Blog Tour (Book Review): The Shadow Watch – S.A. Klopfenstein

Hello!

Today is my stop on the blog tour for ‘The Shadow Watch’ by S.A. Klopfenstein organised by Storytellers on Tour, and I’m delighted to share an extract as well as a chance to win a copy of this book for yourself.

I hope that you will check out the book and the author, and enjoy the rest of the tour with the schedule in the banner below or (HERE).

*Disclaimer: ‘I was given a copy this book in exchange for an honest review, all views are my own.’*

Book Summary:

A fierce sorceress on the run. A charismatic rebel with dangerous ambitions. Will their revolution save the realm or bring it to ruin?

Ripped from her homeland and sold for a handful of coins, seventeen year old Tori Burodai grew up a slave in a foreign empire. All her life, surrounded by injustice and cruelty, she has ached for the chance to fight back.

When her only friend’s life is threatened, a buried power awakens, catapulting Tori into a harrowing new reality. For the first time in centuries, magic has returned to the world, and Tori may finally have the opportunity to change her fate.

Desperate for answers, Tori joins forces with a charismatic rebel bent on righting the scales. Soon, she is thrust into the heart of a magic revolution. But magic is not the only power that has returned from the depths of the world. And some secrets should never be uncovered.

War is coming. But does Tori have what it takes to defy an empire?

Filled with complex characters, slow-burn romance, wild plot twists, and epic battles, the Shadow Watch series is perfect for fans of Throne of Glass and the Grishaverse.

Welcome to the breathtaking world of the Shadow Watch, where sorcerers are hunted, monsters rise out of myth, and the fate of all hangs on love and betrayal. Start the Four Book series now!

The Review:

The Shadow Watch was a fun read, and while it stayed squarely within the familiar margins of fantasy it was a story that feels as though it has a lot of potential.

The worldbuilding was my favourite part of the book and was what immediately hooked me into the story with the prologue and the first chapter. I am generally a fan of worlds where magic has been restricted or disappeared apart from a few traces, and I liked how it was done here, with the creatures attracted to it use. I loved the array of magical creatures in this world, and the tension that they added to the world. As with much of the book, there is so much potential in the world, especially as the characters get to explore more of it and we get to see more POVs, and the ending very much expanded upon that potential and I cannot wait to see where else Klopfenstein takes us in this world.

Tori was a character that I was not sure about at first, but while she does tread the line between tropes, there was something about her that I ended up really enjoying. There was a strength to her, shown during her captivity at the hands of the Chancellor that I liked – and as dark as that time was, it was what firmly pulled me into her story, and I enjoyed following her journey as she learned more about her magic. However, it was her friend Darien who was probably my favourite within this book, separated under dire circumstances, his path took a darker turn, and it felt as though his character arc had the most change and the most impact on his character from the young man we met at the beginning. It was a path that I had not expected, and I’m looking forward to seeing whether this is a path he can come back from, or whether he will embrace what he’s been shaped into. Beyond them, I appreciated the antagonist – Cyrus Maro – although I disliked him intensely at the beginning, but as we learned more about his motivations, felt well-realised and enticing in his manipulations of those around him.

The prologue and opening chapters do an excellent job of drawing you into the world and the plot, and the imagery of the Gallows at the beginning was gripping. I alternated between the audiobook and the eBook for this one, and I found that the narration while good, slowed the pacing more than it was in the book itself – particularly when it came to the fight scenes, and I found myself preferring the eBook for those parts particularly in the middle part of the book, but towards the ending, as everything came together and the world began to expand I found that both versions clicked with me a lot more and I consumed the last thirty percent or so in one go.

Overall, this was an entertaining read with a lot of potential, and a world and characters that I want to follow through into the other books.

About the Author:

S.A. Klopfenstein grew up on a steady dose of Tolkien and Star Wars. As a child, he wrote his first story about a sleepwalking killer who was executed by lethal injection. He lives in the American West with his wife and their dog, Iorek Byrnison. He can be found exploring the peaks of the Rocky Mountains, or daring the halls of the high school where he teaches English and mythology.

Social Media:

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Goodreads

Purchase Links:

Amazon UK | Amazon US | Audible