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Daughter of Shadow #1
Dragon Soul
A Reverse Harem Fantasy Romance
A girl with dark magic who’s a threat to the kingdom. Three powerful men from the royal court. Why are they prepared to protect this daughter of shadow and take her to the heart of their realm?
The dragons are dead, the Ebon queen has destroyed the elven realms, and kingdoms are at war. The queen’s dark magic is growing in strength, and the Silvercrest kingdom is losing the battle against her. Three men are sent from the army’s stronghold to seek others who can aid their cause.
Leander, a high-ranking and domineering nobleman. Rohan, a fierce and seductive warrior. Galen, a gentle and passionate elven leader. Their task: recruit the most potent magic users from the shire towns and train them to join the crusade against the Ebon queen.
They never expected to find a daughter of shadow.
Calla’s time working at the apothecary in her small town is about to end, but not in the way she expected. On the day her magic skills are tested, she is revealed as a shadowmancer, a school of magic banned throughout the kingdom. A confused Calla faces a death sentence, but the three men are intrigued by the beautiful girl and her mysterious dragonkin pet and smuggle her from the town.
With no other choice, Calla journeys to the stronghold with the three captivating men. As they fight their way through enemy territory, the men discover that Calla’s power is more dangerous than they realised—and so is the bond this creates between them all.
Dragon Soul is a slow burn reverse harem fantasy. Action-packed, sword and sorcery book with a strong heroine, a pet dragon, and irresistible guys.
Please note: This book is written in British English
A girl with dark magic who’s a threat to the kingdom. Three powerful men from the royal court. Why are they prepared to protect this daughter of shadow and take her to the heart of their realm?
The dragons are dead, the Ebon queen has destroyed the elven realms, and kingdoms are at war. The queen’s dark magic is growing in strength, and the Silvercrest kingdom is losing the battle against her. Three men are sent from the army’s stronghold to seek others who can aid their cause.
Leander, a high-ranking and domineering nobleman. Rohan, a fierce and seductive warrior. Galen, a gentle and passionate elven leader. Their task: recruit the most potent magic users from the shire towns and train them to join the crusade against the Ebon queen.
They never expected to find a daughter of shadow.
Calla’s time working at the apothecary in her small town is about to end, but not in the way she expected. On the day her magic skills are tested, she is revealed as a shadowmancer, a school of magic banned throughout the kingdom. A confused Calla faces a death sentence, but the three men are intrigued by the beautiful girl and her mysterious dragonkin pet and smuggle her from the town.
With no other choice, Calla journeys to the stronghold with the three captivating men. As they fight their way through enemy territory, the men discover that Calla’s power is more dangerous than they realised—and so is the bond this creates between them all.
Dragon Soul is a slow burn reverse harem fantasy. Action-packed, sword and sorcery book with a strong heroine, a pet dragon, and irresistible guys.
Please note: This book is written in British English
200 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 14, 2018
About the author
L.J. Swallow
67 books702 followersLJ Swallow is a paranormal romance and urban fantasy author who is the alter-ego of bestselling contemporary romance author Lisa Swallow.
Giving in to her dark side, LJ spends time creating worlds filled with supernatural creatures who don’t fit the norm, and heroines who are more likely to kick ass than sit on theirs.
Giving in to her dark side, LJ spends time creating worlds filled with supernatural creatures who don’t fit the norm, and heroines who are more likely to kick ass than sit on theirs.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 181 reviews
June 7, 2019
I liked it, but ... it's possible that I've been blitzing through too many UF/PNR/Fantasy books lately and need to change up for a bit. Because I'm tired of some of the tropes that feel standard in 90% of it. I'm tired of the guy assaulting the heroine, which prompts discovery of her powers but no penalties for him... oh no, never. Why, if I have to see this trope over and over, can I at least not see the filthy rapist get fucking fried? Please?
I'm tired of the bitchy mean girl who dislikes the heroine on sight, just because ... I don't even know. There's never a real reason. Apparently the mean girl (in this case, Saskia) just has an immediate and horrible reaction to the super-specialness of the lead female, and feels the need to be a total bitch to her, undercutting or setting her up at every opportunity.
I'm tired of the heroine being somehow forced to fight alongside people who completely disdain her, and treat her as barely human (if that), reminding her regularly that she should be grateful that they even allow her to live.
You know what I want to read? I want to read a book where this girl snaps, and kills these douchebags who clearly shouldn't be in power anyway, because that kind of ego and condescension by people in authority has never, ever brought anything good into the world. Then she takes the throne herself, and leads the people into a peaceful utopia where bitchy mean girls are exiled and rapists are killed outright. Because you know what? I read these kinds of books where I can imagine that in a world where a woman has real power, she gets treated better than I do ... or at least, has the power to make that change happen.
I'm tired of reading about our heroines being treated like garbage, and passively accepting the treatment. Being grateful for bits of kindness offered to her, falling in love with whatever guys dragged her and her power into this situation to use her ... because they're the only ones keeping her safe in this shitty world they've brought her into, and so of course she loves them for it. This is the trend lately, and I'm kind of over it.
I know that's not really a review of this book, which I liked well enough. I'm just tired. And, like I said at the outset, probably need a break.
I'm tired of the bitchy mean girl who dislikes the heroine on sight, just because ... I don't even know. There's never a real reason. Apparently the mean girl (in this case, Saskia) just has an immediate and horrible reaction to the super-specialness of the lead female, and feels the need to be a total bitch to her, undercutting or setting her up at every opportunity.
I'm tired of the heroine being somehow forced to fight alongside people who completely disdain her, and treat her as barely human (if that), reminding her regularly that she should be grateful that they even allow her to live.
You know what I want to read? I want to read a book where this girl snaps, and kills these douchebags who clearly shouldn't be in power anyway, because that kind of ego and condescension by people in authority has never, ever brought anything good into the world. Then she takes the throne herself, and leads the people into a peaceful utopia where bitchy mean girls are exiled and rapists are killed outright. Because you know what? I read these kinds of books where I can imagine that in a world where a woman has real power, she gets treated better than I do ... or at least, has the power to make that change happen.
I'm tired of reading about our heroines being treated like garbage, and passively accepting the treatment. Being grateful for bits of kindness offered to her, falling in love with whatever guys dragged her and her power into this situation to use her ... because they're the only ones keeping her safe in this shitty world they've brought her into, and so of course she loves them for it. This is the trend lately, and I'm kind of over it.
I know that's not really a review of this book, which I liked well enough. I'm just tired. And, like I said at the outset, probably need a break.
November 10, 2018
Meh. Ugh. Meh
The first part of this book was boring. I honestly couldn’t get into it. Then I kept chugging a lot and it got a bit more interesting. There’s a ton of betrayal in this book. Not enough smut or whatever to make this a slow burn. Also, where are the dragons?!? All I got was Luin, who is a dragonkin, but other than that. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.
I love luin because he was something. He made me laugh when he went it to protective mode over calla. Then the whole references to him being a cat or dog were hilarious too. Other than that, I didn’t really care about anyone else.
Calla was a weak little girl unless someone tried to provoke her. Then her dark witchy side came out and she was a bad ass. However, that didn’t happen a lot. This story was mostly okay. The guys are alright but there’s nothing really intriguing about them.
Yeah they like her and she might like them. But what else? I didn’t see any chemistry really and I’m a bit bothered by that. I hope the next book, whenever that comes out, will be better.
The first part of this book was boring. I honestly couldn’t get into it. Then I kept chugging a lot and it got a bit more interesting. There’s a ton of betrayal in this book. Not enough smut or whatever to make this a slow burn. Also, where are the dragons?!? All I got was Luin, who is a dragonkin, but other than that. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.
I love luin because he was something. He made me laugh when he went it to protective mode over calla. Then the whole references to him being a cat or dog were hilarious too. Other than that, I didn’t really care about anyone else.
Calla was a weak little girl unless someone tried to provoke her. Then her dark witchy side came out and she was a bad ass. However, that didn’t happen a lot. This story was mostly okay. The guys are alright but there’s nothing really intriguing about them.
Yeah they like her and she might like them. But what else? I didn’t see any chemistry really and I’m a bit bothered by that. I hope the next book, whenever that comes out, will be better.
