A teen fantasy novel that feels destined for the big screen.
Malgar is a land whose fragile peace came at great cost, and nobody knows this better than Master Toshio. Having lived long enough to witness both the purge of shadow casters and their reinstatement, Toshio’s perspective shapes the training he provides for the three young aspirants preparing for the Daylight Trials. Nigel, Sumi, and Kaito need to focus on everything they’ve learned about casting shadows if they want to impress the Legion of Shadow Casters, so Toshio shields them from the worst of Malgar’s increasing unrest. Sumi, with her kind nature and unrelenting determination, is on a path to do great things within the LoSC. Kaito is also in a great position, assuming his confidence doesn’t trip him up. Nigel, however, is a wild card. His skills are solid and his knowledge is second-to-none, but his nerves tend to outshine his talent. Master Toshio is confident in the success of his three beloved pupils, and the LoSC assignment he has chosen for them will be more critical to Malgar than most realize. In the end, loyalty and unity must stand as the greatest of Master Toshio’s lessons.
Journey to Torcia unfolds over mere days, yet the friendships burn with Potter‑level intensity. True literary magic begins when practiced gestures bring forth weapons and powerful, beautiful, or fearsome creatures from another realm. All crafted with finesse and rich detail, these shadow creatures possess cheeky personalities, impressive abilities to defend or attack, or the right amount of irony to land on the page as the perfect punchline. In the first major story arc, readers are immersed in the rules of shadow casting and wondrous creatures of the Shadow Realm as the teens go through the Trials. Audiences will keenly feel the deep connection of these three friends as they battle self-doubt, overconfidence, or the weight of the past. The second half of the book sees Sumi, Nigel, and Kaito on their first commission, where a more tangible antagonist materializes. Throughout the novel, audiences will appreciate naming conventions that are inventive, intuitive, and always in service of the story. Woodcox has a mastery of language, a way of building suspense in every scene, no matter the stakes. The worldbuilding is immense and the lore is deep, so the mechanics of the world are incorporated as part of Kaito, Nigel, and Sumi’s dialogue, keeping exposition fairly natural. While the novel ends abruptly, hints about undocumented casts, harbored prejudices, and the prologue’s villain lay the groundwork for future brilliant installments in the Shadow Casters series. Wit and wiles rule the day in Journey to Torcia, a teen fantasy that feels destined for the big screen.
