Shadow & Storms (The Legends of Thezmarr) Review

Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

What is Shadow & Storms?

Shadow & Storms the final book in The Legends of Thezmarr, a completed 4-part epic, romantic fantasy. It is author Helen Scheurer’s debut series into the subgenre, having previously written YA fantasy. The main four books of the series need to be read in publication order they are: Blood & Steel, Vows & Ruins, Fate & Furies, and Shadow & Storms. Scheurer also offers a short prequel novella that describes the events leading up to our main character’s story in Blood & Steel for free. Sign up for Scheurer’s newsletter to receive the free prequel, An Alchemist’s Vow.

The series also contains a standalone book, Slaying the Shadow Prince which follows the story of important side characters and offers insight into the behavior and motivations of the main male characters. This book can be read in several places. First, it can be read between An Alchemist’s Vow and Blood & Steel for a chronological reading experience. It can be read after Blood & Steel allowing you to read in the publication order. Finally it can be read after Vows & Ruins. This is the author’s recommended reading order for maximum emotional impact.

The author is currently working on a spinoff series, The Ashes of Thezmarr which is intended to be a trilogy. This series can be read independently of Legends of Thezmarr, but will definitely spoil it for you. The first book of this series, Iron & Embers, is currently available with the next being released in July.

It is important to remember this is a dark, romantic fantasy intended for adults. As such, it touches on topics that may be sensitive or too graphic for some readers.

Shadow & Storms Summary

Shadow & Storms is a dual POV story following our main female character, Althea Embervale, and main male character, Wilder Hawthrone. Shadow & Storms picks up right where Fate & Furies left off. Having emerged from the Great Rite a lightning-wielding warsword, Thea must now find a way to free Wilder from the infamous Scarlett Tower. She’s teamed up with Talemir Starling, our favorite half-wraith, and is ready to tear the Midrealms apart to find him. Battle is looming over the Midrealms. Darkness is coming. And there is a very slim chance anyone is going to make it out of this conflict alive.

What did I like/not like about the book?

*** This contains massive spoilers.

I enjoyed this book overall. The beginning of this book was probably my favore itpart of the story. I enjoyed Wilder’s perspective from inside the tower and the plight of Talemir and Thea to find him. It was also fun to watch all of the characters come together in Narvaa to prepare for this war that seems almost impossible to win. How can a small group of soldiers and civilians possibly stand a chance against these monster who can only be killed by the warswords? They are faced against impossible odds that are only made worse by the disdain and prejudices among their own troops. If you’re favorite book in a fantasy is the finale where they prepare for battle and save the world- this is the book in the series for you.

The issue I had with this book was that the resolutions these problems were predictable and underwhelming. Most of them were based on miscommunications or the failure to question things in the beginning of the series. Thea’s entire character is driven by the fact that she knows she is going to die sometime in her 27th year of life. The problem for me was she 1. had no recollection of ever being told that’s what her infamous fate stone means and 2. everyone just accepted this as truth. Turns out she doesn’t remember it because it was never her fate.

It always bothered my that no one questioned the attempt on Artos’ life in Blood & Steel, the unexplained cold shoulder given to Thea by the Princess Jasira, and the acknowledgement that Jasira never told her whether or not she had magic. These turn out to be important points which made me like the series more as a whole.

Overall I enjoyed this book, but as the epic conclusion I didn’t find it as exciting as I wanted it to be. However, it did an AWESOME job setting up the spin-off series, The Ashes of Thezmarr, and I am very excited to finally explore Torj and Wren’s relationship.