Authors: Terry Mancour and Emily Burch Harris
Publisher: Podium
Released: October 5, 2021
Received: Review Request

Shadowplay is the first novel in Terry Mancour and Emily Burch Harris’ Spellmonger: Legacy and Secrets series. Now, admittedly I hadn’t read the rest of the Spellmonger series before diving into this spin-off series, so it is awe-inspiring that I had no trouble following along. I will have to add the original series to my TBR list.

Gatina has always known that there was something special about her and her family. She suspected that she had a secret gift, and while she never knew the full story of her family – she knew that there was something more going on with them.

As it turns out, she was right on both counts. Now her training is about to begin in earnest, changing Gatina’s life forever. It’s time for more adventures than she could ever have dreamed of, which is saying something.

I haven’t read the rest of the Spellmonger series, as I mentioned above. Yet I sincerely had no trouble following along with the events of Shadowplay. I’m sure that there were many references and nuances that I would have appreciated more had I been better educated on the main series. But nothing prevented me from enjoying Gatina’s story.

The story starts out slow, giving us a chance to know and appreciate Gatina for who she is before her entire world changes. I can see how some readers might find this part a bit slow, though I personally enjoyed it (perhaps because I didn’t know the world and needed this background information). However, it should be noted that once the drastic change occurs, the pace picks up significantly. So be prepared for that!

Gatina, also known as Kitten, was an oddly endearing character. Her determination and passion were so overwhelming that it was hard not to appreciate her. Likewise, I love how hard she tried to make a difference in the world, despite her young age. Okay, I’ll admit that I also simply adored her nickname; it’s simple but sweet.

You know the writers have done something right when you pick up the first in a spin-off and find yourself wanting to go and read the entire series. I’m going to be adding all of Spellmonger to my (painfully long) list of books to read.

Thanks to Podium for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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