September 22, 2018
Inconsistencies
Overall I tolerated this book, the inconsistencies in it got on my nerve. The MC fights Rohan and says she can defend herself, yet faints anytime shes in danger. She says she doesn't open open her legs for anybody, yet only knowing these men(her captors at that) for like 2 days, she comes very close to doing it with both if them. Shes super meek too and makes dumb decisions. She protects the girl that screwed her over by not telling the boys her name. She gets angery at one of the boys for assuming shes a possession, yet shes okay with basically jumping their legs days after meeting them. She practically raped Galen cause she was all over him. And too many questions were not answered. Why does Luin run away everytime danger is near? Is he a dragon or just a dragonkin? Why are the boys so against ebon, what is their past? We literally know nothing from reading this book. It was practically insta lust b/w her and the boys, she had no real relationship with any of them. I feel like authors these says are just like, "If it's a RH, I dont need to show how they fall in love with each other, the readers will like it". NO! I want to see the relationships build. Just because it is a RH doesn't make it good.
Overall I tolerated this book, the inconsistencies in it got on my nerve. The MC fights Rohan and says she can defend herself, yet faints anytime shes in danger. She says she doesn't open open her legs for anybody, yet only knowing these men(her captors at that) for like 2 days, she comes very close to doing it with both if them. Shes super meek too and makes dumb decisions. She protects the girl that screwed her over by not telling the boys her name. She gets angery at one of the boys for assuming shes a possession, yet shes okay with basically jumping their legs days after meeting them. She practically raped Galen cause she was all over him. And too many questions were not answered. Why does Luin run away everytime danger is near? Is he a dragon or just a dragonkin? Why are the boys so against ebon, what is their past? We literally know nothing from reading this book. It was practically insta lust b/w her and the boys, she had no real relationship with any of them. I feel like authors these says are just like, "If it's a RH, I dont need to show how they fall in love with each other, the readers will like it". NO! I want to see the relationships build. Just because it is a RH doesn't make it good.
March 5, 2019
Real rating: 4.5
Amazing fantasy reverse harem, with loads of potential!
I was lucky enough to ARC read this book back in September, but for in-explainable reasons, I have not gotten around to write a proper review, until now. As book 2 in the series just came out recently, I had to re-read this one to keep up, and that's when I realised I hadn't posted a review here on my blog yet. Well, shame on me! Even worse is, that I don't know why - because I really liked the book. I think this may have been because I was extremely busy in September, so this might just be one of the many things that slipped through the cracks. But as they say; better late than never! This was one of the biggest book surprises of 2018. Firstly, I didn't know it was coming. Secondly, I didn't know fantasy inspired reverse harem books could be that awesome. LJ Swallow switches everything up with this new and amazing series! I will admit that both times I read the book, I've struggled with the beginning. It isn't because nothing happens (believe me, quite a lot actually does) - but for some reason it wasn't enough to entice me right away. However, if you can stick with the book until 20-30% in, you're in for a real treat.
I do believe that the somewhat dull and very descriptive beginning, is Lisa's attempt at laying the groundwork. Because without all descriptive facts about the characters and the world, the readers would be lost! The heroine, Calla, works at an apothecary. But she dreams of getting a job at the Royal Apothecary and serve the King, as he fights the Ebon Queen to save the kingdom. As Calla's magic skills are about to be tested, she is revealed as a shadowmancer and is taken into custody. All of a sudden the girl who's never been able to master any magic, has powerful dark magic flowing from her. This is exactly the kind of magic that the Ebon queen uses so by revealing it, Calla is instantly seen as a threat to the King. Luckily for Calla there are people who are searching for powerful magic wielders. Enter Leander - a high ranking nobleman, Rohan - a warrior of the Order of Lux & Galen - a beautiful Lumen elf. Under the guise of taking her away for punishment, the three men smuggle her out of the town. They take a chance on Calla's dark magic, and believe it will be key to aid the King's war against the Ebon queen.
Calla is a strong heroine, and followed by her pet dragonkin and irresistible guys, the book keeps getting better and better. As a person Calla is confused, scared, lost, overwhelmed and overall, not as knowledgeable as she once believed herself to be. Going from being a lowborn with less than average powers, to an all powerful enemy of the state, quickly takes its toll on her. Her relationship with her saviours are complicated, at best. There's instant attraction, but there's many differences in the form of wealth, status, experience and distrust. While they were travelling, they all seemed to be warming up to each other. However, as soon as they reach their destination: the stronghold, the differences becomes clearer and I feel that the key to her survival rests with her saviours. Dragon Soul is a slow burn, action packed reverse harem fantasy. This first book was strong on world-building. Now that the stage is set, I believe this is going to be an amazing adventure and I cannot wait to find out more about Luin, the mysterious dragonkin.
Amazing fantasy reverse harem, with loads of potential!
I was lucky enough to ARC read this book back in September, but for in-explainable reasons, I have not gotten around to write a proper review, until now. As book 2 in the series just came out recently, I had to re-read this one to keep up, and that's when I realised I hadn't posted a review here on my blog yet. Well, shame on me! Even worse is, that I don't know why - because I really liked the book. I think this may have been because I was extremely busy in September, so this might just be one of the many things that slipped through the cracks. But as they say; better late than never! This was one of the biggest book surprises of 2018. Firstly, I didn't know it was coming. Secondly, I didn't know fantasy inspired reverse harem books could be that awesome. LJ Swallow switches everything up with this new and amazing series! I will admit that both times I read the book, I've struggled with the beginning. It isn't because nothing happens (believe me, quite a lot actually does) - but for some reason it wasn't enough to entice me right away. However, if you can stick with the book until 20-30% in, you're in for a real treat.
I do believe that the somewhat dull and very descriptive beginning, is Lisa's attempt at laying the groundwork. Because without all descriptive facts about the characters and the world, the readers would be lost! The heroine, Calla, works at an apothecary. But she dreams of getting a job at the Royal Apothecary and serve the King, as he fights the Ebon Queen to save the kingdom. As Calla's magic skills are about to be tested, she is revealed as a shadowmancer and is taken into custody. All of a sudden the girl who's never been able to master any magic, has powerful dark magic flowing from her. This is exactly the kind of magic that the Ebon queen uses so by revealing it, Calla is instantly seen as a threat to the King. Luckily for Calla there are people who are searching for powerful magic wielders. Enter Leander - a high ranking nobleman, Rohan - a warrior of the Order of Lux & Galen - a beautiful Lumen elf. Under the guise of taking her away for punishment, the three men smuggle her out of the town. They take a chance on Calla's dark magic, and believe it will be key to aid the King's war against the Ebon queen.
Calla is a strong heroine, and followed by her pet dragonkin and irresistible guys, the book keeps getting better and better. As a person Calla is confused, scared, lost, overwhelmed and overall, not as knowledgeable as she once believed herself to be. Going from being a lowborn with less than average powers, to an all powerful enemy of the state, quickly takes its toll on her. Her relationship with her saviours are complicated, at best. There's instant attraction, but there's many differences in the form of wealth, status, experience and distrust. While they were travelling, they all seemed to be warming up to each other. However, as soon as they reach their destination: the stronghold, the differences becomes clearer and I feel that the key to her survival rests with her saviours. Dragon Soul is a slow burn, action packed reverse harem fantasy. This first book was strong on world-building. Now that the stage is set, I believe this is going to be an amazing adventure and I cannot wait to find out more about Luin, the mysterious dragonkin.
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July 28, 2024
Boring. Characters with less personality and depth than a whoopee cushion. World building convoluted. Plot put me to sleep. The nicest thing I can say is that this was a quick read (thank the gods)
September 27, 2018
2.5 ish. I think this book started of good with a snarky, funny, and flirty FMC but very soon her character fell into the terrified, someone save me even though we had a chapter long argument about how I can take care of myself role. *Roles eyes* she became naive, uneducated, and super argumentative pretty quickly. World building wise we did get backstory, however the way it was brought out was more lecturing the uneducated heroine.
The premise was actually good, with an interesting story but we didn’t really get to see in depth where it was headed nor what our character roles would be, and the plot line was kind of slow. Insta-love/lust was in abundance and after the journey I cannot even fathom why the males are so attracted to her. Our Male characters did not show a lot of depth and to be honest weren’t really that competent not really instilling a lot of faith in them for the readers. Especially since the naive and uneducated heroine gets them in one mess after the other.
Not sure I would continue this series. I am not sure the author can pull the heroine out of this slump.
