Summary
Deep within the forests of Nyn’Dira, darkness rises, and Neer finds herself hunted at every turn. Fleeing from relentless enemies and vicious creatures of darkness, she embarks on a treacherous journey through the dangerous woodlands in search of strength and salvation.
As the humans push further into the forbidden lands, the Nasir and his men close in, finding strength in the blood of the innocent. With the balance beginning to shift, Neer is caught in a war she was never meant to be in, and is forced to make a decision that could change the tides of fate, or cause it all to collapse and burn.
Review
Shadows of Nyn’Dira is an epic entry into the Fallen Light series, where the author has truly come into her own and established the series as a must read.
I enjoyed the first two books of the series but did have minor quibbles. Mostly with the extremely fast pace and non-stop action preventing us from spending enough time with the characters. Any issue I did have with the first couple of books have been completely resolved with Shadows of Nyn’Dira and the series has reached its excellent potential. While still containing plenty of action and intense sequences, we finally get time to really slow down and just be with the characters and all the crazy things they are going through. Neer, Avelloch, Aella, and the rest of the crew have gone through some terrible things and are dealing with immense personal and external struggles, and we are able to connect with them in a much more intimate way than ever before.
While the first two books are set at a whirlwind pace, they do establish the foundation that lets this book breath and reach new heights. I know the author has said that she views the pervious in the series almost as prequel novels, building the world and lore, and introducing the cast. I would have to agree that it does feel like that in certain respects. The worldbuilding of the series is truly immense and epic, but since most of it has been built earlier in the series, we don’t have to worry about it as much in this novel, but we still get to enjoy the fruits of the author’s labor. I am a huge worldbuilding nerd and I have fallen absolutely in love with the world the author has built here. The magic, the different cultures and species, the dark creatures, they all work together to create a truly immersive world that make you feel like you are living in it while reading the book.
I will also note that this is the darkest novel of the series yet, and I’m not sure things will get much better any time soon. It is darker both in the state the world has fallen into, as well as the emotional state of our main protagonists. It is not however, dark simply for the sake of it, the author uses it as a means of exploring some very personal issues with all of our characters. Neer is struggling with the dark magic inside of her and the fear everyone, including those close to her, feel towards her. Aella feels like she is failing in her mission as savior and most force herself to not feel any negative emotions. Avelloch, Klaud, Y’ven, and the rest of our motley crew all have their own personal strife that are dealt with beautifully in this novel and depicted in very emotionally poignant moments. And with how the novel ended, I’m quite sure there will be plenty more hard times ahead for our beloved characters.
I had a fantastic time reading this entry in what is quickly becoming a favorite series. Whereas the worldbuilding was the highlight of the previous novels, the characters stole the show in Shadows of Nyn’Dira and I am so happy that we had the opportunity to get closer to them. This book solidifies the series as one I would recommend to any fantasy reader, and I cannot wait to see where the author takes us in the future.