In Shade and Shadow, by Barb and J.C. Hendee, is the beginning of a spinoff series of the Noble Dead saga.
Following her long journey with Magiere, Leesil, and Chap, Wynn finally returns to her guild. But instead of believing her stories and ancient texts that she has brought back, the guild acts like she is crazy and takes away the texts. When a couple of young sages are killed while carrying one of the folios, Wynn immediately believes it was an attack by a Noble Dead (vampire). But why would a Noble Dead be interested in old writings? What secrets do they hold?
I was glad to hear that the Noble Dead series was continuing in some form, as it was one of my favorites. Because she always seemed so helpless and dependant upon her friends, Wynn certainly wasn’t one of my favorite characters in prior books. But she has changed. And we see her grow up quite a bit in this latest novel, when faced with overbearing guild masters and frustrating circumstances. I’m hoping her character continues to evolve into a strong, independent young woman.
Many new characters are introduced in this story, as the series left most of the familiar behind. The most interesting ones are the most mysterious. And as before in this dark fantasy series, plenty of danger and suspense surround the mysterious as well.
The return of a former love interest, of sorts, to Wynn was the highlight for me. Their conflicting feelings and natures are tragic yet hopeful. And with a fantastic climactic ending, this new spinoff series is off to a great start. I can’t wait to see what else lies in store for Wynn and her companions.
I had always seen Wynn as a minor character that was used to move the story along at points through her relationship with Chap. However, I have just finished reading this book and have a different opinion of her.
I think the story does a good job of showing the continued development and maturity of Wynn. We saw some of this in the previous series when she started to find her own voice and stopped being just a tag along. Yet she remains Wynn the Sage and they did not attempt to turn her in to a character like Magiere.
I do not want to spoil too much of the story but I think enough has been said for readers of the previous series to realize that Chane is involved in this book as well. If you didn’t read the previous series I would recommend it but this does stand on its own. I like how Chane was brought in and he continues to be my favorite character simply for his complex nature.
I cannot wait for the next book to come out. I started the previous series glad I would be able to read a whole set without waiting for the next to come out. I was dubbed. I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the next to come out.