The StoryGraph’s Onboarding Reading Challenge (read a book from your StoryGraph recommendations)—Beautiful Demons—Finished 3-10-2023
The StoryGraph Reads the World (Cuba)—Of Women and Salt—Finished 3-12-2023
The StoryGraph’s Genre Challenge (a sapphic romance)—She Who Became the Sun—Finished 3-22-2023
Beat the Backlist 2023 (about dragons or robots)—The Glow of the Dragon’s Heart—Finished 3-22-2023
Scavenger Hunt TBR Book Challenge (what is the most common letter in the title of the last book you read for this challenge. Find a book with a title that starts with that letter)—Even the Moon has Scars—Finished 3-23-2023
Scavenger Hunt (the prettiest book in your TBR)—The Watchmaker’s Daughter—Finished 3-23-2023
Popsugar Reading Challenge 2023 (A book about a vacation)—The Swap—Finished 3-24-2023
2023 TBR Toppler (the first book in a series)—The Last Artifact—Finished 3-26-23
2023 Monthly Themes (March of the Memoirs)—In the Dream House—Finished 3-1-23
2023 Reading Challenge (A book in a series you already started)—Catching Fire—Finished 3-27-23
The powers of old are fading. A new Age is dawning.
Holy relics are all that remain of Theron’s sacred legend. Now those relics, the enchanted weapons forged by the Three-Faced Goddess to help Theron defeat the wicked Sorcerer Argoss, are disappearing.
Lysandro knows the village magistrate Marek is responsible, and he searches for proof disguised as the masked protector the Shadow of Theron. But when Marek wounds him with an accursed sword that shouldn’t exist, Lysandro must find a way to stop Marek from gaining any more artifacts created by the Goddess or her nemesis. The arrival of the beautiful newcomer Seraphine, with secrets of her own, only escalates their rivalry.
As the feud between Lysandro and Marek throws Lighura into chaos, a pair of priestesses seeks to recover the relics and return them to safekeeping. But the stones warn that Argoss is returning, and they must race to retrieve Theron’s most powerful weapon. But as they risk their lives for a legend, only one thing is certain. The three temples to the Goddess have been keeping secrets: not just from the faithful, but from each other.
Wheel of Time readers and fans of Sarah Maas, Saladin Ahmed, and Trudy Canavan will delight in this fantasy adventure duology infused with romance.
First Line:
It would have been a pleasant day, if not for the hanging.
The Shadow of Theron by Kathryn Troy
Holy relics, given to the hero Theron to defeat the sorcerer Argoss, have been disappearing from temples across the land. Two priestesses, one a warrior and the other a mystic, have embarked on a journey to discover where the relics are going. Meanwhile, in the coastal village of Lighura, a rivalry between a wealthy don and an evil magistrate is reaching its pinnacle. Disguised as the vigilante, the Shadow of Theron, the don will discover something more ancient and evil happening. And at the center lies the truth about Theron, the hero who killed Argoss and formed legends. Will good triumph over evil? Or will evil usher in a new age?
The Shadow of Theron took forever to get going. It was slow; when I mean slow, it tiptoed along for about half the book. Usually, that would be a strike against the book. But in this case, it worked. The author created this vibrantly vivid world (which gave me Italian/Spanish vibes) with a rich culture and complex religious system. I was enthralled by it.
The main storyline focuses on Lysandro, his rivalry with Merek, his drive to prove that Merek was stealing the relics, and his obsession with winning over Sera’s heart. It was an exciting and riveting storyline that captured my attention from the beginning and held it until the end of the book. Under his vigilante persona (which reminded me of Zorro), Lysandro stalked and gathered evidence on Merek. There were some epic battle scenes, including the one at the beginning of the book where Lysandro was almost killed by a sword shard that had only been a legend. This storyline had a neat twist when Elias (Lysandro’s father) dropped a big bombshell on him.
The storyline with the relics being stolen, Sanico, the two priestesses charged with finding them, and their journey were captivating. Of course, the author didn’t hide that Merek was behind everything. The book is told from his point of view, and it is disclosed early on. I didn’t understand why the priestesses were getting their storyline until the middle of the book. Then a lightbulb went on in my head. The author was showing how disconnected the temples were. Instead of working together, there was infighting. How does Sanico fit into this storyline? Later in the book, he witnesses a horrific act of vandalism and murder. His testimony (and his holding off on executing Merek) ushers in the book’s last part.