The premise was actually good, with an interesting story but we didn’t really get to see in depth where it was headed nor what our character roles would be, and the plot line was kind of slow. Insta-love/lust was in abundance and after the journey I cannot even fathom why the males are so attracted to her. Our Male characters did not show a lot of depth and to be honest weren’t really that competent not really instilling a lot of faith in them for the readers. Especially since the naive and uneducated heroine gets them in one mess after the other.
Not sure I would continue this series. I am not sure the author can pull the heroine out of this slump.
Shelved as 'maybe'
July 8, 2023DNF for now.
Trying to read this is pulling me into a slump and I refuse.
It's not bad, it's just a really slow burn reverse harem fantasy series that spans over 4 books & I don't think I can do that rn.
Trying to read this is pulling me into a slump and I refuse.
It's not bad, it's just a really slow burn reverse harem fantasy series that spans over 4 books & I don't think I can do that rn.
August 3, 2023
Hvis du nån gang får løst til å laste ned ei gratis bok fra Amazon… Ikke gjør det.
October 10, 2022
Don't let the 3 stars fool you this is a decent series. The storyline is great. It has a solid framework. My issue with this book, the entire series really is that it really needs a good editor review. It could be fantastic with some good editing. Not editing to change story content or the overall book, just the way things are written. I found myself over and over again rephrasing things in my head and thinking man this has so much potential if only an editor that actually cared got went over it. It could go from reading something mediocre to a polished, solid body of work. Again good story, I got through it but can't give it more than 3 stars based on the way its written. I think if the author were to revise it with a good editor and republish it could be a great series.
December 12, 2023
2.5🌟 Is the cover of this book absolutely horrible? Yes. Is the book any better than the cover? Not really. Did i still have a fun time? Kinda.
October 4, 2023
Boring so boring. Calla was irritating to begin with but she did grow on me.
March 23, 2021
Another read that leaves me shrugging my shoulders. Could be better but definitely could be worse.
Calla wants out of her backwater town. If she doesn’t pass this years tests, she’ll be doomed to living a boring life as an apothecary and continuously harassed by Thomas. When her new found powers get out of control, she meets her three guardians and they promise they can help train her powers at the Stronghold. A place where recruits are trained and military strategists hatch plans to stop the evil Ebon queen. The problem? She draws power from the shadows, just like the Ebon, and people want her dead for it.
The premise is interesting enough but dragged on in the first part of the book. I felt I had to struggle getting through the chapters until we finally got into some action on their way to the Stronghold. Along with that, once they get there, a slight betrayal by her guardians has Calla at edge and uncertain with her safety within this fortress. The guys are now back in their real places of power and fall back into routine, unlike how they were on their journey with Calla. It feels gross. Calla is a lowborn and unranked member and there is a hierarchy to be followed. Like... okay, but ew because they were basically being lead around by her on the road and now we’re here with this? It was kind of disappointing to see. I know, I know. It’s a slow burn for a reason, but we didn’t really need them being such douches about it, especially Leander. Ugh. Each of them kept secrets from her ABOUT HER and that is super sus to me.
Hell, I’m more interested now in this new assassin elf than any of the three guardians we got to know in this book! He had more character and vivacity than any of those three. That says something! Tbh, I hope he becomes part of this harem 🤞. And then her dragon kin? Super intrigued to find out what happens there.
I can’t find much fault in the writing but the plot, again, dragged a bit. Is this the most original fantasy world? Are the characters the most fleshed out they could be? Is the FMC really that interesting? Not really. But I will still give the next book a chance. This fantasy RH has the potential to be good, but I’m just not totally convinced yet it can get there.
Calla wants out of her backwater town. If she doesn’t pass this years tests, she’ll be doomed to living a boring life as an apothecary and continuously harassed by Thomas. When her new found powers get out of control, she meets her three guardians and they promise they can help train her powers at the Stronghold. A place where recruits are trained and military strategists hatch plans to stop the evil Ebon queen. The problem? She draws power from the shadows, just like the Ebon, and people want her dead for it.
The premise is interesting enough but dragged on in the first part of the book. I felt I had to struggle getting through the chapters until we finally got into some action on their way to the Stronghold. Along with that, once they get there, a slight betrayal by her guardians has Calla at edge and uncertain with her safety within this fortress. The guys are now back in their real places of power and fall back into routine, unlike how they were on their journey with Calla. It feels gross. Calla is a lowborn and unranked member and there is a hierarchy to be followed. Like... okay, but ew because they were basically being lead around by her on the road and now we’re here with this? It was kind of disappointing to see. I know, I know. It’s a slow burn for a reason, but we didn’t really need them being such douches about it, especially Leander. Ugh. Each of them kept secrets from her ABOUT HER and that is super sus to me.
Hell, I’m more interested now in this new assassin elf than any of the three guardians we got to know in this book! He had more character and vivacity than any of those three. That says something! Tbh, I hope he becomes part of this harem 🤞. And then her dragon kin? Super intrigued to find out what happens there.
I can’t find much fault in the writing but the plot, again, dragged a bit. Is this the most original fantasy world? Are the characters the most fleshed out they could be? Is the FMC really that interesting? Not really. But I will still give the next book a chance. This fantasy RH has the potential to be good, but I’m just not totally convinced yet it can get there.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2021
It was ok
I had a hard time following this book for some reason and I read a ton of books.. The storyline was good although not too much history of the world was presented. Honestly the heroine occasionally was bold and sexually forward for the times but it seemed as though the author just threw in danger at the most random times (the beach) just so she can be saved by the men and maybe put into sexually charged situations (oops we are all wet time to undress and get skin to skin). This might work for some but I prefer books with a lot more depth and to advance with emotions and character development. Another thing that bothers me is when books like these fall in and out of modern jargon. For example one of the men would speak more medieval ‘she knows your measure..’ then speak suddenly as if he was a man in the 21st century. It was rather jarring and with the lack of world development I could never get a good idea of the type of world we were in and when. I won’t be reading on in this series..
I had a hard time following this book for some reason and I read a ton of books.. The storyline was good although not too much history of the world was presented. Honestly the heroine occasionally was bold and sexually forward for the times but it seemed as though the author just threw in danger at the most random times (the beach) just so she can be saved by the men and maybe put into sexually charged situations (oops we are all wet time to undress and get skin to skin). This might work for some but I prefer books with a lot more depth and to advance with emotions and character development. Another thing that bothers me is when books like these fall in and out of modern jargon. For example one of the men would speak more medieval ‘she knows your measure..’ then speak suddenly as if he was a man in the 21st century. It was rather jarring and with the lack of world development I could never get a good idea of the type of world we were in and when. I won’t be reading on in this series..
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September 16, 2018
Calla works at the local apothecary but dreams of earning a place at the Royal Apothecary and serving the King as he fights the Ebon Queen in the attempt to save the kingdom. On the day her magic skills are tested, Calla is revealed as a shadowmancer and is taken into custody facing certain death. The girl who has never been able to master any magic has powerful magic, dark magic, Ebon magic. However, three men have been searching for powerful magic users and under the guise of taking her into custody for punishment, smuggle her out of town. Leander, a high-ranking nobleman. Rohan, a warrior of the Order of Lux. Galen, a beautiful Lumen elf. The men take the risk that Calla's dark magic will be able to aid the King's cause in the war against the Ebon queen. As Calla journeys to their stronghold, they encounter deadly enemies, but Calla may be the greatest danger of all. Their bond grows even as the risk increases.
Dragon Soul is a slow burn reverse harem fantasy. Action-packed, sword and sorcery book with a strong heroine, a pet dragon, and irresistible guys. I love this blurb and feel that it is descriptive perfection. Calla is confused, scared, a little lost, and overwhelmed, yet she has spirit. Her pet dragonkin, Luin is awesome. Why can't I have a miniature dragon of my own?? Intelligent, soft, loyal, and loves to eat. I love Luin! Calla's relationship with the men is going to be complicated. Yes, there is an instant attraction. There are also differences of wealth and status, experience, outside interference, and distrust. If they had been able to stay on the road journeying I think they could have gotten close quickly but once back at the stronghold there is definitely a distance between Calla and the men. I also feel that Calla may be in more danger among 'allies' than enemies. At least you know to prepare for enemies.
This first book was strong on world-building, introducing the characters, and laying the story's groundwork. Now that the stage is set, I believe this is going to be an amazing adventure.
