To protect the throne, seventeen-year-old spy Kali must play a male guardsman trainee by day and royal lady by night. Orphaned and trained on a spymaster’s remote estate, Kali is a scout who works alone in the shadows. But when a terror group threatens the Dansil throne, the king forces Kali to accept a mission at the palace or forfeit her sister’s life. Suddenly thrust into the light, Kali must … into the light, Kali must infiltrate high society as the royal Lady Lianna while penetrating the servant ranks as Kal, a male guardsman trainee. It doesn’t help that Trace, the harsh and enigmatic captain of the king’s guard, is soon assigned as both Lady Lianna’s palace escort and Kal’s commanding officer.
As Kali edges closer to the truth behind the violent group’s identity, she uncovers dangerous secrets that could bring her mission to a brutal end. A scout’s job is to observe and report, never to engage . . . but if it means saving her sister and kingdom, Kali may have no choice.
TRACING SHADOWS, by Amazon bestselling author Alex Lidell, is the first novel in the Scout series. Perfect for fans of Tamora Pierce, Leigh Bardugo, and Sarah J. Maas.
more
I was very impressed by this book. When I first got it I did not expect it to be this god. Especially by the cover, which I really didn’t like, but that can be easily overlooked. All the characters were developed nicely and I felt a certain connection to almost all of them. Except for Violet. Her story was not as exiting as Kali’s. However, I felt it did give me a little more insight into the world of Tracing Shadows. I hope she doesn’t have many, or any, chapters in the sequel. Thankfully she only had a few in this book. She was just a snotty character with no real purpose to the main plot of the story. It was more her job to show us the citizen side of the issues and give background to some of the things they talk about. I really liked how Kali could ‘see all’ with her different disguises. It was also a look into different parts of the world. I felt that really helped me to understand where I was. The beginning was kind of rocky in that area. It took a little while to get the gist of things. And that was ok with me because I like to figure that stuff out, as long as no important story line is happening that I need to focus on when I still don’t know where I am. It was a real treat to read this book, and I absolutely can’t wait for the next one. The ending left me hanging and I need to know what happens next. I sincerely hope that the second book is as good as the first. I can’t wait two whole months!!! Oh, the suspense!!!
Mistress of disguise.
Audio version.
This took me a little time to get into, but then I couldn’t stop listening. A great beginning for a series.
I can’t wait for more of this, I want to say more about this story but I absolutely hate spoilers, so I won’t go into details.
WARNING it is a cliffy, which I also hate.
The narrative was a bit fast, rushed as if she couldn’t wait to finish reading.
Reasons I enjoyed this audio book:
Wonderful characters, Page-turner, Great world building, Unpredictable, Original, Easy-to-read/listen, Entertaining, Action-packed.
Bookshelves/tags:
adventure, cliffhanger, mystery, paranormal, series, suspense, young-adult.
This Audio book was given to me at my request from the publisher, author or narrator and I provided this unbiased voluntary review.
I love all of Alex Lidell’s books, and this duology is exceptionally good. Highly recommended if you like fantasy.
This fast-paced story had the secret world feeling of Six of Crows and the intensity of Red Queen. LOVED.
When terrorists threaten the realm, the King forces 17 year old spy Kalianna to pose as a palace guard as well as Lady Lianna of the court. If she doesn’t comply, he’ll hurt her sister. She arrives under the guise of being his niece and changes into her other role in her private chambers. Securing a post as a male guard trainee, she undergoes the tutorage of the handsome captain of the king’s guard. But when she uncovers a conspiracy, will the King believe her? Fast-paced and engaging, this story will have readers quickly turning pages to see if Kal can survive when a hidden enemy exposes her true identity.
I love – no, I adore – everything written by Alex Lidell, and Tracing Shadows: Scout Book 1 is a perfect example of why. Most importantly start off with a complexly crafted s d amazing superb heroine. In this case it’s 17 year old Kali, trained as a spy but forced (in order to save her sister’s life) into a mission to infiltrate both high society as the royal Lady Lianna and the servant ranks as male guardsman Kal. Then add in fun complications, here in the form of Ming’s Guard Captain Trace, assigned as both as palace escort to “Lady Lianna” and commanding officer of “Kal”. Spice it up with danger, adventure and secrets that could kill. The result is pure fun in its perfected form. Frankly if I was not literally dictating this review to my husband from a hospital bed I would go on and on, but since I am let’s just leave it as highly recommended.
Absolutly fantastic! Cannot wait to continue with the series!
I enjoyed this first story in the Scout series very much. The way Kali was able to play Lady Lianna and the guardsman Kal made things really interesting. She was in danger constantly but always managed to survive, even though sometimes she needed the help of a friend. The world was interesting, with twists and turns, mystery and deceit for Kali to ferret out, and wonderful characters, both the heroic and the evil. I look forward to reading more adventures in this series.