More Story: Shadow Mage

Shadow Mage (Blacklight Chronicles #3) by John Forrester
ebook
Published: September 2012 by Amber Muse
Source: Author
Read: December 2012
Goodreads, Amazon, IndieBound

In the third book of the Blacklight Chronicles, John Forrester has shown a lot of growth as a writer and storyteller. I felt that the plot in Shadow Mage was more fleshed out. We get more of an understanding of the universe John has created.

My niece reviewed Shadow Mage in October and at that time she told me that if someone hadn't read the first two books, they would be totally lost. I have to agree with her. Very little time is given to bringing a reader "up to speed". I recommend reading the first two books again right before reading this one, especially if it's been a while.

 Talis, after having brought the black crystal to Naru, is an outcast from the Order of the Dawn. They allow his magical training to continue, but only with the most obscure (read very old) teachers. The rift between royal families grows deeper and some dark alliances have been made. Talis, Mara, and Nikulo have maintained a friendship (there might be more than friendship between Talis and Mara).

While always an action packed adventure, John Forrester slows the pace slightly in Shadow Mage in order to provide more of a back story and fill in some missing gaps in the reader's understanding of this universe - something I had been hoping for since Fire Mage (read my review). For this reason, I think I enjoyed Shadow Mage more than the other two. While it is still a dark tale, it wasn't quite as dark as Sun Mage (read my review) and there is more of a message about the power of friendship and love.

A free book was obtained from the source mentioned above in order to provide an honest and free review. Girl Who Reads is an advertising affiliate with Amazon and IndieBound; a small fee is earned when purchases are made using the above links.