Dragon Soul is a slow burn reverse harem fantasy. Action-packed, sword and sorcery book with a strong heroine, a pet dragon, and irresistible guys. I love this blurb and feel that it is descriptive perfection. Calla is confused, scared, a little lost, and overwhelmed, yet she has spirit. Her pet dragonkin, Luin is awesome. Why can't I have a miniature dragon of my own?? Intelligent, soft, loyal, and loves to eat. I love Luin! Calla's relationship with the men is going to be complicated. Yes, there is an instant attraction. There are also differences of wealth and status, experience, outside interference, and distrust. If they had been able to stay on the road journeying I think they could have gotten close quickly but once back at the stronghold there is definitely a distance between Calla and the men. I also feel that Calla may be in more danger among 'allies' than enemies. At least you know to prepare for enemies.
This first book was strong on world-building, introducing the characters, and laying the story's groundwork. Now that the stage is set, I believe this is going to be an amazing adventure.
September 26, 2024
Mh okay but meh.
Kinda boring it took me a lot of time just to convince myself to continue reading. It’s not that it’s trash, it’s just very very boring
Sorry for me it’s a no
Kinda boring it took me a lot of time just to convince myself to continue reading. It’s not that it’s trash, it’s just very very boring
Sorry for me it’s a no
September 25, 2023
enjoyable start to a new series
Detailed worldbuilding and slow burn romance between the group of adventurers. While the actual story took place in a very tight timeframe, there is great chemistry and depth to all the characters. I adore Luin.
Looking forward to the next in the series!
Detailed worldbuilding and slow burn romance between the group of adventurers. While the actual story took place in a very tight timeframe, there is great chemistry and depth to all the characters. I adore Luin.
Looking forward to the next in the series!
December 21, 2023
1.75*
I don’t know what I was expecting when I opened the pages of Daughter of Shadow (book #1), but I can tell you that I did expect a whole lot more than what I got.
The writing style was atrocious and the editing was sub-par at best. I think the author has changed the title of her book, so before chapter one even began, she had a note in the front of the book stating that editing for the edition that I had on my kindle had been updated with some new-and-improved corrections (but nothing else within the story had changed). Perhaps this set my expectations up for failure, but I didn’t even think much about that comment until I began reading. If this edition was the one with the editing updates, I shudder to think what errors this novel had in its prior renditions. It became so bad that I started highlighting the mistakes I saw – something I never do. To add to that, the writing style was juvenile and weak. The flow of the story was awful, and the pacing was rushed.
The world-building was poorly executed too. Frankly, there wasn’t a lot of world-building being done to begin with and it came mainly in the form of info-dump sessions (largely occurring because our uneducated and highly sheltered heroine was so ignorant about the workings of the world). There were so many unanswered questions by the end of the novel. It wasn’t interesting, it was irritating.
While this book is fast-paced making the story easy to read, the plot was severely lacking as well. It simply didn’t make a lot of sense. Decisions the characters made, the twists and turns the story took, the reasoning and justifications for the plot points were all often nonsensical (or at the very least, they weren’t explained very well).
Okay, so the writing wasn’t great, the world-building was lackluster, and the plot fell flat…did the characters at least make up for these failings within the novel? No, not one bit.
I couldn’t stand Calla. At certain times, it’s implied that she’s smart and “wild,” filled with strength, and is spunky to boot. And yet, almost every action Calla takes displays the opposite. There were so many inconsistencies within this novel and, since Calla was the FMC, these mainly revolved around her character. Some examples of this include:
• Thomas, a boy Calla has always disliked in her town, gropes her when he’s sober. And yet, when it’s dark and he’s seriously drunk, Calla allows him to walk her home…through the dark and secluded woods. What kind of a choice is this? Does she have no self-preservation at all?
• Calla claims that she doesn’t often drink. And yet, she’s drinking to the point of drunkenness 3 out of 4 nights she’s spent since getting rescued by the boys.
• Despite never having had fighting lessons, Calla boldly claims that she can defeat Rohan (a trained warrior) in a fight, even making bets that she’ll beat him. So, it should come as no surprise that she’s overpowered easily (although he should’ve put her on her back long before he actually did).
• Calla is able to fight off Thomas, get arrested (knowing that she was going to be sentenced to death), fight Rohan, and even get attacked by the Ebon but the second she’s almost let go (by an Ebon warrior holding her at knife-point), she faints. Faints from WHAT???
• Calla claims that she doesn’t sleep with just anyone but after 1 day, she’s lusting after her 3 rescuers (or is it “captors?”). After 2 days, she’s kissed one of them and would’ve done more if she hadn’t been interrupted, after 3 days she’s re-kissing the same man while being felt up (at the same time) by another (i.e. she already being shared) and again, this would’ve gone further had they not been interrupted. She barely knows these men, but after one whole day, she’s ready to jump into bed with any (or all) of them. Discretion be darned.
• She gets mad at one of the guys and accuses him of viewing her as a possession, but then turns around and wants to be possessed by him.
• Although not solely about Calla, the town of the Relinquished shut down at night, locking the gates so that there was no way in or out of the city. And yet, once the 4 of them leave the inn, they escape really easily (and it was pretty anti-climactic).
• In chapter 19, Calla breaks down and starts crying. However, a few sentences later, Leander walks in in time to “stop her tears” (which had already been “spilling from her eyes??”) I’m confused. Was she crying or not?
• In the same chapter, at 75% through the book, Calla is only just now voicing any concerns or thoughts about her family. She was NEVER worried about what they may have thought happened to her, how they’d feel when she disappeared, or how they’d be affected by the powers Calla revealed. It’s not until 75% through that she even bothers to have one single thought concerning them. She’s been more worried about her little pet dragon than her parents or her sibling. It was like Calla loved no one but herself and was too self-absorbed to bother thinking about other people she “cared” about. It was a real “Wooow” moment (since thinking about how Calla’s family would feel was one of my first thoughts).
Overall, I found Calla to be meek, uncaring about others (not out of malevolence, just out of selfishness), and she made really stupid decisions so many times throughout the journey. She was ignorant about the world but never asked many questions or tried to understand it either. Her lack of curiosity about the true state of things was astoundingly ridiculous.
Really, what this largely comes down to is a lack of character development. There was no character growth (except in lustful feelings) and each character was pretty one-dimensional.
Leander the “High Lord” of Stonecrest (and almost-prince), Galen the elf, and Rohan the Lightbringer warrior were okay. Again, their characters weren’t very fleshed out and they fell flat, but I think they had the potential to grow on me. I just don’t think the author really took the opportunity to give these characters any depth or feeling.
I’m also really confused by Luin (the dragonkin pet). He seems to fly away when danger is near, but he’s sure to attack one of the guys for getting too close to Calla. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Luin was really a dragon (somehow) and became another man for Calla to want to sleep with and possibly fall for. – This is just a guess though.
By the end of this novel, nothing meaningful or really very interesting occurs. I wanted to like this book so much more than what actually ended up happening. I’m going to put down the series here because I don’t think I could get through another book by this author.
I don’t know what I was expecting when I opened the pages of Daughter of Shadow (book #1), but I can tell you that I did expect a whole lot more than what I got.
The writing style was atrocious and the editing was sub-par at best. I think the author has changed the title of her book, so before chapter one even began, she had a note in the front of the book stating that editing for the edition that I had on my kindle had been updated with some new-and-improved corrections (but nothing else within the story had changed). Perhaps this set my expectations up for failure, but I didn’t even think much about that comment until I began reading. If this edition was the one with the editing updates, I shudder to think what errors this novel had in its prior renditions. It became so bad that I started highlighting the mistakes I saw – something I never do. To add to that, the writing style was juvenile and weak. The flow of the story was awful, and the pacing was rushed.
The world-building was poorly executed too. Frankly, there wasn’t a lot of world-building being done to begin with and it came mainly in the form of info-dump sessions (largely occurring because our uneducated and highly sheltered heroine was so ignorant about the workings of the world). There were so many unanswered questions by the end of the novel. It wasn’t interesting, it was irritating.
While this book is fast-paced making the story easy to read, the plot was severely lacking as well. It simply didn’t make a lot of sense. Decisions the characters made, the twists and turns the story took, the reasoning and justifications for the plot points were all often nonsensical (or at the very least, they weren’t explained very well).
Okay, so the writing wasn’t great, the world-building was lackluster, and the plot fell flat…did the characters at least make up for these failings within the novel? No, not one bit.
