Three years after the events of Fractures, Thaleon continues his studies at Allesdale. No longer a novice mage, his life has taken on a comfortable routine of magical studies and working in the infirmary.
Meanwhile, Dawyn is making the best of his life in the one place he never wanted to be—the Crown’s army. His days are filled with endless training and lessons to prepare him for the life of … life of hunting down rogue mages.
Unexpected events shatter the calm of their new lives. Thaleon must leave the safety of Allesdale and embark on a hopeless quest to Taliehin—the frozen wasteland of ice and monsters. Dawyn must face impossible odds in a brutal fight for his life and that of a friend’s.
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This arc was provided to me by the author for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this next installment in the series! Thaleon and Dawyn’s story continues in this next book after a bit of a time jump. Thal is now 15 and Dawyn 18. I really loved how the world was expanded in this one. It was so interesting to see Thal and Dawyn explore this new world and all of its trappings now that they’re both a bit more mature and sure of themselves. The magic system was also explained a bit more, which was good to see. Again, like the first book, I enjoyed Thaleon’s chapters, but Dawyn has officially become my favorite of the two. There’s just something about him that really makes me love him. They’re both put through the ringer in this book and I felt for these boys. There was also a bit more action than the first, so it definitely made me want to fly though it so that I could figure out what was happening with our boys! This series is giving me some old-school fantasy vibes and I really love that about it. Definitely give this series a try if you like a harrowing and action-filled fantasy adventure!
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
As I great fan of fantasy genre, I want to say, that if you haven’t read Fractures (Ledgers of a Dark Mage Book 1), you should definitely do that. And once you enter this magic world, you simply can’t leave it without reading the whole story till the end.
Second book – it begins three years after the events of Fractures and follows Dawyn and Thaleon through their next adventures. This story is full of adventure, magic, friendship…
The new characters are very interesting individuals. It’s so hard to pick only one favourite character.
and the writing is just amazing – 5/5.
If you love fantasy or adventure, or even better – both, you should start this amazing book series as soon as possible.
I love a good fantasy book that pulls you in and takes you on a wild journey! The second book in the “Ledgers of a Dark Mage” series, “Shape of Nightmares,” does just that. In this book we follow the journey of the main characters, Dawyn and Thaleon, who are brothers but separated on different paths. Both possess magical powers – one has the type of magic that is forbidden and cruelly punished, while the other has the ability to see and undo magic spells. They are on different paths yet both are doing their best to survive in a world that has taken away their families and their childhood. Through their journeys you will encounter fantastical creatures and magic spells that stir the imagination. I relished every page of this second book as I read about the progress of the main characters. The two brothers are forced to toughen up and strengthen their magical abilities in a dangerous world, yet at the same time their vulnerability and compassion shine through as their love for their friends and families is their driving force. I am already excited for the third installment of the series!
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I received and ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Shape of Nightmares, Leems second book in the Ledgers of a Dark Mage series again follows Dawyn and Thaleon in their wild adventures, taking place four years after the events of her debut novel, Fractures. Now the boys are four years older, advancing on the paths that were shoved upon them in the first book and mostly succeeding. This second installment is living up to its title, it was again, full of nightmares for both boys.
What I loved about this installment is that there was even more magical “creatures” and elements in this one! Dragons, creepy magical twins, giants and more! There was a lot of action and a lot of heartache of course. My heart AGAIN was ripped out and stomped on as these boys just try to live their “normal” while still believing the other is long dead. I also STILL love Reil as a character, she’s fierce and loving of her friends and will try to protect them at all costs! Also the tender moment shared between Thal and the men that helped raise him?! Ugh, it gave me ALL of the feels!
I can go on and on but long story short, if you’re looking for a fast passed read that will give you all of the feels and feed your appetite for adventure, this is it! I’m excited for the next installment!
I really enjoyed the second book in this series as much as the first one, if not even a bit more. Once again we are following the adventures of Dawyn and Thaleon. They are older now and they have more experience. Dawyn is adapted in his new life in training. We are introduced to a new character Fanvi, Dawyn’s mage friend. I really liked Fanvi’s character. He is funny, strong and loyal. Their part of the story was very interesting to read. Even though they went through some seriously hard times, it was excellently written.
Meanwhile, Thaleon is in some trouble of his own. His friend Lyris has been poisoned and he has to travel to a land of ice and monsters to find a cure.
In this book we are also introduced to some new and original monsters.
I really liked the writing style and how complex the characters are. I can’t wait to read more adventures in this series
I received a free copy of this book courtesy of the author in exchange for an honest review.
Much like the first book, this one keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time. Leem is adept at making each moment last and keeping your interest accruing the longer you read. There is a lot to be said for being able to do so – it makes the pace of the book far faster. This book has a slow build, as did the last one, and yet the momentum is there. Something is happening, the plot is progressing, the characters are getting arcs. There is nothing better than a book that draws you in with both plot and characters!
If you liked the first book, you are definitely going to like this one as well! There is much from the first book that comes back in this one. Starting with Thal and Dawyn. Still separated, both still think the other is dead. This informs many of their actions and the consequences. At the same time, they are now on “opposite” sides, and we get to see both points of view of these worlds. This is really interesting because sometimes in fantasy you only get to see one. And yet in this one you get to see two! It is quite well done.
