Ahoy there me mateys!  I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Here be me honest musings . . .

I have only read one novella by the author and I loved it so I was excited to give his longer works a shot.  This is the start of a new fantasy series where the economy is run by glass magic.  It was a decent read for me and I will be reading the next in the series.

The characters were the best thing about the book. Demir (who feels like the main character) was a member of the elite and a promising general before a betrayal broke his mind.  He lives as a self-imposed outcast until his mother's murder brings him back into politics.  Other POV characters include Kizzie (a type of investigator), Tessa (who works with glass magic), and Idrian (a soldier who uses magic).  There is a larger cast portrayed though.  A favorite was Baby Montego who should come across as ridiculous but instead is endearing.  I also enjoyed that men and women are fairly equal in society.  The female characters in this book actually tended to be the more interesting.  None of the characters seemed to have a lot of depth but I was rooting for them.

But while I liked the characters, the rest of the book felt derivative and rather unoriginal.  Not bad per se but not enthralling.  The magic system of using glass felt rather boring overall.  The economy runs on it but I never felt that it was particularly practical or even widespread.  The rich families have a lot but can't use a lot because of the side effects.  The author's idea is that glass making is coming to an end and thus the economy is going to fall apart but I didn't really feel that the world is better off with it or that the stakes of it disappearing would frankly really matter after the initial shock.  The glass certainly didn't seem worth dying for.

The murder mystery of who killed Demir's mother and the other mystery of the secret society were also lackluster.  I didn't feel that there really was a big mystery and watching the characters flail around and make no real progress was frustrating.  And the reveal when it came was rather expected even if the overall why of it hasn't been explained completely yet.  And the bad guys all felt rather one-dimensional.

Also the book felt too long and dragged in many, many places.  I liked individual moments in character stories and the interpersonal relationships but the overall conflict felt cliché and rather short-sighted.  Aye, this book was flawed but I do not regret reading it.  I just think I was expected more given how much the crew loves the Powder Mage trilogy.  Arrrrr!

Possible Triggers:
Death (especially of children) | All the Violence

Summary:
This is the first book in the ‘Glass Immortals’ series.

Characters:
This story follows multiple points of view; Demir, Kissandra, Idrian, and Thessa.

Every single one of these characters was fantastic. There wasn't one that I was less interested in their story arc. Usually you get one or two characters when they feature multiple PoV’s that just don't really resonate with you, not so in the case of this story. I want to know what happens to all the characters.

Positives:
+ The prologue just tears right into you. What a way to emotionally drag you into the story and set the tone. The next chapters don't let up. It's basically a relentless hammering of feelings.
+ That magic system. I loved the limitations; the breadth and scope of what could be done. I loved that the magic could be manufactured (in a way) and that there were consequences to using the magic. I loved that there were long term effects that were time sensitive. A++ for having so many awesome aspects to the magic.
+ AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH the big reveal holy heck AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
+ I LOVE these fight scenes. SO EPIC. Guns! Swords! Stilletos! Mounted Dragoons! Cudgel fights! MAGIC BATTLES. Such a varied array of fighting taking place. Brian McClellan has the best damn fight scenes. I would love to read him writing a scene of my goblins fighting. I'm sure it would be positively epic.
+ Holy crap that Epilogue. Beat the crap outta the feels with the start and end it with a great big fish hook into my curiosity. Book 2 can not come soon enough.

Negatives:
- The only negative is that I don't already have a hard copy on my shelf.

