Pretty much love anything that Ginn writes and her worlds that she weaves

Fantasy is hit and miss but never with Hale


Mare~Slitsread

This took longer than expected mostly because I had no idea this was the 5th book in a series. So, I picked up the first four and now I am obsessed. I want this series to go on forever and ever. The romance is sweet but it's the characters I root for. I thought I would love the first couple the most, but then I think it just keeps getting better and better.

The plot was written well and I found myself keeping up with the intricacies of the world fairly easily.

Not one that grabbed me, but then I'm not a fantasy reader. It looked interesting enough to read despite that, but I really did find myself floundering; I found the magic and worldbuilding deeply confusing. It also perplexed me that this is marketed as a romance when there's actually two romances in it. Which, hey, two for the price of one, but not what I was expecting.

Hale is a competent writer and this book may well appeal to seasoned fantasy writers, but I can't recommend it for people who aren't generally into the genre.

Make sure to read the other books in the series first..
Freshly graduated Master Physician Narsi Lif-Tahm has left his home in Anacleto and journeyed to the imposing royal capital of Cieloalta intent upon keeping the youthful oath he made to a troubled writer. But in the decade since Narsi gave his pledge, Atreau Vediya has grown from an anonymous delinquent to a man renowned for penning bawdy operas and engaging in scandalous affairs.
I didn’t read the other books as I thought thus was a standalone series. I got very confused but could tell it was a great story.

Came to this book hoping for more Atreau content, left desperately clutching at my absolute darlings Fedeles and Ariz.

This book is incredible, but it is by no means a standalone duology. Its a culmination of the previous Cadeleonian books, and I have no idea why that isn't clearer in the marketing. And let me tell you, I have WORDS about the marketing of this book. Why isn't it clear from the blurb this book has 4 protagonists and two separate romances? It's so disorienting.

This book isn't an easy read, but it's so worth it. It's chock full of complex politics, magic, complicated protagonists forced to do bad things and absolutely atrocious villains. God, Ginn Hale writes some horrific villains huh. I can't wait for them to get their just rewards for all the atrocities they've pulled.

The protagonists are such darlings. Narsi is the one with the least issues and is an absolute sweetheart. Atreau, Ariz and Fedeles are haunted by past mistakes or by what has been done to them, and I spent the entire book hoping someone will just sit them down with hot cocoa and warm blankets. Ariz and Fedeles' romance broke my heart in the best kind of way and I need to see how it goes in the sequel. That kind of lovely, quiet devotion, gets me right in my heart. Please let them be finally happy!

Really wanted to like this one, just found it kinda meh honestly. Just found myself unable to connect to the characters for some reason. Not bad in writing style, but it just left me cold.

This book was hard to get into, with the writing style to the point that I constantly struggled to read it. The world was expansive and, like her characters, complex. The world-building is incredibly long and drawn-out in conversations about politics, religion, literature, etc. It felt like nothing happened in the first 2/3 of this book, with the exception of a LOT of talking.

There's too many background stories and other things that felt partially touched upon, like there was another book before this. This doesn't entirely stand on its own as a book/series beginner. After some research, it seems you have to read the other books by the author that are also set in the same world in order to not be lost. Also, the book ends unresolved without a cliffhanger or a resting point. This left me with a sense of not having reached a sort of ending point, instead like the true final chapter of the book is missing.

I couldn't get into Narsi & Atreu's romance because their first kiss was when they were 13/19, which is really uncomfortable and gross. Also it's not necessary to mention a certain character trait every time you mention a character. However, I did like the characters and the assassins. Politics, not so much.

An intriguing book that tells a fantasy story which personally i found too puzzling to be enjoyable but there again it might just not be my scene so leave it to you to read and decide, worth the effort overall

This book claims to be the first book in the Master of Restless Shadows series, as far as the title makes out, but it isn't the first really, as it continues a story from the author's other works. I felt this was a bit of a misleading book, far more miserable and less romantic than I thought it would be.

I'm really torn about how to rate this book. I finished it really enjoying it and wanting to know more about what happens. But I didn't really start to feel that way until about 75% into the book. And I've read BOTH of the duologies that precede it. The problem is that I haven't read them recently and this book didn't give me enough recap to remember the kind of small details it requires to really feel invested in the plot, and the first 3/4 of the book depends on those previous books. If you have not read the Lord of the White Hell and Champion of the Scarlet Wolf series (and read them recently) I would strongly discourage you from picking this one up. Because, as I said, even having read them I felt like I was fumbling along.