I really appreciate the shift of POVs and the clarity of them. I do not get one character mixed up for the other as there is a clear voice distinction between the two. We also get an awesome character whom I adore with all my heart! Fanvi is my new favorite. There is so much to love about him, and his arc. Like Dawyn he gets a full arc in this book and it shows. He has so much potential in the future books. What is really exciting is that Leem is talented at making these characters jump off the page and come alive.
I really liked this installment of the series. Unlike a lot of sequels it didn’t stall out, it kept pushing forward and I am very excited to see what happens next!
I was provided an eARC from the author in exchange for my honest review.
I enjoyed this book even more than the first installment, and for me that is rare. Second books so often feel like placeholders, and this book was satisfying in a way that many middle books are not. I felt that the arc in this book for both POV characters was more defined as they moved along their parallel journeys. Thaleon has been studying magic and is still suppressing his natural gift of dark magic (val), for a weaker light magic (elar) that is not natural to him. Val is considered evil in this society and its practitioners killed, though on the surface there is not much difference between the two magics. In both characters’ stories, we see practitioners of Val do evil things to our heroes, seeming to justify the world’s hatred of valekyns. What I loved best about the first book is still present here, is the examination of good and evil. This book expands upon that, showing the effect of oppression on crime and how we differentiate race or culture and individual behavior.
Thaleon’s story is action packed, as he races to save the life of a friend that has been poisoned. It is non-stop action as we move from situation to situation in a race for the cure. If I have one qualm about the book it is that I would’ve loved this to slow down a little bit at times as I felt like all of the great character moments were with Dawyn. I love Thaleon, but for me my favorite part of this story is absolutely Dawyn’s journey to become a wehr of the Crown. He becomes friends with a Mage, Fanvi, who is probably my favorite character of the series thus far. Fanvi is flirty and confident and I super need him and Dawyn to make out immediately. I am absolutely going to need that to happen in book 3, please.
This is a great series that is a quick read and is full of great twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat. I can’t wait to read the next installment!
It has been 3 years since the events of the first book and both brothers have improved in their abilities and both of them will unknowingly be on their way to danger and adventure.
Thaleon must take a journey full of danger and ice to find a magic flower that will save her friend from death, but his journey is not easy, not only does he have to hide his magic, which is a symbol of evil and hatred, and in his mision he will have several challenges that he will be test it.
Meanwhile, Dawyn, after training to detect magicians, finally has his first mission, it seems easy, but is not.
This is a book for those who like adventure (and suffer a little) and magic.
I really liked how the characters evolved, they are more mature and I like the relationship between the protagonists and their friends, you can feel their love and loyalty.
SPOILER alert!
I just can’t review this amazing book without them so – be warned!
This was such a great sequel to the already great Fractures. I received an ARC copy from the author in exchange for an honest review, so here it is.
Honestly, I loved this book even more than the first one. We can see how much our characters have grown, and we are also introduced to some new ones – my favorite definitely being Fanvi! I feel like I need to talk about him here for a bit. He’s sarcastic, playful, teasing and flirtatious, but he is also extremely skilled in magic. He knows how to do his job – well, when he wants to. I loved his character so much, because it was new and interesting, and he wasn’t all good-hearted from the very beginning. That’s why he’s probably my favorite in this book.
Now, for the brothers – the book again follows both of them, just like in the Fractures. This time, I must say that I loved Dawyn’s storyline more than Thaleon’s (I loved Thaleon’s more in the first book), because it was somehow way more interesting this time. I’m not saying that Thaleon’s story isn’t interesting – quite the contrary! There are fights, bad guys, poisoned friend, distant frozen land, unreachable cure, unexpected help, and best of all – new beasts! Thaleon is all prepared for a long journey to save his friend Lyris, which won’t be easy at all. Then given all of those, why did I say I liked Dawyn’s part in this book more than Thaleon’s?
Well – I needed, and I absolutely LOVED that spark of romance! Author, just so you know, I’m not shipping our dear Dawyn with anyone else now. Nope. This is just perfect for me and I’m ready to see all the slow burning and little flames of this relationship. Can’t wait.
But on the other side, the events of this book definitely aren’t all happy-go-lucky. You can already see it in the book title, and let me tell you, that’s just how it is. The Shape of Nightmares, right there. There are many gut-wrenching scenes in some parts of the book, and seeing my beloved character getting tortured, then healed, just to be tortured again – it was so hard to read. There are also gruesome fights involving poor innocent children, there’s a constant hate between valekyns and elarkyns, and we can exactly see why.
We can see why valekyns are hated when they captured Dawyn and Fanvi, and we can also see how Dawyn lost his last bit of empathy for them after he and Fanvi barely escaped from them alive. But we can also see how irational can that hate be, while following our Thaleon on his journey.
Thaleon is a valekyn, but he uses his dark magic to save lives only to get beaten and almost sent to his death for it. There’s basically no justice for valekyns at all, and I can understand their hate towards the elar. I can’t wait to see what the author has in mind for the next book.
And last but not least – this cover is everything! It’s just gorgeous. It was the first thing that caught my eye, and if I saw it in bookstores, it would definitely be a cover buy for me. I’m all prepared for the third book!