Final Thoughts:
Holy crap, this book. I haven't binge read a book for a full straight 6 hours just to finish it and KNOW what happens at the end in a long long time. Finishing the book just had me sitting in silence for a long while wishing I could have someone to talk about the series with. I absolutely loved this book. It reminded me a lot of the tone and violence of Scott Lynchs’ “The Lies of Locke Lamora”, which is my favorite book. So if you enjoyed that book I think you will like this one as well. The story is fantastic. Heads up there is a lot of violence (it is set during conflict) and the violence encompasses EVERYONE. If you are sensitive to civilian casualties I suggest you take a lot of breaks (deep breaths, maybe with a favorite soothing drink on hand - i binged tea). Many of the things that happen in the book are really heart-rending. I loved all of the freaking characters. They are flawed and have distinct personalities and needs. I am conflicted on who I like most, but I think I have to go with Demir or maybe Idrian. The twist near the end of the book. Wow. Just mind blown. This was a mashup of all my favorite things with an awesome author at the helm. Buckle up buttercups! Be prepared to not be able to put this book down.

Guys! June has already brought me another book that will go on my Best Books of 2022 list!! Having seen the magic that Brian McClellan can work with the Powder Mage and Gods of Blood and Powder series, I had high expectations for In the Shadow of Lightning. And oh my, I could not have been happier unless I had the entire finished series in my hands at once. This book was incredible with an epic new magic system based on godglass, which grants the user enhanced intelligence, sight, strength, and even the ability to shoot razor sharp glass projectiles, but not without consequence.

AND THE POLITICS! I LOVE the politics between the guild families in the city of Ossa! I’m a big softie when it comes to vicious family rivalries, long held vendettas, and groups of powerful old geezers being outwitted by the upstart younger generation. It just warms my soul! 

Demir Grappo is at the forefront of that upstart younger generation when In the Shadow of Lightning begins. He’s barely past childhood and yet is leading a successful campaign against a rebelling territory until a traitorous miscommunication is sent out in his name to sack the city of Holikan. The Lightning Prince slips away into the outer territories for nine years, hiding from his mistakes and the event that broke him, only returning to Ossa when news that his mother was murdered reaches him. Demir finds himself the head of the Grappo guild family and thus responsible for their fortunes, properties, and retainers, but he also must find out who murdered his clever and compassionate mother AND take over the secret project she had begun. 

In order to complete these tasks, he gathers those he trusts most around him and here we are introduced to the other POV characters. Kizzie is a bastard daughter of the Vorcien clan and she’s currently out of favor, so when Demir offers her the opportunity to investigate Adriana Grappo’s murder rather than play beat cop she eagerly agrees. Not to mention, she, Demir, and Baby Montego have been close friends since childhood. Baby Montego is Demir’s adopted brother and world famous cudgeling champion (UFC, but fighters beat each other with cudgels). Montego is a terror to his enemies, adored by his fans, and will do anything for those he cares about. Then there’s Idrian Sepulki, a Breacher (human tank) who serves under Demir’s uncle in an engineering company of the Foreign Legion. Idrian is tough as forgeglass, and serves as the prime POV for the war between Grent and Ossa. He’s also slowly going mad as his witglass eye slowly loses its power. Lastly there’s Thessa, the only protege to a master siliceer (godglass developer) who was working with Demir’s mother to craft a phoenix channel. The phoenix channel was a theoretical design that could recharge godglass, which is quite important since the supply of material needed to craft it is running out.

There are so many layers to this story and Brian McClellan crafts and weaves these layers together in artful mastery. This book is a brilliant combination of detective work, war, and political intrigue much as with the original Powder Mage trilogy and frankly, it’s a combination I find totally addictive. It’s the ultimate combination of my favorite themes and the multiple POV characters bring everything together so seamlessly *chef’s kiss*. It was honestly tough to pick a favorite character, though Demir admittedly edges out the others just a smidge because I’m weak for overly competent, damaged characters. And boy-o, that ending was something else! The sudden appearance of eldritch horrors?? I am indescribably excited for the next book (currently my excitement level is at a frequency that could shatter glass). I’m about to go recommend this to every single person I know who actually reads books.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I can say that I have rarely been so disappointed. I am DNFing this book at just 15%. If I was to finish and give an actual rating I would give this a grudging 3 stars.

