Synopsis:
One womb, one soul, two fates. One will rise. One will fall.
Shura and Jin are the last of a divine bloodline, operating at the bloodiest fringes of society where they wield might and magic against the demons they are sworn to destroy. For Shura, it’s the only way to restore honor to her lineage and claim her rightful place in the world. For Jin, it’s a matter of begrudging duty—and escaping the influence of the three kings vying for control of the continent.
In their pursuit of the sadistic cult behind the demons’ resurgence, the twins find themselves hunted by an ancient demon harboring a blood vendetta, and are forced to set aside past grudges and seek the kings’ alliance. When Shura discovers a chilling prophecy, she fears that even her newfound allies may not be enough to stem the rising tide of shadow.
Even the palest chance of victory will come at a brutal price. But the prophecy never foretold whose fate would settle the debt: Shura’s or her brother’s.
Review:
ShadowBane is brutal, dark, full of political intrigue, and features some of the best morally-gray characters I’ve encountered in a long while. There’s a lot to unpack, but I’ll do my best to highlight all the reasons why I think people should read this book. (TLDR: It’s very good.)
First, the character work is fantastic. I love a good morally-gray character, and this book has two. They’re a brother-sister duo (twins), and they’re the last of their bloodline. They’ve been trained to track and kill demons and are expected to protect not just one kingdom, but three—while also navigating the politics of each realm.
Shura is more adept at navigating the political landscape, and often handles negotiations with the various kings and lords. But she’s also incredibly ambitious. She wants to restore her family’s name and position, and will go to almost any length to achieve that goal. Her brother, Jin, is better at killing demons than speaking to monarchs; he’s blunt and irreverent, often causing tension with their benefactors that Shura is forced to smooth over. Neither is truly a good person, nor are they evil. They’re simply products of their grim environment.
The twins travel with two others: Wallace and Feng. Wallace is originally from another land, far from the one where this story takes place. He’s young, somewhat naïve, and very idealistic. He aspires to be a knight one day, and poses as Jin’s squire. I really liked Wallace and the hope he brought to many scenes. Feng is a white tiger the twins rescued as a cub, and is the most reliable companion either could ask for. While Feng is an animal and therefore can’t speak, he’s portrayed as keenly intelligent through his actions, and he kills just as many demons as his human counterparts.
There are a wide variety of demons. I recognized a couple from reading Japanese folklore (like the oni), but there were many more that were new to me. Some demons are more intelligent than others, making them more dangerous, but every demon in this story can be deadly. The twins are often sent to investigate sightings or protect outlying towns, but sometimes they arrive after massacres have already occurred.
There is a lot of death and gore in this book. Even those who don’t die are often left maimed. While I acknowledge that this book won’t be for everyone because of that, I believe it deserves more attention. If you like grimdark fantasy as I do, I think you’ll enjoy this book, so please consider checking it out.
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