Marius Everhart is something even mages fear — a shadowmancer. His power marks him as cursed, a creature belonging to the Queen of Shadows. Marius escaped her realm with his memories corrupted and his sanity in tatters, managing to live a fragile, lonely existence at the edges of society.Some might call Ayodele Sauveterre delusional. He prefers the term “optimistic”. With his homeland in danger … in danger from invasion, Ayodele will do anything to protect it, even recruit a shadowmancer. Marius’s incredible power and gentle nature make him a perfect addition to Paladin Charm, a new mage guild dedicated to helping rather than exploiting the non-magical populace. The fact that handsome Marius also warms Ayodele’s bed is a wonderful bonus.
With support from Ayodele and his new friends in the guild, Marius begins to heal. He’s also quickly falling for the alluring mage, but Ayodele struggles with what’s forming between them. Past experience left Ayodele flippant but guarded, and Marius’s open honesty unnerves him.
As they grow closer, Paladin Charm prepares for a battle with impossible odds. And in the darkness, the Queen of Shadows waits to reclaim Marius and drag him back into a nightmare.
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4.5 rounded up
This is a really great fantasy story. It has a unique plotline that kept me engaged throughout the book. I really enjoyed the writing style; it was descriptive and flowed naturally.
This is a world where mages hold all the power. The majority of the time, it is used to gain riches, land, or more power. The city-states usually have a guild of mages that they wield like a weapon. The guilds are cruel and ruthless in their pursuits.
However, in a bid to save the city-state he was sent away from as a young boy because of his magical abilities, Ayodele returns from the guild in which he was trained and seen as powerful mage. He creates his own guild in a city-state that fears magic in order to face impossible odds using principles he believes to be right.
Marius has escaped from the Queen of Shadows, a virtual demigod, and is lost and alone with only his jumbled memories and everyone’s fear to guide his way. He is a Shadowmancer, able to control the power of shadows, and Ayodele wants to use his power to defeat the enemy that threatens his home.
Marius is desperate for stability and acceptance. Ayodele is self-centered because of the way he was raised and trained in the enemy’s guild. I was able to connect more easily with Marius and the other guild members because of the way Ayodele behaved in the beginning of the story, but he eventually grew on me a bit.
As the guild starts to work together as a team, they are able to form a tentative plan for the coming war. But, as the battle wanes, Marius’s past comes back with dangerous consequences. Again they must work together to face this final foe to reach their HFN ending.
This book is not a cliffhanger, but the author does let the reader know that the story will continue in a future book. Overall, I really enjoyed the magic and the storytelling in the book.
Happy reading !
* I received an ARC of this book. *
If you are a hopeless romantic and you used to watch anime this book is for you. This book helped me to relax after difficult working days and keep me entertained. It was like a magical fairy tale where you know that magic will save the day and everything will be all right. The story between Marius and Ayodele was heartwarming. Some moments between them were hot and even if there are big attraction and affection we didn’t witness any flirting. There are no flirting lines. The magic was interesting. This is a first time I heard about a shadowmancer tip of magic and I like the idea. I will definitely buy the next book as soon as it will be available. I will read Undaunted till I wait for it. I like the author style and hope he can put a little more of humor and flirting in his books.
SHADOWMANCER is the first book in the Paladin Charm series, and we meet Marius, the Shadowmancer in question. He was human, until he was taken by the Queen of Shadows. She changed him, and he now has more power than he knows what to do with. He is a gentle soul who is struggling with the loneliness his powers bring. Along comes Ayo, someone who has had a very different upbringing, but his heart is in the right place… most of the time.
This was a fantastic introduction to this world of city-states and denim trousers! The world-building was enough to satisfy for the first book in the series, whilst still leaving room for more. The characters are all brilliant, and I loved learning more about them at the same time they learned themselves.
A fantastic introduction, and I can’t wait to read more. Absolutely recommended by me.
Marius and Ayodele
Okey this should definitely be a movie!! Goshh I had goosebumps more than once. All the magic. It was overwhelming.
Marius Everhart is on the run, hiding for the Queen of Shadows, hiding so she can’t take him back into the shadows. He is so lonely and hurt. He is a Shadowmancer, controller of powerful shadows, and there isn’t a soul who isn’t afraid of him. Well, uhm.. except one, Ayodele!
Ayodele gives Marius shelter in return for help with his powers. Ayodele head and creator of the Paladin Charm wants to knock down the Serpent Fang, a strong group of mages who wants to conquer the Paladin Charm for the gold and power.
Not every member of the Paladin Charm accepts Marius and not everyone sees his true kind nature. Ayodele and Marius share their power and a bed. Marius is afraid the queen will find him and hurt the ones he love.
Danger is near!
This was really an amazing read. I loved all the magic from all the characters. The friendship and romance was well woven into the story. We get to know all the members of the Paladin Charm, also the world outside this group!
I found it quite refreshing how Ayodele was developed, flawed even sometimes to the point of irritating my nerves. All in a good way, I loved it when a character can rattle me. He has idealism and will go through walls to reach his goal. Failing at anticipating situations he uses his never ending optimism.
The story is smoothly written, in such a way I could visualize and enjoy all the magic enormously. The environments were fantastic and all the characters and plot ditto.
A recommendation for the fantasy lovers among us!!
Kindly received an arc from the author