5 Things to Look Forward to in The Curse of Broken Shadows
Just over a week left until my brand new epic fantasy lands in your hands or on your e-reader! The Curse of Broken Shadows hits Amazon on October 5, and you can preorder it now so it downloads straight to your reading device at midnight. This 744-page series starter is packed full of incredible things that you do not want to miss! Just look at a few of these early reviews:
There’s so much packed into this book that you’re going to be hanging on the edge of your seat the entire time! We have love, friendship, found family, mystery, magic, snarky leads, enemies to lovers, and some fun fight scenes that may or may not turn flirty.
What else can you look forward to with book 1 in the Smoke and Shadow series?
1 - A mysterious wall made of extinct magic
Hundreds of years ago, the other magic kingdoms turned on Valisea (the shadow kingdom). To protect her people, the shadow god Ryia created the Veil—a wall of purple and black obsidian—just outside Valisea. The problem? Only the pure shadow-kind can get through. If you’re unlucky enough to have another magic mixed in your blood, you’re stuck in Valisea where the other kingdoms have waged war. The shadow god didn’t even bother to save the non-magic users who worship her (known as Veil Worshippers).
Brela, our lead, has some issues about this. Even worse, she’s inherited the title of Veil Scholar after she finds her father’s dagger. The Scholar is the leader of the Worshippers, and a leader who doesn’t really respect her god might not go over well.
2 - Snarky assassins
We meet our trio of friends/family/assassins/lovers on page one. Brela has it all—intelligence, sass, tenacity, and an extinct shadow magic. Oh, yes. That piece of obsidian embedded in her collarbone has infected her with a magic that should not exist, which is sure to cause some problems. That kind of secret, beyond her secrets of being an infamous assassin in the forest, will be a mystery that unravels throughout the series.
Elias is next, our earth-blessed magic wielder. You’ll never hear him say that his herbal affinity is better than his strength magic, but he will never be ashamed of his braiding skills. Yes, the little girls at the orphanage took a liking to him immediately and he would do anything to protect the children and his two friends. He’s wild, impulsive, and cunning, a near-mirror to Brela’s personality if things had gone a little differently in her life. If Brela’s middle name is Chaos, Elias’s is Trouble, which is a pretty accurate description of the antics these two get into when they are left alone.
That’s why Farrah is the perfect third to balance them out. The ‘tainted’ earth- and moon-blessed magic wielder might be the smallest, but she could rival Brela’s ferocity on any day. Despite a troubled past, Farrah has learned to not shy away from her personality. Though she claims to be the most civilized of the three, the truth is that the water wielder (earth magic) and healer (moon magic) is the one you shouldn’t sleep on. She’s the light to Brela’s darkness—complicated, but by far the most rational mind of the found family.
3 - Tainted, extinct, and elitist magic
One of the main challenges faced in this book is the idea of tainted magic. Those with magic from two different gods are considered ‘tainted’ and lose respect, even if they have strong affinities for those magic. So while Farrah has an incredible water strength—enough to allow her to call on ice as part of her magic—she’s seen as tainted and flawed for that little bit of healing magic inside her.
Not often do those with ‘tainted’ magic have strength beyond what is normal. Most show their magic like Farrah—strong with one and weak with another.
Enter Cason, the second lead and number four of our five-person cast of characters. Cason isn’t just an outlier—he redefines what it means to have tainted magic, because his three affinities are off the charts in strength. He has the strongest moon magic known in Severina (lightning affinity) and the strongest sun magic in Anfroy (perception and fire). What should be an honor is seen as a flaw… made worse that Cason has a hard time controlling that fire magic inside his chest. Because fire is the most volatile magic (and is tied to emotions), Cason has trained himself to remain uptight just to ignore the fear and looks of disgust he gets for his magic. If it weren’t for his counting habit to keep his mind under control, the entire forest might have already burned.
So when Cason meets Brela, his entire world is flipped. She doesn’t see that magic as anything but beautiful, changing everything Cason believed about his destructive magic. But at least he doesn’t have shadow-cursed magic… and Brela has no magic.
