Whispers of Shadow & Flame (Earthsinger Chronicles #2)

Whispers of Shadow & Flame is the second book in the Earthsinger Chronicles by L. Penelope. Released 1st Oct 2019 by Macmillan on their St. Martin's Griffin imprint, it's 496 pages and available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

Even though it's the second book in the series (there's also a novella in addition), it works well as a standalone. I hadn't read any other work by this author and I had no trouble following the plot or the wonderfully complex and rich world building and magical systems. The author is gifted, especially with her descriptive prose and dialogue. I wasn't yanked out of the story one single time by clunky or unbelievable dialogue.

There is explicit (consensual) sexual content, so that should be taken into consideration. There's also quite a lot of violence. I liked that the book's female protagonist is strong, practical, and intelligent (despite being a coerced assassin). The book ends on a teeth gnashingly frustrating cliffhanger, so bear that in mind. Despite the frustration, I'm glad I read it and look forward to the next installment.

For readers who prefer their speculative fiction romance-free, this book does include a significant romance subplot.  The writing is superlative however, and the included romance element wasn't cringe-worthy or badly written at all.

Four stars. This is a gifted author with an intelligent and immersive story to tell.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.