The Brightest Shadow

The Brightest Shadow, Book 1

By: Sarah Lin

Narrated by: Mikael Naramore, Elizabeth Evans

Length: 32 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

Tani’s world has never been peaceful. Torn between the many cultures that meet on the Chorhan Expanse, the greatest threat they now face is an expansionist army of monstrous nonhumans who call themselves the mansthein.

To take her place as a full warrior of her tribe, Tani must travel across the vast grasslands of the Chorhan Expanse. But she has her sights set higher than a mere ritual journey: She wants to uncover a solution to the impending war that threatens her people.

Tani believes that peace may be possible, but there are others on both sides who believe in legends that tell of monsters with zealous devotion. All around her, warriors have their eyes on a glorious victory with no concern for the piles of bodies they'll create on the way.

She will be joined by a killer pretending to be a healer, a mansthein commander struggling with his orders, a thief who pawned her heart of gold, and a strategist exiled from a foreign land. But none of them are the Hero.

It doesn't matter how many shades of gray might exist, some people see only in black and white. And the terrifying truth is that the stories they tell might not be just legends.

©2020 Sarah Lin (P)2020 Podium Audio

a very interesting take on a classic sorry

the magic and character a very interesting to me, but the ethics and twist on the classic story are what make it most interesting.

This is now the series I am most excited for.

Sarah Lin has solidified herself as my favorite author. As always her setting and cultures feel alive and I could get lost in them. The characters are each unique and fun. I am so excited to see the continuation of this series and I can't wait to hear more about it.

This is a great fusion of both classic epic fantasy and xianxia while still feeling unique.

poor worldbuilding

why does no one seem concerned that monsters are invading other then an insane hero?

stunning.

where to begin. this book hand incredible world building, truly immensely amount of detail going into it, with no info dumps. the characters were well fleshed out, believable with real motivations and organic interactions. the characters were written in such a way that you are able to empathize easily with them. the prose and descriptions are great. the rising action/climax were incredible, holding attention and making so you dont want to walk away even for one second. it was hard to make myself stop listening to go to bed. normally I listen to books at 1.5x or greater speed but this on i listened to at regular speed to truly savor every moment of. the magic system was well developed, a good hard system style type of magic with no deus ex machina situations. I truly cannot say enough good of this book without spoiling any details of it. thoroughly enjoyable. the various plot points and individual characters storylines are immensely interesting.
the narrators performed great, good audio quality with great editing and no unnecessary sound effects or music

This is Worldbuilding at its Best

You’ve got to read this one if you are getting tired of the same common characters and magic systems! Like Sarah Lin’s other works, this book gives us some refreshing new characters and worlds that show truly original thinking. They are well rounded and we continue to learn more about them as they face different challenges. The interaction between different cultural groups, and ways power is perceived and used, is exceptional world building.


This isn’t a short story with a simplistic plot you will be able to quickly figure out. With over 32 hours of listening, and the well paced flow of the plot arcs, this book is definitely worth the money spent! For this book it is great there are two topnotch narrators. My favorite characters are Tani and Slaten. Elizabeth Evans is reading the POV of Tani, and Mikael Naramore reading the POV of Slaten. They both fill in the other characters and segments of the story so it flows smoothly.


We continue to get new insights about characters of various regions, which add to the richness of relationships. In going through the story the second time I am even more impressed with the way there isn’t fluff, and now I notice small things that I missed the first time. These show how thorough Sarah Lin is in planning out details and they all add to the novel’s themes.


I like the emphasis of these characters trying to understand the motivations of others before passing judgment, reacting quickly with violence, or acting unwisely. We learn different points of view and it isn’t always clear who the “good guys” and the “bad guys” are. The author skillfully layers the shades of gray, and I’m still trying to figure this out as the intrigue continues to build. Sarah Lin’s writing is exceptionally high quality. This is an enjoyable read that's worth it. The novel is well developed and executed!

Amazing World Building

Loved the book and can't wait to hear more of this fascinating world and intriguing philosophy as these characters grow and define right and wrong for themselves and the consequences when they draw lines in the sand.

Don't trust the bad reviews.

This is a solid story with a really fun point of view bias. There's a lot about the world you get to puzzle out for yourself as there is none of the tired old LotR style exposition.
The two narrators help with characterization and provides a fun "what I'm thinking/how I feel" vs "how other people see me" effect.
This needs to be on your read list.

Had trouble with the switching back and forth

It was very disruptive to go back and forth with e Elizabeth Evans and Mikael Naramore. Also - I believe the word is
"mat-ter" not "mahter". British pronounce a longer A in Matter. That was driving me a crazy.... I will not buy other books such as this with 2 totally different narrators.. It breaks up the continuity

Just Ok

I felt following so many view points could have been done better. The overall story felt very stretched by the end. Mildly entertaining

The Narration needs work but has potential

I would love it if the narrators communicated with each other on tone and accents for the characters. Also, I often felt that the inflection and personality of the characters was not how the author must have intended because the attitude of the characters felt out of place in some scenes. I hope the narrators can communicate better with each other and the author in the future to provide a more complete experience.

I could be misinterpreting but I hope this review helps. Best of luck to all involved in the production of book 2.