Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “The Shadow King (The Raveling, #3)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

The Shadow King

(The Raveling #3)

Alec Hutson (Goodreads Author)

4.12 · Rating details · 1,161 ratings · 93 reviews

The conclusion to the story that began with The Crimson Queen and continued with the Silver Sorceress . . .

Scarred by what transpired on the island of the sorceress Niara, Keilan and his companions journey north, bearing a weapon forged to end the unnatural existence of the Chosen. But the sand is trickling through the hourglass, as the demon-children are laboring to bri ...more

Get A Copy

Or buy for $6.99

Kindle Edition, 506 pages

Published November 21st 2019

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about The Shadow King, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 4.12 ·

Rating details

· 1,161 ratings · 93 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of The Shadow King (The Raveling, #3)

Feb 24, 2020 Petrik rated it really liked it

Shelves: self-published-and-indie

4.5/5 stars

A thoroughly wonderful classic fantasy story with a modern narrative.

The Shadow King is the third book in The Raveling series by Alec Hutson. Two thumbs up to Hutson for writing an entire trilogy that’s consistently very good and extremely well-polished in every aspect of quality. Considering that this is the last book in the series, there isn’t anything I can say in this review regarding the details of the plot, except that the story in The Shadow King picks up immediately from where ...more

flag 119 likes · Like · see review

Dec 23, 2019 Adam rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The Raveling trilogy is a throwback, classic epic fantasy story that is smartly plotted and tightly written, with detailed world-building and a deep well of rich lore that draws on both eastern and western cultures. It is also an extremely polished work, and would fit perfectly in the bookshelves of any fantasy enthusiast. The Shadow King concludes what is a truly thrilling adventure that will have you pumping your fist while grimacing with anticipation. Although the trilogy may be over, I hope The Raveling trilogy is a throwback, classic epic fantasy story that is smartly plotted and tightly written, with detailed world-building and a deep well of rich lore that draws on both eastern and western cultures. It is also an extremely polished work, and would fit perfectly in the bookshelves of any fantasy enthusiast. The Shadow King concludes what is a truly thrilling adventure that will have you pumping your fist while grimacing with anticipation. Although the trilogy may be over, I hope we’ll see a lot more of this world. Regardless, whatever Hutson decides to write will be a first-day purchase.

This is a fully-realized world with a lot of moving parts, and I'll admit I was a bit concerned how (and if) everything was going to tie together in just one novel, especially in the ambiguous way that The Silver Sorceress concluded. Not only do we have major characters split across the world, we're introducing terrible new threats, and we're still unclear about the motivations of some of the major players.

One of the numerous aspects of the story that impressed me was how each of these concerns were addressed so well, and how each character was given enough pages to provide a balanced and powerful conclusion. It was thrilling to see the web of storylines finally tighten, bringing all the major players together in the same part of the world, albeit for different reasons. And the threats themselves -- remember the spider warren in The Crimson Queen? The brief foray into a monster-laden dungeon? That was Disney World compared to what our cast has to contend with in the last act of the story. In the many books I've read that have evil, elder gods as antagonist threats, I've never read anything quite so awesome as what Hutson put together here.

There are other aspects to the book that elevates Hutson's writing beyond just the story. There's a cadence in the writing; a steady prose that offers a balanced blend of description, meter, and dialogue.

“The Mazespinner. The Black Lady. The Night Huntress. Caryxes, worshipped in these depths for ages undreamt.”

“If she ever wanted to pass a message to future generations she would hide it in the lyrics of a children’s song.”

In addition, the book *looks* fantastic. The whole trilogy is produced with a professional sheen that stands out, from the covers to the editing and typography. These books are self-published but are ‘camera-ready’ to stand side-by-side with any trad-published book in a Barnes and Noble or Waterstones.

The Raveling is a trilogy I can easily recommend. Like any good story, it gets better the further in you go. The finale hits hard, and while it satisfies the major arcs, it also leaves some doors open to explore in future books. As it should! This is a rich and wonderous world with characters you won’t want to leave behind. Any lover of fantasy who grew up reading Weis & Hickman, David Eddings, Robert Jordan, or Terry Brooks should pick up this trilogy as soon as they can.

