Circle of Shadows (Circle of Shadows, #1)

by Evelyn Skye

A thrilling new fantasy series full of magic and betrayal—from Evelyn Skye, New York Times bestselling author of the Crown’s Game series.

Sora can move as silently as a ghost and hurl throwing stars with lethal accuracy. Her gemina, Daemon, can win any physical fight blindfolded and with an arm tied around his back. They are apprentice warriors of the Society of Taigas—marked by the gods to be trained in magic and the fighting arts to protect the kingdom of Kichona.

As their graduation approaches, Sora and Daemon look forward to proving themselves worthy of belonging in the elite group—but in a kingdom free of violence since the Blood Rift Rebellion many years ago, it’s been difficult to make their mark.

So when Sora and Daemon encounter a strange camp of mysterious soldiers while on a standard scouting mission, they decide the only thing to do to help their kingdom is to infiltrate the group. Taking this risk will change Sora’s life forever—and lead her on a mission of deception that may fool everyone she’s ever loved.

Love, spies, and adventure abound as Sora and Daemon unravel a complex web of magic and secrets that might tear them—and the entire kingdom—apart forever.

• ISBN10: 006264372X
• ISBN13: 9780062643728
• Publish Date: 21 February 2019 (first published 22 January 2019)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 13 March 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc
• Imprint: Balzer and Bray
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 464
• Language: English

Reviews

[tweetybugshouse]

I thoroughly enjoyed the uniqueness of this story as a fantasy it really stands out among the ones i read.  Heading into to 2019 it nice to see a fresher take on the fantasy genre.  We have Taiga warriors who can weave magic and are superior warriors but they can not do both,  that is significant cause the evil Ryu do not have that same hang up they can use magic in a vastly superior way. 

This story is perfect in that it was epic, deadly and it will make readers feel nervous, scared and terrified of the outcome. I love books that can draw me in and have me sitting on the edge of my seat not wanting to put the book down.   I love that their were some really nice twists and turns that were hinting at in the beginning but by the time they showed up i had forgotten the hints.  I like being surprised and that i may know how the ending gonna play out but the author gives it a nice twist so it not quite as predictable.

They could of been some more description on the magic system at the beginning like how gemini bonds are formed and why these new ryu have this magic how no one could not know about it before.  I am hoping for some more background in maybe a novella or in the next book.

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

I hadn't DNFed a book in a year and a half before I dove into this one. And I can honestly say I've never been sadder to not finish a book. But it simply was not going well. And I think this could very much be a case of "it isn't the book, it's me", so please take this into account. Sometimes I don't get along with fantasy as much as other genres, and sometimes it's definitely me!  I made it to about.... 20% before I called it. And I hate calling it, as you know.

But I just couldn't. I didn't care about the magic or the characters. And it felt kind of similar to the author's first series? Different location and such, but yeah. I could also tell where the romance was headed, the whole "we're bonded so rules say we can't be in love" bit, and I find that incredibly frustrating to read, so that didn't help.

Bottom Line: I just couldn't care, try as I might. So I stopped, rather than hate it and being more sad.