Review: Knight’s Shadow by Sebastien de Castell
Blurb:
The Greatcoats have found the heir to the throne . . . but now they must keep her alive, against all the odds.
Falcio Val Mond has completed the final task given to him by the late King Paelis: he has found the King's Charoites (well, one at least). But his task isn't over, and now he, Kest and Brasti must protect the girl from those her want her dead.
That would be simple enough, if it weren't for the renegade Knights and legendary Dashini assassins, getting in their way, not to mention the Dukes, who are desperate to hold on to their power at any cost, or Trin, the merciless daughter of the ruthless Duke of Rijou and the cruel Duchess of Hervor, who is determined to be Queen of Tristia. Of course, the fact that the heir to the throne is thirteen years old doesn't help, nor the fact that every day brings Falcio closer to dying from the poison running through his veins.
And then there is the Greatcoat's Lament . . . .
Review:
Knight’s Shadow had me so conflicted to start out. The series thus far has proven to be on the shallower side, both in scope and plot, than I’m accustomed to in my adult fantasy. In that respect it’s rather reminiscent of YA fantasy, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Just not quite what I was looking for when I was craving something meatier, if you know what I mean.
In addition to that, the author pulled a couple stunts with this one that had me going “Wth?! You can’t do that! You just ruined the whole book!” To which Mr. de Castell politely asked me to hold his beer. While I did that, with much internal grumbling, he proceeded to then write a banger of a fast paced plot of action, bloodshed, massacres and mayhem aplenty (much more my reading preference), all with humorous banter interspersed throughout to offer a lighter tone accompanying the gritty topics.
‘Is it just me, or does it look like Falcio has pretty much broken the country?’
Can I tell you I was heavily invested? Did I binge huge swaths of this whenever I got a free moment? The answer to both is: Yes. Did I continue to love this book for all the rest of the pages? Sadly, no. Mr. de Castell, smirking to himself like the sly dog he is, promptly ripped the proverbial rug out from under me and turned the plot on its head AGAIN. A certain “thing” I was eagerly anticipating being revealed, was in fact revealed, but in such a highly unexpected manner that I was just left completely stumped, and honestly rather disappointed if I’m being honest. Utterly flummoxed.
Did Mr. de Castell then pull it out of the bag again with a solid finish? Yes. Yes, he did. While it wasn’t at all how I thought things would go down, he threw yet another twist in there that had me gobbling up the pages once more. Will I pick up the next book? Most certainly. Did I love this one? Not entirely. It has some flaws, some things were too easily remedied, but it was such a wild ride!
‘Because that’s what he does,’ Brasti interrupted. ‘He asks himself what the dumbest possible thing to do would be in any given situation and then he does it.’
Was I justified to be suspicious of certain characters and their motives? Yes, but again, not at all how I anticipated things to turn out (people to reveal their true allegiances). The entirety of Knight’s Shadow was unexpected, and it still feels rather turned on its head. Or maybe that’s just me still being turned on my head, heh. I no longer like or trust some characters whose true colors have now been revealed, including Aline. (Iykyk, but I no longer believe she’s the right choice for the throne). But then others have grown in my esteem, like Tommer, and even Daria. (Was anyone else reminded of Tommen, Queen Cersei’s youngest from Song of Ice and Fire while reading this? They have the similarities of being blond, the youngest of cruel rulers, and things happen to them because of those parents. Just a thought I had while reading).
I was beyond thrilled to have our bantering trio back together once more. They are the main source providing innumerable points of laughter and so many highlights on my kindle. These three fools, I love them so much! There’s also many surprisingly sweet moments sprinkled throughout that you just don’t expect given how dark the book gets at times. Seriously though, the bromance is pinnacle! <3
“The problem with Brasti is that he’s an idiot. He’s handsome and charming, he can outshoot any man or woman with a bow, and he’s an idiot.”
Overall though, Knight’s Shadow was a highly entertaining read. I am very curious to see what’s in store for them in the next installment. Mischief and mayhem in spades, I’m sure. But what form will it take this time? And will this be the time I actually throw the book when Mr. Sneaky de Castell mentally dumps me off a cliff? We’ll see :P He has proven to be an author of numerous surprises. You can’t just assume what you think you’re going to get is actually what you will get. Mr. de Castell knows how to keep you on your toes!
