Smoke and Shadow
For fans of Sarah J Maas’s Throne of Glass and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Features found family, enemies to lovers, strong friendships, queer rep, and a polyamorous relationship.
The Smoke and Shadow series contains the following content warnings (none by MCs): sexism, abandonment, rape (mentioned), sexual assault (mentioned & attempt) physical & emotional child abuse (mentioned), PTSD & trauma, blood & injury depiction, grief & loss depiction, death of a parent, murder, genocide, torture, kidnapping, fire, Stockholm syndrome, sexual content (consensual), FFM/MFM/MF sexual content (consensual)
Not every book is for every reader, take care of yourself.
Genre: Epic Fantasy // LGBTQ+ Fantasy // Romantasy
Suggested reading order:
The Curse of Broken Shadows (book 1)
The Bones of Crystal Sand (prequel)
The Wings of Shattered Fire (book 2)
The Blade of Severed Bonds (S&S novel, 2.5)
The Crown of Fractured Darkness (book 3, coming early 2025)
The Curse of Broken Shadows (Smoke and Shadow Book 1):
An assassin, a powerful dagger, and a magic that shouldn’t exist.
Shadow magic is extinct. The Veil Worshippers who honor the shadow god’s wall are hunted for their artifacts, including the Veil shards that break off the wall in Valisea.
Brela vows to steal it all back. With the dagger of her people and a Veil shard embedded in her collarbone that has infected her with shadow-cursed magic, she is determined to keep her secrets or suffer a fate worse than death. That was a lot easier when the uptight and infuriatingly handsome Captain Cason Valkip wasn’t hunting her.
Cason has spent his entire life hiding—from the raids on Valisea, from his emotions, and from his multiple gods-blessed magics that everyone is afraid of… everyone except Brela. The chaotic, non-magic wielding assassin who drives him insane is also the only person who has never looked at his tainted magic without any ounce of fear. Which is why being forced to work with her to discover the source of the breaking wall sets his already uncontrollable fire magic ablaze.
With tension growing in the remaining kingdoms and mythical beasts threatening her at every turn, Brela’s secrets might not remain hidden for much longer. To survive, she will have to work with the one man who could burn her.
Because if shadow hell is released, no one will be safe.
The Bones of Crystal Sand (Smoke and Shadow Prequel):
The makings of a Night Terror.
Raised in Valisea by the Veil Worshippers, Brela escaped the massacre of her shadow kingdom with more than just a Veil shard embedded in her collarbone. Hiding her supposedly-extinct magic is just one of the skills she’s been forced to learn while living in a kingdom where everyone is her enemy. She is the Night Terror assassin, and she will be feared across the forest.
But there is something more underneath the cold assassin. Something deeper than the shadow magic growing inside her. As her guild seeks to control her, Brela searches for more than just answers to her power, and she’ll find it in the most unlikely places… with the most unlikely people.
The Bones of Crystal Sand is a collection of six prequel stories following Brela’s adventures from Valisea and Rooke to the Crystal Desert. Discover how Brela came to be the most feared assassin in the forest, while picking up a few strays along the way.
The Wings of Shattered Fire (Smoke and Shadow Book 2):
The Night Terror assassin: betrayed, captured, broken.
Brela once believed she would never lose hope in a world hells-bent on her destruction, but now she’s not sure what’s left for her. Trapped in the dungeons of her enemy, she will never give up her people, her friends, her family—no matter what it costs her.
Cason Valkip is a changed man, and he’s determined to prove it by rescuing Brela from the clutches of his former king. But the woman he finds is not the same one who was taken. Left shattered when the Veil shard is removed from her collarbone, she’s going to need more than just her training to survive. Something has been forged in the darkness within her… something more powerful than anyone could have imagined.
Together, the dragon and the shadow wolf might just set the forest on fire.
Amidst political games and mysterious magic, Brela’s friends are determined to help her find her people again, even if it means going their separate ways. But old magic is stirring, and it’s going to take more than just the magic-blessed misfits to face the inevitable.
The Veil between shadow hell and the kingdoms has fractured, and no one is prepared for what steps through.
The Blade of Severed Bonds (A Smoke and Shadow Novel):
A blade, a bargain, and a curse.
Adrienne wants nothing more than to hone her skills in the forge, find an apprenticeship, and save enough to one day study her magic at the shadow temple. She’s worked tirelessly to complete the sword that will be her ticket out of Calcheth and the oppression of Lord Irazin.
Until that blade is taken from her.
