Series: Spirits of Seiran #1
Authors: D. Kardenal and L. Kardenal
Released: June 13, 2021
Received: Blog Tour

Shackles of the Storm is the first novel in the Spirits of Seiran series, and my goodness do I love the title of this book! Combined with the artwork, I just knew that it was going to have to be a book I read.

Zaira has successfully hidden what she is from everyone around her, letting Kahlaran believe that there haven’t been any djinn there in decades. Little did they know that people like her, elemental spirits, have found ways to hide in their midst.

That is, Zaira used to successfully hide. That was before one of her kind ratted her out, and now her whole life has been flipped upside down. It doesn’t help that she’s being blamed for a murder that she had no part in.

“Your mindset is wrong- you’re holding yourself captive- you will be, as long as you think you are.”

I went into Shackles of the Storm expecting a thrilling and fun read – one that was full of magic and adventure. What I got was so much more. Shackles of the Storm is so much more complex than I ever could have expected, with a delightful variety in characters and subplots to dive into.

What I loved the most about this read, other than how captivating I found it, is how imaginative it is. The world and characters are so brilliant, and in many ways are quite unique. It’s easy to get wrapped up in this world and completely loose track of time. Speaking from experience here!

One thing I would like to mention is that while most of this novel is told in the third person, there are parts that switch to first person storytelling. It’s not jarring, however I know that this is a format that not everyone enjoys, so it feels worth mentioning here.

Overall I adored the world built for this tale, as well as many of the characters that stemmed from it (especially Zaira and Ezair). I can’t wait to see what happens in the next installment!

Thanks to The Book Review Crew for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.