The Brightest Shadow: The Brightest Shadow, Book 1

I was lucky enough to score a beta reader copy of this book and I absolutely loved it.Anyone who has read my works knows that I enjoy playing with classic tropes. Among my favorites is the classic story of the Hero and the Dark Lord, equal and opposite forces destined to clash and tear the world asunder.Most of my favorite incarnations of this trope tend to be in the form of Japanese games and literature — things like Maoyuu, for example, which is a love story between the Yuusha (Hero) and Maou (Demon King) of that particular setting. I’ve seen a couple Western stories that tinker with this trope in interesting ways — Mistborn is “what if the Hero failed”, for example, and the Traveler’s Gate Trilogy is “what if someone else from the hero’s tragic backstory village decided to do something about the Demon King himself”.I’ve written a few takes on this trope myself. An early short story sent to my mailing list was about a geriatric Dark Lord’s surprise birthday, and I wrote a “summoned hero” style story for the Art of War anthology. I’ve even got a secret project on the way along these lines, too.But, in spite of my general love of – and familiarity with – these tropes, I wasn’t prepared for The Brightest Shadow.The Brightest Shadow by Sarah Lin shows us a world where humanity co-exists with a different (and sometimes dominant) humanoid species called the mansthein, or, as humans often call them in traditionally derogatory fashion, “deathspawn”.The “Hero” is a legend of a destined human who will rise to throw off the yoke of “deathspawn” oppression, obliterating the Dark Lord and his foul servants. For some, the Hero is a source of hope, inspiration, and joy.But for the mansthein — and those humans who are seeking peace between the species — the Hero is something else entirely. They’re a horrifying force of nature, a whirlwind of death, destruction, and insanity that consumes all within its path.Never before have I seen the legendary chosen Hero depicted so convincingly as a monster. Every hint of the Hero’s arrival filled me not with hope, but with dread.Would our protagonists survive the Hero’s bloody rampage? Was peace possible in a world where the Hero threatens with every breath to tear it asunder?That, my friends, is our story—In The Brightest Shadow, our protagonists aren’t Heroes or Dark Lords.They’re simply trying to find a way to endure the collateral damage between them — and perhaps find a way to give the world some hope of surviving their inevitable clash.***With that overview done, let’s get into some details.The story is third-person, multi-perspective. There are a couple main perspectives, as well as several peripheral ones. The author does a fantastic job of making each perspective feel subtly (or, at times, not-so-subtly) distinct, so we get a better idea of what the head space of each character might feel like.There are two people I’d consider to be the “main” characters. Both were excellent and easy to read.Tani is a member of tribe called the Nelee and in the midst of a coming-of-age journey to learn about the world and return to her tribe. She’s a proactive and likable character right from the start of the story, and her comparatively isolated background makes her a great lens through which we can learn about the world.Slaten is a former swordsman who is attempting to turn his life around by working as a medic…poorly. As the story progresses, he’ll have important choices to make in terms of the kind of life he wants to lead and the people he wants to choose to support.The characters have interesting dynamics with several other cast members, both each other and including several major supporting protagonists (and antagonists). They both have interesting interactions with the central Hero legend, too, but I won’t get into that in too much detail. That would spoil the fun.***For those of you who read my own books for the progression mechanics involved, you’ll probably enjoy this book. Tani, Slaten, and many of the other characters go through training, learn new techniques, and progress in power just like you’d expect to see in my stories or other progression fantasies.Style wise, the flavor here feels very Cultivation flavored, but with interesting and distinct cultural distinctions within the setting itself. Different cultures treat their training differently, learning different techniques and having different philosophies on how exactly power improvements should work. Reading those distinctions and people experimenting with learning new techniques was a delight to me, and I think anyone who enjoys Cultivation novels will feel similarly.There aren’t quite as clear of power level tiers as you’d see in something like Cradle or Arcane Ascension, largely because of those aforementioned cultural distinctions. There are clear power differences between characters, and there are some ways to measure them, but it’s clear that those measurements only present one part of the picture. Something like Traveler’s Gate or my own War of Broken Mirrors would be a reasonable comparison.Personally, I found this style extremely engaging, and I found the clear improvements throughout the story to be very satisfying. In particular, a couple specific techniques proved extremely relevant to the core narrative and immensely important for the development of one particular cast member.***I liked Street Cultivation, one of this author’s previous works.I loved this book. I’m absolutely hooked. The ending was fantastic, and I can’t wait to see what the future brings for this new world.In the meantime, I’ll just have to hope that the Hero doesn’t doom us all.

