Shadowblade

March 18, 2019
Kashina’s mediocre love letter to fantasy warriors is heavier on the swords than the sorcery, set in a ruthless desert empire styled on an amalgam of medieval Middle Eastern countries. Teenage orphan Naia is about to be expelled from her training to become one of the Jaihar, a group of elite blademasters whose most capable members serve as imperial bodyguards, when she’s pulled into a traitorous plot decades in the making. Frustrated by the emperor’s bloody rule, the heads of the Jaihar Order and the Daljeer Circle (the empire’s scholarly caste) plan to orchestrate a succession contest upon the emperor’s death. Naia has striking looks and natural fighting ability, and these plus the mysterious circumstances surrounding her birth make her the perfect candidate to impersonate a long-lost princess and make a bid for the throne under the conspirators’ guidance. Naia’s love interest is considerably older and more powerful than she is, which may make some readers uncomfortable. The text also lauds the beauty of characters with lighter skin, hair, and eyes, and suggests that male dominance of women in the fighting arena is only natural. Fans of Kashina (the Majat Code trilogy) may be willing to overlook flat characters, shallow worldbuilding, predictable plot points, and a rushed romance, but readers hoping for real depth and intrigue should look elsewhere. Agent: Jennifer Goloboy, Donald Maass Literary.

May 1, 2019

In this stand-alone epic fantasy, the heroine's journey almost ends before it begins, as young Naia is on the verge of being kicked out of swordmaster training without having reached even the lowest rank. Rescue comes from a most unlikely source: a scholar who believes she should be given another chance. That chance is a double-edged sword, as Naia becomes the central figure in a plan to overthrow the empire. However, while she's intended to turn the throne over to a supposedly better heir, a puppet master in the wings has secret plans of her own. When the blood starts to flow, it's a contest to see whether Naia can stand on her own as the empress who was never meant to be, or if the empire will fall into darkness. The reveal of the true force behind the scenes shakes the entire story to its foundations, while Naia's unexpected rise to the top provides a heart-pounding "stand up and cheer" ending. VERDICT Kashina (Assassin Queen) delivers a terrific heroine's journey. Recommended for those who love political skullduggery filled with plots and hidden counterplots.--Marlene Harris, Reading Reality, LLC, Duluth, GA

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