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Book Review: The Shadow of Theron by Kathryn Troy

The Shadow of Theron by Kathryn Troy

Published February 28, 2023

Goodreads

Blurb (Provided by the Author)

The powers of old are fading. A new Age is dawning.

 Holy relics are all that remain of Theron's sacred legend. 

 Now those relics, the enchanted weapons forged by the Three-Faced Goddess to help Theron defeat the wicked Sorcerer Argoss, are disappearing.

 Lysandro knows the village magistrate Marek is responsible, and he searches for proof disguised as the masked protector the Shadow of Theron. 

But when Marek wounds him with an accursed sword that shouldn't exist, Lysandro must find a way to stop Marek from gaining any more artifacts created by the Goddess or her nemesis. The arrival of the beautiful newcomer Seraphine, with secrets of her own, only escalates their rivalry. 

As the feud between Lysandro and Marek throws Lighura into chaos, a pair of priestesses seeks to recover the relics and return them to safekeeping. But the stones warn that Argoss is returning, and they must race to retrieve Theron's most powerful weapon. But as they risk their lives for a legend, only one thing is certain. The three temples to the Goddess have been keeping secrets: not just from the faithful, but from each other.

 Wheel of Time readers and fans of Sarah Maas, Saladin Ahmed, and Trudy Canavan will delight in this fantasy adventure duology infused with romance. 

My Review:

I don't often say yes to book review requests these days, but this one ticked all of my boxes: Fantasy novel? Check. Strong female characters? Check. Assorted heroes on a hunt to retrieve mystical artifacts to defeat an apocalyptic villain? Check. 

This is classic familiar Hero's Journey stuff, comforting to any fantasy aficionado, but Troy has a lovely lush writing style and deftly meshes a Dungeons and Dragons type world with moments that seem more in tune with a contemporary fiction or romance novel. I found it utterly charming when the hero and heroine go on a date (via carriage, natch) to a museum, and of course, discover an ancient painting that holds a clue to a long-unsolved mystery. And of course, it felt refreshingly modern for the heroine to defend her beloved mystery novels, and when the hero takes her to a bookstore and buys her an entire stack of books. The more Dungeons and Dragons moments, complete with a sword that thrives on the blood of its victims, a warrior priestess that splits bad guys' heads like melons, and a mystical priestess (cleric?) that conjures all the runes, feel more grounded as a result, creating a world that feels exceptionally detailed.

Besides fantasy and romance novels, The Shadow of Theron echoes comic book tropes: the protagonist, Lysandro, also known as the Shadow of Theron, is a masked vigilante. Like Batman or Iron Man, Don Lysandro lives a double life as a pampered nobleman and eligible bachelor by day, and a defender of the people by night. His lady love, Seraphine, has a similar duality--sheltered noblewoman fresh home from a finishing school she did not actually attend, more intent on helping solve a mystery for her secret friends than finding a husband. Furthermore, the reader gets the villain's, Lothan Marek, perspective as well, sharing his dastardly deeds and unmitigated evil. Like many comic book villains, Lothan has no redeeming qualities and seems to exist only as an admittedly terrifying ultimate boss for the hero to defeat (we are talking literal godlike weapons and powers--hit points probably off the charts).

The Shadow of Theron contains a crowd of characters to root for and weaves moments of intricately imagined wonder and romance amid the more typical blood, guts, and high stakes of an epic fantasy novel. I don't personally care for having a villain's viewpoint when he is clearly irredeemable, but others may like the perspective his viewpoint gives on the many secrets of this world. I would definitely recommend the book to fellow fantasy readers, especially those who, like me, are also fans of other genres, and I eagerly await the sequel (also kind of excited that it's a duology so I get to know the end sooner than the more usual trilogy format!). 

Received for review from the author; all opinions are my own.

More Information About the Author (Provided by the Author)


Author Bio:
I'm a history professor by day, a novelist by night. I like to write what I read - fantasy, romantic fantasy, gothic fiction, historical fiction, paranormal, horror, and weird fiction. Horror cinema and horticulture are my other passions. When I’m not reading or writing or teaching, I'm gaming, traveling, baking, or adding some new weird creepy cool thing to my art collection. I’m a Long Island native with one husband, two children, and three rats.

Where to Find Me:

Blog: Lady Bathory’s Closet

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