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Shadow Baron by Davinia Evans

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justen's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

lanid's review against another edition

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adventurous

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

laelyn's review against another edition

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4.0

"Notorious Sorcerer", the first in Davinia Evans' The Burnished City series, was a complete surprise hit last year. I absolutely loved it, it was fun and creative with very cool lore and loveable complex characters, So of course I was more than happy to get the chance to read the sequel, "Shadow Baron" - and yeah, the fun continues!

"Shadow Baron" is a worthy sequel. All the things I enjoyed in the first book are still present, with the action turned up a notch. Siyon returns as the main protagonist, now thanks to the events in book 1 in a very different, much more powerful and responsible position. He has to both navigate the politics and find a solution to a new problem emerging from his actions as the different planes seem to become more unstable and unwanted visitors from them keep popping up in the city and causing chaos and mayhem. And all the while he's still grieving Izmirlian, whose involvement in the story despite not being part of it himself is really well done. Zagiri is back again, too, and her storyline is mostly a political one as well as she tries to change things for the less fortunate people in society, struggling at the same time with herself being part of the elite oppressing them. To be honest, her storyline was the weakest in the book and I sometimes thought it was a little too all over the place where it could have been much more poignant. Then there's Anahid, probably my favourite of them all, who suddenly finds herself entangled with the criminal underworld of the city. I absolutely loved her development in this book.

The plot is fast-paced and fun, the action exciting. A lot is happening especially in the final chapters and I did sometimes find myself hoping things would slow down just a little to let the events, and the characters, breathe for a moment. The world building gets expanded on, though admittedly especially the political landscape and sociological intricacies of Bezim society felt a bit superficial (which was most notable in Zagiri's chapters - which is probably why they were my least favourite).

Still, it was entertaining all the way through and I cannot wait for the third book.

Many thanks to Orbit and Netgalley for the arc!

lauralauralaura's review against another edition

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4.0

I really enjoyed the character development, relationship between characters, and world building. A mostly fun romp, even though the world has some authoritarian and segregationist features (just mostly revolving around the use of magic).

monicad4's review against another edition

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adventurous funny inspiring mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I am loving this series!! Great cast of characters, inspiring stories, a bit of fun and magic and adventure, and good pace to keep me hooked. Really excited for the next one.