The narration of this book was amazing and the story was so well written. I usually shy away from fantasy but I really loved the world building in this book.

- I received a free copy of this book. However, this is my honest review.

I loved this book so much that I emailed the author when I finished to let him know how much I loved it, and subtly inquire about the sequel. I’m sure it wasn’t subtle, but he was nice enough to let me know that he’s still writing it . I shall wait patiently. I saw @worldswithinpages recommend it a few months ago, and she said it was funny and that + it already being on my shelves from Tor were the magic combo I needed to make me jump in. The magic system is complex, but easy to understand, there are battles and political schemes but it never feels heavy, and the characters are fantastic. Yay for fun, immersive fantasy!

found this book a bit hard to read and follow. Took me awhile to finish. I, normally, like fantasy books but found this book hard to believe. It did hav some good parts, that would hold my interest, but lots of areas where I thought it was wordy and just filling in space. Not my favorite read of 2022.

The characters in this book were so well done. I'm always first drawn to a story because of the characters and then the rest of my enjoyment grows from there. These characters were so wonderfully flawed and so multi-faceted that I just couldn't wait to keep reading to find out what would happen with everyone. We follow a few characters through this novel and I loved them all. We have the fallen and disgraced for military commander who has now returned because of a murder that he wants solved. We have his assistant/best friend who is dealing with her own family drama as a bastard child and trying to help solve the murder, and then we have a glass worker who is developing a new technology that will change everything forever. This was all just wonderful. I will definitely be picking up book two when it is released. Since this is my first McClellan book, I'll be heading over to another series while I want for book two to come out. Highly recommend for anyone who likes epic fantasy.

This book took me a long while to get through. I think that took away from my enjoyment. I liked the book, I really did. But when I put it down, I didn’t feel that need to pick it back up. I will still continue with the series but I hope the next book hooks me more.

The narrator was good. I did speed up the track, but I pretty much do that with all audiobooks because I think all of them are so slow.

The book/ story itself was really enjoyable; probably one of my favorite reads of 2022. The characters were great and there are a cast of them to keep track of. The world is well developed and the plot thought out. I'm looking forward to more books in the series,

First, I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book. I am leaving this honest review of my own will.

Okay… so. It was well written. But… I just couldn’t stay focused on this one. I’m not sure if it was the narrator or what, because it seemed to have great world building, but I just couldn’t stay into this one.

Good book and a fantastic story with great characters, wonderful worldbuilding, and an exciting plot

Just as good as the Powder Mage books which I enjoyed

This was another fantastic new series from Brian McClellan. While I'm a bit behind due to the sheer number of amazing new author's I've found in the past few years, McClellan will always hold a special place in my heart as one of my first "auto-buy" authors. I love his writing and characters and will read anything he writes, even if it takes me a little while to catch up! So here we are, this was so unique and I haven't been invested in such a cool magic system since Mistborn. I cannot wait to see what the sequel has in store.

DNF. Can't get into this at all, and I've tried countless times. Not sure whether it's the narrator, plot, or a combination. I wanted to love it, but every time I listen, my attention vanishes. I've listened to some belters recently though so I know it's not my concentration.

Thank you, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for giving me an ARC copy of this book for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings expressed are my own.

This is the first book in a new series by Brian McClellan. I have read his Powder Mage books and I absolutely loved them. This is a multiple POV series that uses a magic system that focuses on glass. I was so excited to get my hands on this one since I saw it was announced.

I will be honest with you that this is a hard review to write. This was one of, if not, my most anticipated book of the year, and I feel so let down. Maybe I just expected too much from this one, or maybe the blurbs of praise we saw for the book got me overhyped. I’m not sure, all I know is that I found the book lacking.

Don’t get me wrong, the book isn’t bad, and I still enjoyed it; however, I do not feel that this was his best work. When it came to the magic system, I feel like I am really missing something. I won’t go deeper because I am worried that I will accidentally spoil something.

I am a very character-driven reader, so I need to like the characters at least somewhat, so I was really disappointed when the only character that I really looked forward to reading about was Baby Montego. I believe this issue here is our main character Demir Grappo felt conflicting. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it's like the internal monologue and what the character does did not jive. Sometimes it felt like he was 2 different people. Maybe that is on purpose… I guess we will see what happens.

Will I continue this series? Yes, because I really hope it gets better and things are ironed out in the next installment.

If you are a fan of war epics you are going to love this one. Brian is fantastic at building complex worlds filled with complex battles and intrigue.
Damian Lynch does a great job of narrating and is super easy to listen to.

This was such an enjoyable start to a new epic fantasy series. I really enjoy Hard Magic Systems so this book was right up my alley.

As a student of Brandon Sanderson, this author is also known for writing similar concrete rules to how the world and magic work. The prose, story and character perspective were all quite strong. The plot was perhaps not especially new or unique but I felt it was well executed. I have never read Brian McClellan's work before but I am definitely interested in reading more.