So I loved this book. I did feel as if there was some barrier preventing me from truly feeling as if I was beside the characters, but honestly I really can’t articulate why.Additionally, I felt that some events took place too rapidly and others just took a little too long.All that said, I loved the world building, fight scenes, and overall mysterious horror theme that the author has cultivated. Heroes aren’t always perfect nor are they sane in this book. Definitely would definitely recommend this to a fellow progression and Eric fantasy enthusiast/ reader.

The author gives just enough foreshadowing that I kept engaged chapter after chapter waiting to see what would happen next. The scenes keep moving, but it isn't at all predictable how they will turn out. As one gets further into the story you see how this is masterfully planned out with detail and new characters.I quickly warmed up to the main characters. My favorites are Tani and Slaten. I like the way Tani is a keen observer and has measured responses to what is happening around her. It is great to see how the two are dedicated in practicing their skills, and the way they cover each other's backs when in battle. Another character I like is Kolanin. There is wisdom and delightful humor cleverly woven into the conversations.The author plans some unexpected plot twists which throw the reader with such a paradigm shift that one is now questioning other conclusions drawn. I was then rethinking through the past sequence of events seeing everything in a new way. It definitely builds the suspense towards the climactic scenes. And of course we are wondering what our favorite characters will decide, or what horrible fate awaits those characters we are not so fond of. We hear about the sacred texts of the various groups and wonder who is stealing them and for what purposes. This isn't a shallow, easy read, but has some real depth in the way different viewpoints and allegiances play out in their decision making and strategies in the attacks.This novel develops the age old theme of how each of us struggles with the violence we see within ourselves. Many groups wish for peace in the areas where they live. There are many books in children's literature promoting peace. There are also many theology books and history classes discussing war and peace. Our sacred texts deal with the issue of our violent tendencies and teach us to work for the good of all people. The Brightest Shadow is a fresh look at this tension for a group which may not read or be touched by discussions on these in the earlier mentioned books.Another underlying theme is our facing our own mortality. At one point Tani reflects: "As she stared at a thick bank of clouds, Tani found herself in the forest in front of her master. One of the many lessons that she had not understood at the time, a tale of facing death. Now the meaning finally came to her, as if she had stumbled upon the door that matched a key she had been carrying for years."We are all influenced by the Heroes in the society around us. We would benefit from working to remain clear in our thinking and our making decisions. Readers deal with how we will let these influences bring out the words we speak and our actions in how we live. Many choose to grab power and fame. The author skillfully develops this theme asking, how do we use the power and influence we have to help make the world a more peaceful place? These questions are asked in new ways for a new audience.While wrapping up the first novel, the reader is presented with new questions which leave us waiting for the sequel in order to figure out the answers. I can't wait for the second one in the series to become available!

This is a great book, with an interesting and well paced story story. It is filled with compellingly flawed and convincing characters set in a well thought out world. It takes an interesting spin on generic fantasy tropes to leave you invested in the story and the people in it.

Wow, the story and the characters are so interesting. A breath of fresh air after going through so many books with 'game worlds', with the typical story lines. The characters are varied and with internal motivations. The action was also very well described, I liked reading it instead of just more words that were mere decorations for the end result. I also like how the author relates certain mundane events in a more summarised manner instead of padding it with more text. It really makes the text worthy of my time reading them than most of what I've been reading lately. Except for her Street Cultivation series which I couldn't relate to, this and her Weir key series are making me a big fan. This one in particular, I find has more depth in story and characters and I think is the one to watch out for.

It was slow to really grab my attention at the start but it wasn't hard to keep reading. Once I got a third of the way through it really had me, but not in a way that I couldn't out the book down. Which was quite nice because reading long books that you can't put down can be really tiring.Overall a great cultivation / magic mix with a unique perspective on an age old story. Can't wait for the next one!

With most progression fantasy, you get to pick two: likeable characters, interesting progression, or a compelling plot. In the Darkest Shadow and her earlier Street Cultivation, Sarah Lin removes any need for that choice.The Darkest Shadow is an excellent read with worldbuilding that both satisfies the plot and leaves you wanting more. The characters are well-developed and continue to grow and change as the story progresses. I can't wait to read the next book in this series.The main flaw I found is in the character motivations. [SPOILERS AHEAD] our heroes get pulled into the resistance through Hero brainwashing but continue to fight for it genuinely, for reasons that never seem to be elaborated. Unless I missed it, there is never a clear reason why they're fighting for one side as opposed to another, considering how much they all value understanding and peace.

Was a little different to what I was expecting but had some nice twists in the plot and good character development throughout.Overall an entertaining read, looking forward to reading book 2