly between Damelas and Bereto.

Damelas's journey through the narrative is satisfying and his transformation in the final act feels well-earned. Castell must have had a firm grasp of his character to craft him with such confidence and consistency on the page. As a reader, it's a delight to read such a well-realised, flawed but lovable protagonist.

The nature of the prose is a bit verbose, and while this suits the characters and the setting, it did cause the pacing to drag slightly at times. This combined with the sheer number of obstacles Damelas needed to overcome throughout the work, make the narrative feel a bit slower than it might otherwise have been. The plot is juggling a lot of aspects, many of which aren't resolved wholly in this narrative. While no point gets missed, it did become slightly challenging as a reader to keep all the players in mind.

Castells magic systems are wonderfully unique, and one of the many things that make this world such a joy to be immersed in. Exploring the bounds of the magic along with the characters, stumbling blindly along with them as new aspects of the power are revealed piqued my curiosity. I had to know how this would play out!

Overall, Play of Shadows is a wonderfully fun story whose charming characters and witty banter balance out the dire stakes of the external plot.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

*Arc received from Netgalley. All opinions are my own*


TLDR: Play of Shadows will be an acquired taste for some, especially if they're not used to de Castells worldbuilding and storytelling. Despite not being a fan of this type of story I absolutely loved it (despite the slow beginning) and think that most people would find Play of Shadows to be a worthwhile read.

I’m unsure why I requested Play of Shadows as it isn’t my typical kind of story to read but it was a great accidental find! The beginning is definitely a little slow to get going but if you can push through the initial first chapters you’ll find a very homely book with a very strong sense of “found family” and well fleshed out characters who each, despite the small parts some play, have big and distinct personalities.

I can’t speak to how well this ties in or moves on from the other books in the Greatcoats world, but for a first time reader, I didn’t feel like I needed to read previous books or felt lost in any way.

I am aware that this is part of a new series, however, despite liking Play of Shadows, I am unsure of whether I will read the next instalments as the ending is quite neatly tied up for the most part. I will have to wait and see when the next book is out to see whether I'll follow on with the story, but for now, I’m happy to have had the chance to Play of Shadows and would definitely recommend it to anyone that likes the sound of the blurb.

This was really good. I had such a fun time with it. I absolutely love Sebastien De Castell’s writing style. He is great at writing characters. Damelas is an excellent leading character. I really got behind him and wanted him to succeed. I enjoyed all the side characters and they bounce off each other perfectly. The atmosphere and world building are excellently written. This author can really write an action scene that puts you right there with the characters. The thing I absolutely love about Sebastien De Castell’s writing is his humour and his injection of emotions. One minute you’re fearing for the characters lives and the next you are laughing your head off. I also listened to the audio and the voice actor Joe Jameson does an amazing job of bringing these characters and story to life. I cannot wait for the next instalment of this series.

Thank you to Quercus Books for this advanced copy of this book.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books | Arcadia for providing me this book in exchange for an honest review*

This book was so good that I couldn't put it down. I'm not a huge fan of theatrical themed books but that made me change my mind. It was really good and I can't wait to read something else from this author.

Play of Shadows is the first in a new series from Sebastian de Castell. This was a really entertaining read, written in his usual style, full of wit, action and swordplay. Set in his Greatcoats world, the book follows Damelas, a young man who struggles to live up to his family’s name and expectations. Damelas is a great character to follow, I found him humorous and relatable. I enjoyed the dynamic and banter with his best friend and the other supporting cast. A lot of this book is centred around the theatre, performance and the art of storytelling, and how stories are past down/altered through time, which I loved. One aspect of the book I found to be a bit weaker was the development of the two main female characters, for me they didn’t come to life as much as some of that other characters so hopefully we’ll get to know them a bit better as the series continues. I gave this book 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5, would highly recommend!

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this book.