I would highly recommend this fantasy novel to anyone looking for a solid new fantasy story with a fantastic magic system.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

4.5 stars. This book was really fun. It's full of political intrigue, a ticking clock, and an impending war. The characters were likeable (or quite unlikeable, which can be just as good), and the story moved at a good pace. If my life wasn't crazy right now this would be the sort of book I want to sit down with and read until I finish. Unfortunately my life kept getting in the way of my reading time!
It does end with a lot of questions to answer, so if series aren't your thing, be aware. I switched between the ebook and audio and love them both. The narrator does fun voices for the various characters and has a steady flow. This is not the sort of book I could listen to at a higher speed because the dialog bits are read at a speaking pace. Overall I really enjoyed this story and cannot wait for the next in the series!
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

This was supposed to be an ARC review but due to unforeseen circumstances i’m posting it late, but better late than never.


Despite posting this late, I was so excited to be approved for this book, as Powder Mage is one of my favorite worlds and I was excited to see Brian McClellan’s new world.

I liked it so much I had to order a physical copy for the shelf as well.

He did not disappoint! While as of right now Gods of Blood and Powder remains my favorite series from him this has potential depending on where he goes with the story.

This story is also a Flintlock Fantasy series, but as of now is not related to his previous world. There is a whole new glass based magic system, wherein different types of glass can augment physical or mental characteristics.

Part of the plot is driven by the fact that the glass that up until this point has been abundant in the world is starting to become more scarce, there is also a bit of a murder mystery, and some light political intrigue.

There are a couple small items that I felt didn’t make much sense, but having read his previous books i’m expecting there will be pay offs in the sequels.

All and all I think this is a solid opening to his newest series, if you haven’t read him before I’d still point you towards Powder Mage first, and then this one.

Damian Lynch absolutely kills the narration of this book, really bringing you into this world.

Big thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with a chance to get in on this book early. I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Brian McClellan is truly a master of political flintlock fantasies! In the Shadow of Lightning has it all from an interesting magic system to suburb world-building. There is even a hint of romance. Trust me, you won't want to put this book down!

As for the audiobook, I thought it was great! Loved how the narrator made the story flow and kept my attention throughout. A book can be a great book, but if the narrator of the audiobook falls flat, then I won't enjoy the story. Luckily I loved this narrator and enjoyed my listening experience.

I loved this book....

But now because I read it early, I have longer to wait for the next book.

It's not the powder mage.... and tbh, I went into this book just hoping it wouldn't flop. I actually like this world more.

I'm here for the Phoenix channels and shady/ evil conscription work camps and guild families and the gambling scene and glass rot.

I think it's easier to read a fantasy with lots of new world building for the first time & save audiobooks for re-reads & worlds I'm familiar with....I wouldn't have chosen audiobook over text, but dang! I love the narrator.

Next book when?

I have never read anything by Brian McClellan before but I am already anxiously awaiting the second book in this series. I loved the characters and the world building of this intriguing and manipulative world. The new creatures introduced as this book ends and the fate of the Grappo and their friends and family now hang in the balance. Hopefully it won’t be long to see what happens next. This book is a must read.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for sending me the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The prologue had me hooked from the start. IN THE SHADOW OF LIGHTNING is almost like GAME OF THRONES meets THE WITCHER. It is a great epic fantasy that has incredible world-building and conflict. The magic is some of the most interesting I've seen in a while. The concept of glass being used to heal, inflict pain, and do just about anything else you want it to is creative and unique.

The audiobook is LONGGGGG but great. The narrators do a good job of invoking emotion and really bringing the story to life. Although there's a lot of characters to keep track of, it eventually becomes easier to decipher who is who. There's politics, there's drama, there's a bit of romance, there's queerness - I mean it really has it all!

I do think that some perspectives weren't needed, mostly Adrian's. I liked his character at first but felt like it didn't add much to the plot and left me looking forward to other chapters more. My favorite characters were Demir, Kizzie, and Thessa. And the glass dancers? So cool!!!

This is my first Brian McClellan book and I'm really looking forward to reading the sequel. I can't wait to find out what happens to our characters and seeing the aftermath of the ending.

I have never read anything by Brian McClellan until this book. I will now read everything he has written. This will be a quick spoiler free review. This book has great writing dealing with political intrigue and epic battles. The magic system created using glass is quite unique. The overall mystery has a nice twist to be discovered. I strongly recommend In the Shadow of Lightning to any fantasy fan. It is a truly enjoyable read. A very good narrator for the audio book as well.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-the-shadow-of-lightning-brian-mcclellan/1139985280
Reviewed as Elodinfan

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58724872-in-the-shadow-of-lightning?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=qtQ2YcXLY2&rank=1
Reviewed as Tim