Shadowblade

By: Anna Kashina

Narrated by: Avita Jay

Length: 13 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

Naia dreams of becoming a Jaihar Blademaster, but after assaulting a teacher, her future seems ruined. The timely intervention of a powerful stranger suddenly elevates her into elite Upper Grounds training. She has no idea that the stranger is Dal Gassan, head of the Daljeer Circle. Seventeen years ago he witnessed the massacre of Challimar’s court and rescued its sole survivor, a baby girl. Gassan plans to thrust a blade into the machinations of imperial succession: Naia.

Disguised as the legendary Princess Xarimet of Challimar, Naia must challenge the imperial family and win. Naia is no princess, but with her desert-kissed eyes and sword skills, she might be close enough.

©2019 Dreamscape Media, LLC (P)2019 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Could have been great

This storyline was awesome, but unfortunately I lost interest because it was just taking too long to come together. I felt like I just kept waiting.

Loved it!

It was great 👍
Main character is a strong heroine and badass. Can not resist a capable female main character.

Not quite my style, but good

I can't say that this book was my style. However, the book had an interesting storyline and I thought the reader did a good job.

The downside of the book was the way every moment was stretched out to infinity. After the first few chapters it felt overwrought. The storyline was interesting, but very predictable....I have to admit that I was hoping for a massive twist at the end...and it never came.

With all that said, I can understand someone rating this book very highly...and I can't fault them severely for that. As I said, it just wasn't my style of writing.

Fantastic Book

OMG, this unexpected selection late one night blew my mind. I could not stop listening! There was great suspense and character build up in all the main characters. The world building was excellent and drew me deeply in to the story. There was surprises. This almost feels like an Anastasia type of story with powers. Good all the way to the end.

Fantastic sword & sorcery novel

In her newest epic fantasy novel, Anna Kashina mixes sword fighting, political intrigue, and romance with practiced finesse. Her action scenes are beautifully written with a skill few authors can replicate. The blade fighting is never tedious, never too complicated to follow. It’s also integral to the story.

The main character, Naia, is a seventeen-year-old orphan given over to the Jaihar Order because of her affinity for swords. She hopes to attain an elite Jai rank, but circumstances and prejudiced trainers keep her dreams out of reach.

Her luck changes when she meets two men, one who has kept an eye on her since she was orphaned as an infant, the other a handsome elite Shadowblade – the highest rank among the Jaihar Order. One guides her toward her destiny while the other sets her on the path to becoming a fellow Shadowblade. Both encounters change her life forever.

The romance in SHADOWBLADE is a slow burn, teasing the characters and the reader throughout the novel. It’s enough to pull a reader through the book if sword fighting isn’t their cup of tea. The politics are integral, though like the romance, it takes time to heat up. What doesn’t take time is the connection with the main character.

This is definitely a character-driven fantasy, with a main character that pulls the reader in and holds them close. And while Naia isn’t the only point-of-view in this book, all the characters are fully-developed and interesting. Their motivations are engaging, and Ms. Kashina weaves them into a strong storyline with an intriguing plot.

I’d be interested in a sequel, but this is an excellent stand-alone novel. I’d read anything by this author and recommend her work to anyone who loves the sword and sorcery sub-genre of fantasy. She excels at writing books involving sword-fighting heroines and romance.