Right? …Right? ;)
The root of the challenge of tainted and cursed magic comes from every kingdom believing they have the superior magic. Those ‘elitists’ see their power as the only worthy magic, and only the rich can study such magic in the temples. Of course, the shadow-kind in Valisea used to be the worst offenders… until Anfroy (home of the sun-kind) decided that those elitists were dark, cursed, and needed to be wiped out of existence. They teamed up with Rooke (home of the earth-kind) and waged war on the tricksters with dark magic, forcing the shadow god Ryia to build the wall to protect her pure shadow-kind. That, of course, left those with tainted magic and no-magic behind.
4 - A cast of five with unique relationships
You’ve met Brela, Farrah, Elias, and Cason. Prince Serill of Severina rounds out this cast of five. He’s young and much more interested in the sights (read: pretty women), but don’t let that fool you. There is a lot more to this prince with a magic that is considered ‘weak’. Just because his healing power isn’t the strongest doesn’t mean he isn’t capable. That brain between his ears is one of Serill’s biggest strengths, and sometimes it is useful that no one takes him seriously. He’s constantly surprising our cast, even the overly-attentive Brela, and he knows how to read the room and play his cards right. He may be a prince in title, but there is a king brewing behind that young and handsome face.
Found family is a strong theme explored in The Curse of Broken Shadows. The obvious pairings are Brela, Elias, and Farrah who have been together for five and seven years, respectively. There’s also the strong bond between Serill and his captain, Cason, who have been friends since their time in the moon temple together. But as our cast is forced to go on a journey together, they face perils that show them new sides of each other, which turns into some unique relationships.
Brela & Cason: this is an enemies to lovers relationship. Cason is an uptight Captain, Brela is a wild and reckless assassin. It gets really steamy when dragon meets shadow wolf. Need I say more about this relationship?
Farrah & Serill: the ‘civilized’ two gravitated toward one another naturally, and their relationship blossomed from one of mutual acceptance of being near one another to an incredible friendship. Over time, we see how Serill finally finds someone who sees through his age and perceived naiveté to the talented and smart man underneath.
Elias & Brela: Though the three of them have an incredible bond, there’s something special between these two wild children (Farrah’s words, probably). The love runs deep, and we get to see some of those layers peeled away as the story continues. Elias would follow Brela to the ends of the world, into the four hells, and face down a shadow wolf to save her.
Farrah & Brela: Two women who have seen some shit and have each other to lean on? This isn’t a story of two women who are pit against each other or compete at the expense of the other. No, this is about empowerment, female friendships and love, and understanding that scars and tainted magic aren’t flaws.
Brela & Serill: Put these two brilliant minds in a room together and you might just solve all the problems in the five kingdoms, which is exactly what Serill wants to do with Brela. There is such a strong mutual respect here that it gets emotional for me to write their scenes together. Serill is too smart, and Brela is well aware she’s walking a dangerous line with the prince.
Farrah/Elias & Cason: What good are two friends if they don’t give your lover a hard time? Though Cason is as oblivious as it comes, Farrah and Elias push Cason in all the right ways. They challenge him to think differently and stand up for Brela when she’s not around. Let’s hope the dragon changes his mind about shadow cursed magic.
5 - An epic journey with new monsters and creatures
The Curse of Broken Shadows takes us on an adventure across three kingdoms and a desert, and there is no shortage of monsters and creatures to be encountered. The first beast we meet is the mythical celvusa (shadow wolf) that comes directly from one of those four hells (shadow hell). Ask Brela about the scar on her neck, because that mythical beast is not a myth any longer. Made of black liquid, smoke, and fire, the celvusa is the most feared creature across all five kingdoms. Even the dragons would run and hide from this terrifying beast, so when Brela stands up to it, you know she’s crazy.
There are a few monsters that you’ll just have to meet when the book comes out, but I’ll tease these little facts:
Brela gets into a hissing match with the lynxpie (mountain cats)
A monster that attracts lightning and drove the dragons north
A new take on a magical creature in the desert that doesn’t involve fire
Carnivorous antelope
Poison-barbed lizards that cause wicked hallucinations
Think this is the book for you? You’re in for a treat. Be sure to grab that preorder for The Curse of Broken Shadows now and add it to your Goodreads TBR list. Paperback coming October 5!