There is an amusing play that lightens the tone of the book. When I read it, I called it (in my head) the intermission. It was a palate cleanser for the brain and foreshadowed what would come in the book’s last half.
I liked Lysandro in The Shadow of Theron. He was a genuinely good person looking out for the best of his village. As I mentioned above, his alter ego (the Shadow of Theron) foiled Merek’s plans over and over throughout the book. I wasn’t a huge fan of his obsession with Sera, but it didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the book. Once the author brought everything together at the end, Lysandro came out on top. Not going to say what happened, but it was pretty epic!!
I had difficulty getting to know Sera during the book’s first half. The author kept everything about her on lockdown. There were hints that the king (the doge’s brother) didn’t treat her very well, but the author never explained it. As for her romance with Lysandro and her infatuation with the Shadow of Theron, I was waiting for her to put two and two together. And I didn’t blame her for her reaction. If I wasn’t sure about her at the beginning of the book, the last half put my doubts to rest. She was a freaking boss when it came to Merek. I would have been whooping up a storm for her if I wasn’t in bed.
Sanico was a central secondary character until almost the end of the book. I liked him and wanted him to succeed at what he was trying to do. So, it was a massive punch to the gut when what happened to him happened. I cried over him. It was a shame, and I was so mad that it happened.
The other major secondary characters were the two priestesses (the Examiners) tracking down the missing relics. They had an almost impossible job, and they did it well. I want to see where they will end up in book 2.
The fantasy angle of The Shadow of Theron was well written. It wasn’t over the top (not a ton of magic or mystical beasts), and the lore made the nerd in me want more. I want to read more about Theron because what was revealed at the cottage was interesting.
There is romance in The Shadow of Theron, and it is Instalove. But the way the author stretched it out was alright. Sera made Lysandro work for her heart (it wasn’t Instalove on her end).
I want to give a heads-up about the trigger warnings I included at the top of this post. This book isn’t your typical high fantasy romp. Nope, it is a dark fantasy, and it does contain dark scenes. There are scenes of graphic death (the first chapter is a man being hung), torture (Merek does it to several people throughout the book, some are graphic, some are not), and rape (Sera’s mother is raped in front of her as punishment). If any of these trigger you, I recommend not reading this book.
The end of The Shadow of Theron was insane. While I did expect what happened with Lysandro and Sera, I did not expect what was revealed after their scenes were done. My jaw dropped. It was the mother of all twists and has made me want to read more.
I would recommend The Shadow of Theron to anyone over 21. There is violence and sexual situations but no language. Also, see my trigger warning paragraph.
Many thanks to Kathryn Troy for allowing me to read and review The Shadow of Theron. All opinions stated in this book are mine.
If you enjoyed reading this review of The Shadow of Theron, then you will enjoy reading these books:
I saw this meme on It’s All About Booksand thought, I like this!! So, I decided to do it once a month also. Many thanks to Yvonne for initially posting this!!
This post is what it says: Places I travel to in books each month. Books are lovely and take you to places you would never get to. That includes places of fantasy too!!
Bon Voyage!!
Please let me know if you have read these books or traveled to these areas.
