Welcome to the tour for The Shadows of Wren by Jen Bliton. Book one of The Light in the Shadows series! Read on for more details!
The Shadows of Wren is the first book in the Light in the Shadows series and this romantic fantasy promises some interesting elements and aspects along with some truly fantastic creatures. Prepare for some quick romance, but if you’re hoping for some steamy moments...that’s where the slow-burn is going to kick in. So try to exercise some patience.
The Shadows of Wren gifts readers with a gorgeous cover that teases you with the promise of an engaging storyline with beautiful flowers dripping and surrounded by shadows. Does this cover truly give readers insight in what to expect of this storyline? No, however it does draw you to the book and the promise of what it holds inside.
The Shadows of Wren is a slow to moderately paced novel. It is the first in the Light in the Shadows series and immediately introduces readers to the main character of the story, Wren. Wren is a Shadow mage. This a secret that only a handful of people in her village know about. They know that she is capable of magic, but only a few know exactly what magic she holds inside.
Wren is not comfortable with her powers, but when an attack comes to her home and witnesses the burning of her library, she knows that she must act. She’s heard of the burnings and attacks of other town’s libraries. Someone is on the hunt for something, and they don’t care how they acquire the knowledge that they after. When things come close to home before their fateful attack, Wren crosses paths with a Necromancer. Is he part of the group causing the chaos across the land? Or he is someone she can call friend and ally?
The overall storyline with The Shadows of Wren is slow-moving to moderate at times. The story focuses heavily on Wren and tells the story from the first person perspective. Wren isn’t necessarily a brash or even sassy character. She’s, kind of….bland to be honest. Yes, she has this unique and interesting magic, but she rarely has any moments that truly stand out when it comes to her character.
Wren has some moments of bravery scattered throughout the story, but she tends to come off as more of a foolish girl than a strong young woman. There are prime examples scattered throughout, but the starkest one will be when she takes it upon herself to go after the Sentinels when they are investigating something near the woods and almost gets herself killed. She has no true fighting training, but has the thought process that she can be of some help. Does she end up being helpful? Yes. Did she almost end up losing her life first? Yes.
When she decides that she wants to do something then she moves ahead with it. These decisions tend to orbit around the love interest that is quickly introduced in the form of the Necromancer, Tyran. Readers will want to hold back a touch in the event that Tyran proves to be a “devil in disguise” but Wren is quickly head over heels for the man which goes to showcase her youth and naivety. Of course, as of this book, the author allows things to go in Wren’s favor concerning the romance angle, and things appear to be “all’s well.”
As promised there are some truly unique and interesting creatures that the author gives readers throughout this book. Wren meets one, and is rescued from certain death by Tyran. This particular “monster” is a wild combination of multiple creatures. Your eyes might bug out of your head a bit, but your imagination will have a grand time as it conjures up this monster’s appearance. Then there is another later on in the story, that is allowed to escape death thanks to Wren’s soft heart. Plus, the creature is truly beautiful, and it would be a shame for it to have been slaughtered for simply following it’s nature.
There are some twists and turns and surprises scattered through The Shadows of Wren, we just would have liked more drama. More intensity, and more edge of your seat moments. There is honestly little to grab you and keep you page-turning at a rapid pace to make you eager to find out what happens next. It’s a touch disappointing. The book is interesting, but it falls short of being fantastic. There are a few explosive moments here and there, but it fails to give this book the jolt that it desperately needed in the energy department.
The Shadows of Wren is the first book in this series, however, if you’re a reader who hates cliffhangers...do not worry. There will be none of that here. In fact, the book ends with a sweet moment between Wren and Tyran. Unfortunately, this sweet moment will do little to whet your appetite to look forward to book two. For that, you’d probably have to stop more than a few pages before the end. LOL!
This storyline and series have potential, but the characters are going to need more than a little bit of fire and drama to get there.
We’ll have to see where things unfold from here. For now, this is an okay romantic fantasy novel. It’s hit and miss in the drama department. Would we continue this series? The answer is probably as long as things pick up in book two with some serious energy.
4 out of 5 stars
Thanks to the author, Jen Bliton, and R&R Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review this book. We look forward to what comes next.
The Shadows of Wren (The Light in the Shadows)
Publication Date: August 30, 2023
Genre: Romantic Fantasy
Ancient Magic
Mythical Creatures
Friends to Lovers/ Insta Love
Large Scale Battles
Trauma Healing
Mental Health Rep
May the Valiant Prevail.
After decades of peace within the lands of Caldumn ruled by the Red Kingdom, the southern towns have come under attack. Their libraries burned and ancient texts stolen by an ominous force.
An unlikely alliance between two magic kinds is formed when Wren, a nineteen-year-old Mage, finds herself in the middle of a conflict that will take her outside of the peaceful life she's known. Along her journey, she meets Tyran, whose Necromancer magic is not widely trusted, and learns they share a deeper ancient magic that has long since disappeared.
Together with the help of all magic kinds, they must unite the towns to save their lands, and themselves, while the threat of the Red Kingdom looms.
SEE AUTHOR’S BIO FOR PURCHASE LINKS
No comments:
Post a Comment