Coming off the Of Gods of and Powder trilogy that I absolutely loved this just is not on that level. I find the characters one-dimensional and flat. The pacing is sloppy and there is no emotional weight to anything. The aspects of the military and society are inconsistent. All I can say is that I am truly stunned by how much I have not enjoyed this story. Of the five chapters I have read, there have been immersion-breaking aspects in EVERY SINGLE ONE.

Just from the prologue to the first chapter we have a character from exile and back into society. With no real gap or time to sit with the consequences of the prologue. It seems to be the rule for this book rather than the exception. I hope I am an outlier here and that the book finds great success but this one is not for me

This was an interesting, new type of fantasy. I will admit, it was long and felt it. Some things didn't always make sense, and it took a bit too build, but overall it was something fantasy-lovers will enjoy.

I’m going to be completely honest: I didn’t go into this book with the highest expectations. I’d previously read the first book in McClellan’s Powder Mage series, Promise of Blood, and I thought it was just…okay. Didn’t hate it, but I didn’t absolutely love it either. I believe I ended up giving it 3 stars, which means I liked it. It wasn’t head over heels in love. ANYWAY. My opinion of McClellan’s books has done a complete 180—I ended up loving In The Shadow of Lightning!

Demir Grappo used to be considered a prodigy. Already a respected politician, military tactician, and powerful glassdancer in his 20s, Demir’s life is pretty good. But when something goes terribly wrong during a battle, Demir’s status as the renowned Lightning Prince is dashed, and he puts himself into a self-imposed exile with his confidence broken, giving up his stakes in his family and in the government. But the magic of the world, the magic of godglass, is waning, and Demir may have to go back to the life he abandoned in an attempt to save the world.

Listen. LISTEN! The magic system in this world was so cool! It revolves around a substance called “godglass”, which is blown in a forge like regular glass, but there are different types that give the wearer/holder different powers. The glass accentuates certain attributes such as strength, creativity, mental acuity, etc. The magic put me in mind of the magic of Allomancy in Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series, except in McClellan’s world, pretty much everyone can make use of the magic, except those with godglass aphasia. More rare are people called glassdancers, and these are people who can physically move and manipulate regular glass. McClellan’s magic system lent itself to some truly spectacular uses within the book: someone gets DECAPITATED by a WINEGLASS being manipulated by a glassdancer. Genius, just genius.

This book has a few different POVs besides Demir’s, and I found that I actually enjoyed each of them, which is rarely the case when I read fantasy with multiple POVs. Each of McClellan’s characters was well-developed, and I was genuinely invested in their plot lines. Thessa and Kizzie, a siliceer (godglass forger) and a family enforcer, were the two main female POVs, and I think that McClellan’s characterization of female characters has vastly improved since Promise of Blood and I appreciate that. A soldier named Idrian, and Demir’s own POV were also wildly intriguing. I also fell in love with Demir’s adopted brother Baby Montego, a retired fighter. He served as an excellent foil to Demir, and I loved the way he bolstered Demir’s confidence and always had his back. It would have been easy to make Baby Montego just a meathead, but he had an incredible amount of depth. I honestly loved each and every one of the characters in this book, and I can’t wait to see what their futures hold in the next book!

In The Shadow of Lightning has made me into a Brian McClellan fan, and while I’m excited for the next book in this series, I’m also ready to give his Powder Mage series another try!

4.5 stars

In the Shadow of Lightning was my first Brian McClellan book. The first thing that striked me was the writing-style. I was caught from the beginning. The prologue was so gripping and is on of the best I've ever read.

This book mainly focuses on Demir Grappo, a former general/politician, who left the society behind him during 9 nine years. He's forced to return to the capital to take his place as head of his family, and then the story really starts.

There are several plot-lines, each really interesting. I was never bored in any of them. I think it was well planed and executed. We never learn too much, but we also always make some progress.
I was pleased to see that I didn't see any of the twists coming ! I like being surprised by a book, and this one did the job well !

