Customer Reviews

Shadow Magic

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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The country of Volstov has just won a hard-fought war with the Ke-Han Empire, fought with its magic-fueled flying metal dragons and narrowly overcoming a magical plague sent by the enemy. However, peace is still not assured. A diplomatic delegation of magicians and a few military men is dispatched to the defeated capital of Lapis, charged with working with the strange and prickly Empire in order to work out the terms of peace. General Alcibiades is one of the few military men. He is no diplomat and had hoped to have some time at home after the arduous war, but the Esar, ruler of Volstov, personally commanded him to go. He's a simple soldier at heart, impatient with the alien ultra-formal customs of Ke-Han, he leaves the diplomacy up to the others. To further his discomfort, he find himself sharing quarters with one of the oddest of the delegates, Caius Graylace, a magician recently recalled from exile who is eager to immerse himself in the intricacies of the Ke-Han court and whom Alcibiades thinks is totally insane.

At the Ke-Han Court, formality and protocol continue despite the defeat. The old Emperor commits suicide, as is their custom, and his eldest sons decide to live to continue the line. Mamoru is the younger son. He's loyal to his stronger elder brother and has gained some experience as a leader during the war which he hopes will be good enough to help aid in re-building the empire, although he remains fairly sheltered and innocent within the dangerous Court, where poison-tasters, intrigue and assassins are rife. Iseul, the new Emperor, is his opposite--decisive, hard, ruthless. Caught totally unaware, Mamoru's devoted servant/companion/mentor learns the new Emperor plans to assassinate his brother (presumably to remove any competition), and they both must overcome their vows to obey the Emperor and flee for their lives.

The story follows the events depicted in HAVE MERCY, but features different characters and can be read as a stand-alone. It is told in first-person, switching from chapter to chapter between the four characters: the soldier Alcibiades, the magician Caius, the fleeing brother of the emperor Mamoru, and his loyal and resourceful servant Kouje. Alcibiades and Caius are strangers to the ways of the mysterious Ke-Han Court and need to explore it and find the highlights and pitfalls while negotiating their way to find Peace with a still-dangerous Emperor. Mamoru and Kouje are almost strangers in their own land as they are forced to make their way beyond the confines and protocol of the Court while evading those hunting for them. While the threats are often not immediate, there is suspense in spades while we see the world and people through outsiders' eyes.

The world-building is good enough to keep things interesting, even though the alternate universe Russian and Japanese cultures are somewhat familiar. Magic plays a very small part, despite the title, but the four main characters and their growth in having to deal with each other and their situations are well depicted and fascinating and easily able to carry our interest. It is the characters that really stand out, particularly the quirky, fey Caius and the sweet, earnest Mamoru, balanced by the no-nonsense General and resolute servant. They make this an exciting and memorable read.

I "couldn't put this book down". Two talented authors lead one in excited anticipation from chapter to chapter. Jones and Bennett paint in vivid colors and fine detail each scene in every foreign yet somehow familiar place. Impeccably written and incredibly visual, this book cries out to be made into a movie, one of a series, starting with Havemercy and ending whenever. Battle scenes, sword fights, dangerous disguises, transformations, loyalty tested, treachery triumphed - all the elements of great story telling are here, lightened when appropriate by gentle humor.

Each of the characters is fully outfitted in face, movement, attitude, dress, and, by the way, has something personal beyond the story to add to the reader's enrichment. We can see ourselves, our friends and family, nations, in reading this book.

I loved this second book to havemercy the characters of caius greylace and general alcibiades were hilarious.These book's just keep getting better and better, very good read.

Absolute page-turner with just as much wit and humor as its predecessor. The plot is impeccably written, and the characters are so real, you feel like they're old friends by the end of the novel. In fact, I'd like to invite Caius Greylace over for a dinner party.

This book is a brilliant sequel to Havemercy. Jones and Bennett have outdone themselves.
Well written, with a cast of unique and colorful characters.
Not as fast-paced as the first and rather predictable in places (you can pretty much guess the end of the book by the 5th chapter) but still very much worth the read. It reminded me why I love to read and left me wanting more.

The Hundred Years War is over with the city-state Kingdom of Volstov's metal dragons corps having defeated the Ke-Han Empire's imperial troops (see HAVEMERCY). Stunned by his side's loss the Ke-Han emperor does the honorable thing in his society by committing suicide.

The Volstov send a peace delegation led by magician Caius Greylace and General Alcibiades to negotiate the terms of surrender. The new Emperor Iseaul greets them even as he plots to strengthen his new position of power starting with the assassination of his younger brother Prince Mamoru. The attempt fails and Mamoru and his personal servant Kouje flee while the diplomacy moves forward at a snail's pace as Iseaul objects as if his side were the victors.

This fascinating sequel switches from the military fantasy of Havemercy to a diplomacy fantasy with as much intrigue, Machiavellian machinations modified by magic. The story line is as fast-paced and action-packed as its predecessor but with a different take. Fans will enjoy this strong entry as Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett provide a deep look at conflicting societies loosely modeled after Shogun medieval Japan and Empirical Rome respectively placed in a fantasy realm.

Harriet Klausner

A war between the Japanese Ke- Han and its northern neighboring empire has finally come to an end. To settle the peace treaty, the empire sends various magicians and a general to the Ke- Han capital. However, things take an interesting turn when the Ke- Han prince Mamarou and his servant Kouje disappear after uncovering a plot against the prince's life.

The book itself was not hard to read, but it was not well-written either. I felt as if I had been plopped right down into the action and had little understanding of the universe that the two authors created. Magic, despite being in the title, is barely used and even then, only for a few pages towards the end of the novel. The story plods along at a slow rate until the last fifty pages when a conspiracy is revealed and the heat is turned up; and then, as suddenly as things pick up, the story is over and all the loose ends are neatly and quickly tied up. The characters were interesting, but they could have used more development; I would have liked to see Mamarou depicted as something other than the younger, weaker yet good-hearted brother, the effeminate Caius got on my nerves (which made me sympathize with Alcibiades more), and the Ke- Han emperor could have truly made a good villain if given the opportunity. I would have liked to see more imagination with world-building and not borrowing so much from Japanese culture, even though did like the culture clash that occurred.

This book is entertaining, but it was full of wasted potential; it could have truly been something great, but it sadly fell short of being a masterpiece.