I couldn’t stand Calla. At certain times, it’s implied that she’s smart and “wild,” filled with strength, and is spunky to boot. And yet, almost every action Calla takes displays the opposite. There were so many inconsistencies within this novel and, since Calla was the FMC, these mainly revolved around her character. Some examples of this include:
• Thomas, a boy Calla has always disliked in her town, gropes her when he’s sober. And yet, when it’s dark and he’s seriously drunk, Calla allows him to walk her home…through the dark and secluded woods. What kind of a choice is this? Does she have no self-preservation at all?
• Calla claims that she doesn’t often drink. And yet, she’s drinking to the point of drunkenness 3 out of 4 nights she’s spent since getting rescued by the boys.
• Despite never having had fighting lessons, Calla boldly claims that she can defeat Rohan (a trained warrior) in a fight, even making bets that she’ll beat him. So, it should come as no surprise that she’s overpowered easily (although he should’ve put her on her back long before he actually did).
• Calla is able to fight off Thomas, get arrested (knowing that she was going to be sentenced to death), fight Rohan, and even get attacked by the Ebon but the second she’s almost let go (by an Ebon warrior holding her at knife-point), she faints. Faints from WHAT???
• Calla claims that she doesn’t sleep with just anyone but after 1 day, she’s lusting after her 3 rescuers (or is it “captors?”). After 2 days, she’s kissed one of them and would’ve done more if she hadn’t been interrupted, after 3 days she’s re-kissing the same man while being felt up (at the same time) by another (i.e. she already being shared) and again, this would’ve gone further had they not been interrupted. She barely knows these men, but after one whole day, she’s ready to jump into bed with any (or all) of them. Discretion be darned.
• She gets mad at one of the guys and accuses him of viewing her as a possession, but then turns around and wants to be possessed by him.
• Although not solely about Calla, the town of the Relinquished shut down at night, locking the gates so that there was no way in or out of the city. And yet, once the 4 of them leave the inn, they escape really easily (and it was pretty anti-climactic).
• In chapter 19, Calla breaks down and starts crying. However, a few sentences later, Leander walks in in time to “stop her tears” (which had already been “spilling from her eyes??”) I’m confused. Was she crying or not?
• In the same chapter, at 75% through the book, Calla is only just now voicing any concerns or thoughts about her family. She was NEVER worried about what they may have thought happened to her, how they’d feel when she disappeared, or how they’d be affected by the powers Calla revealed. It’s not until 75% through that she even bothers to have one single thought concerning them. She’s been more worried about her little pet dragon than her parents or her sibling. It was like Calla loved no one but herself and was too self-absorbed to bother thinking about other people she “cared” about. It was a real “Wooow” moment (since thinking about how Calla’s family would feel was one of my first thoughts).
Overall, I found Calla to be meek, uncaring about others (not out of malevolence, just out of selfishness), and she made really stupid decisions so many times throughout the journey. She was ignorant about the world but never asked many questions or tried to understand it either. Her lack of curiosity about the true state of things was astoundingly ridiculous.
Really, what this largely comes down to is a lack of character development. There was no character growth (except in lustful feelings) and each character was pretty one-dimensional.
Leander the “High Lord” of Stonecrest (and almost-prince), Galen the elf, and Rohan the Lightbringer warrior were okay. Again, their characters weren’t very fleshed out and they fell flat, but I think they had the potential to grow on me. I just don’t think the author really took the opportunity to give these characters any depth or feeling.
I’m also really confused by Luin (the dragonkin pet). He seems to fly away when danger is near, but he’s sure to attack one of the guys for getting too close to Calla. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Luin was really a dragon (somehow) and became another man for Calla to want to sleep with and possibly fall for. – This is just a guess though.
By the end of this novel, nothing meaningful or really very interesting occurs. I wanted to like this book so much more than what actually ended up happening. I’m going to put down the series here because I don’t think I could get through another book by this author.
August 31, 2023
If I had to choose just two words to describe this book, I’d go with “disappointing” and “exasperating”. Reading this was an entirely unrewarding exercise in patience. The concept had a lot of potential and none of it materialised.
I’ll start by saying that “book one in a series” is not some kind of free pass or excuse for terrible pacing, iffy plot threads, or other basic issues. Even within a series with an overarching conflict, the individual entries need to have enough substance to stand on their own. They can end in a cliffhanger, sure, but something meaningful still needs to happen in the 300 pages or so before we get there. ESPECIALLY in a series opener, because if you can’t get it together there then I’m not going to bother with books two, three, or four.
Let me start by listing the good things:
- Pet dragon. I love dragons. That’s a free point. You almost can’t ruin it.
- Fun, interesting male characters. I’d have loved to see their POV more.
- Interesting world building and potential conflict.
That’s all the ingredients you need to get my attention to be honest. But that’s a promise upon which I’ll still expect a certain amount of delivery. Which leads me to everything else. Some minor spoilers, inasmuch as there is anything that’s even interesting enough to spoil.
Calla, the FMC, is a 21 year old character who alternates between a decently smart new adult and an incredibly dense 12-year-old. Anything she does in her “21” setting is undermined by the many moments where she flicks the switch to “12” for reasons that will remain a mystery of the universe forever.
Such as, after already having her backside groped by some asshole when he’s sober, STILL allowing his drunk self to walk her home. After dark. Through the woods. Which, just… ugh. Insert your surprised Pikachus here because we all know what happens next.
And what happens next also happens to be a trope I really, really hate with violent passion: (near-)rape being the trigger for special superpowers to unlock. That’s an entire rant on its own I really can’t be bothered with right now, but the summary version is that I take stars out of the final rating.
The unlocking of said superpowers then initiates the Epic Quest. Did I say Epic Quest? Oh. Well. It’s more like a two day trip to a stronghold, with some baddies along the way. And that’s 80% of the book. No especially meaningful revelations or developments, and it takes forever.
Wait, did I say two days? Yes. Two days. That’s how long the journey takes. Long enough that I’ll allow for attraction to exist or romantically stupid decisions to be made, but not anywhere near long enough to believe that a real, significant bond is formed between Calla and one of these guys, much less all three of them. We’re helpfully informed of this development between one conversation and the next. There’s no real tension.
Okay, but surely AFTER the admittedly boring 80% things start to get interesting when they arrive at the stronghold?
Sorry, no. I WISH. It could have been politics or big revelations (or both), but the politics only really happen in the last chapter and I’m calling it politics to be generous. The rest of the stronghold stuff is just “tedious high school drama but the people involved are adult military recruits, promise”. Including Token Mean Girl, who OF COURSE fucks with our FMC through means of petty scheming. I was looking for romantic epic fantasy. I didn’t sign up for this.
By the end of this book nothing meaningful, truly memorable, or even remotely interesting has happened. The FMC manifests powers, three guys take her on a road trip, and they get home in time for teenage drama at supper. And I mean that last part quite literally.
Barebones potential was in the overarching conflict, but we don’t really see any of that in this book in any way that matters. The author’s style was engaging enough, but sadly undermined by an endless supply of punctuation mishaps, grammar mishaps, wrong word mishaps, and even “entire words missing from sentences” mishaps. AND STILL I persevered to give it a chance. Well, I finished the book and I’m done.
This was a diamond in the rough that might have been great with proper polishing. Even minimal polishing might have made it halfway decent. Instead it felt like I got the roughest draft, pre-any kind of proof-reading or editing. A line edit could have fixed the majority of issues with the text. A proper content edit might have addressed the atrocious pacing, because honestly this doesn’t deserve to be a book by itself. It could have fit within the first few chapters of some other book and nothing significant would have been lost. And I definitely wouldn’t have had to suffer through completely superfluous and cringe-inducing sentences like:
*I rub a hand across my dress bodice where it digs into my swelling breasts.*
Just go see a doctor and spare me the internal dialogue. And if it’s not a medical issue, just spare me the Men Writing Women content.
My predictions for the next few books (which I’m not going to bother with):
- The dragon pet will turn out to be Hot Dude #4 eventually because he’s secretly been a shapeshifter all along. Or he was cursed. His sass is just because of his crush on FMC.
- Book 2 will be “high school drama, but supposedly adult people involved”. Still no meaningful development on the overall conflict because There Are Bullies To Deal With.