9.0 / 10 ...more

flag 22 likes · Like · see review

Jun 30, 2021 Deborah Obida rated it really liked it

Shelves: adult, fantasy

That was awesome.

The Shadow King is the third and final book in The Raveling trilogy, I finally got to know what the title of the series meant and I wasn’t disappointed. The backstory of the raveling is so sad, everything that happened was due to people’s selfishness and the need to cling to life and power.

“One man’s god is another man’s demon,”

The events in this book happened a few weeks after the other book, there was no time jump. This book is action packed, both magical and mundane, lot ...more

flag 21 likes · Like · see review

Jun 02, 2021 Jody rated it really liked it

Shelves: kindle

That was a solid finish to Alec Hutson's The Raveling trilogy. The characters, magic, and story all seemed to grow in each book. Hutson's writing flows so well, and he details each character arc out with precision. The ending did seem a little rushed, but that really didn't take away from the fun I've had reading these books and being immersed in this world. I hope Hutson decides to return in the future, because the last chapter and epilogue really leaves this open for maybe a stand-alone or fol ...more

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Nov 20, 2019 Laura Hughes rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: epic-fantasy, fantasy-favourites, 2019-favourites

A phenomenal finale. The Raveling trilogy is epic fantasy at its finest.

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Dec 18, 2019 Francisco Godoy rated it it was ok

Very hard to finish

I struggled to finish this book. There are very few dialogues between the characters. The book is mostly several long and unnecessary narratives that could have been reduced by half. Every time I started to get interested and felt like the story picked up the pace the next chapter would bring another POV and start again with the long descriptions and very slowly build pace again

There are also many deus ex machina moments throughout the book. Every character is saved by somethi ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Nov 22, 2019 Jeffrey Hall rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I was fortunate enough to read the 3rd book in Alec Hutson's Raveling series prior to release, and must say that is the best in the series, which is saying something considering how fantastic the Crimson Queen and Silver Sorceress are. The Shadow King pulls out all the stops and explores the world of the Raveling in exquisite detail, taking readers deep into its past and exploring its terrifying secrets. If you loved the world Hutson had created before, you will only love it more as the mythos h ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Nov 29, 2019 Jon Adams rated it it was amazing

Well done. I can't wait for the next one. ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

May 12, 2020 Anushka Sierra rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, catalogued

Find this and the rest of my reviews at Feminist Quill

Synopsis: Keilan tries to recuperate from his run-in with the Silver Sorceress while on the run from the fanatic religious soldiers of Menekar, the Pure. Meanwhile, an Ancient being begins to awaken, threatening the world and everything in it.

I previously likened this series to a TV show, racing through arcs as soon as they come up. In that case, The Shadow King is sort of like that ~~season~~ series finale where important stuff seems to be happe ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jan 26, 2020 Volpot rated it liked it

Shelves: rated

3.5 stars. OK, but book and ultimately entire series seemed a bit anticlimactic.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Feb 15, 2020 Effie Eshel rated it liked it

Reading the three books has annoyed me very much. A great story, well written with likable characters. So why only three an a half stars? Too many POVs all ending with a cliffhanger, too many small details of everything from landscapes to people. Way too long inner conversations, doubts and inner conversations that distract from the flow of the story. There were also many questionable decisions by the major characters that were so ignorant, that made me shudder, like going into a major war witho ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jun 16, 2020 Karla Schneider rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 08, 2020 Joe Jackson rated it it was amazing

"The Shadow King" brings the Raveling series to a brilliant close. The strength of Hutson's characters and sharp worldbuilding continue unabated here, and we get some twists and surprises all the way to the very end - and not just of the story variety.

I think one of the best things about this is that while the characters grow, they don't just all become super-powerful to win in the end, and even those who were incredibly strong at the start still get tripped up, they fall, and they fail. Nothing ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 18, 2022 Bree Pye rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy

A solid finish to this trilogy. Still, I felt like all the threads didn't quite come together on this one. Lots of unfinished business, and some business addressed almost as an afterthought (can we say epilogue?) There was no slow build to a story climax, just lots of action in different places that sort of came together in unrealistic and convenient ways. This installment had a lot of action, but lacked anything resembling character depth, which is the most important part of a story to me.

