A disillusioned guardian, a four-footed philosopher, an honorable thief, Trouble, and an unexpected inheritance against the end of the world? Bring it on.An ancient evil has recently reawakened. Raven, a young Deinya warrior disillusioned with his people, has accepted a quest from his one-time master for old time’s sake. But when he catches a thief, Tara, his life hurls down an unforeseen path. … unforeseen path. With the help of others they meet along the way, they race to find the secret to the Rakon’s downfall before the nations again succumb to darkness.
If you enjoyed Eddings’s Belgariad, give this series a chance! For a clean adventure that you can partake in multiple times, buy today!
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Good versus Evil
Stories about good and evil come in all shapes and sizes. David and Goliath from the Bible, Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, The Circle Series by Ted Dekker, and now Shadows’ Sorrow by Galadriel Pittman. Shadow’s sorrow, never heard of the book you say? Well, now you are in for a treat. As quoted from the blurb “A disillusioned guardian, a four-footed philosopher, an honorable thief, Trouble, and an unexpected inheritance against the end of the world? Bring it on.” Yes indeed, bring it on. It may not be as intense as the others, but it has loads going for it….
My Penny’s Worth
Oh, come on you can’t be serious?
You’ve read The Wizard of Oz and Dorothy’s unlikely companions that she meets on her travels, well, Shadows’ Sorrow goes one better in my opinion. Donkey from Shrek had me rolling around the aisles with his “Are we there yet” so having a four-footed animal with telepathy doesn’t stretch the imagination too far. And why not, we know animals are intelligent, some more so than humans!
Couple this with the princess in Disney’s Enchanted and you have the makings of an entertaining read.
No, it’s not a fairy tale
Shadows’ Sorrow is not whimsical. It portrays evil as it is, destroying good to fulfill its need to conquer. There is only one passing reference to God, but the underlying battle for good is prevalent. Just like in the books, I mentioned earlier, apart from David and Goliath.
Raven stared at her suspiciously before shaking his head. “Why am I always the one that’s given a hard time? Is there a rule in the universe that says, ‘Pick on Raven?’ What have I done to deserve it?”
Tara shot him an amused look. “Be careful. Someone out there might hear you! It is never wise to give God ideas like that. He might decide to implement them.”
What I liked
I liked the banter that goes on back and forth between the characters. It helps to balance the dark side of the novel. It makes you wonder how these different people will manage to work together to fulfill their quest – that of overcoming evil. The story is well balanced, easy to read and leaves you wanting more. It didn’t leave me hiding behind the sofa like Lord of the Rings did. There are no Orcs, but the evil presence is intimidating like the creatures from The Maze Runner by James Dashner.
“As they forded the shallows of the river, the cold chilled their bodies, matching the chill of fear in their hearts.”
We all need to learn
One theme that runs through this book is gaining independence. Walking away from dependence on others, and becoming independent to be whom we are meant to be. So that we can fully partake in the journey, we are called to walk.
“Both sun and fog have their places. We go through times of both; try not to dwell solely in one.”
When life seems too hard, and we don’t want to carry on as the journey seems impossible the words of Raven comes to mind.
“We are still alive. We have hope. I will fight the Rakon (the evil – my words) until the last breath leaves my body.”
What I didn’t like
There is one word that some might find offensive. Yes, it is in context, and the sentence needed a strong word. It just niggled a bit as the rest of the book is clean.
What sentence made me smile
It is the princess image from Enchanted, but the person to whom it is spoken to isn’t a princess!
“You move with inherent grace, you’re charming, and when you sing… well, I think you could capture those stars.”
All I can hear is the “lar la lar la lar” of Princess Giselle as she sings to the birds in the New York apartment!
Who would like this book?
If you like fantasy, great banter, and humour, mixed in with a good versus evil plotline, then give Shadows’ Shadow a go. It is the first book in the series which I think will prove to be a winner.
I will leave you with one last thought, another quote from the book.Enjoy the day. Treasure the time. Tomorrow is never promised.
I hope you have enjoyed my review.
*I received this book for free. No compensation was received, and all opinions are my own.*