Having said all of that, I did enjoy Hale's writing style. I was rooting for both of the romantic pairings (the secondary one especially), though romance is definitely not the plot's primary focus. And I do still appreciate the world Hale has created here.

No doubt I will pick the next book up. I was just a bit disappointed to not love this one more.

Everyone’s gay but there’s not an awful lot of sex in this palace politics fantasy; the old gods/kings keeping the city safe are under threat from a baddie who uses magical brands to make others his slaves. He’s sent thralls even into the house of his greatest enemy, but they’re holding him off somehow as they deal with their own internal political struggles. Also, a stranger comes to town—a young physician who’s still a little in love with the noble who changed his life and then forgot about him; the noble is now a political player and the physician gets swept up in the intrigue. It was pretty elaborate but I probably won’t be pursuing the series further, though those god-kings swirling in their tank were very creepy.

I am a huge fan of this series and this author. Ginn Hale writes massive worlds with so much detail. Some people will find the books too slowly paced, but I love them. It did take me a while to remember what had happened in the previous books and who was who and what the sides were just because it has been some time since I had read the previous books, but I did eventually get myself caught up. I wouldn't recommend someone with no knowledge of the events in the world jump in at this point though (and the previous books were so good why not pick them up!).

Overall Enjoyment: 5/5
Characterization: 4/5
World building: 4/5
Diversity: 4/5

Review

I received this book as a free ARC from NetGalley and all opinions are completely my own.

People, this book was SOOOOOO amazing! The beginning is a little shaky. Nasri is a bit too idealist for me at the beginning, but he grows on me. The fantasy aspect of this book is based mostly on spells and magic with more fantastical beasts being in the far off distance. The intrigue though. It's amazing, there's some death and darkness in this book, but for a political fantasy this book is very light. I mostly don't like political fantasy, because the dark plotting against each other and graphic nature is too much for me. However, this book has the intrigue without the graphic and/or gratuitous violence.

Let's start with the characters first because characters are always what really are the draw for me. First, we have Narsi. He's the optimism in our story, a bright young physician who may be a little too trusting for his own good, but is smart and sincere. Then, Atreau, who is a talented spy who poses as an author of smutty, but historical novels. Fedeles who was once possessed by dark magic and is still trying to recover from the trauma and Atriz, a man who is controlled by another through a mark of obedience. These are just our four mains, there are even more characters that we learn and see that are interesting as well. But, these characters are interesting. They all have their different personalities with secrets and stories to tell. I thought that the attraction between Narsi and Atreau was weak. It's not really based on much, but a meeting or two. I feel like that about their characters in general. Not that they're weak or poorly written, but more that we didn't get a ton of time with them learning their stories. They move along most of the action of the book and so there is minimum development of them. However, Fedeles and Ariz, I yearn for them! Their relationship and what they've both experienced is a large part of their part of the story and I love it. I'm a sucker for hurting, but strong men and I want them to make it both out of this alive.

The world building is great, but a bit overwhelming at times. This definitely reads like a story that's part of a series. Which after doing some more research there are definitely books in the same world as this new book that I think if were read first could make this book a bit easier to understand. There are rich characters with interesting stories that are just mentioned in passing and that can make stuff a bit confusing or hard to follow. There are multiple characters with similar J names not to mention there is also the medieval fantasy problem where one person has multiple titles and names which can make it even more confusing. However, there are written religions in this book that have a well describe history though it slowly is revealed to the reader. I also enjoyed the magic in this book. It's glanced over a lot, but whenever its included I'm also curious to read more on it. There's also some mild racism and hints at homophobia. Honestly, it was the worst in the beginning and honestly wasn't really necessary for the novel to be honest. It's just kinda shaken off and then never much mentioned again so I think the author could have ditched it all together and it really wouldn't have been a big deal.

I would say the diversity in this book is pretty good. One of the main characters is a man of color, all of our four main characters appear to be at least bisexual. We also have a side transgender character which I was very impressed with how the author handled to be honest. There was no misgendering or anything. Just comes out as part of the story so I liked that. There are also multiple character characters dealing with trauma. It's not heavily explored, but is definitely there.

If you enjoy political intrigue, LGBTQ+ representation, and a rich world then this is a great book for you. If you're looking for a gay Game of Thrones this is not for you. There is as mentioned before lots of politics and scheming even some minor death. However, the intrigue and plots are the main draw to this story as well as the characters not lots of fighting, backstabbing, and generally horrible people. Overall, I would highly recommend this book!

Short(ish) Answer: Hale started her story with schoolboys, but both her characters and her writing have matured a great deal. The weakest part of her, otherwise solid, worldbuilding has always been the magic. Unfortunate, since this is a fantasy series. Luckily, her characters have always been interesting, and that's helped pick up the slack.