- Token Mean Girl will either eventually join the Big Bad out of sheer spite and then die horribly in the end as punishment (but only after pissing people off and not in a love2hate kind of way), OR she’ll eventually come around and join the crew because she was really just misunderstood all along. Who am I kidding, she’ll join Big Bad for stupid reasons, because she’s already a Token Mean Girl for asinine reasons.
- The pacing will continue to be sleep-inducing and the end result will be a story that could have been a duology if all the pointless filler was taken out. Maybe a trilogy, if we’d get meaningful interactions and proper time spent on developing the characters and relationships into something that won’t result in whiplash.
Two stars, because it wasn’t a complete dumpster fire, but I won’t be recommending this to anyone. There are tons of other books out there that are fun and engaging, and with better pacing. Some might even by Why Choose, with dragons.
I’ll start by saying that “book one in a series” is not some kind of free pass or excuse for terrible pacing, iffy plot threads, or other basic issues. Even within a series with an overarching conflict, the individual entries need to have enough substance to stand on their own. They can end in a cliffhanger, sure, but something meaningful still needs to happen in the 300 pages or so before we get there. ESPECIALLY in a series opener, because if you can’t get it together there then I’m not going to bother with books two, three, or four.
Let me start by listing the good things:
- Pet dragon. I love dragons. That’s a free point. You almost can’t ruin it.
- Fun, interesting male characters. I’d have loved to see their POV more.
- Interesting world building and potential conflict.
That’s all the ingredients you need to get my attention to be honest. But that’s a promise upon which I’ll still expect a certain amount of delivery. Which leads me to everything else. Some minor spoilers, inasmuch as there is anything that’s even interesting enough to spoil.
Calla, the FMC, is a 21 year old character who alternates between a decently smart new adult and an incredibly dense 12-year-old. Anything she does in her “21” setting is undermined by the many moments where she flicks the switch to “12” for reasons that will remain a mystery of the universe forever.
Such as, after already having her backside groped by some asshole when he’s sober, STILL allowing his drunk self to walk her home. After dark. Through the woods. Which, just… ugh. Insert your surprised Pikachus here because we all know what happens next.
And what happens next also happens to be a trope I really, really hate with violent passion: (near-)rape being the trigger for special superpowers to unlock. That’s an entire rant on its own I really can’t be bothered with right now, but the summary version is that I take stars out of the final rating.
The unlocking of said superpowers then initiates the Epic Quest. Did I say Epic Quest? Oh. Well. It’s more like a two day trip to a stronghold, with some baddies along the way. And that’s 80% of the book. No especially meaningful revelations or developments, and it takes forever.
Wait, did I say two days? Yes. Two days. That’s how long the journey takes. Long enough that I’ll allow for attraction to exist or romantically stupid decisions to be made, but not anywhere near long enough to believe that a real, significant bond is formed between Calla and one of these guys, much less all three of them. We’re helpfully informed of this development between one conversation and the next. There’s no real tension.
Okay, but surely AFTER the admittedly boring 80% things start to get interesting when they arrive at the stronghold?
Sorry, no. I WISH. It could have been politics or big revelations (or both), but the politics only really happen in the last chapter and I’m calling it politics to be generous. The rest of the stronghold stuff is just “tedious high school drama but the people involved are adult military recruits, promise”. Including Token Mean Girl, who OF COURSE fucks with our FMC through means of petty scheming. I was looking for romantic epic fantasy. I didn’t sign up for this.
By the end of this book nothing meaningful, truly memorable, or even remotely interesting has happened. The FMC manifests powers, three guys take her on a road trip, and they get home in time for teenage drama at supper. And I mean that last part quite literally.
Barebones potential was in the overarching conflict, but we don’t really see any of that in this book in any way that matters. The author’s style was engaging enough, but sadly undermined by an endless supply of punctuation mishaps, grammar mishaps, wrong word mishaps, and even “entire words missing from sentences” mishaps. AND STILL I persevered to give it a chance. Well, I finished the book and I’m done.
This was a diamond in the rough that might have been great with proper polishing. Even minimal polishing might have made it halfway decent. Instead it felt like I got the roughest draft, pre-any kind of proof-reading or editing. A line edit could have fixed the majority of issues with the text. A proper content edit might have addressed the atrocious pacing, because honestly this doesn’t deserve to be a book by itself. It could have fit within the first few chapters of some other book and nothing significant would have been lost. And I definitely wouldn’t have had to suffer through completely superfluous and cringe-inducing sentences like:
*I rub a hand across my dress bodice where it digs into my swelling breasts.*
Just go see a doctor and spare me the internal dialogue. And if it’s not a medical issue, just spare me the Men Writing Women content.
My predictions for the next few books (which I’m not going to bother with):
- The dragon pet will turn out to be Hot Dude #4 eventually because he’s secretly been a shapeshifter all along. Or he was cursed. His sass is just because of his crush on FMC.
- Book 2 will be “high school drama, but supposedly adult people involved”. Still no meaningful development on the overall conflict because There Are Bullies To Deal With.
- Token Mean Girl will either eventually join the Big Bad out of sheer spite and then die horribly in the end as punishment (but only after pissing people off and not in a love2hate kind of way), OR she’ll eventually come around and join the crew because she was really just misunderstood all along. Who am I kidding, she’ll join Big Bad for stupid reasons, because she’s already a Token Mean Girl for asinine reasons.
- The pacing will continue to be sleep-inducing and the end result will be a story that could have been a duology if all the pointless filler was taken out. Maybe a trilogy, if we’d get meaningful interactions and proper time spent on developing the characters and relationships into something that won’t result in whiplash.
Two stars, because it wasn’t a complete dumpster fire, but I won’t be recommending this to anyone. There are tons of other books out there that are fun and engaging, and with better pacing. Some might even by Why Choose, with dragons.
March 31, 2020
I don't know, there was a lot of contradicting stuff going on in this book that took away from it. My favorite part was the Dragon, Liu, he was the reason I kept reading until the end. I didn't like Calla very much. She would be super smart one minute and the next she was an idiot. Not the type of main character I want to continue reading about. The 3 guys seemed like the typical guys in a RH, one is aloof though nice, one is a shameless flirt, and one can't stand her. None of them were developed well enough for me to want to see what happens, since I didn't like Calla & I didn't like the way they handled the situation with Calla. I wasn't impressed enough with how this unfolded to like the story. The whole book takes place in about 2 days, & for her to be reacting to them the way she was, just came across as sexual/lust type of attraction (there's no sex in this book) not developing love. I definitely won't be continuing with the series.
February 3, 2022
I really enjoyed this. It had just the right amount of mystery and action and I also liked that the romances were slow burning and believable.
The world setting was done well and nearly all the characters I connected with right away.
The only downside was a slight odd change in character behaviour when the group finally reach their destination but this was not enough to spoil the whole book.
The world setting was done well and nearly all the characters I connected with right away.
The only downside was a slight odd change in character behaviour when the group finally reach their destination but this was not enough to spoil the whole book.
June 16, 2019
An Enjoyable Read
So I really do like the concept of this book and the world that the author has built. Calla is ‘mis fit’ girl working at an
apothecary and hoping for a better life for herself.
One night it is revealed that she isn’t a normal human and has very strong powers that aren’t exactly known to be on the ‘good side’ of the fight between the Ebon Queen (bad guy) and the King (good guy).
After her powers are discovered and before she can be killed for possessing them - She is whisked away by three men Rohan, Leander, and Galen to become a weapon against the Ebon Queen in a war she really knows nothing about (assuming she can learn to control her powers).
Side Note: Galen is definitely my favorite out of the guys.
I do like Calla’s character but I hesitate calling her a ‘strong female character’ at this point. Yes she has very strong powers but can’t control them and they rarely come out when she needs them. She also faints too much for my liking. This doesn’t bother me in books typically but since she was described as a strong female - I just don’t think the two go together. She also allows people to speak like she isn’t even in the room and make decisions for her. I’m really hoping to see some character progression with her in the next book. I honestly think she is a pretty weak character at this point.
Overall, the book is well written and enjoyable but I do hope we see more character growth in Calla and the guys (mainly Leander and Rohan because Galen is perfect lol).
*****Spoiler*****
*
*
*
*
Also at 83% Saskia introduces herself as Leander’s sister then at 84% Calla is wondering who Saskia is and why she seems familiar with the men - “especially Leander”. So that confused me a bit because she already had been introduced as Leander’s sister?
So I really do like the concept of this book and the world that the author has built. Calla is ‘mis fit’ girl working at an
apothecary and hoping for a better life for herself.
