Shadowblack
ISBN13
9781471406690
Review published
08/05/2018
By Reviewer
Linda
Star Rating
By Author / Illustrator
Sebastian de Castell
Age range(s)
11+
Review
Love, love, loved it! Shadowblack is the sequel to Spellslinger and was so well worth the wait. We pick up our main characters Kellen, Ferius and Reichis (the squirrel cat, still my favourite character) making their way through the borderlands, avoiding hextrackers who want to take Kellen back to Jan'tep for a reward or to kill him, either way he can't win. The book opens with Kellen getting into trouble with his 'business partner' and him taking all the blame. You do feel sorry for Kellen as he seems to take quite a beating all through the story as he tries to do his best to help others around him and sort things out. They meet with another Argosi who appears to have a blind girl with her (I am not going to say much more as it will spoil the adventure you're about to encounter!) In this second book there is less magic, but it feels much darker than book one as the author has woven so much mystery into this twisting-turning adventure that keeps the reader entertained and eagerly turning the pages to see what happens. Sadly, there is a little animal cruelty, which could be a little upsetting for some readers but you just have to remind yourself that it's all made up and no-one has really suffered. Honestly, it's not all dark and foreboding, there are some fun classic one liners that will make you smile, especially from that squirrel cat! 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 he feels that Ferius is not teaching him what he needs to learn. He's beginning to harbour some resentment, feeling useless and honestly, getting a bit fed up. However, I do feel that as the story develops Kellen is taking in some serious life lessons that will help develop him into a great leader one day. Not sure if this is where the story will eventually go, we will just have to keep reading to find out. This following quote sums up the characters for me... 'the three of us had to be the craziest bunch of lunatics the Seven Sands had ever seen'. This book is pure entertainment aimed at 12+ readers of fantasy, magic and wizardry, or 9+ confident readers. Would also be a great book for group reading with reluctant readers. 368 pages / Ages 11+ / Reviewed by Linda Brown, school librarian.
