A Twist of the Blade

Shadows and Crowns, Book 2

By: S.M. Gaither

Narrated by: Jesse Vilinsky

Who is Casia Greythorne?

Still reeling from an unimaginable loss and the revelation of an identity she isn't sure she wants to embrace, Casia has one plan: Try to control the strange magic awakening inside of her. Mastering that magic will take her and her friends on a quest through cursed lands, into the dwellings of old gods, and deep into a Southern empire filled with deadly foes and unlikely allies.

Meanwhile, the foundations of the Kethran Empire continue to crumble. The king-emperor clings to his crown with increasingly bloodied hands. Monsters and soldiers alike stalk Casia's every step, determined not to let her return to claim a throne that is rightfully hers. Still, the greatest threat to her possible rule may not lie in the king-emperor, but in a former captain of his army - a man with whom she came dangerously close to falling in love.

Elander Revenmar thought he knew who he was. He had a mission, a plan, a god he was content to serve. Then came Casia. A woman as mysterious as she is dangerous. One he should have stayed away from and whose life he never should have saved.

Because salvation always comes with a cost.

And some debts can only be paid for in blood.

©2021 S.M. Gaither (P)2021 Tantor

Pleasantly impressed!

Book one was good, book two - wow oh wow did I find myself devouring this read! This book explored way more of the lore, the mysterious power in Cass, and didn’t waste too much time with the “you lied to me so I hate you now” trope thankfully. Am I the only enemies to lovers girlie who is starting to burn out on this particular scenario? 😅 This sequel was everything I needed to get re-engaged with this plot. I hung on for the characters, but now we have plot too - chef’s kiss!

Method: Audio 🎧

Characters: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Plot: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Spice: 🌶️.5

Narration: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.5

Not as much romance as I wanted

I really thought the romance would increase as the books continued, but it was about the same. Fantasy was great though! Storyline is getting better and the mystery continues!

So beautiful

I loved everything about the story! just enough magic to keep it interesting, enough romance to fall head over heels, and characters you will want to keep😍

Loved the characters and plot!

I love the narration, the accent of Elander* was perfect, reminded me of an Irish twist. Plot definitely keeps you guessing. I loved this as a second in the series but could be read as a stand alone!

Gripping

Well written, suspenseful. A powerful tale on par with the excellent storytelling that is the norm for S. M. Gaither. The narrator bright the book to life and made it addictive listening.

it's a good book

it's a good book, but it's unbelievable how selfish the MC is. she's angry with the person who killed the man who was torturing her, and not because she wanted to do it herself but because he was murdered painfully wtf?. there's so many other things I would like to complain about but I feel like I might spoil certain things

That ending??

That ending was rude, so it's a good thing I have the next book lined up. I loved this continuation. The banter is so fun. The found family, even though they have their issues, is wholesome. I again was able to predict a lot of the plot twists but it's still fun to watch them play out.

What a story!

Great writing and an engrossing story! I was not expecting these books to grab hold of me the way they have!

Dude.

I reviewed the first book and I loved it. I don’t know if I’ve ever said this before for any author but… I liked the second book even more. I was literally crying and now that I’m done I’m leaving this review and immediately buying number three. Also great performance. Really great performance.

Better and better!

This series keeps getting better and better. I have been absolutely devouring it. I can’t wait to read what happens next.