Desp ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Mar 13, 2021 Chris rated it it was amazing

Phenomenal ending to a fantastic series. It's just engaging, fun, and thrilling epic fantasy.

Very clearly left off with some remaining threads that can be picked up and carried for another story too, but it still wrapped up enough of the big questions that it doesn't feel like a cliffhanger. I wager if you're here, you've already read and enjoyed the first two, but if not.. I can't recommend this book (and series!) enough. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 26, 2020 Kenneth rated it liked it · review of another edition

Still an interesting book but the ending feels rushed. It has a lot of similarities with The Wheel of Time.

Magister - Knife
Aes Sedai - Warden

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Oct 14, 2020 Mrs.H. rated it it was amazing

Amazing!

flag 1 like · Like · see review

May 10, 2022 Aalia rated it really liked it

A very satisfying end to this well-written trilogy.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Oct 12, 2020 Perdita rated it really liked it

The third, and final, book of “The Raveling,” “The Shadow King” concludes the adventures of Keilan, Nel, Senacus, Alyanna, Cho Lin, Jan, and Queen d’Kara in grandiose fashion. This series was, for me, thoroughly satisfying in its conclusion, yet the execution of “The Shadow King” left me a little disgruntled in places. It’s an amazing series that I happily and fully endorse, but I feel this book is somewhat weaker for the things it did not do.

Namely, I found myself disappointed at the cliffhang The third, and final, book of “The Raveling,” “The Shadow King” concludes the adventures of Keilan, Nel, Senacus, Alyanna, Cho Lin, Jan, and Queen d’Kara in grandiose fashion. This series was, for me, thoroughly satisfying in its conclusion, yet the execution of “The Shadow King” left me a little disgruntled in places. It’s an amazing series that I happily and fully endorse, but I feel this book is somewhat weaker for the things it did not do.

Namely, I found myself disappointed at the cliffhanger ending of “The Silver Sorceress.” The last thing that I read was Alyanna speaking to Queen d’Kara in a dream, telling her, “I believe it is time we talked.” The expectation I had was that this book would start with the world-shaking interview between the two great women: Weaver Alyanna and the Crimson Queen. Only this was not to be. This conversation is only alluded to, briefly, by each woman—and only once each. Tant pis!

Logistically, such a meeting would have been a difficult transcription for the author because of the character and nature of Alyanna and the continuing secrecy around Queen d’Kara. Nonetheless, it was a can of worms that he opened and then removed—not even closed. I find it a great fault to leave such an important meeting without witness. Major developments that have bearing on character actions and plot outcomes should not happen secretly from the reader and then later be hauled out as script points fait accompli. From such a strong writer, I find this to be a confusing and frustrating choice. That said, while it’s something I strongly take issue with and hope to never encounter again in a Hutson book, it’s not a deal-breaker. I promise you that I am going to avidly find every scrap of writing Alec Hutson produces and devour it.

Again, as with the previous two novels, the book is named for a mysterious character the reader doesn’t see. Really does not see. After some time, and obligatory tension building, we met the Crimson Queen and the Silver Sorceress. It’s been more than a month since I completed “The Shadow King,” and I’m still uncertain who or what he was. The book title is catchy, but this one, less than its predecessors, does not convey the tension and plot development that the other two do. The Shadow King really is a shadow. Of what or who, and where? It’s a mystery.

It’s the story of Keilan, and the people who converge upon his path. Some incredible character developments occur in this book. I simply love these characters, even the villains. Maybe—especially?—the villains? As with the horrifying denouement in Tad Williams’ “The War of the Flowers” and the twisted character portraits in most any C. S. Friedman novel, the villains in “The Shadow King” are startlingly inhuman. It takes a fine hand (and its driving brain) to create such realistic nuances in a character and make them terrible. And Hutson accomplishes this with multiple characters: the genthyaki, Lask the Worm shaman, Alyanna, the mysterious master of the shadowblades (in the previous two books), the fanatical devotees of The Chosen in the Empire of Swords and Flowers, Niara (“The Silver Sorceress”), the leader of the White Worm Clan… There is an incomprehensible terribleness of the alien in these characters.

