Really bland book. Feels like not much truly happened despite all the fancy prose. And as in Havemercy, the real plot doesn't kick in until maybe the last 80 pages or so. And it's still bland and boring.

It's also quite obvious that both authors are huge fans of Japanese culture-- Ke-han is basically feudal Japan, though oddly enough, their naming scheme also uses names from other East Asian cultures (a few characters had Chinese- and Korean-sounding names while others had Japanese ones). All four main characters resemble anime cliches: Mamoru and Kouje are like a typical master-servant couple found in a lot of yaoi manga (except without the romantic relationship), and Caius and Alcibiades bicker like an old married couple. Unfortunately, this means that the characters are very two-dimensional. Their interactions were predictable and not at all interesting.

I also get the sense that the authors really love their characters, which explains why so much of the book is spent on detailing their every thought and action in all sorts of unnecessary, filler-like scenes. It was like the authors thought it'd be funny to see this character in this or that situation, regardless of its relevance to the plot. ( )

I mean, again, nothing really happened that was exciting. They were completely different characters which was fine by me since I didn't like the characters from Havemercy but these were also not that great. I'm IN LOVE with Caius though. Because wow, he was great. Other than that it was pretty regular stuff that you can't really be absorbed in since it's not exciting. It still felt like fanfiction too though a bit less than Havemercy. And there were some kind of influential females characters this time, so that's another improvement. It's all right. I mean, I wouldn't buy it but if you get it somehow, it's not a terrible read. ( )

I didn't think it was possible, but I love Shadow Magic even more then Havemercy, the debut novel from this young author team. Shadow Magic continues right after Volstov wins the war against Ke-Han, but with an entirely new set of characters. Two of the characters were on the fringes in Havemercy and two are entirely new, but Jones and Bennett prove that their flair with the character-driven novel isn't a fluke: they can create stunningly original people and put them in situations where they develop in such a way that it's impossible not to care about them (even when, like Rook in Havemercy, you'd really rather not).

In Shadow Magic, Volstov sends a delegation to Ke-Han to negotiate the peace treaty, but they arrive early, just after the emperor's ritual suicide. This inauspicious beginning does not help the negotiations, which are understandably fraught with cultural misunderstandings (Volstov's informal, direct manner is quite different from the ritualized formality and politeness of Japanese-inspired Ke-Han) and buried resentment. Included in Volstov's delegation are previously-exiled magician Caius Greylace and war hero General Alcibiades, who are not so busy being at odds with each other that they fail to overlook something very strange going on in the Ke-Han court. Their suspicions only grow when the new emperor declares his innocent younger brother Mamoru a traitor, forcing the boy to flee with his devoted servant Kouje. Suddenly trapped in the palace and unable to get word back to Volstov, Caius and Alcibiades try to uncover the emperor's ultimate plan, but Mamoru is the one who truly uncovers the depth of his brother's betrayal.

Like in Havemercy, the authors take time to develop their characters (all four are first-person narrators) before the action really gets going, but their lives are absorbing enough. Jones and Bennett manage to give each person a distinctive voice that is clearly evident in their speech patterns and just as clearly matching with that person's personality and behavior. Caius is foppish and effeminate, flouncing around in ridiculous outfits and camping it up, but he's also shrewd and terribly creepy in his use of power and his matter-of-fact attitude toward his occasional insanity. Alcibiades is stubborn and taciturn and very physical, and he starts out determined to hate everything about the Ke-Han and about Caius. Caius drives Alcibiades nuts, of course, and enjoys it greatly, while Alcibiades does everything in his power to avoid Caius and ends up saddled with him nonetheless, and liking it at times, too. Watching them grow in each other's esteem is hilarious and sometimes touching. Mamoru and Kouje, a prince and his servant, undergo changes in their relationship that seem subtle but are actually huge, as they finally have the freedom to see each other operate out of the stifling formality of the palace, as equals. Secondary characters are as skillfully developed, too, especially the powerful new emperor, who is not a good man but still a deep one.

The suspense ratchets up in the second half, as Caius and Alcibiades plan for their escape and Mamoru and Kouje discover how far the new emperor's paranoia has taken him (into the realm of forbidden blood magic). The conclusion happened a little fast for me, just like in Havemercy as well; there's a long build-up, where the characters and politics are drawn in great detail, and some foreshadowing and tension, and then, boom boom boom, everything races to the finish. It's still an awesome finish, however, so I'm not complaining much. I only wish I'd had more resolution between the four characters after the climax, to view them a little longer in the new situations and new relationships they find themselves in. Wishing for more is hardly a negative, however, and so I'm sure that whatever Jones and Bennett decide to do next, I'll be there. ( )

Gets three stars because of the lovely writing, often elegantly handled themes, fun setting (fake Japan FTW!), and Kouje, who was just super compelling and deserves the Samwise Gamgee award for being a fantastic servant character in a fantasy novel.

An enjoyable read, but I think Jones and Bennett need to work on constructing and executing better plots. This one was made up of pretty good elements - and so was actually much better than the plot of Havemercy - but even still too often the characters were not doing very much or doing things that didn't 100% make sense in order to set up for future plot. Also, I am generally somewhat tolerant of overheard conversations, but please do not have your characters overhear vital information by running into just the right people *in the middle of a mountain range* and listening in for like ten minutes. Granted it was the part of the mountain range where they were most likely to overhear this information, but you should make your characters work for their overheard conversations - a few hours of espionage at least! :)

Iseul was also not that great of a villain - he was believable and creepy, yes, and the question of how the duty and order-obsessed Ke-Han should deal with having a crazy emperor was an interesting one, but I sort of was wondering why we were being told the story of this particular bad emperor. Emperors who try to assassinate their brothers and go back on peace treaties are probably a dime a dozen if you look at real world history.

Also, while they were well written and often very funny, Caius and Alcibiades were a bit two-dimensional; their thread was also suffering from the lack of plot, which exacerbated this. They sort of felt like anime/television characters and not book characters? If that makes sense. ( )

Taking place after the war in Havemercy we join an all new cast of characters as they pursue their separate yet parallel quests arising from aftermath.

While I didn't get into this story quite as much as I did Havemercy I do have to say that these authors have a way with characters. Once again we have two pairs each off on their own journeys and each with their own brand of relationship. The tale of Alchcibiades and Caius as diplomats has more of an odd couple/buddy story vibe to it. Acting as diplomats to the defeated realm of the Ke-Han they uncover a plot which could throw a wrench into the tenuous peace treaty. With Prince Mamoru and Kouje we also have another buddy story type with the added interest of having to overcome their strict master/servant disciplines to survive. This book isn't too terribly exciting, but it is an interesting journey for all the characters. I wouldn't mind reading another story set in this world should the authors decide to do another one. ( )