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kalkn's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A good way to end the duo of books that make up the series.
What I liked -
The characters - it was easy to get invested in them and care about them. I loved seeing the human and dad side of Kylssen in this one.
What I didn’t like -
The swearing - has more swearing than the first one. Enough that it would be a PG-13 because of that alone.
The shadow casket subplot - the casket had no use in the story. The full opposite of Cherkov’s gun. The trip to the island, the casket, the whole subplot could’ve been removed without hurting the story. Case and Ruck could’ve gone through what they did elsewhere without any problems.
What I liked -
The characters - it was easy to get invested in them and care about them. I loved seeing the human and dad side of Kylssen in this one.
What I didn’t like -
The swearing - has more swearing than the first one. Enough that it would be a PG-13 because of that alone.
ira's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
reader89's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
nahlaaly56's review against another edition
4.0
***Contains spoilers***
*********
Why does Chris Wooding do this to us? Is nothing sacred? You get us to fall in love with characters and then just GRRM them off like that? I'm not ok after this! I think I need something light to cleanse my pallette before I go back to finishing The Poppy Wars trilogy. *sigh*
*********
Why does Chris Wooding do this to us? Is nothing sacred? You get us to fall in love with characters and then just GRRM them off like that? I'm not ok after this! I think I need something light to cleanse my pallette before I go back to finishing The Poppy Wars trilogy. *sigh*
willrefuge's review against another edition
5.0
10 / 10 ✪
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2023/02/09/the-shadow-casket-by-chris-wooding-review/
—
A man who cannot live with himself is apt to find something to die for.
—
The Dawnwardens have returned. The crown prince of Kroda is dead. The Ember Blade has been taken. And the revolution has begun.
Kinda.
It’s been three years since Aren and the Dawnwardens stole the Ember Blade. Since then they’ve been on the run, moving the Blade from safe house to safe house, visiting nobles and private mercenaries, attempting to subsequently kickstart and fund their rebellion. With little to show for it.
Aren himself is growing more and more disillusioned. The cost of the Ember Blade proved to be too high. Conditions in Ossia haven’t improved since the theft, with the Krodans only tightening their grip on the nations. Indeed, suspected spies and traitors have been executed without trial, and Shoal’s Point—the birthplace of both Aren and Cade—has been wiped from the map. Cade himself lies dead, something Aren still dwells on daily. Meanwhile the Dawnwardens have done little to inspire anything, had no tangible success that Aren can see. And the longer they wait the heavier it weighs on him. As does the yoke of Vika’s prophecy. Aren is approaching his breaking point, and can’t see any way to stop it.
The Dawnwardens travel far to the north in an attempt to unite the irascible Fell Folk, and create a stronghold in the hinterlands. Only death and betrayal follows them even here. The Krodans ambush the clans at their annual meeting, and attempt to steal the Ember Blade. Only the timely intervention of a few allies—including one former comrade—saves Aren and the Blade from the Dreadknights’ wrath. But they can only flee in the wake of these abominations.
As matters escalate and tensions rise, the Dawnwardens turn their gaze to a mythic weapon that could destroy the dreadknights and legitimize the rebellion. A weapon that—if it exists—could save, or doom them all.
—
Friends let friends do stupid things.
—
It’s been five years since the Darkwater Legacy began, and I’ve to tell you that I’ve been anxiously awaiting the Shadow Casket for some time. Also, I don’t really remember too much from the original adventure, and unfortunately this book does not feature a recap. That is one of two issues I have with it.
The other is that it starts a bit slow.
I mean, that’s to be expected when one can’t really remember the intricacies of the plot. The Ember Blade was stolen, Klyssen thwarted, Cade killed. Otherwise… I’m pretty much in the dark. Luckily, while there is no recap, over the course of the first hundred or so pages, I was able to piece together the events that led us to this point, and gradually regain my excitement for the story to continue.
Which is good, because then it takes off.
Twists and turns galore in this sequel, becoming more and more unexpected the further in you read. This is a dark fantasy epic with an emphasis on the “dark” part. Anything can go wrong. Anyone can die. Anything can happen. The story takes place not over the course of a few days or weeks, but months upon months spent following the Dawnwardens around their fruitless revolt. Klyssen shows up as well, newly demoted and disillusioned with his place in the Empire. As it turns out, he and Aren have more in common than either would’ve ever expected. Spies and traitors abound once more, with everyone acknowledging or indulging their own interests. It’s epic in every sense of the word, and fantastical in more. The places they go, the lands they see—from an island ruled by elaru and ogren (even though I couldn’t even remember what those were!); to ruins swarming with nameless terrors; to a moot of druids; to an internment camp with an even darker secret; to the shores of the Krodan motherland itself.