However, I felt like I had a better grasp on the magic system in this book. That, along with Hale's skill in writing nuanced povs, have made "Master of Restless Shadows" the strongest entry in this series. As Hale focuses on complex characters and political intrigue, her writing really shines. Fedeles and Atreau are the latest Hellions to get fleshed out, beautifully so. New characters Narsi and Ariz are great additions to the cast.

Verdict: Definitely worth borrowing from your library.

!!SPOILERS!!
!!SPOILERS!!
!!SPOILERS!!
!!SPOILERS!!

<Longer, Spoiler-ific Rambling Below>

Much like Skellan in the last duology, Narsi and Ariz serve as more than romantic prospects for their respective Hellions. In fact, if you're going into this for the romance, be warned. It's actually pretty light on that. The characters are more focused on untangling the political webs they've found themselves in. There's definitely interest, and moments, but over all the romances between the main characters are pretty chaste.

Among a growing cast of characters, Narsi and Ariz's personalities and story arcs stand apart. They also tie further back into the series than you would expect. Where "Champion of the Scarlet Wolf" takes you out of Cadeleon to explore the world, this book takes you back. Hale further develops Cadeleon's history and culture. Important, considering she's set the stage for civil unrest and religious conflict.

There's also better representation across the board. While there's still no female pov (this ain't a knock on the series, just an observation), there's a lot more woman in this story. Ladies, courtesans, actresses, fighters, witches...they influence the story a lot. One of the most fascinating characters for me was Clara, sister of Hierro Fueres, and a tragic kind of horror. She reminds me a lot of Aeron Greyjoy from ASOIAF. Both characters suffer abuse at hands of their older brothers, and turned to religion as an escape. Clara is a dangerous zealot, and at times, deeply sympathetic.

Interestingly, the character I'm most ambivalent about is Clara and Hierro's older sister, Oasia. She's also Fedeles' wife. We're actually introduced to her in the previous duology, as the wife of Atreau's lover. Atreau also slept with Oasia, and basically everything spiraled downwards from there. However, what we end up finding out in this book, is that Oasia drugged Atreau and had sex with him, in order to procure an heir. It's discomforting to read. Namely because Hale doesn't seem to regard it as sexual assault. It really stands out, because the author is otherwise extremely aware about abuse/consent in her story. And it's extra weird, because it's so unnecessary.

Readers previously assumed Atreau and Oasia were careless and callous enough, respectively, to sleep with each other. And that was okay! It's very much in line with their characters in the story. Instead, Oasia drugged Atreau. And while yeah, that does cement Oasia as calculating, it also casts her as a date rapist. It's a decision that taints her character, who I would have liked. Hopefully, it's something Hale will tackle in the next book.

I did continue to enjoy Fedeles and Atreau, and I appreciate how the title relates to both of them. Fedeles, who's terrified of his shadow (witchflame/magic) and yet must learn to master it if he wishes to protect the kingdom and his loved ones. And Atreau, who does not possess magic, but is a spymaster. He works from the shadows and regularly makes decisions that cost lives. It was a great choice on Hale's part, to write these two together. They're a good team. And terrific characters on their own.

I liked the other entries in this series a lot, but "Master of Restless Shadows" is my favorite by a long shot. I can't wait for the next one.

*I received an arc of this work, in exchange for honest feedback.*

I’m certainly at a disadvantage for having not read any (books) of the Lord of the White Hell universe, either the “Lord of the White Hell” or “Champion of the Scarlet Wolf.” So if there are any unfortunate schmucks out there about to do the same as me: DON’T! Stop and look up “Lord of the White Hell” books and go from there chronologically! 😅

Foolish move aside, I’m not unfamiliar with Ginn Hale’s books - having read a few - and always found myself entertained by the books I read. This one is no exception.

The first book in “Master of Restless Shadow” series set in the royal capitol of Cieloalta and - while the blurb mentioned only two lead characters - told the story from four men’s POVs: Narsi, Atreau, Fedeles, and Ariz. It revolved around the intricately power game to win the throne of Cadeleon, while employing the aspect of diversity in races, religions, and prejudice which reflected - sadly - prevalent state of affairs anywhere even in modern world.