Demir was great character, maybe a bit too good (I wished he was more grey-ish), but he didn't felt naive in any way. He's very clever, passionate about his beliefs and loyal. He's also a tortured soul, and his trauma were well depicted. He allowed the author to develop themes that are often left on the bench in these kind of fantasy books.
Idrian and Baby are part of my favorite characters too. They are like bears, fightning like hell to protect their cubs and family.

One I have mixed feeling about is Thessa. I kind of like her, but there's something that bothers me.

I was surprised by the society depicted by the author. It was really egalitarian, both men and women were in position of power and same-sex mariage seemed to be quite frequent, or at least completely accepted. It feels to see this in a high-fantasy novel.

The magic system felt a bit simplistic, but has great potential. I hope it'll be more developped in the second, there's really something great that can be done with that !

The epilogue was awesome, really. It opens a lot of opportunities for the sequel to be breathtaking. I'll jump on the second book as soon as it is available !

Once again, McClellan creates a well-crafted fantasy mystery with lots of action, intrigue and a complex, unique magic system. The intense world building, multi-faceted characters and connected plots captured my interest and immersed me into the Glass Immortals series.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan-Tor/Forge for the eARC. Pub. Date: June 21, 2022.
#NetGalley #InTheShadowOfLightning

I want to start by thanking NetGalley and the publisher for my eARC in exchange for my honest review. Godglass, a material that is used to channel magics of different types. Have it and you have power, limits of it drive people to do anything to get it. Brian McClellan has written the first in a series where these are the background facts. Combine this with strong chatacters and his epic world building and you have In the Shadow of Lightning. I already look forward to book two!

4/5 Stars. Really cool concept. I love it in fantasy where magic is a finite resource. I love how that can mirror effects of climate change in our own world. The sci-fantasy vibes of this book and some of the characters just made this read so compelling for me. I hope Brian writes a sequel soon. I have theories and questions that need answering! Thank you, Net Galley, for providing me with an arc of this title!

I almost put this down after the prologue because I was worried it would be filled with senseless violence, but it wasn't and I am so glad I kept reading. I really appreciate how distinct and fleshed out McClellan's narrators are. It's rare for me to be equally interested in every character in a multi-character POV storyline but I cared about all of them and was invested in their wellbeing. The Guild families are clearly based on Roman pater familias, but McClellan applies his references with a light touch so the society is distinct in and of itself. I also liked the magic system being glass based, with specialised glass being used to amplify the abilities of otherwise non-magical individuals. It's more unique than anything else I've read in a while and I thought the creative physical penalty for too much magic use was cleverly done. I'm not completely sold on the twist at the end, because I would happily read several more books exploring the warring Guild families and the tenuous fate of magic, but it left me curious enough to want the sequel as soon as possible.

Thank you to Brian McClellan, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, and NetGalley for the eGalley copy of In the Shadow of Lightning.

Having been a fan of Brian McClellan for a number of years, my expectations were high; perhaps too high. While this first outing of his new series, The Glass Immortals, was a fun read and very enjoyable, it held the characteristics more typical of a newer author's earlier works: An incredible prologue followed by less-riveting prose, and incomplete characterization, world building, and and narrative arc. I can't bash the book, it's fun and worth the investment if you love McClellan, but perhaps if you walk into it knowing it's one of his weaker works the shock won't bog you down as much as it did me. Then again, I'm always hopeful for redemption in book 2, so you know I'll be reading on.

I went into this book after reading the majority of the books in McClellan’s Powdermage world. After enjoying those, I would have to say that this book was a bit of a let down.
That’s not to say that I hated it. Exactly the opposite. I did read it and I did enjoy it.
I just never connected with it. Aspects were good. I enjoyed most of the world building. The magic system was great. I never really felt any real interest in the characters. After the characterization from Powdermage, I expected vibrant and alive characters. Instead they just seemed to exist on the page.
A little disappointing.
Hopefully, that will be something that he can work on with book two in the series.

