Today I am so thrilled to host The Son of Shadow by John Menahan on behalf of The Write Reads. I must also apologise for the lateness of my post. Thanks to The Write Reads for my invitation and Lightening Books for the copy of this book.
A world of faeries, leprechauns and dragons – and magic fuelled by the blood of trees.
A mystery portal to the Real World.
And a pair of curious young adventurers who know they shouldn’t step through it…
Meet Fergal the Second, nicknamed ‘two’. Or ‘Doe’, in his own language. He can do magic. But, for the moment, he’s forgotten where he’s from. Or what’s happened to his blind friend Ruby.
He’s actually from Tir na Nog, the enchanted world of Shadowmagic, where a new generation of the royal House of Duir are cheeking their parents, preparing for adulthood and itching to see the Real World for themselves – whatever the peril.
Son of Shadow is a fantasy book that explores Celtic mythology. This is not something I know a lot about so was eager to dive right in and learn more. John Lenahan is an author I have never heard of. I loved the cover and the synopsis of this book so I went in with an open mind and enjoyed every second of reading it.
One of the best things about fantasy, for me, is the world-building within it. The world-building in Son of Shadow swept me into this world so quickly. His descriptions are vivid and detailed. This is a great example of an immersive fantasy with an original tale too.
The characters are impressive too. Our main character, Doe, when we are introduced to him, doesn’t know who he is or where he is from. I enjoyed discovering everything about him alongside him. The fact I felt we were almost a team as things came to light. There is also a cast of female characters who kept me intrigued along the way. Each character is created with their unique voice and they each play their part in the story.
This tale is even more impressive with the magic system within it. I found it so intriguing. This is different to others I have read about and brings more depth to the story. The folklore captured my imagination and layered with the characters, the magic and the detailed writing I lost hours while reading this book. That’s a sign of a really good book, in my opinion anyway.
I have to say, I am so happy that I got the chance to be introduced to John Lenanhan’s writing. I am pretty sure I am going to be checking the other books he has written. If you love a great fantasy, with folklore, magic and characters that feel real, pick up this book soon.
sharonbeyondthebooks.uk 
Fantastic review, Sharon! xx
LikeLike