The Walls of Shimar: A smuggler with nothing left to lose. A noble girl with everything to hide.

by Sam Clarke

A smuggler with nothing left to lose. A noble girl with everything to hide.

Mylo Durand knows better than to trust anyone—especially not highborns. But when he and his partner Skye land on the wrong side of a ruthless crime boss, they’re given one impossible shot at survival: smuggle two high-ranking fugitives out of Traxia before the kingdom burns.

The catch? Their path is laced with checkpoints, traitors, and a stretch of sea no sane person dares cross—unless they’re desperate enough to make a deal with Phoenix Kijani, a young pirate captain known more for bloodshed than mercy.

Keeping their feelings in check is just as tricky. Especially when one of the highborns turns out to be nothing like Mylo expected: kind, clever, quietly brave… and promised to someone else.

With soldiers at their backs, secrets piling up, and every escape route laced with betrayal, Mylo is about to learn that survival in this high-stakes fantasy comes at a cost. Some debts are paid in coin. Others in loyalty, freedom—even your heart.

Perfect for fans of Six of Crows, Throne of Glass, The Lies of Locke Lamora, To Kill a Kingdom, An Ember in the Ashes, Fable, The Gilded Wolves, Daughter of the Pirate King, Defy the Night, The Shadows Between Us, and These Hollow Vows — The Walls of Shimar delivers sharp banter, brutal stakes, and a slow-burn romance set against a sea of secrets.

***Book 1 in the The Outcast of the Six Kingdoms***
***Book 2, The Towers of Xakya, is available on e-book, paperback and Kindle Unlimited***
***A Page Turner Awards Finalist***

Genres: Fantasy, Magic

409 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 23, 2024

About the author

Sam Clarke is addicted to rock music, coffee, and Japanese manga. Her gardening skills are abysmal and she is rumoured to have killed a potted cactus. She currently lives in London next to a very noisy bar. Her first novel, The Twelfth Ring (a Page Turner Awards finalist and a BBNYA semi-finalist) reached #1 in the Amazon Young Adult Thrillers charts. Her second book, The Templar Sword (a Page Turner Awards finalist and Ink and Insights Judges' Favourite) was released on 7 June 2022 and hit the #1 New Release spot on Amazon US a week later. The Walls of Shimar, her first YA fantasy novel (also a Page Turner Awards finalist), was released in June 2024. It sequel, The Towers of Xakya, is out now.
Follow Sam on Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/sam-c...

Reviews

[Abbey Broderick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! This is a 4.5 read for me.

Where to start... The book was a serious page turner. I found myself emersed in the story and could not put it down. It very much gave me Six of Crows vibes and we all know that is never a bad thing.

I loved the characters and the magic system was fascinating. It had good world building and it was well written.

My only criticism is that the ending felt rushed. No cliff hanger it just ended. It was so close to being a 5 star read.
It ended abruptly, leaving the reading wanting the second book. Seriously I need the second book already!

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves YA fantasy and Six of Crows.
Sam Clarke did a fantastic job with this book and I cannot wait for the next one.

[Liz Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story! This book kept me entertained from start to finish. I found myself reading, “just one more chapter” and staying up far too late.

I really enjoyed the characters and the dialogue. I found myself laughing in some parts. Sam did a good job on the main character’s backstory and more is revealed as the story progresses. I’m hoping to see more on Leni. I enjoyed her character progression as the book went on and felt there was more to be told. Same with Skye.

The magic system is slowly revealed as the story progresses, but I’d like to see more on what powers do what.

I felt a bit overwhelmed initially with the information provided as the book starts, and the ending felt a little bit rushed, but the rest of the book was well paced and kept me engaged.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book. I’d rate it at 4.5 if I could give half stars. I’m looking forward to the second book in the series and will definitely read it.

I received an advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Gemma Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky to have received this book as an ARC copy, and I breezed through it in days! A brilliantly written book, with a fast paced and engaging story line full of unique and interesting characters. Each character has their own well developed backstory, and watching their relationships unfold was a real joy. The world building and magic system were very well thought out, full of things I’ve never seen before (even as an avid fantasy reader!)
This book is a must read for anyone who enjoyed Six of Crows or The Lies of Locke Lamora, is has the same loveable rogue pulling off far to clever schemes vibe with a hint of magic to boot, I loved it!