ARC was provided by the publisher—Tor Books—in exchange for an honest review.

Brian McClellan’s return to the epic fantasy scene is a good one, but it didn’t feel as explosive as his Powder Mage universe.

In the Shadow of Lightning, the first book in The Glass Immortals series, was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022. It has been three years since Brian McClellan concluded his Powder Mage universe series with Blood of Empire, the third and final book in his God of Blood and Powder trilogy. I have read the entirety of the Powder Mage universe, and since then, I have wondered what kind of series and world will McClellan create next. When I saw the cover art to In the Shadow of Lightning being revealed, the illustration done by Dan Burgess, my interest in it was sparked immediately. Plus, Brandon Sanderson, Fonda Lee, and James Islington (all three are some of my favorite authors) gave their praises for this book made me even more excited to read this. Sanderson even said this is McClellan’s best work to date! Unfortunately, I have to disagree with him. The book didn’t click as much as I expected it would.

The novel started with a super powerful prologue, and I was feeling incredibly positive that this would indeed be McClellan’s best book so far. But the compelling charm of the story seems to decrease quickly after the first 15% of the book. Demir Grappo is an outcast by choice—he fled a life of wealth and power, abandoning his responsibilities as a general, a governor, and a son. Now he will live out his days as a grifter, rootless, and alone. But nine years later, this is within the first two chapters by the way, when his mother is brutally murdered, Demir must return from exile to claim his seat at the head of the family and uncover the truth that got her killed. Demir must also find allies to help him accomplish this mission. As you can probably guess, a murder mystery is one of the main driving forces of the narrative. And was it done well? In my opinion, yes and no.

Here is my gripe with In the Shadow of Lightning. Everything just felt... okay. None of the stories, characters, or world-building, ever felt like they were poorly done. However, there was also nothing special about them. Outside of his urban fantasy novellas, McClellan has taken a break from traditional publishing for three years, I expected more out of him. And to put it simply, the biggest issue with this book is that the POV characters just felt so... okay. Again, they were there for the plot to move, but that's about it. I never felt invested in any of the character journeys. There were no characters I felt interested enough to read about like Taniel, Ka-poel, or Ben Stykes from his Powder Mage universe. Baby Montego was the only one that I felt was great. I personally felt like the writing in this book tends to be put aside too quickly to my liking. For example, as I said earlier, the event in the prologue plunged Demir into becoming an outcast. The assassination of his mother's understandably brought him back. But I never felt like he was truly remorseful or regretful about what happened nine years ago as he did in the prologue. Suddenly, he's back in charge, and everything just moves smoothly because of his intellect and power. This is just one example out of many instances in this book.

The world-building and actions were the best parts of the book for me. The world in this novel still felt similar to the industrialized/flintlock setting of The Powder Mage universe. And the hard magic system, godglass, was reminiscent of Allomancy from Sanderson's Mistborn. There are many types of godglass, and each godglass brought out different capabilities and power from its user: glassdancer. The creation and the usage of godglass were sections I highly enjoyed reading in this book. But then again, as I said, it felt like all the good things in this book never elevated to something more. In the Shadow of Lightning seems like a book that would be more enjoyable for those who haven't read many epic fantasy books yet.

This review is shorter than my usual reviews, but I really have nothing to add than to repeat what I said at the beginning of this video. In the Shadow of Lightning is a good start to The Glass Immortal series. Although the second half of the novel did show potential for the sequels to be better, due to my lack of investment in the characters and the gigantic number of books on my TBR pile, I doubt I will be continuing with the series anytime soon. Do remember, however, that I wasn't too much of a fan of Blood of Empire by McClellan, too, so there is always the possibility that I am on the unpopular side again. If you are a fan of Brian McClellan's book, do not let my review sway you from giving this a try.

You can pre-order this book from: Blackwells (Free International shipping)

You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions | I also have a Booktube channel

Thanks Netgalley and MacMillan for the eARC!