Oremanta
Tanemba, Millory, Castle
United States
Connecticut (just outside Hartford)
New York (New York City, Long Island)
New York (New York City, Brooklyn), Pennsylvania (the Poconos), Indiana(Terre Haute, Indianapolis), Missouri (St. Louis, Kansas City), Oklahoma (Tulsa, Oklahoma City), Texas (Amarillo), Arizona (Bisbee, Tucson), New Mexico (Socorro, Las Cruces)
2023 Sami Parker Reads Title Challenge (book with direction in title)— Southern Rocker Boy—Finished 2-20-2023
2023 Sami Parker Reads Title Challenge (book with a season in title)—Summer’s Deadly Kiss—Finished 2-18-2023
Cover Scavenger Hunt (A Door)—Kurtain Motel—Finished 1-31-2023
The StoryGraph’s Onboarding Reading Challenge 2023 (Read a book you discovered via the community page)—Fine or Punishment—Finished 2-14-2023
The StoryGraph Reads the World 2023 (Columbia)—Lightlark—Finished 2-15-2023
The StoryGraph’s Genre Challenge 2023 (a nonfiction book about startups)—Lost and Founder by Rand Fishkin—Finished 2-2-2023
Beat the Backlist 2023 (cozy read or cover)—Her Long Walk Home—2-16-2023
Scavenger Hunt TBR Book Challenge (What color was on the previous prompt’s book’s cover? Read a book with the complimentary color on the cover)—The Demon Deception—Finished 2-3-2023
Scavenger Hunt (book written by a man using a woman’s perspective)—When They Came—Finished 2-9-2023
Popsugar Reading Challenge 2023 (A book you bought from an independent bookstore)—The Happy Chip—Finished 2-3-2023
2023 TBR Toppler (The newest book you own)—A Duke for All Seasons—Finished 2-8-2023
What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?
Personal:
I hope you all had a wonderful week last week. My week was interesting. Some things made me say, “Well, that will never happen again.“
We took our newest kitten to the vet on Wednesday (like I said in last week’s post). It is a boy, still named Kevin, he is very healthy, and his injuries have healed up nicely. He got his first set of kitten shots and is returning in two weeks to get the other half, plus his 1-year rabies. Then we talk about neutering him. He is still pretty shy, but we have been petting him a ton, and he is slowly realizing that we aren’t humans that will hurt him.
In other cat news, Tony (my orange and white cat) has a URI. He started sneezing and coughing on Thursday/Friday, and it got worse over the weekend. I took him to the vet yesterday afternoon, diagnosed him, and put him on antibiotics. If he hasn’t stopped coughing by tomorrow, I need to let her know, and she will give him another type of antibiotic. I was also told that his shelter background will make him more susceptible to URIs.
While there, I picked her brain about something that happened on Saturday.
My son had gone into our backyard to play/hang out when he came running back in. A raccoon was in the middle of our side yard, lying face down with its butt in the air. Seeing that this was the middle of the day and it looked like it was still breathing, I made him go in, advised my other kids NOT to go outside, and called the police. When the police officer arrived, he tried to get it to move. All it did was move its butt from side to side and try to lunge at him. I was told it would be Monday before Animal Control would be out (they have weekends off), and while I wasn’t thrilled, I understood. The cop’s supervisor’s boss wasn’t as understanding and lit a fire under AC’s butt (because numerous kids are in the neighborhood). They were out within the hour to get it. The AC officer told me it was either rabies or distemper, but we would never know because they were putting the raccoon down as soon as they got back to the shelter and wouldn’t test it because it didn’t bite anyone.
So, I asked my vet about distemper and how it was spread. She was intrigued (she did wildlife management before becoming a regular vet) and will get back to me. We feed two community cats (a big gray one-eyed tom cat and a small black tom cat), and I am worried about them getting it.
My kids had a four-day weekend last week, which I enjoyed. I liked catching up on sleep.
Monday (and I know I am all over the place with this post), I got an automated phone call from the school. Some dipshit emailed a threat to the main email account of our school system. The superintendent immediately put all nine schools on a code yellow lockdown (kids were not allowed to leave their classrooms/visitors were not allowed in or out of the school/police escorted all children out of the school to vehicles if dismissed). The lockdown was lifted around 2 pm except for the high schools. My older kids said there were police escorting the kids to and from the shuttles and, when school ended, onto the bus. They also did a staggered release, with parents being notified when the kids in that group were sent home (or needed to be picked up). I am curious to see if they find out who did it. And I am also beyond pissed off at that person.
Shows I watched this week: The Last of Us and OnPatrol Live.
What I Cooked/Baked: Nothing special this week.
Reading/Blog:
I am still ahead with my reading (yay me). But I am behind with writing reviews. Because my kids had two days off of school, I couldn’t write reviews those days. But I hope to catch up on writing them between Tuesday, today, and Thursday. Right now, I have five reviews that need to be written. Wish me luck on getting caught up.