One night it is revealed that she isn’t a normal human and has very strong powers that aren’t exactly known to be on the ‘good side’ of the fight between the Ebon Queen (bad guy) and the King (good guy).
After her powers are discovered and before she can be killed for possessing them - She is whisked away by three men Rohan, Leander, and Galen to become a weapon against the Ebon Queen in a war she really knows nothing about (assuming she can learn to control her powers).
Side Note: Galen is definitely my favorite out of the guys.
I do like Calla’s character but I hesitate calling her a ‘strong female character’ at this point. Yes she has very strong powers but can’t control them and they rarely come out when she needs them. She also faints too much for my liking. This doesn’t bother me in books typically but since she was described as a strong female - I just don’t think the two go together. She also allows people to speak like she isn’t even in the room and make decisions for her. I’m really hoping to see some character progression with her in the next book. I honestly think she is a pretty weak character at this point.
Overall, the book is well written and enjoyable but I do hope we see more character growth in Calla and the guys (mainly Leander and Rohan because Galen is perfect lol).
*****Spoiler*****
*
*
*
*
Also at 83% Saskia introduces herself as Leander’s sister then at 84% Calla is wondering who Saskia is and why she seems familiar with the men - “especially Leander”. So that confused me a bit because she already had been introduced as Leander’s sister?
September 10, 2023
Good
Warning: since this is part of a four book continuous storyline, there is a bit of a cliffhanger like ending. It’s only about a 3/5 on the trauma scale, which just means everything is left up in the air!
Calla thought she was just a rather inept magical practitioner, but is still determined to try and pass the trials that she can leave a life of drudgery in the village she grew up in.
It’s a dream that ends the day she is found to have shadow magic, the same kind of magic practised by the evil Ebon elves and their Queen.
Saved from execution by three men working for the Light; the knight Rohan, the elf Galen, and the lord Leander, Calla and her dragon-kin pet Luin, have to make a dangerous journey with them to the stronghold.
Part one of a why-choose romantasy, sees our young heroine as she first exhibits the shadowy powers she never knew she had. She’s rather naïve, and it’s a bit of a hinderance to her ability to survive. She’s also obviously been kept in the dark by her parents, as evidenced by some of the things she reveals throughout the story.
The three men she finds herself both attracted to, and travelling with, have their own secrets they’re holding close, and the reader can’t help but feel Calla is being led astray by her baser feelings- she isn’t nearly as careful as she should be!
This is an enjoyable tale, with an interesting premise and some intriguing characters. Most everyone is a bit of a mystery even by the end of the book, as the tale slowly reveals more of what is going on. It’s an engaging read, and one that reverse harem romantasy fans will enjoy.
Warning: since this is part of a four book continuous storyline, there is a bit of a cliffhanger like ending. It’s only about a 3/5 on the trauma scale, which just means everything is left up in the air!
Calla thought she was just a rather inept magical practitioner, but is still determined to try and pass the trials that she can leave a life of drudgery in the village she grew up in.
It’s a dream that ends the day she is found to have shadow magic, the same kind of magic practised by the evil Ebon elves and their Queen.
Saved from execution by three men working for the Light; the knight Rohan, the elf Galen, and the lord Leander, Calla and her dragon-kin pet Luin, have to make a dangerous journey with them to the stronghold.
Part one of a why-choose romantasy, sees our young heroine as she first exhibits the shadowy powers she never knew she had. She’s rather naïve, and it’s a bit of a hinderance to her ability to survive. She’s also obviously been kept in the dark by her parents, as evidenced by some of the things she reveals throughout the story.
The three men she finds herself both attracted to, and travelling with, have their own secrets they’re holding close, and the reader can’t help but feel Calla is being led astray by her baser feelings- she isn’t nearly as careful as she should be!
This is an enjoyable tale, with an interesting premise and some intriguing characters. Most everyone is a bit of a mystery even by the end of the book, as the tale slowly reveals more of what is going on. It’s an engaging read, and one that reverse harem romantasy fans will enjoy.
September 21, 2018
What a spectacular novel! The world building, characters, pacing, and romance were all on point!
Calla was a great heroine in the novel. I loved how she was super spunky and strong. She goes out there and just fights. She isn't unrealistic, but just a super strong person who wants to do whats right. I love how Calla is resilient in the entire novel. Her world, kingdom, and entire life gets turned upside down. instead of mopping, she stands and fights.
Calla's harem: Leander, Rohan, and Galen were a great set of male leads. I loved how each of them were so different, but added so much to the story. I like how each of them is a different paranormal/fantasy being and they are treated equally. And when they fight for their girl, man, I was serious swooning.
The romance is an awesome slow burn. The characters really don't do much in terms of related to romance, but there is that ongoing sexual tension and chemistry. I can't wait till Calla and her harem explode into fireworks. Despite having a lot of chemistry, there is an underlying bond that is genuine. Calla leans on each of the boys, and they complement her in their unique way.
The world building in this novel is my favorite part. I loved the whole realms and fantasy worlds. The magic was amazing! And, the Ebon queen, man she is one complex character. I love how she plays an intricate part of the story. The villain in the story is present and isn't something that you hear only off.
Altogether, this is an amazing first novel to a great series! I now have to have a grueling wait to get the next book!
Calla was a great heroine in the novel. I loved how she was super spunky and strong. She goes out there and just fights. She isn't unrealistic, but just a super strong person who wants to do whats right. I love how Calla is resilient in the entire novel. Her world, kingdom, and entire life gets turned upside down. instead of mopping, she stands and fights.
Calla's harem: Leander, Rohan, and Galen were a great set of male leads. I loved how each of them were so different, but added so much to the story. I like how each of them is a different paranormal/fantasy being and they are treated equally. And when they fight for their girl, man, I was serious swooning.
The romance is an awesome slow burn. The characters really don't do much in terms of related to romance, but there is that ongoing sexual tension and chemistry. I can't wait till Calla and her harem explode into fireworks. Despite having a lot of chemistry, there is an underlying bond that is genuine. Calla leans on each of the boys, and they complement her in their unique way.
The world building in this novel is my favorite part. I loved the whole realms and fantasy worlds. The magic was amazing! And, the Ebon queen, man she is one complex character. I love how she plays an intricate part of the story. The villain in the story is present and isn't something that you hear only off.
Altogether, this is an amazing first novel to a great series! I now have to have a grueling wait to get the next book!
November 4, 2020
I greatly enjoyed this first book in the Daughter of Shadow series. Calla is a girl who hopes to gain a place in a school of magic, but her magic tends to go awry every time. Her potions explode and she knows if she fails the upcoming trials she will be stuck working at a local apothecary and fighting off the attentions of the mayor's son, ugh. When an elf and a Lightbringer show up at the shop she is interested in both of them. Elves have always fascinated her and Galen is a fine specimen. Rohan is a bit rougher and obviously a womanizer, but she is, after all, only looking.
When the mayor's son, Thomas, offers to walk her home she wants to say no, but she actually can't stop him from following her so she ignores him. At least she does until he attacks her. As she fights him off she is suddenly aware of a strange dark magic that manifests as a shadow attached to her. A really angry, evil shadow. What the??? Galen and Rohan observe what happens and know she is a Daughter of Shadow and should, by law, be immediately killed but they also see that she is scared and horrified at what happened.
I am not going to try to tell you the whole story as you will want to read it for yourself. Three hot guys (yeah, there's another one!), one powerful girl (well, she will be), and a little dragonkin who is her constant companion (until she needs him anyway). Her kind is feared and hated. She will need all of her strength and the help of all of the men to make it through what is to come.
When the mayor's son, Thomas, offers to walk her home she wants to say no, but she actually can't stop him from following her so she ignores him. At least she does until he attacks her. As she fights him off she is suddenly aware of a strange dark magic that manifests as a shadow attached to her. A really angry, evil shadow. What the??? Galen and Rohan observe what happens and know she is a Daughter of Shadow and should, by law, be immediately killed but they also see that she is scared and horrified at what happened.
I am not going to try to tell you the whole story as you will want to read it for yourself. Three hot guys (yeah, there's another one!), one powerful girl (well, she will be), and a little dragonkin who is her constant companion (until she needs him anyway). Her kind is feared and hated. She will need all of her strength and the help of all of the men to make it through what is to come.
December 15, 2020
I liked this book very much, my only complaint (if it is one) is that it is too short.