McClellan is an author that I really appreciate. I find his style, quick and incisive, without frills, and able to tell stories full of action and very exciting fights. With this book he did not disappoint me!

The story follows the pov of 4 different characters and the plot is not particularly complex...and neither are the characters. What is not missing is the action!
Everything is heavily focused on a murder mystery to which are added political intrigues and a war on the horizon.
A story that fits perfectly in this industrialized world where spies and backstabbing are the order of the day.
It is a fun, plot driven, fast-paced and engaging fantasy. I really liked the magic system, very intriguing indeed.

It's a 3.5 because I would have preferred a deeper characterization and some more details of worldbuilding but I'm really curious to read the next books.

Ok, In the Shadows of the Lightning is a spectacle. A full-on adventure with larger than life characters and plethora of action scenes.
They are completely over the top.
They are anime outrageous.
And that may be the best thing about it.

We are following Demir Grappo, once a shining star of Ossan Empire, now a disgraced general. The sudden death of his mother forces him out of his exile in countryside and back into the ruthless guild politics and wars of Ossan elite as he tries to uncover who was behind her murder. Soon he realizes she was entangled in a conspiracy to deal with a finite magic resource. Godglass reserves are dwindling and and it makes the most powerful individuals desperate enough to steal, commit murder or even start a war with neighbouring country hoping that Demir, the failure of a Grappo House, will win it for them.

McClellan have a reputation for writing fast-paced stories with cool fight scenes and his books are often recommended for anyone who wants flintlock fantasy setting with focus on military campaigns. So, for all Powder Mage fans out there, don't worry- McClellan didn't stir too far away from his signature style in new series- industrialized magic is still the setting he's most comfortable in. Factories in cities and grenades on battlefields mixed with magic of godglass that's right from Sanderson's school of magic systems.
Godglass is, simply said, a magically infused glass that augments abilities. For example, forgeglass augments physical strength and speed, cureglass augments healing, witglass augments mental acuity and so on. Since it's glass, it isn't really fit to be ingested, but it does require a contact with someone's body and it's mostly used by aristocracy in a form of earrings they put on and take off when they need to. Common folk just keep pieces of glass with them. They have a finite number of uses and once emptied they become useless. Hence, production of godglass is a booming business.
The Ossan Empire is ruled by Assembly of the most important people in the Empire: Heads of the guild-families. They put a great value on commerce, profit and negotiation, but it doesn't mean they don't employ the less civilized methods to come on top as well. It's a ruthless group of people and it's no wonder they see the issue of scarce material as a way to win over others.
It's a really fun setting to put equally interesting mystery in it and turn it into a conspiracy of epic proportions by the end.
Characters are extremes to fit that anime vibe I mentioned: Demir is incredibly smart, with Sun Tzu level of military strategy mind and he is a glassdancer (glassdancers can manipulate any type of glass and turn it in a weapon with a single thought which is why they are often feared and used as an ultimate weapon in a battle). He is not entirely flawless: he is vain and he can be hard-headed and rash, but mistakes he makes are the type of mistakes readers can understand. Thessa is master silicer, and she has those feminine power scenes because she leaves everyone in awe with her scientific mind and skill and she is invaluable for the cause. Idrian Sepulki is a Breacher- main infantry tool in a war and his arc is that hyper-masculinity ideal of badasserry and soldier camaraderie and noble actions. Kizzie is an Enforcer and she investigates for Demir the murder of his mother and she is just effortlessly cool. They are extremes, but I like the spectacle and it makes it easy to cheer for them. Hell, my personal favourite is not even a pov character: Baby Montego is a celebrity cudgelist and I like ironically named characters you take with you if you expect trouble.