I am also debating putting a hold on new review requests from indie authors until the summer. That way, I can catch up on all of my NetGalley reviews. I hate to do it because reviewing indie books was what I started off doing. But I do need to catch up with NetGalley. Uggh, I hate making decisions!!
I went ahead and premade my March posts on Monday. Am I the only one that is still in awe over the fact that February went by super fast?
The longest book I read this week: Was a tie between Her Long Walk Home and Death’s Queen. Both because they weretedious reads for me.
The shortest book I read this week:Summer’s Dealy Kiss. It was short, sweet, and to the point. What I like in a book.
Other Interesting Bookish News: Other than still working on my Goodreads shelves, nothing.
What I Recently Finished Reading:
Free Kindle Purchase—No Review
Reclusive. Grumpy. Irresistible.
Dr Jake McBride loves two things in life. His people, and chicken cheesy-crust pies. Returning from Iraq, he’s done with medicine and strangers… in fact life. He knows all about trauma, and plans on dealing with his, his own way. His needs are simple, solitude and working on his new career as the town recluse. The only problem with that… well two actually, are the interfering towns folk of Lake Howling, and Branna O’Donnell. He’s damn sure that her return means nothing to him… until it does!
His first mistake was kissing her. His second was doing it again.
Branna O’Donnell is burnt out and needs a place to stop running. Strange how that place is back where she’d once been happy. Settling in to small town life again comes with complications and the biggest has a serious attitude. Once the town golden boy, Jake McBride now wears a permanent snarl, not that anyone but her seems to notice the sexy doctor has changed.
Sharing a bed complicates things but no way is Jake leaving Branna alone until they find who is threatening her, and even then he’s not sure he’ll be able to walk away. He can feel himself changing, and it’s all on her, but when her past comes calling with it comes the realization that more than lust is involved. He’s not sure he can be her hero but he knows he wants to try.
If you enjoy your small town romance sizzling with a side of crazy, then Lake Howling is for you. Meet the real authority in town – the local book club – and Jake’s interfering hot friends. Swim (or skinny dip!) in the ice cold lake, then warm up with coffee and a mystery muffin at The Hoot Café. Plenty of feels and LOLS, all wrapped up in a town that will have you packing your bags to head there, from the very first page.
What I am currently reading:
Free Kindle Purchase—No Review
What would you do if you discovered your adored child wasn’t your child at all? That a mistake had been made in the hospital, and someone else took your child home, and you took theirs? This is the heartbreaking dilemma facing Abbie Bernard and Logan O’Connell — an impossible situation with no acceptable answer. Or is there? Both Abbie and Logan are desperate to protect their children and to keep their families intact. Can they find a way to keep both of their daughters? THE WRONG CHILD is a compelling, emotional and romantic story of the bonds that are stronger than blood and the choices that can only be made with the heart. Ripped from the headlines, it gained Ms. Kay thousands of new fans around the world, and was honored by The Romance Writers of America with a nomination for a RITA, its most prestigious award.
What books I think I’ll read next:
ARC from author—-review coming the week of 2-27
The powers of old are fading. A new Age is dawning.
Holy relics are all that remain of Theron’s sacred legend. Now those relics, the enchanted weapons forged by the Three-Faced Goddess to help Theron defeat the wicked Sorcerer Argoss, are disappearing.
Lysandro knows the village magistrate Marek is responsible, and he searches for proof disguised as the masked protector the Shadow of Theron. But when Marek wounds him with an accursed sword that shouldn’t exist, Lysandro must find a way to stop Marek from gaining any more artifacts created by the Goddess or her nemesis. The arrival of the beautiful newcomer Seraphine, with secrets of her own, only escalates their rivalry.
As the feud between Lysandro and Marek throws Lighura into chaos, a pair of priestesses seeks to recover the relics and return them to safekeeping. But the stones warn that Argoss is returning, and they must race to retrieve Theron’s most powerful weapon. But as they risk their lives for a legend, only one thing is certain. The three temples to the Goddess have been keeping secrets: not just from the faithful, but from each other.
ARC from Ballantine Books, review coming week of 2-27
A soul-stirring novel about what we choose to keep from our past, and what we choose to leave behind.