It would be hard to describe my full thoughts (on this book) without giving out any spoiler, so I wouldn’t try. Suffice it to say that this (book) is only the beginning and the closing chapter - while not exactly a cliff-hanger - not exactly resolving matter either. For every steps our MCs took their adversary seemed to be in the periphery ready to foil their effort. Which is why I just can’t wait for the next book to PLEASE hurry up and be here already! 😊


Copy of this book is given by the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you asked me whether I wanted to read a politicking fantasy with murder mysteries and gay characters, my answer would be fuck yes. Of course that’s something I want to read. So this was definitely a bit of a letdown in that respect.

Master of Restless Shadows is the first book in a sequel series, which, while not disastrous for understanding what’s going on, probably misses you out on a bit of the worldbuilding. Now, I don’t mind being thrown in at the deep end, usually. It’s just here, I couldn’t seem to keep the countries and churches straight, for whatever reason. Combine that with the denseness (or seeming denseness, could just have been me not paying enough attention) of the politics, and the basic worldbuilding (or lack of it) became kind of tedious.

But that’s not to say there wasn’t further worldbuilding done. Because there was. Boy, there was. It’s just it all happened in incredibly long and drawn-out conversations about politics and religion. And literature. And god knows what else, because honestly, I started skimming or even skipping some of the conversations. For the first two thirds of the book at least, I could swear nothing happened besides people talking. Someone died in the opening chapters and no one investigated, they just bloody talked. And then talked some more.

Which meant that the book just dragged. Combine that with the number of POVs (not convinced I need four in-depth POVs when the book itself is so dense anyway), and it just felt like the pacing was off. There was never a point where I got excited about where the book was going (except the end, when I got excited about finally being done). But it could have been so much more! The potential was there, but the execution wasn’t (for me at least. This is all subjective and mostly based on my sheer impatience when it comes to fantasy books).

Three other (relatively minor) points. Firstly, it’s implied Narsi and Atreu first kiss when Narsi is 13 and Atreu 19 (please correct me if my maths is wrong here). That just felt really uncomfortable to me, so I wasn’t the biggest fan of their relationship. Secondly, it’s really not necessary to mention a particular character trait every time you bring up a character (I’m talking about Fedeles, who, the first few times he’s mentioned, comes with the sort of epithet of “he hates physicians because of his past blah blah blah”). I got it the first time. Finally, this world comes complete with racism, sexism and homophobia! As if we didn’t already have enough of that. I have little patience for fantasy worlds that don’t just do away with that. Like, it’s a fantasy, you can have anything you want, and you choose to keep these things? But anyway.

Was there anything I did like? Sure, the writing and the characters (mostly). But unfortunately that wasn’t enough to carry the story for me in this instance.

Master of Restless Shadows by Ginn Hale // Or, The Gays vs. the Fantasy Church
★★★★☆ | This releases on my birthday, yo.

"For his part Narsi wondered how Lord Vediya managed to woo so many lovers when he so blithely and constantly implied himself to be riddled with merrypox."

➽ SUMMARY

⚔ Two M/M Relationships; all four have POV
⚔ Side Sapphics
⚔ Side Trans Man
⚔ Lots of Religion Talk; kinda parallel to Christianity & Rome/Vatican
⚔ Magic in a World without Magic
⚔ Court Intrigues

A childhood promise has led Master Physician Narsi Lif-Tahm to leave his hometown and journey to the royal capital of Cieloalta. Atreau Vediya, the man Narsi is chasing after, had a lot going on for him between the double life of a lousy author and the spymaster for the Duke of Rauma.

But with the royal bishop's attack on witches, a physician is exactly what Atreau needs to stop a war.

➽ THE CIELOALTA AND THOSE WHO LIVE THERE

The action takes place in a parallel Italy with the Crown and the Bishop wrestling for power. 

Long ago there was a big battle in Cieloalta. Since then the magic was cast out and the only acceptable version of it is channelled by the Church while the rest is treated as a heresy.

This places lots of power into the Bishops hands and lets him rid of inconvenient people.

We also get to see many aspects of Cieloalta while following four different protagonists.

Narsi is close to one priest that isn't awful so he brings the good side of the Church along with the world of medicine and his perspective of an outsider seeing Cieloalta for the first time along with us.

Atreau shows us the underground of scoundrels and artists. Sometimes both at the same time. He knows the secrets of the capital and he learns them both while sneaking around and partying.

The Duke of Rauma brings us into the official court life. The balls. The daily duties. Politics. We tour palaces and look at marble statues with him all the while whispering in someone's ear.

Ariz gets the worst parts -- the awful people living there. We see him struggle and suffer in silence and learn that there is evil even in the most beautiful places. Or especially so.

The POVs are focused on men but all of them rely on amazing strong complex women and even though they're not the focus of the story, their characters are really well developed.