This is not a book with overly complex plot or ambiguous characters or high brow writing. You have a murder mystery, backstabbing politics, a prison break, industrial espionage, war strategy, eldrich horror and romance mixed into it and I couldn't ask for more. The action is non-stop and it seems that main issue is resolved and another thing becomes the main issue several times over the course of the novel. It does take the severity of character's actions away, but I appreciated the fact that there wasn't a thing that was dragged for entirety of the novel. That made it more episodic in nature and some of it is messy, some of it ridiculous, but all of it was fun. :)

A good as the Powdermage books. This was a fun fantasy mystery with a ‘craft’ style magic system – in this instance Glass blowing! Great world building and well rounded characters. This was an engaging and interesting read.

"From Brian McClellan, author of The Powder Mage trilogy, comes the first novel in the Glass Immortals series, In the Shadow of Lightning, an epic fantasy where magic is a finite resource - and it’s running out.

Demir Grappo is an outcast - he fled a life of wealth and power, abandoning his responsibilities as a general, a governor, and a son. Now he will live out his days as a grifter, rootless, and alone. But when his mother is brutally murdered, Demir must return from exile to claim his seat at the head of the family and uncover the truth that got her killed: the very power that keeps civilization turning, godglass, is running out.

Now, Demir must find allies, old friends and rivals alike, confront the powerful guild-families who are only interested in making the most of the scraps left at the table and uncover the invisible hand that threatens the Empire. A war is coming, a war unlike any other. And Demir and his ragtag group of outcasts are the only thing that stands in the way of the end of life as the world knows it."

I'm always intrigued by worlds that have magic but are losing it.

Another enjoyable fantasy from Mr. McClellan, with a new setting and magic system. Fans of his previous Powder Mage series will not be disappointed.

For most of In the Shadow of Lightning, I thought it was your typical, sort-of generic, kind-of-typical fantasy book. And…then I got to the last five percent of the novel, and, uh, everything changed? Now, don’t get me wrong, In the Shadow of Lightning was never boring. It has a fantastic, unique magic system, interesting characters, and a plot that kept my attention. There were little hints, though, throughout the book, that not all was as it appeared. The ending, however, is just bizarre.

Look, I’m going to be completely honest. I’m struggling not to spoil this one, and I absolutely refuse to spoil it, because I feel like it will ruin the book for many people if I do! So if this review is vaguer than it should be, that’s my explanation.

At it’s core, In the Shadow of Lightning is a book about a mystery. Who killed Demir Grappo’s mother, and why? The answer is given, at the very end of the novel, so don’t worry about that. To get there, though, is quite the journey. We travel through an active war zone, through the city streets, and into nitty-gritty situations, all to figure out the why of the murder.

There are four POVs in this book, each bringing their own merits and opinions to the story. There’s Kezzie, a childhood friend of Demir, who he puts in charge of looking into his mom’s murder. Kezzie is frequently badass, and manages to figure part of the mystery out quite quickly. There’s Thessa, the siliceer who Demir rescues and sets to figuring out how to save spent godglass. She is incredibly competent, and she knows it. There’s Idiran, a grizzled warrior who’s going slightly insane after using too much godglass. He’s tired, and ready to retire, but he can’t. Not yet.

And finally, of course, there’s Demir.

Demir is a fantastic protagonist. He struggles with severe PTSD as a result of a backstabbing that killed thousands of people during a war campaign that he led. He frequently borders on being ‘too’ good at what he does, but eh, you forgive him, because he’s rather charming. He reminded me FREQUENTLY of Locke Lamora, from The Lies of Locke Lamora. I wouldn’t be surprised if McClellan was highly inspired by that character. Demir is a glassdancer — someone who can control glass, kind of like how an elementalist can control the elements. People with this talent are generally thought to be extremely dangerous. They are also incredibly rare. Demir doubts himself almost constantly, but it helps pull back on how good he is at, well, what he does.

There’s a lot to like in In the Shadow of Lightning, and I enjoyed reading it. I just wish, maybe, there had been slightly more clues as to where the ending was going. There are some, but they are few and far between, honestly. Overall, somewhere in the four star range…maybe a little over.