#a shadow crown

[mexican-ninjas]

“Never be sorry for asking about the dead, Keera. Our thoughts are what keep them with us, keep them alive.”

Melissa Blair, A Shadow Crown

[bitch-liquorice]

I recently started reading again (very exciting), but I’m seriously experiencing like a culture shock from the lack of fandom for the books I’m reading. Like I’m so used to consuming media with a big dedicated fan base that’s writing fanfics and making art and not having that is insane bc all I wanna do is dedicate my life to this series and I CAN’T.

[ravendruidreads]

A Shadow Crown - Review

Author: Melissa Blair Saga: The Halfling Saga (#2) Date Read: February 15, 2024 - February 19, 2024 Format: Physical Pages: 480

Characters: 9/10 Atmosphere: 8/10 Writing: 8/10 Plot: 9/10 Intrigue: 9/10 Logic: 8/10 Enjoyment: 9/10 Rating: 8.5/10 (4 stars) Spice Level: 3/5

The review is hidden below due to spoilers.

What changed/improved from the first book:

I enjoyed the writing in this book a bit more, and the plot thickened very well with a few twists and turns I wasn't expecting, but also a few that I was already foreshadowing.

In terms of world building, I feel like there was big improvement, especially with the explanation of the story of the Light and Dark Fae towards the middle/end of the book.

Where the first book had my favorite tropes, this book disappointed me slightly with the potential love triangle between Killian, Keera and Riven. I'm not a fan of love triangles, so when I started to notice one forming, I almost wanted to skip those parts (the kiss made me roll my eyes).

Theories:

I wasn't surprised when the author introduced the concept of miskwithir as I was already expecting some form of 'fated mates' bond between Keera and Riven, but I was excited to read that miskwithir can chose to become friends, lovers or enemies, which is a breath of fresh air in the Fantasy genre, where fated mates are almost always lovers.

I loved the suspense of Keera figuring out the only way to unlock the power of the Fae is if she kills the Aemon with her blade, only for him to be killed by Damien. I can't wait to see where this goes in the third book, although I have a theory that perhaps the lock on the power is connected to the King of Elverath, not necessarily Aemon himself.

I gasped and did a little happy dance when it was confirmed that Keera was older than 60. Although I don't feel like it has been totally explained, I think she was put into a sleep for the years after the Light Fae disappeared until she was found on the rift. I still want to learn more about that. Did she woke up because the magic was draining?

Throughout the book I started noticing some foreshadowing. For example, from the first mention of a mole, I immediately thought it would be Tarvelle or Collin, especially after Keera confessed to having killed Collin's family.

Another foreshadow was Keera mentioning an Elf that had been in the dungeons with her. I was expecting it to be Riven's mother, but it turning out to be Nikolai's was so much better.

A quote that stayed:

Trees, like grief, go through seasons. Their leaves change colors just as our feelings continue to churn and change. Sometimes the leaves fall to the ground entirely, leaving us cold and bare, draining us of hope that the warmth of summer will ever come. But it will.

[aurielledawn]

That moment when you’re reading a queer epic fantasy and the badass bi/pan WOC assassin with a heart of gold lead starts connecting really hard with another amazing badass magical WOC who’s the only person she can trust and you’re like: this is end game right? RIGHT? Like fuck that dude and that other dude, THIS is the relationship I’m 1000% invested in.

[carrawolf]

A Broken Blade and A Shadow Crown

🗡️Keera an assassin in disguise.

[bookcoversonly]

Title: A Shadow Crown | Author: Melissa Blair | Publisher: Union Square & Co. (2023)

[deanncastiel]

2024 Book #156

Title: A Shadow Crown Author: Melissa Blair Genre: Fantasy, Romance, LGBTQIA+* Series: The Halfling Saga, Book 2

*🤷🤷🤷 the FMC is bi but lets bc clear the romance here is M/F

To the kingdom, Keera is the king’s Blade, his most feared and trusted spy and assassin. But in the shadows, she works with Prince Killian and his Shadow—the dark, brooding Fae, Riven, who sets her blood on fire. Together, they plot to topple the crown that sits upon the king’s head. A secret can only survive as long as its conspirators, and when nothing is as it seems, all are in danger. Keera swore she would never open her heart again after a loss she barely survived. But she will soon find she has more to lose than she ever imagined . . .

Rating: 3.5 ⭐

Quick thoughts: it was just..... underwhelming. i thought i would move immediately on to the third book but.... honestly think i just need a break, not in the right mindspace for it considering how i felt about this one. still dislike the MMC, spent the whole book wishing he was the bad guy.

[malerek]

A Shadow Crown | Book Spotlight

✨ A SHADOW CROWN | BOOK SPOTLIGHT ✨ The second book in the fantasy series by @themelissablair sees Keera navigate political scheming, backstabbing and grief. #BookTwitter #BookBlogger #Booktwt #AShadowCrown #TBRBeyondTours #MelissaBlair

Title: A Shadow CrownAuthor: Melissa BlairSeries: The Halfling Saga #2Genre: Young Adult | Fantasy Release Date: May 9th, 2023 The highly anticipated second installment of the fantasy saga that took BookTok by storm sees Keera navigate political scheming, backstabbing, and her own grief as she moves against the cruel king that holds her kingdom hostage.To the kingdom, Keera is the king’s Blade,…

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