Shadows and Shade by Amanda Cashure – A Second Look Review

Posted January 13, 2021 by Booksandblurbs in Fantasy, Reverse Harem, Reviews / 0 Comments

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Shadows and Shade

(Shadows and Shade – Book 1)

by Amanda Cashure
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

YA Slow Burn Fantasy RH
Available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited

Originally reviewed in 2019, but with book 5 out and Book 6 on the Horizon, I had to do a reread.

Down and Dirty

An entire new world to explore and fall in love with, ripe with Fantasy, Magic, new rules and a slow burn attraction that might bleed into love. Free on Kindle Unlimited.

What is it about?

(Blurb from GoodReads)

Shade’s life is pretty ordinary as an indentured servant working in the isolated lands for Lord Martin, a master who is anything but kind. Until one day when the deliciously handsome Elorsin brothers arrive, save her life, and drag her into the forest from which only scary crap ever comes out of.

Commander Pax can’t deny that something about Shade calls to him.
Killian thinks a mere mortal won’t survive long in the world of the Silvari, a race that’s gifted with strength and powers that Shade has never seen before.
Roarke thinks she’s cute and would make a good pet.
But her biggest problem is Seth – who thinks she’s the perfect tool to help him play a prank on their enemies… without his commander knowing.

A prank which goes incredibly wrong, forcing them to learn to live with each other. Respect each other, value each other, and ultimately, love each other despite the well-known fact that mortal and Silvari pairings only end in one way – death.
Whilst battling the rules of their world and figuring out how Shade can fit into their warrior quartet, they must also survive the wicked ruler who’s slowly sucking the life from their realm, destroying the ruling hierarchy, and burning the magic from their protective borders.

Let’s not forget Seth’s crazy stalker ex-girlfriend who’s trying to eliminate her competition – Shade. What match is a mortal against an Elite warrior who will stop at nothing to kill her?

In Shadows and Shade, book 1, Shade and her Elorsins need to stay alive long enough to get out of the White Castle and track down a Potion Master who just might be able to release them from the invisible force that constantly threatens to end Shade’s life.

Note From Publisher

This is a fantasy series with a slow-burn why-choose romance, meaning Shade will not have to pick between her men, and both the emotional and physical relationships take time to develop. While the relationships are extremely important, the content is also dedicated to creating a detailed world that is filled with characters who will grow, change, and work their way into readers’ hearts.

Books 1-3 will be categorized as YA, so there will be a limit to the graphic nature of any sexual content and no trigger warnings. Starting with book 4, the Shadow and Shade series will build to NA with the potential for sexual content and for a trigger warning. But they will remain true to the characters, and be a natural progression of their relationships. Currently, there is no mm or mmfmm content projected for this series.

There will be spin-off books, bonus material, extra chapters and a variety of content (some of which is very much adult) which will be available through the Facebook group and the authors other platforms. Check out her website, or her Facebook group, for more information.

Thoughts on Shadows and Shade

I really enjoyed this YA tale, though it did lose one star as some of the political content was confusing and had to be read a couple times. Might just be me though.

Otherwise, this was a solid fantasy RH that excels at the slow-burn while building the mystery of who Shade is and why she might be important. I felt a slight similarity to Curse of The Gods and The Power of Five, but more like an homage rather than a copy. And seriously, who wouldn’t want to tip their hat at those tales? This does that, but still stands apart.

This series has been updated with new covers – equally gorgeous. I bought the set, so for some reason my Kindle has opted not to update the covers – but just know, they are stunning! Same color scheme too.

Amanda Cashure is also writes under the name Cassandra Webb.

Pros:

She’s Funny! Really, really funny.
The guys are actually easy to differentiate.
New world.
Only YA thing about this is the lack of sex and violence, the actual writing pattern and thoughts are adult.
Feels almost obvious…. but is it?

Cons:

Some parts are disjointed or confusing.

Perspective

First Person, limited multiple POV

Ending Type

Cliffhanger

Rating

PG-15 (YA Appropriate for now)

Romantic Dynamic

FMMMM

Character Age Range

18+

Verdict

4 out of 5 Stars

Enjoyable and entertaining introduction to a new fantasy world. Fans of Curse of the Gods, The Veil Diaries and The Power of Five will probably love this! Free on KU.

Shadows and Shade

Published August 10th, 2019
372 Pages

If you enjoyed this review of Shadows and Shade, please consider checking out a few of my other articles.

Your Turn

What are you reading today? Have you read this yet? What do you think? Amanda Cashure has one vivid imagination, right? Leave a comment, I’d love to talk!!