top of page

Series Review: A Tale of Stars and Shadow by Lisa Cassidy

Oct 1

2 min read



Series Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5


Best Book: A King of Masks and Magic (Book 3)


Summary:


After the tragic death of her fighting partner during combat, Talyn Dynan struggles through her grief in order to continue to serve her kingdom. When she's given the opportunity to travel to a far-off country, she jumps at the chance to escape everything that reminds her of her fallen friend. But Mithranar is not what she expected. She finds a divided society where being a human puts her in a lower class than the ruling winged folk, and many of her fellow humans are living in terrible conditions. The vapid winged prince she's tasked with guarding isn't interested in being guarded, and a mysterious masked vigilante, the Shadowhawk, provides Talyn with a compelling opportunity. Part of her mission was to investigate whether he presented a risk to her home kingdom, but can she accomplish this by working with him to improve the lives of the humans of Mithranar?


Reaction:


I loved this series! It’s got so much political intrigue, twists and turns you won’t expect, action, romance, and a kick-ass heroine that I still found extremely relatable. This is a sloooow burn romance. It takes a while for our main love interests to come around, but the tension is just enough to keep you looking forward to the next interaction. And once they do recognize their feelings, watch out.  Like the romance, for me it took probably halfway through the first book before I was hooked, but after that I flew through the rest of the series. This is one that will definitely go on my list of favorites to reread in the future.


What I enjoyed:

·       The surprises in this series are so well executed. Some major twists were foreshadowed a bit, but others I was actually surprised at, which I enjoyed because with a lot of books, I feel the “surprises” can be rather predictable.

·       The FMC & MMC are both beautifully flawed characters. They so clearly have these weaknesses that they struggle with overcoming throughout the series. Their relationship is one built on finding something inspiring in the other that allows them to overcome those weaknesses, and I love that in a relationship.

·       All of the supporting characters have distinct personalities, and you get attached to them just as much as the main characters. This series definitely has a Found Family trope, but it’s not overwhelmingly clear that’s what’s happening until the events force the characters to acknowledge their feelings.

·       The characters go through major periods of growth during the series, so their confidence, motivations, and convictions are completely different by the end of the story. It emphasizes how change can help you grow and become a more fulfilled person.

What I didn't enjoy:


bottom of page