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A review by stitchsaddiction
Play of Shadows by Sebastien de Castell
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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
I hadn't read Sebastien de Castell before, I had many occasions his books to read but just hadn't been sure where to begin if I'm honest. Then I saw Play of Shadows, the cover drew me in and the synopsis had me curious so it came home on a day I swore I wouldn't buy any books because I was utterly intrigued.
Theatre, swash-buckling action and a world-building that is so wonderfully done that I knew I'd made a terrible mistake not reading his books before. That would be me enraptured by this book, which is the first in the Court of Shadows series.
This book is incredibly written and I couldn't help but feel as though elements of it resembled the Elizabethan era or I had those elements created in my mind as I read and was drawn into the adventures, calamities and wonder of our protagonist, Damelas's life.My hopes were truly rewarded with a story that holds your attention and stands up on its own even though it's placed in an already established world of de Castell's previous books. (Which will be read now because I've unwittingly denied myself literary masterpieces imho..)
The various characters we meet bring so much depth to the story and help to grasp ahold of you so you as the reader could be a player on the stage with them of one of Damelas's adversaries...
I loved how there is antagonism between characters that shows the realities of proximity and circumstance and a fair few had me chuckling at their absurdities but it's a rarity in fantasy books that problems, anxieties and anger remain - you always need balance in personalities and sometimes it feels one dimensional but not in this case. Damelas is the cause of his issues and it's not an easy fix by any means, and he has to have help so even as the hero, (albeit he's begrudgingly and uncertain that he's one) Damelas acknowledges he cannot do it alone and again, the way de Castell writes makes it feel real so you want to shout some sense into him.I'm so glad I read this, I couldn't put the book down and loved every moment of it.
Sebastien de Castell is a genius in how he brings worlds and people to life, and this series will be a firm favourite for me from now on.
Theatre, swash-buckling action and a world-building that is so wonderfully done that I knew I'd made a terrible mistake not reading his books before. That would be me enraptured by this book, which is the first in the Court of Shadows series.
This book is incredibly written and I couldn't help but feel as though elements of it resembled the Elizabethan era or I had those elements created in my mind as I read and was drawn into the adventures, calamities and wonder of our protagonist, Damelas's life.My hopes were truly rewarded with a story that holds your attention and stands up on its own even though it's placed in an already established world of de Castell's previous books. (Which will be read now because I've unwittingly denied myself literary masterpieces imho..)
The various characters we meet bring so much depth to the story and help to grasp ahold of you so you as the reader could be a player on the stage with them of one of Damelas's adversaries...
I loved how there is antagonism between characters that shows the realities of proximity and circumstance and a fair few had me chuckling at their absurdities but it's a rarity in fantasy books that problems, anxieties and anger remain - you always need balance in personalities and sometimes it feels one dimensional but not in this case. Damelas is the cause of his issues and it's not an easy fix by any means, and he has to have help so even as the hero, (albeit he's begrudgingly and uncertain that he's one) Damelas acknowledges he cannot do it alone and again, the way de Castell writes makes it feel real so you want to shout some sense into him.I'm so glad I read this, I couldn't put the book down and loved every moment of it.
Sebastien de Castell is a genius in how he brings worlds and people to life, and this series will be a firm favourite for me from now on.