[J. McGrath · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was an ARC reader for this book, but all opinions are my own.
Let's start off by saying it is really refreshing to see fantasy in a non-medieval time period and one that gets to the plot to boot. I enjoyed the characters and was glad that we got to spend so much time with them since they are all introduced within a few chapters. There is also some moral ambiguity to them that makes them feel more fun to be around. While I didn't have the best understanding of the magic, I did find the idea of needing to share energy, making magic inherently cooperative, an interesting detail. It creates room for character drama while also giving an avenue for more devious use.
There were some things that irked me though. It is clearly a book one for a longer series, so some plot points go unresolved for later. One of the main mysteries is pretty obvious (if one of the two people on the run isn't the big fish, it is obviously the other one, and none of the characters realizing that is weird), and the word plonk gets used a lot (as a verb) which didn't seem to fit the setting.
Still, I am interested to see what happens next and want to learn more about the world. The sequel is going on my TBR list.

[Star · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.The walls of shimar is an new adult novel filled with themes of vengeance,grief and plenty of identity crisis. When reading the first chapters of the book every character is focused on one thing… getting to shimar and their own missions. But as the adventure proceeds the main goals seem to not matter anymore after intimate moments bring the closer to understanding each other's world. I read the book in 3days but had to take break in-between to fully process the very fast-paced plot with many climatic ,heart skipping moments. Overall a enticing read especially in a genre overdone… the author is able to cement the fact that adventure troop is very much alive and kicking. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Eryn Gardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, it was a fun journey and I can't wait to read book 2.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[S.A. Writes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really strong fantasy adventure with heart, danger, and some great twists. world-building is solid too. My only small gripe is that I wish we got a few quieter scenes to breathe with the characters before everything hit the fan again.

[Susanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great story! It was difficult to put the book down. Wonderful antihero main characters, a marvellous world and a gripping story. I will definetely read all the other books by Sam Clarke and can hardly wait for the next book about Mylo and the others!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let's start with a couple facts about the book:

POV: first person
Verb tense: past
POV Character: Mylo Durand
Spice Level: 1/5

I'm giving this 4.5 stars as a debut to a series, and I really enjoyed reading it. The story follows Mylo Durand and his partner Skye, who are smugglers in a dangerous part of Traxia, called the Seventh (district, that is). We meet Mylo in a tense moment as he's preparing to be killed in a seedy bar across the street from the filthy tenement he calls home. In a sudden twist, Mylo manages to save the life of his would-be killer and former boss, and he's given a second chance to right a "wrong". Mylo and Skye get only the slightest breath of relief before they're plunged into a scheme that just might free them from the clutches of Draven, the boss sworn to kill them if they don't fill his pockets with ducats for lost goods.

Our smuggling pair cozy up to a highborn man who appears lost only to discover he's ready to pay good ducats to someone who can help him with a smuggling job. The only catch? They're smuggling people, not the drugs they typically haul. With a price they can't refuse, Mylo and Skye put into motion a plan to take betrothed couple Leni and Maximillian across the sea to the kingdom of Shimar. They contract out passage on a pirate ship run by the infamous Phoenix and his partner-in-crime Kalmar and begin their dangerous journey.

It's one problem after another for the group, and along the way, we learn that everyone has a secret, even the naive-looking highborn Leni and her bumbling fiancé Maximillian. But the biggest secret might be Mylo's, as he struggles to hide his gift from his best friend. It's a fun romp through some interesting landscapes with a magic system I haven't quite grasped yet but am highly enjoying learning about. Mylo wants nothing more than to avenge the death of his mother at the hand of the King of Traxia, and he'll stop at nothing to get his revenge, especially when he discovers a certain secret identity of one of his companions.

Some additional thoughts: I loved that this wasn't a romance story. It has romance elements, but the story focuses on the smuggling job and Mylo's continued vacillation between what he plans to do with the information he's given. I appreciate that romance is a subplot, but the story stands on its own, which is great. The group of six characters who band together are all great; though I would have liked to get more info on both Maximillian and Kalmar as they didn't get quite as much visibility as the others. I'd love to know more about their backgrounds and motivations. The magic system seems pretty cool based on what we learn in the first book, and I'm eagerly awaiting seeing how it fleshes out in book two as Mylo learns more about how to control it. I sincerely hope we see our group come back together at some point in the next book, too. This really was a breath of fresh air for me, and I'm glad I had the chance to read it.