Olivia McAfee knows what it feels like to start over. Her picture-perfect life—living in Boston, married to a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon, raising a beautiful son, Asher—was upended when her husband revealed a darker side. She never imagined she would end up back in her sleepy New Hampshire hometown, living in the house she grew up in, and taking over her father’s beekeeping business.
Lily Campanello is familiar with do-overs, too. When she and her mom relocate to Adams, New Hampshire, for her final year of high school, they both hope it will be a fresh start.
And for just a short while, these new beginnings are exactly what Olivia and Lily need. Their paths cross when Asher falls for the new girl in school, and Lily can’t help but fall for him, too. With Ash, she feels happy for the first time. Yet at times, she wonders if she can she trust him completely . . .
Then one day, Olivia receives a phone call: Lily is dead, and Asher is being questioned by the police. Olivia is adamant that her son is innocent. But she would be lying if she didn’t acknowledge the flashes of his father’s temper in him, and as the case against him unfolds, she realizes he’s hidden more than he’s shared with her.
Mad Honey is a riveting novel of suspense, an unforgettable love story, and a moving and powerful exploration of the secrets we keep and the risks we take in order to become ourselves.
KU Purchase—Read for 2023 Monthly Themes reading challenge
For years Carmen Maria Machado has struggled to articulate her experiences in an abusive same-sex relationship. In this extraordinarily candid and radically inventive memoir, Machado tackles a dark and difficult subject with wit, inventiveness and an inquiring spirit, as she uses a series of narrative tropes—including classic horror themes—to create an entirely unique piece of work which is destined to become an instant classic.
Free Kindle Purchase—Read for Romanceopoly 2023
From New York Times bestselling author Jana DeLeon, the first in a new thriller series.
Everyone wondered about Shaye Archer’s past. Including Shaye.
Shaye Archer’s life effectively began the night police found her in an alley, beaten and abused and with no memory of the previous fifteen years, not even her name. Nine years later, she’s a licensed private investigator, with a single goal—to get answers for her clients when there aren’t supposed to be any.
And maybe someday, answers for herself.
Emma Frederick thought her nightmare was over when she killed her abusive husband, but someone is stalking her and tormenting her with mementos from her past. With no evidence to support her claims, the police dismiss her claims as post-traumatic stress, but Shaye is convinced that someone is deliberately terrorizing Emma…playing a cat and mouse game with only one goal in mind.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (for Cover Scavenger Hunt 2023—a bird)—Finished 1-1-2023
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth(for The StoryGraph Onboarding Challenge—-Read a book with more pages than the longest book you read in 2022)—Finished 1-17-2023
Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica (for The StoryGraph Read the World—Argentina)—Finished 1-17-2023
The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O’Neill (for The StoryGraph’s Genre Challenge—a contemporary or literary fiction novel with disability rep)—Finished 1-24-2023
The Reader by M.K. Harkins (for Beat the Backlist 2023—a backlist book)—Finished 1-24-2023
The Shape of Thunder by Jasmine Warga (for Scavenger Hunt TBR Book Challenge—Read the most recently added book to your TBR)—Finished 1-3-2023
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (for Scavenger Hunt—a book written by a woman using a male perspective)—Finished 1-19-2023
The Nightmare Man by J.H. Markert (for Popsugar Reading Challenge 2023—a book you meant to read in 2022)—Finished 1-5-2023
Lost Soul by Adam J. Wright (for 2023 TBR Toppler—a TBR vet)—Finished 1-3-2023
In Our Blood by William J. Goyette (for 2023 Monthly Themes—books that make you feel cold)—Finished 1-10-2023
Before the Coffee Get Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (for 2023 Reading challenge—a translated work)—Finished 1-11-2023
All Hallows by Christopher Golden (for 2023 ABC Challenge—A)—Finished 1-19-2023
The Family Game by Catherine Steadman (for Romanceopoly 2023!—read a thriller or mystery where one of the main characters are a detective or private investigator)—Finished 1-3-2023
Hello Stranger by Katherine Center (for 2023 TBR Prompts—a 5-star prediction)—Finished 1-16-23