I feel like I could rant on and on about this book, even though it was a bit slow getting out of the blocks. Even though I was worried about it failing to live up to its predecessor. Even though it took me a bit to come around, a bit more to remember most of what was happening, a bit to fully appreciate the depth of the story, the setting, the world, the lore—I honestly loved it. Pretty much the first and last thing I should say in this review: the Shadow Casket is amazing! An incredible read—easily book of the year thus far.
—
TL;DR
The Shadow Casket is the amazing followup to an equally amazing Ember Blade that blew me away way back in 2018. My main (and really only issue with the text) is that five years have passed since Book #1, and Book #2 fails to remind us of the events there-within. Fortunately, with a story as good as this one I retained some knowledge of the plot, and with a read as long as this one I had plenty of time to catch up on some of the more intricate points. Even now, as I worry about what I might have missed in-between the lines, I’m having a hard time maintaining any resentment towards the Shadow Casket itself. This story gets a 10/10 from me. The world, the plot, the lore, the twists and turns, the characters and banter and adventures and humor all come together to make this the shadowy ruin in a valley (the dark fantasy equivalent of a shining city on a hill) that one can only dream of when embarking on a fantastical adventure. Now fingers crossed that the finished product comes with a recap, and the Shadow Casket will have achieved perfection—in my view, at least.
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2023/02/09/the-shadow-casket-by-chris-wooding-review/
—
A man who cannot live with himself is apt to find something to die for.
—
The Dawnwardens have returned. The crown prince of Kroda is dead. The Ember Blade has been taken. And the revolution has begun.
Kinda.
It’s been three years since Aren and the Dawnwardens stole the Ember Blade. Since then they’ve been on the run, moving the Blade from safe house to safe house, visiting nobles and private mercenaries, attempting to subsequently kickstart and fund their rebellion. With little to show for it.
Aren himself is growing more and more disillusioned. The cost of the Ember Blade proved to be too high. Conditions in Ossia haven’t improved since the theft, with the Krodans only tightening their grip on the nations. Indeed, suspected spies and traitors have been executed without trial, and Shoal’s Point—the birthplace of both Aren and Cade—has been wiped from the map. Cade himself lies dead, something Aren still dwells on daily. Meanwhile the Dawnwardens have done little to inspire anything, had no tangible success that Aren can see. And the longer they wait the heavier it weighs on him. As does the yoke of Vika’s prophecy. Aren is approaching his breaking point, and can’t see any way to stop it.
The Dawnwardens travel far to the north in an attempt to unite the irascible Fell Folk, and create a stronghold in the hinterlands. Only death and betrayal follows them even here. The Krodans ambush the clans at their annual meeting, and attempt to steal the Ember Blade. Only the timely intervention of a few allies—including one former comrade—saves Aren and the Blade from the Dreadknights’ wrath. But they can only flee in the wake of these abominations.
As matters escalate and tensions rise, the Dawnwardens turn their gaze to a mythic weapon that could destroy the dreadknights and legitimize the rebellion. A weapon that—if it exists—could save, or doom them all.
—
Friends let friends do stupid things.
—
It’s been five years since the Darkwater Legacy began, and I’ve to tell you that I’ve been anxiously awaiting the Shadow Casket for some time. Also, I don’t really remember too much from the original adventure, and unfortunately this book does not feature a recap. That is one of two issues I have with it.
The other is that it starts a bit slow.
I mean, that’s to be expected when one can’t really remember the intricacies of the plot. The Ember Blade was stolen, Klyssen thwarted, Cade killed. Otherwise… I’m pretty much in the dark. Luckily, while there is no recap, over the course of the first hundred or so pages, I was able to piece together the events that led us to this point, and gradually regain my excitement for the story to continue.
Which is good, because then it takes off.
Twists and turns galore in this sequel, becoming more and more unexpected the further in you read. This is a dark fantasy epic with an emphasis on the “dark” part. Anything can go wrong. Anyone can die. Anything can happen. The story takes place not over the course of a few days or weeks, but months upon months spent following the Dawnwardens around their fruitless revolt. Klyssen shows up as well, newly demoted and disillusioned with his place in the Empire. As it turns out, he and Aren have more in common than either would’ve ever expected. Spies and traitors abound once more, with everyone acknowledging or indulging their own interests. It’s epic in every sense of the word, and fantastical in more. The places they go, the lands they see—from an island ruled by elaru and ogren (even though I couldn’t even remember what those were!); to ruins swarming with nameless terrors; to a moot of druids; to an internment camp with an even darker secret; to the shores of the Krodan motherland itself.
I feel like I could rant on and on about this book, even though it was a bit slow getting out of the blocks. Even though I was worried about it failing to live up to its predecessor. Even though it took me a bit to come around, a bit more to remember most of what was happening, a bit to fully appreciate the depth of the story, the setting, the world, the lore—I honestly loved it. Pretty much the first and last thing I should say in this review: the Shadow Casket is amazing! An incredible read—easily book of the year thus far.