The story is fast-paced, generally well-written, and filled with some of the heist-like vibes of Six of Crows. I quite enjoyed it, though I would say it ended on a bit of flat note only because the last chapter performed a time skip that didn't allow me to get quite the satisfaction of the last story arc ending. I do want to read the sequel however, and the story sucked me in almost from the get-go. Overall, it's a great debut and first in series, and I hope to read more of the series.

I received an ARC copy for free and am providing this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own. Many thanks to Sam Clarke for the ARC copy!

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75* rounded up to 4*

This was a fun read, I really enjoyed the world that Clarke has created, though it clearly reads like the first book in a series, but it still has a full narrative arc. The characters were interesting and well formed, I found Skye a bit irritating and Maxamillion a bit underdeveloped, but this was only a minor issue.

I enjoyed that elements of Clarke's world felt quite similar to ours, enough that it was easy to picture the locations, but different enough to still feel like high fantasy. I really enjoyed her depiction of the Gift, it's an interesting magic system that I look forward to learning more about in the rest of the series.

What I enjoyed most about the novel was the characterisation of the main characters, particularly Mylo, Leni and Phoenix. They were all really well developed, I felt like everything they did was very in character and had good character logic behind it, none of their choices felt like random ones used to simply move the plot.

I enjoyed the heist/journey element of the novel, it provided a great vehicle for getting to know the whole area, the politics of the different parts of the countries and the characters. I liked that, though the style was quite light throughout, Clarke did move onto some heavier topics towards the end of the novel once you had come to understand and care about the world, which perfectly set up the direction for the next book and, presumably, the rest of the series.

Overall this was a good fun read and I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of the series. Thank you to BookSirens and Sam Clarke for the free ebook, I really enjoyed reading and reviewing this book.

[N.S. Chaudhury · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Walls of Shimar was a fairly quick read but a fun one nonetheless.

We start out with our POV character Mylo, who's a smuggler and is on the verge of being killed by his employer for losing a shipment though he manages to buy some time for himself and his partner in crime Skye and save their lives if they can pay back the guy for the lost shipment. Only problem? The price for their lives is an astronomical sum most people wouldn't be able to make in their entire lives. And their generous employer has given them three weeks.

What comes next is a cast of some really fun characters, each with a secret of their own and a race against time on a perilous journey across the sea and land.

The pacing was pretty good and although I saw a few of the twists coming, the reveals were done in a pretty good way. All in all, I'd give this book a high 4.5 stars (though I rounded up to a 5 here). My only qualms are that although the magic system was pretty interesting I'd have liked to see the powers outside of Tempestiis fleshed out a bit more. And while I didn't mind that the whole book was in Mylo's first person POV, there were a few moments towards the end of the book where it felt a little headhoppy to me and that broke the immersion for me each time. Beyond that, I enjoyed the book and I'm looking forward to reading the next one

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Georgia Dayton-Ames · Rating 3 out of 5]

With a plot similar to the Six of Crows, this book captured my attention with it’s fantastical adventurous nature. Though simply worded and at times lacked a complexity, the setting and world building was quite immersive. Filled with action and depth of character, Sam Clarke captures the reader. The Walls of Shimar is a quick read that satisfies it’s genre. No character is one dimensional, and the variety of characters is sure to appeal to everyone. Throughout the book foreshadowing introduces the reader to many subplots that never get fully flushed through. By the end of the book there are still many questions, yet the main plot seems completed and the characters seem to go their separate ways. While a sequel may be in order, there was a lack of cohesion within what seemed like many plots. Both the tone and characters stabilized and became more consistent throughout the novel. Overall, I would recommend this book to someone looking for adventure, suspense, daring choices, with lovable characters.

