I always enjoy a character who sticks his nose where it probably doesn’t belong and gets into all sorts of trouble. Colin Briggs accepts a job to find an ancient and dangerous grimoire, The Swords Shadow. Pretty soon into his search he realizes that he’s in way over his head and that he’s not the only one on the search.
This was definitely a paranormal book with some fae and magic, but there wasn’t much world building. We saw each experience through Colin’s POV and that was all we got of this world. No background and not much explanation. But I didn’t feel as though I was missing anything, there was just enough to keep me intrigued without getting bogged down by all the details.
I always love Lanyon’s characters. Of course, we have the loveable, underestimated guy who is too curious and ambitious for his own good, Colin. And yeah, it was told from his POV. Then we have the mysterious, tough, analytical thinker as the love interest, Septimus. Their romance wasn’t the main focus of the story but their interactions were fun and it made for a great read.
The mystery was top-notch. There were tons of players in finding this ancient book, all wanting to find it for different reasons. It kept me guessing all the players until the end.
Magic, mystery, loveable characters and a little bit of romance. Great combo.
