A pace that demands your attention and thematic elements that deserve a wide audience.
Elysia Dayne has pulled off the impossible, eluding her own mortality, though just barely. When she recovers from the nearness of death’s cold embrace, her dear Isabella is close by to offer comfort and encouragement. Together, the two have come a long way and deserve a moment of peace, but some relaxing alone time isn’t on their calendar. Elysia has developed a reputation, one that some respect and others despise. And Isabella is a princess, after all. Anonymity is hopeless, so the pair will have to battle a myriad of adversaries, not the least of which radiate from within. In an enlightening shift in time and perspective, readers are pulled backwards, getting a cold look at Elysia’s training at an elite school traditionally for male warriors. An unlikely mentor emerges, but much of her time there is spent harboring an angry, vengeful spirit. This crude but genuine snapshot proves that Elysia is not a silver-spooned daughter of privilege waiting for her time to shine. Rather, these trying years demonstrate how Elysia has had to learn and earn everything she has. A fighter through and through, Elysia will never give up on protecting what she cares for most.
If you’re looking for a powerful social commentary about rampant inequalities, forced public expectations and the imbalanced execution of justice, elaborately decorated in fantasy garb, Shadows Under the Shade is the female-forward novel you’ve been waiting for! A bit of a departure in tone from its predecessor in the Elysia Dayne series, this emotional follow up jumps around in time to maximum effect, capturing critical moments in Elysia’s tormented journey. While this grand adventure is character-fueled, rather than action-driven, there is more than enough choreography and plot manipulation to satisfy the fantasy lust of even the most traditional devotee to the genre. The opening pages begin with a feeling of disattached confusion, helping readers gain access to the mental state of Elysia. In this, her character is further fleshed out, adding depth to Elysia’s deeply thoughtful and feeling nature. True, the gilded prose is a change of pace from the ordinary and takes a moment to become acquainted with, but once you do, you’ll realize what you’ve been missing in other sword-slinging tales. With a pace that demands your attention and thematic elements that deserve a wide audience, Shadows Under the Shade is an enlightened literary journey that you’ll be happy you discovered.