[M.L. Dunker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! I am a sucker for a found family trope and Phoenix, Kalmar, Maximillian, Leni, Mylo, and Skye provide a satisfying blend of sibling banter, undercurrents of burgeoning romance, distrust and rivalry. Mylo is the narrator and while he is an interesting character in his own right, it is not his story which carries the adventure. A lost princess with a price on her head, a hapless courier, a pirate and his first mate, sympathetic magic, and a trek across sea and sand all conspire to create a page turner of an adventure. I love the princess's choices - a woman in power is much more satisfying than one who throws it all away for lust.
Sign me up for the rest of the series, I am all in to find out if our warrior Skye gets the gold and the guy.
TW: murder, (not graphic), sex trafficking, suicide (off-screen but referenced)

[Victor Lockwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those stories that hook your from the very beginning. The descriptions are on point and don't drag on, and the characters are quite charismatic and fleshed out in depth. I'm usually not fond of stories focused on a sole point of view, but Sam Clarke does it the right way, and doesn't neglect any of the characters around Mylo, the main one.

The pace is fast and frenetic, as the story demands, but it doesn't feel rushed or gets you lost, and the world is vibrant and well detailed with a pretty interesting lore that definitively calls for a second novel (which I saw was recently published!)

If you want adventures, friendship, romance and betrayal wrapped up in a fantasy environments with pirates, you can't miss this one!

[Hilma · Rating 4 out of 5]

In The Walls of Shimar by Sam Clarke, Mylo has to pay back a crime lord or else. Thankfully he finds someone who offers him a great sum to take him to the Kingdom of Shimar.

This book was a fantastic read. I can see why it states that is was perfect for those who love Six of Crows. The feeling of both books is a bit the same. From the very first page I could not stop reading, I was hooked. There is adventure, danger, action, the magic system, the world-building, the great characters, along with a fast paced and flowing writing style.

This book has surprised me in a very good way, I loved reading it!

[A.J. Sterling · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was incredibly lucky to receive an advanced reader’s copy of this book for free and am leaving this review voluntarily

If you liked Six of Crows and/or Throne of Glass, I think you will love this book. This was an AMAZING read. I loved the world building that was achieved - something that I struggle with in my own writing, and get confused about with some books that I read - and the way that Clarke was able to convey the urgency of the entire situation/heist. I feel that I was constantly guessing about everyone’s true motivations right up until the very end. I was left with questions at the end of the book, but I hope they will be answered in the next one.

[rzells · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty solid fantasy novel. Has good pacing and some action on basically every page, a few nice plot twists. I felt like the world was pretty standard fantasy stuff. The romance pairings felt just a teensy bit shoe-ed in. But that's okay. It wasn't overly thrilling, just squarely decent. I did like the magic. There's a lot to be done with the concept of how it's being used by the army. I would've rated higher if there were more exploration of mature themes. I like gritty books. This one had a lot of serious stuff but nothing necessarily gritty

Thanks to BookSirens.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sara Geloni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read it in two goes - and that’s because I had to put it down once to attend to duty.
Like in an augmented reality experience, in my mind I was walking the alleys of Seventh District and sitting in taverns with pirates and low-lives, navigating through sea storms, feeling thirsty in the oasis and strolling across the lavish Shimarian garden.
All thanks to the flowing writing and the vivid descriptions of characters and places.
Young love, gothic personas, risky adventures, unexpected powers, twists and turns. It has been a delight to accompany the characters through this captivating story and feeling like one of them, longing to be one of them.

[Gemma Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sip of adventure with a taste of powder and salt.

From the first pages, there are fights, deals, and escapes; followed by smuggling, pirates, secrets, and a slow-burning spark of romance. Milo and Skye are holding a book about chemistry and the snark; the world is bright, though not always deep. I wanted to take a few more breaths and land more firmly, but the pages fly by unnoticed. A good start to the series . I will look forward to further developments with interest.

[Shenanigator · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic fantasy with romantic undertones. An interesting magic and class system is revealed as the 6 main characters travel to Shimar. I really enjoyed most of the characters (except Maximilian ... but I think we're meant to dislike him). A very good read!

[Hanna Belle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an awesome fantasy story! Great characters, interesting plot, and wonderful use of fantasy elements.

I received a copy of this book via BookSirens and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jagdish Arora · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gripping fantasy adventure where every choice comes with a price. The book crafts a stunning tale of smugglers, pirates, and hidden royals, all bound by fate and survival.