Knight's Shadow

Greatcoats Series, Book 2

By: Sebastien de Castell

Narrated by: Joe Jameson

Length: 20 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's Summary

Following his beloved debut, Traitor's Blade, Sebastien de Castell returns with volume two of his fast-paced fantasy adventure series, inspired by the swashbuckling action and witty banter of The Three Musketeers. Knight's Shadow continues the series with a thrilling and dark tale of heroism and betrayal in a country crushed under the weight of its rulers' corruption.

A few days after the horrifying murder of a duke and his family, Falcio val Mond, swordsman and First Cantor of the Greatcoats, begins a deadly pursuit to capture the killer. But Falcio soon discovers his own life is in mortal danger from a poison administered as a final act of revenge by one of his deadliest enemies. As chaos and civil war begin to overtake the country, Falcio has precious little time left to stop those determined to destroy his homeland.

©2014 Sebastien de Castell (P)2018 Tantor

Great Follow Up!

The first book had great dialogue between its main characters. This dialogue is what really enthralled me. The second book of the series has elements of this witty banter, but in the end Knight's Shadow does a far greater job at telling a story.

The pacing was much better and this only served to improve the overall product/book.

I highly recommend this book.

Good, but not great.

Without spoilers, this is a good book and a fun listening experience. The narrator does a great job. But something about the story that I can't quite place felt off and is keeping me from giving it five stars across the board.

Great read

I am really enjoying this series. I wish it had come up on an algorithem but if you are seeing it now...it's worth the credit. The dialogue is well done and the story maintains momentum. Lovely narrator.

I rarely write reviews

I rarely write reviews but was inspired by this wonderful series and am now going on to the 3rd installment.
I admit I'm a sucker for a hero against all odds and this one didn't fail me in the slightest. One thing I really liked was when things went south for the protagonist we didn't have to listen to every horror inflicted upon him. I usually fast forward in these instances. Nice not to have to.
Another great thing was the comradely with the troop of great coats. They were funny and fully fleshed characters.

Infectious

The camaraderie of the Greatcoats is as infectious as the writing of Sebastien de Castell. This is a very good book and an excellent sequel. Although there were some aspects of the plot that I found predictable, it was a fun and exciting journey. Joe Jameson does an excellent job at bringing to life the words and friendship expressed in the writing of the Greatcoats. 4.3 Stars.

What on the...?

Do you want a blow-by-blow, detailed account of rape? Because that's what you're getting.

When Falcio said his wife was raped and murdered, did you think to yourself, "Man, wish I could have seen that in detail"? Then wish no more. That's exactly what you'll get.

If that's not enough for you, Trin sexually assaults Facio while they both watch.

Oh, and Falcio gets tortured again. That's fun.

The whole thing felt pointless. This series was recommended as a fun story with bantering friends.

What I got was a handful of somewhat amusing lines scattered around an exhausting slog through dumb decisions and pointless actions.

This book is a shining example of why some people want trigger warnings.

A new and timeless swashbuckling tale! Worthy.

The hero and his companions are a rich tapestry of triumph and foible body, mind, and soul. The fight segments, admittedly written for the fighters in the crowd, are instructive enough to keep the interest of the rest of us. Thought provoking, the battle of good vs evil is fraught with twists, turns, and devastating or delightful surprises. The author does not leave loose ends, rather, possibilities in the story line.

Weekend Bing

I will admit when I was done with book 1, I left with an impression of "well, that was ok and different". That was a year ago. But I found myslf wondering what had happened to these Greatcoats. As any book lover knows, when you can't stop thinking about characters, you have to go back for more.

I started book 2 on Monday, with a chapter here and a chapter there, but as the story picked up, I quickly found myself listening to two chapters, then three, then the weekend came and I could devote full time to the story. It did not disappoint.

Fast pace, several fights, and a little bit of "who done it" worked. There is also a huge shift in the dynamics of the group. The world is pretty complex and we learn that those in power know their lot in life but also don't try to cross any lines. We also learn, those in power really don't hold any.

I enjoyed the narrator, and he dose an excellent job of adding incredible personality to the different voices. Sometimes the narrator may change their voice but then lose any feelings for the situation. At one point, one of the main characters gets in a verbal fight and the narrator kept the voice and emotion for that moment. It was a good reminder that the character is more complex then the reader has been lead to believe.

I look forward to more adventures of the Greatcoats.

Great Follow-up...

... to a great book in a great series! This continues to be one of my favorite stories. I'll be starting #3 as soon as I submit this review and I can't wait!

It just gets better!

the secondo book raises the stakes. the writing and characters have clearly grown. Read. This. Book.