I like the characters the author has created and the world-building that was made, I definitely want to learn more about the Ebon Queen, the elves, the war, the dragons, etc. This was an interesting read and, dare I admit it, I was captivated from beginning to end.
I should state that I usually don't read Reverse Harem romance, this was my first and even if I found it odd how Calla would get that close to the three guys she journeys with so quickly, it didn't bother me that much because I know it is a genre's expectation for readers who read this type of books.
I want to learn more about Calla's power and see her relationships with the three guys develop more. I already have my favorite but I have no idea if in Reverse Harem romance the heroine ends up with one guy or with no one at all so I'll read the next books to find out :)
I must say, also, that the beautiful cover is what charmed me at first (it is gorgeous) and the blurb did the rest. In this book, we are getting what the author promises, so I'm pleased I picked it up.
Note: I read this in audiobook format and I liked both narrators, I did prefer the female voice even though I would admit it must have been harder for the male narrator to lend his voice to three very different characters. Anyway, it was a great listening experience.
I like the characters the author has created and the world-building that was made, I definitely want to learn more about the Ebon Queen, the elves, the war, the dragons, etc. This was an interesting read and, dare I admit it, I was captivated from beginning to end.
I should state that I usually don't read Reverse Harem romance, this was my first and even if I found it odd how Calla would get that close to the three guys she journeys with so quickly, it didn't bother me that much because I know it is a genre's expectation for readers who read this type of books.
I want to learn more about Calla's power and see her relationships with the three guys develop more. I already have my favorite but I have no idea if in Reverse Harem romance the heroine ends up with one guy or with no one at all so I'll read the next books to find out :)
I must say, also, that the beautiful cover is what charmed me at first (it is gorgeous) and the blurb did the rest. In this book, we are getting what the author promises, so I'm pleased I picked it up.
Note: I read this in audiobook format and I liked both narrators, I did prefer the female voice even though I would admit it must have been harder for the male narrator to lend his voice to three very different characters. Anyway, it was a great listening experience.
September 17, 2018
Off to a difficult start, Calla is in trouble after her testing when she is found to have dangerous magic skills – those of a shadowmancer! Shadow magic is only performed by the most powerful Ebon elves and the old Ebon dragonflight.
Fortunately for her, three men from the royal court are trying to find powerful magic users to train them and enlist their help in the crusade against the Ebon queen who has destroyed the elven realms and threatens the kingdom. They knew that all elven shadowmancers found in the kingdom were eradicated so the dark abilities could not spread through the land. But Calla is neither elven nor dragon, but something more. So they pretend to take her into custody for the punishment, and then smuggle her out of town. Leander, Rohan, and Galen hope that Calla’s dark magic can challenge the Ebon queen. And their adventure begins! But will her growing power be more than they can handle? Will she aid them in their greatest time of need?
This was a very exciting action-packed, fast-paced sword and sorcery book. The reader will enjoy the cast of fantasy characters; the strong heroine unafraid of speaking her mind is a joy to watch as she grows into her abilities with the support of her men. Don’t miss this one – it is an excellent beginning to what is shaping up to be a wonderful new series!
Fortunately for her, three men from the royal court are trying to find powerful magic users to train them and enlist their help in the crusade against the Ebon queen who has destroyed the elven realms and threatens the kingdom. They knew that all elven shadowmancers found in the kingdom were eradicated so the dark abilities could not spread through the land. But Calla is neither elven nor dragon, but something more. So they pretend to take her into custody for the punishment, and then smuggle her out of town. Leander, Rohan, and Galen hope that Calla’s dark magic can challenge the Ebon queen. And their adventure begins! But will her growing power be more than they can handle? Will she aid them in their greatest time of need?
This was a very exciting action-packed, fast-paced sword and sorcery book. The reader will enjoy the cast of fantasy characters; the strong heroine unafraid of speaking her mind is a joy to watch as she grows into her abilities with the support of her men. Don’t miss this one – it is an excellent beginning to what is shaping up to be a wonderful new series!
September 19, 2018
Dragon Soul is a Fantasy RH, it could almost be called High Fantasy but falls a bit short of that genre. As I’m a big fantasy fan and a RH fan, I was really looking forward to this book. I know better than to get my hopes up but the blurb sounded promising and the few reviews I read backed it up, however, it only took the first chapter for me to realise it wasn’t going to be what I was expecting; i.e. I was a tad disappointed.
I’ve read books by Swallow before and have enjoyed them enough to feel tempted by new books by her, but Dragon Soul felt clunky and was full of info-dumps. I liked the protagonist well enough. Calla (love the name) may be lacking in skill but she’s not really lacking in her conviction to escape the limits of her hometown. Despite this, she talks about her family and her mother fondly enough, and yet when she’s taken from the town not once does she spare a thought for her family and what they must be thinking - I found it all very odd.
This is a slow burn RH, with some kissing and petting. There is a slight trigger warning due to one scene and, while there’s no cliffhanger as such, this book is definitely building up to the next one. I found the premise of the plot line interesting and like Swallow’s creativity, however I will probably not continue with the series.
I’ve read books by Swallow before and have enjoyed them enough to feel tempted by new books by her, but Dragon Soul felt clunky and was full of info-dumps. I liked the protagonist well enough. Calla (love the name) may be lacking in skill but she’s not really lacking in her conviction to escape the limits of her hometown. Despite this, she talks about her family and her mother fondly enough, and yet when she’s taken from the town not once does she spare a thought for her family and what they must be thinking - I found it all very odd.
This is a slow burn RH, with some kissing and petting. There is a slight trigger warning due to one scene and, while there’s no cliffhanger as such, this book is definitely building up to the next one. I found the premise of the plot line interesting and like Swallow’s creativity, however I will probably not continue with the series.
August 8, 2022
So frustrating. FMC who can't do anything for herself, is unable to fend of an assault by an untrained mortal (without magic), yet decides she's suddenly able to fight fae (without magic) and challenges a seasoned warrior to prove it (she fails badly). Constantly needing to be saved from her town, from the fae, from the creepy cursed ones, from herself, and from animals. She's constantly asking questions about things they've already clarified in earlier chapters because she doesn't seem to understand anything that's going on even when it's been explained to her. And the ones taking her to their glorified prison--excuse me, their training compound--decide to keep her unaware of just how much her life will be in danger there until they get there and feed her to the wolves without any explanations. Also I find it interesting that none of the three escorts can actually fight the beings they're training the recruits to fight there. Rohan did ok after taking a moment to catch up, but even though he fought them one-on-one, he struggled. Why are these people on this mission??? And lastly, do these people actually like each other? I was excited to read about a sexually confident FMC, but they were all so hot and cold, and not in a good way. Ugh.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2024
“Daughter of Shadow” by L.J. Swallow promised to be a thrilling addition to the adult romantasy genre, but it falls painfully short on nearly every front. Despite having all the ingredients for a great story, the execution is severely lacking.
Firstly, the romance aspect is almost nonexistent. Instead of genuine romantic development, we get several poorly written and awkwardly inserted lust scenes that are fully clothed and fail to evoke any real emotion or connection between the characters. It’s frustrating and misleading for readers looking for a romantasy experience.
The writing itself is another major letdown. If I could, I would rate it 0 stars just for this alone. The narration, which changes with each POV, spoils the entire story. Instead of immersing readers in the world and allowing us to experience it alongside the characters, we are told every single detail in a dry, uninspired manner. This approach strips away any potential for mystery, excitement, or engagement.
In conclusion, “Daughter of Shadow” had the potential to be great but is ultimately ruined by its poor writing and lack of true romance. It’s a massive disappointment for any adult romantasy fan.
Firstly, the romance aspect is almost nonexistent. Instead of genuine romantic development, we get several poorly written and awkwardly inserted lust scenes that are fully clothed and fail to evoke any real emotion or connection between the characters. It’s frustrating and misleading for readers looking for a romantasy experience.
The writing itself is another major letdown. If I could, I would rate it 0 stars just for this alone. The narration, which changes with each POV, spoils the entire story. Instead of immersing readers in the world and allowing us to experience it alongside the characters, we are told every single detail in a dry, uninspired manner. This approach strips away any potential for mystery, excitement, or engagement.
In conclusion, “Daughter of Shadow” had the potential to be great but is ultimately ruined by its poor writing and lack of true romance. It’s a massive disappointment for any adult romantasy fan.
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