—
TL;DR
The Shadow Casket is the amazing followup to an equally amazing Ember Blade that blew me away way back in 2018. My main (and really only issue with the text) is that five years have passed since Book #1, and Book #2 fails to remind us of the events there-within. Fortunately, with a story as good as this one I retained some knowledge of the plot, and with a read as long as this one I had plenty of time to catch up on some of the more intricate points. Even now, as I worry about what I might have missed in-between the lines, I’m having a hard time maintaining any resentment towards the Shadow Casket itself. This story gets a 10/10 from me. The world, the plot, the lore, the twists and turns, the characters and banter and adventures and humor all come together to make this the shadowy ruin in a valley (the dark fantasy equivalent of a shining city on a hill) that one can only dream of when embarking on a fantastical adventure. Now fingers crossed that the finished product comes with a recap, and the Shadow Casket will have achieved perfection—in my view, at least.
melmmh's review against another edition
3.0
Does anyone know if there will be a third book??
The ending felt wrapped up, but definitely rushed and like there was room for a trilogy.
The ending felt wrapped up, but definitely rushed and like there was room for a trilogy.
jmaxcam's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
tinumorien's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
peter_xxx's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
tales_through_the_pages's review against another edition
5.0
“Such profound consequences from the smallest actions. As if each was a raindrop falling on a lake, a tiny impact spreading ripples outwards, becoming vast.”
This is it.. move aside Tolkien, Kristoff, Hobb, Muir, Abercrombie.. all of you, bow down to Chris Wooding!
Last year, The Ember Blade was one of my absolute favourite reads… it promised to be a LOTR for the modern world and it didn’t fail to deliver… The Shadow Casket has taken all of that and topped it… not only topped it, but absolutely made me want to call Peter Jackson and tell him to drop everything to give this the LOTR treatment… I want amazing films, merchandise, multiple editions, extra material, fandoms, concept arts the lot… give me it all!
Yes it really is that good.. this book speaks to my inner fantasy nerd on every single level but in a way that is chock full of amazing characters, creatures, races and fast paced, action packed story telling.
“Treachery was an axe, not a scalpel”
Wooding can do more in a 10 page chapter than many authors can do in 30/40 pages. He has taken some brilliant characters from The Ember Blade and given them some incredible story arcs… complex, morally grey decisions and choices, incentives and complex relationships. It digs into religious and political indoctrination … it blurs the lines of good and bad… it pulls on propaganda and reflects themes of Communist Russia… it shows the darkness of war and revolution and all while making you love the characters… love the developed and distinct races… love the fantasy creatures… love the quest and love journey. It digs into what makes a great leader and what creates a hero..
“Heroes don’t have to fight. They don’t even have to be the best at anything.” “So what do they do?” “They keep going.”
**
Honestly I cannot praise this book or series enough.. whilst I have a lot of favourites… I really do think this could just have nudged into my absolute favourite book series and I hope beyond all hope that book 3 delivers to the same amazing quality of these books!
Also.. if you read The Ember Blade and don’t fall in love with Grub… just put the book down, you aren’t worthy!
Read… these….books!!!!!! Now!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is it.. move aside Tolkien, Kristoff, Hobb, Muir, Abercrombie.. all of you, bow down to Chris Wooding!
Last year, The Ember Blade was one of my absolute favourite reads… it promised to be a LOTR for the modern world and it didn’t fail to deliver… The Shadow Casket has taken all of that and topped it… not only topped it, but absolutely made me want to call Peter Jackson and tell him to drop everything to give this the LOTR treatment… I want amazing films, merchandise, multiple editions, extra material, fandoms, concept arts the lot… give me it all!
Yes it really is that good.. this book speaks to my inner fantasy nerd on every single level but in a way that is chock full of amazing characters, creatures, races and fast paced, action packed story telling.
“Treachery was an axe, not a scalpel”
Wooding can do more in a 10 page chapter than many authors can do in 30/40 pages. He has taken some brilliant characters from The Ember Blade and given them some incredible story arcs… complex, morally grey decisions and choices, incentives and complex relationships. It digs into religious and political indoctrination … it blurs the lines of good and bad… it pulls on propaganda and reflects themes of Communist Russia… it shows the darkness of war and revolution and all while making you love the characters… love the developed and distinct races… love the fantasy creatures… love the quest and love journey. It digs into what makes a great leader and what creates a hero..
“Heroes don’t have to fight. They don’t even have to be the best at anything.” “So what do they do?” “They keep going.”
**
Honestly I cannot praise this book or series enough.. whilst I have a lot of favourites… I really do think this could just have nudged into my absolute favourite book series and I hope beyond all hope that book 3 delivers to the same amazing quality of these books!
Also.. if you read The Ember Blade and don’t fall in love with Grub… just put the book down, you aren’t worthy!
Read… these….books!!!!!! Now!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️