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:
There is nothing better than when a badass cover accurately conveys the book’s tone, plot, or vibe, while also being such an eye catcher. ShadowBane is one such cover. One look and you know there are two characters in a Japanese-inspired world absolutely destroying the f*ck out of some demons. And wouldn’t you know it, this is essentially the plot of this book!
In a nutshell, ShadowBane is a book about twin demon hunters. In an almost Witcher-esque monster of the week feel, this story follows these twins as they help villagers/hunt demons terrorizing said villagers against the backdrop of some political machinations. That’s basically it, and let me tell you, this simple plot rocks.
Told via alternating POV from Shura and Jin perspectives, we see these very opposite behaving twins battle not just literal demons, but their own. Personally, I liked Jin’s perspective more than Shura’s but that’s because Logan did a damn good job of making me like Jin even though he is an absolute P.O.S. Ok, maybe that’s a little harsh, but Jin is very unlikable because the man is a single-focus asshole who doesn’t like to play by the rules the twins are forced into. Jin kills first, doesn’t ask questions later, much to Shura’s chagrin. Jin loathes the life he lives and wants nothing to do with the politics they find themselves in. He’s traumatized by the past, but he doesn’t let it shake his duty. He knows he’s being used, knows the only way to survive is to kill, to be the strongest one. But there is a soft underside to Jin that we only see when he is with his favored whore, and when he ‘teaches’ their squire Wallace about life like an older brother (more to come on Wallace).
Shura, on the other hand, wants to be more than what her heritage/culture demands, aka a woman in feudal Japan, aka a baby factory for sons. Shura is the brains to Jin’s brawn and Logan uses this concept to create a lot of tension. There is a certain meta-ness in the book, but it is also a great source of drama when Shura’s trust might be misplaced. Shura tiptoes being fully badass and being a weak-kneed female character in some scenes and I didn’t always connect with her scenes because of that. I do hope a theory I have about Shura’s arc comes true in the rest of the series, and if it does, then it’ll all pay off for me. But Shura and Jin’s arguments drive the emotional narrative like a Mack truck through an overpass’ struts.
Wallace is the other major character of the book. He’s the equivalent to a European squire. A young boy taken under the wins of the twins, Wallace plays the butt of Jin’s anger and Shura’s schemes, and sometimes you just feel for the boy. He’s the hopeful light in this otherwise insanely grim story. His growth arc was phenomenal.
Can’t forget about Feng, the demon slaying tiger! Good kitty.
The world Logan has built is hella cool. It is very Japanese inspired, and it was very refreshing to see how much care went into crafting it. The demon types are all Japanese myths/legends (with a couple in-world additions). The hierarchical society culture was very neat, and very historically accurate. The magic is pretty cool too. Shura has a demon sense and can summon some light magic. Jin can make flames, like on his sword. There’s also early firepower here too. Just an all-around fun world.
It’s easy to put this book squarely in the grimdark category. It’s brutal, death and blood spilled left and right. Bodies, both demon and human alike, pile up. Every character besides Wallace is firmly on the morally grey scale. It’s action-packed from the first page to the end. Even the ‘down moments’ have a simmering hatred in them, whether it’s Jin’s dislike for everyone he saves to Shura’s annoyances. I will say having the alternating POV mostly worked, but there were a couple places it did hinder the pace. And it did feel like a monster of the week vibe at times because they go from place to place. But that ending, man, Logan is a bastard, and I’m all for it!
So if you are looking for a Japanese-inspired, demon slaying, non-stop bloodletting of a story, then ShadowBane is the story you need to read ASAP. I cannot wait to see what Logan comes up with in the next book!
Leave a Reply