Every month, Irazin steals from his people in order to lay an offering to the shadow wolf that stalks their streets, but Adrienne refuses to lose her greatest achievement. Armed with nothing but stubborn determination, she braves the night to steal back her sword.
Only to find someone else is there stealing it first.
If she wants it back, she’ll have to make a deal. Can she trust this stranger's offer of protection, or will she trade one tyrant for another?
Character art by Emmy Scherer
Reviews:
5-stars: This was a riveting book of love, war, and everything in-between. They characters were wonderful as well as the story and you can't just put it down. A very good book!
5-stars: I was lucky enough to be an arc reader and man I Absolutely loved reading this book. Brela is a badass and Cason is the brute I could not get enough… actually I love all the characters in this book flirting, fighting, magic, creatures. I strongly recommend this story and see it becoming a favorite for those who read it. It’s definitely become one of mine.
Some sexual content, rape, and murder.
5-star: I've only read the first few episodes, but what an excellent start to the story! I freaking love it! The world is very intriguing and the characters are all interesting. The writing is pretty fantastic as well if I do say so myself. I will definitely be continuing this story! I would highly recommend this!
5-stars: Do you enjoy knife flirting? If you are thinking, what’s knife flirting and that sound sexy—get this book.
Laura Winter has an amazing ability to create dialogue that not only feels natural but also makes you feel as if you’re listening in to their conversation in a tavern on a whole other world. Her use of descriptions brings you to another place filled with a complicated history, muddled with a dark past.
However, there are so many beautiful moments of companionship and love that give those ominous moments silver linings, giving the characters that much needed hope in order to persevere. Their bonds are unbreakable and it’s easy to see that nothing will destroy the love they have for one another.
There are many unforgettable characters and perspectives in this book. The main character, the sexy, witty, and five steps ahead of everyone else, Brela makes it hard for you to put down the book. From the first page, she hooks you. She has gone through so much pain and agony; it’s amazing that she doesn’t have a negative view on everything. Cason, Brelas enemy to lover, is as innocent and powerful as they come. And sweet, so sweet.
But my favorite character is Serill, born to inherit the throne, but without any real power, he isn’t taken seriously. But his devotion to his people runs deep. His goal is to treat everyone with dignity and respect. Everyone. He even collects the Shadow-kinds remnants to remember and honor them.
I can’t wait for Serill to be king. I hope we get to read about it.
All the characters come to life and the way Winter writes, she keeps you turning the pages. Hopefully, I'll be ARC reading the next book too, because I can't wait for it to come out!
I can’t emphasize this enough.
Get this book!
5-stars: If you enjoy what is clearly going to become an epic fantasy, sit down for the ride. Book one of this series has everything your heart could desire—intrigue, romance, battles, and drama (the good kind!) woven into a tapestry of words that I couldn’t put down. This book definitely depicts real world violence (war and torture) and hate (against “enemies” and anyone deemed as different), so know your triggers. This book also had some steamy scenes. It takes you on an epic journey with two anti heroes in a different kind of enemies to lovers romance.
5-star: Escapists dream! This world draws you in quick! Enticing, mysterious, enthralling...I'm addicted and wanting more! Each episode is so unique and gives just that little bit more background while furthering the story and adding the twists and enhancing the characters. I absolutely love Brella...and would love to feast my eyes on Cason a bit. The subtle and not so subtle character development is intense. I already am hoping for a mercy kill and an epiphany which resolves past torturous events...bring me more!!!
5-stars: What a stunning read! It has all the elements I truly enjoy, love, friendship, intrigue, mystery and so much more. The intimacy and loyalty between Brela, Farrah and Elias is beautifully written, one can feel the love and fierce sense of family and protection they have for each other. Elias is more stoic, whilst Farrah is grounded and quick, both verbally as well as with her fighting skills. Brela is a dream character! So sassy, so spunky, so quick in the uptake, I loved her reactions and bantering. But as much as I like Brela's character, I personally found myself more drawn to Serril, compassionate, fair, and an overall delight. There's more to him than meets the eye, love him. Cason is the typical tormented soul, who is trying hard to keep his preconceived ideas of "the enemy" intact and it's wonderful reading how he questions himself, how he fights against his feelings. The storyline and plot is complex but flows brilliantly, at a steady pace, giving me the opportunity to savour each moment. The magical aspects are right up my alley and I enjoyed the fight scenes, even though they were pretty intense, they felt real. This book sucked me in from the very beginning and didn't let me go until the very end! It was a very long read but worth every second!