Book review: Shadowcaster

BOOK two in the Shattered Realms series, ­Shadowcaster revolves around Alyssa ana’Raisa, the heir to the Grey Wolf throne of the Fells, a queendom embroiled in a seemingly endless war.
Alyssa, or better known as Lyss, is a reluctant heir but the death of her sister, followed by her father and her brother leaves no one else available.
Hardened by too many losses, the last straw came when an attempt on her life is foiled.
She decides to go on the defensive, hoping to end the war that has raged her whole life. It’s do or die but Lyss is ­willing to gamble on it.
Her plans take her across enemy lines into the mining town of Delphi where Captain Halston Matelon has been fighting for his king since ­childhood.
But lately, his father’s reluctance to support the crown any longer results in him being sent on more dangerous ­assignments.
Caught between his ruthless king and the rumoured witches and wolfish warriors of the North, Halston is in an impossible ­position.
Put aside the fact that all the ­protagonists are teenagers, the action comes fast and furious.
As a ­second book, ­Shadowcaster stands on its own until ­towards the end when characters from the first book start to appear.
If you had read the first book, Flamecaster, you’d be able to relate to the characters and that will help enhance the storyline.
But on its own, Shadowcaster is still an enjoyable read although there’s a ­cliffhanger.
Let’s hope the third book will not take too long to appear.
Author: Cinda Williams Chima
Publisher: HarperTeen
ISBN: 9780062662910