Circle of Shadows Readalong: Book Reviews!

Such a strong start for a fantasy duology! Daemon and Sora are everything you would want out of main characters who love and support each other. The novel is rich and complex with a villain that could cause disastrous effect for the Kingdom. With lots of twists and turns; I can’t wait for the next one!

On a more spoiler note for the last 10 chapters: why did Daemon kiss Fairy it didn’t make any sense, he belongs with Sora! My heart was breaking for Sora at the end. And that reveal about who Daemon is was so well done!

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Circle of Shadows! It was fast-paced, well written, and the structure made sense. The characters were compelling and their drive clear, and the worldbuilding was actually pretty amazing. That said, upon finishing the book, I was left with very mixed feelings about it.

As far as story and plot goes, I was pretty charmed, and I loved the fact that it left us off on such high stakes, with the villain at the throne and Zomuri summoned and giving his blessing to Gin. But oh god, in the last chapters of the book, I disliked every main character dynamic except for those between Fairy and Broomstick, the League of Rogues themselves and Sora and Hana. The unexpected romance between Daemon and Fairy ruined the ending for me because it was too out of the blue (yes, there was buildup to it but not the kind I would expect would lead to romance- Fairy’s interest seemed more like the teasing kind between close friends, like an inside joke, and Daemon had shown absolutely no interest in her before other than that time in the desert which was very subtle and could very well be a brotherly concern for her). It shifted the dynamic between Sora and Daemon a lot and will probably shift the dynamic between Sora and Fairy in the second book and if I’m honest, there is no absolutely no need for a love triangle on top of everything else they’re facing. Then again, that just might be my disdain for love triangles, but in any case, for a book that was part of a box with the theme of deep and unbreakable friendships, it just seems wrong for this development to mess with those of the League of Rogues. I hope it will work out nicely in the next book.

Another thing that rubbed me a bit wrong was Daemon’s parentage/heritage. Don’t get me wrong, I adore the fact that he turned out to be demigod, and the lore behind that is positively captivating (I loved the legend when I first read it and hoped that Daemon would turn out to be a demigod) and I liked the deity he is descended from. However what seemed wrong with that was that while the gods and mythology played a great role in Kichona, it felt like just that: mythology. It didn’t seem much like religion, more like remnant legends that the Kichonans linked to their magic for the sake of tradition. When I first read the scene where Empress Aki summons Sola, I was shocked and thought it would have been some sort of closely guarded secret, that the gods truly existed and could be communicated with. Same with Zomuri in the end; I expected him to have been only part of a legend, the face of temptation and avarice in a cautionary tale, and it shocked me when he showed up, only none of the characters mirrored my reaction. Which, I’m concluding, is why Daemon’s quirks seemed off to me throughout the book. The revelation that he was a demigod made more sense of them to me, I only wished there would have been a bit more depth in the religion so that it didn’t feel weird before that.

Also, though it’s just a personal pet peeve, I was slightly disappointed the book was so focused on ryuu magic and not taiga magic because the latter just seemed so much more structured and like a magic system that made sense while ryuu magic was so unruly. Everything was possible with it, which is also part of its appeal and the reason it’s so powerful and dangerous, which I get, so I only hope we’ll get to see more of taiga magic in the second book because it’s such a smart magic system and I’m craving more of it.

It may seem like I’m picking the book apart, and I guess I kind of am, but despite the problems I had with it, I loved reading it. It was exciting, thrilling, especially as the final battle closed in, I loved the characters I experienced this story through (especially Daemon because he’s a sweetheart) and I adored the world! This was the first book that had me flipping back and forth between the pages to look at the map as the characters traveled, and I loved the little details in worldbuilding like how there was a focus on the tiger pearl trade and its importance to an island kingdom (also a cool setting, I don’t remember any other fantasy book I’ve read being set on an island) or the connection between the geography of said island and the folklore and the imperial family’s crest.

All in all, despite its flaws, Circle of Shadows is a very fun read and I’m definitely going to try and get my hands on the next book when it’s available! I can’t wait to see where the League of Rogues goes, and I had a lot of fun reading it in this readalong!

(@a_library_of_wonders)

This would work well as s manga style graphic novel too. Especially when Blue Wolf appears in his electricity.

Also.(sorry to keep posting but I have thoughts).

I think the process of reading this as part of a readalong even if I was behind made me appreciate the book more. I’ve been reading others reviews that reflect my views and are rated lower and I wonder whether some of my enjoyment comes from sharing the experience of reading over the actual book. Something to ponder.

I also think that timing has a lot to do with how we respond to books. I’ve recently borrowed some anime films and had my first experience of that which made me appreciate what was trying to be achieved. Had I read this before that I don’t think I would have ‘got that’ and I can see why people have said it reads ‘younger’