➽ WRITING STYLE & PLOT

I skimmed a bit because of how it was written so I may as well join those.

This book will be great for people who love history. I hate history. There are so many names and titles and politics. I enjoy political intrigues but I have a goldfish memory when it comes to names so I couldn't get so into it when I barely knew who is who for a long time. 

But that is more of my personal failure so let's put it on the book's failures. It was interesting even though I didn't always know what was going on.

It was also rather slow, though my attention span is different than other people's due to my mental health stuff. You may enjoy the rich exposition. I couldn't stay focused for too long at a time.

What I really enjoyed about the writing style was that every POV had a distinctive voice. Each of those men had his own way of thinking and tone. Also, it's hilarious at times.

➽ RELATIONSHIPS

There were two relationships here.

The first one is Narsi and Atreau. They have kind of a budding romance and that at best; Narsi harbours his childhood crush while Vediya focuses on securing kingdom's safety and starts developing some interest in the other man but his past attempts at romance make him reluctant and he places his country above individual people.

The other is Ariz and Fedeles. And, well, now we have the longing and yearning guys! Those two are like magnets and desperately want some closeness in their lives. Ariz lives under difficult circumstances though and he can't hope from much from life so he can't even get the hint if it hit him in the face (also involving himself with the Duke would be dangerous for both of them).

➽ GENERAL FEELINGS

I'm interested in the 2nd book as well as the other books from this world but (in my opinion) it would profit from some stricter editing as it would be better shorter and faster-paced.

First of all, if you haven't read the books Lord of the White Hell 1+2 and Champion of the Scarlet Wolf 1+2, you should definitely do so before reading this book, in the order I mentioned. One, because they are brilliant fantasy queer books, two, because you might get confused if you try to start with this one. And third, reading this book will spoil you the first two duologies, because its a continuation in the same world with different characters, taking place several years after them.

This book certainly isn't an easy read - it takes place in an incredibly rich fantasy world, full of complicated politics and magic. The setting reminds me most of Florence and other Italian cities during Renesaince.

We have four main protagonists in this story, whose point of view alternate. First, we have young doctor Narsi, a newcomer in this city who has head full of plans for brilliant adventures. He really longs to meet his great idol, book author Atreau Vediya, who is known for being local Cassanova, who is our second protagonist. Atreau has played role in both previous duologies and is now a man in his thirties and more jaded than ever.
There are two more surprise protagonists and its mildly spoilery, so treat with caution. (see spoilers on my goodreads review)

All four characters are amazing, some you love from the first time you read their story, others later, when you finally understand them. Hell, basically every character in this book is brilliant, so vivid and life-like and likeable, with the exception of villains, who i hated with a burning passion of thousands of sun.

The plot is beautifully vowen and its a joy to untangle. Romance is sweet and it made me want to hug them all. (none of the protagonists are straight, btw.) Do not expect explicit sex scene, though, its not that kind of the book. (mayybee in the sequel?)

My only complaint is that the book ends a bit abruptly and I need. NEED. the sequel ASAP and I am literally dying over here.

5/5 stars!!

Did I expect to give any less to anything written by Ginn Hale?? Absolutely not!

First of all, I loved the first 4 books in the Cadeleonian Series, so of COURSE I was so excited when I learned there was going to be 2 more, and that we were finally (FINALLY) going to learn a little more about Atreau, his past, and what really happened to him during and after the events of Champion of the Scarlet Witch.

Having read the previous novels a couple years ago, I will admit it was a little bit difficult to remember all the specifics of them: the world, the characters, the drama... (solely due to sheer amount of the detail that has gone into building this world) but I slowly remembered as I was reading and it didn't detract from my reading experience as a whole at all. However, I would imagine that for someone who picked this up as an introduction to the series might have found the terminology Hale has created and the complex and intertwining background stories for each character a little harder to follow. (I would recommend reading the previous novels first, but it sounds like others found it was a good read despite not having the background.)

Overall, I LOVED it. I wouldn't--COULDN'T put it down. I would (and i HAVE) recommend this series to everyone! I am completely addicted to Hale's world and character building and the relationships between those characters (Skellen and Elezar were a personal fave, but I'm SO intrigued by Ariz and of COURSE I love watching my faves suffer, so I'm excited to see more of Atreau!!!).

The only downside to absolutely smashing my way through book 1 is that now I have to wait for book 2!!

Okay, this is a DNF but only a temporary one. The writing, characters, and plot has been amazing so far (I stopped at 20%) but I didn’t realize that this wasn’t the first book set in this world. I’m going to catch up on previous books and then come back to this.