Alyanna is a rather astonishing character to me. From our introduction to her, she is a rather venal creature with unmatched vanity. By now we have learned that she brought about the destruction of two empires and then unleashed the demon Chosen simply because she did not want to grow old. I don’t even believe it was a fear of death—simply a fear of age and wrinkles—that motivated her. It’s unbelievable, yet completely real. She recognizes love (from Demian) but is unable to incorporate it into her character and act upon it. Is that an oversight of Hutson’s, failing to develop this thread of the story and character development, or is she simply a complete narcissist? I’m leaning towards the latter. Yet Alyanna experiences flashes of compassion—seen mostly in her interactions with Keilan, but also in her thoughts about some of the women of the harem and of Demian—that are incongruous to that narcissism. However, she is undoubtedly the most selfish character I’ve witnessed in fiction, and I watched “Farscape”—hello Dominar Rygel XVI. I marvel at the brain that conceived of her and her actions.

Then there are bright shining paragons of goodness, such as Keilan, Senacus, and Lady Numil. And staunch defenders such as Cho Lin, Nel, Magister Vhelan, Queen d’Kara, and Telion. Keilan’s continuing growth as a person and a wizard are believable. He is a strong talent, but inexperienced, and a teen. He stumbles. His compassion is ever present, and he shows strong rationale as he struggles to reconcile Senacus’ actions and his own back on Niara’s island. I’d say more, but I don’t care to spoil the story, and Hutson says it all in the book(s), with great elegance.

Cho Lin had some of the more interesting encounters in this story—the spirit encounters. I wished that she had time to fully explore the ice city, and somehow feel that Cho Lin wished this also… I don’t feel that Cho Lin is a paragon of Goodness—her motivations are more towards the fulfilment of family vows and perfection of self—but she makes some of the finer points of reasoning as she tries to understand the Skein who both help and hinder her. She develops an ability to exercise compassion and understanding in this book that surpass all the subtle things that kept her—in my own opinion—from being a fully realized individual in “The Silver Sorceress.” Her refusal to give up is sometimes a little wooden—she can’t quit, because she has a role to fulfill, not because her very nature demands that she persevere—but I feel she comes into her own in this book.

The techniques used to show the spirt encounters were not my favourite, though. In the first chapter, there is a POV (point of view) shift that I found reminiscent of one of fantasy’s greatly known writers, Ed Greenwood. It’s a style that I find somewhat pretentious as a powerful entity imposes its opinions upon the reader in a fashion that is supposed to be mysterious, but is ultimately confusing. I reread it several times trying to metabolize the information. It’s not my favourite writing technique, but I’m sure I’ve used it myself, because it’s the more obvious way for a writer to give the reader information without giving that information to the main POV character. I think there’s a better way to do this; furthermore, I think Hutson could have pulled this off in a completely amazing way because he has that ability.

We encounter this technique again later, as Hutson inserted a short story published in 2017 in the Fantasy anthology “Lost Lore,” “The First Thread.” I love this story. It’s incredible. As a short story. As an insertion into this novel to give Cho Lin information, I found its presence egregious. It breaks the narrative style, and it’s a simple copy-paste job. I think it would have been a greater justice to the overall story to rewrite the information and present it to Cho Lin in a different way. Furthermore, Cho Lin did not feel nearly so challenged by this information which was, to her, non-canonical. This was not what she had been taught. This was not what happened to cause The Raveling! Was it? She questions it, but only briefly. I think this was something that should have caused her more distress and been presented in another way. Again, I found myself disappointed.

But, as with Keilan’s encounter with the spirit of the Barrow of Vis, Cho Lin’s encounters with one of the spirts haunting Nes Vaneth’s frozen halls, are striking in their beauty and mystery. There is so much more story in this place, and I really felt that Cho Lin would love to explore it, but her tasks require more travel of her… This goes to show the skill of Hutson’s world-building. How good is it? As a gamer, I feel there’s enough source material in “The Raveling” to run a table-top game with it. Mysterious locations and significant persons? Check. A vast world fraught with dangers both ordinary and extraordinary? Check. A rich cultural tapestry? Check. History? Check. And the precise descriptions used to convey the settings, making the settings as much characters as places, is truly masterful; because Hutson is a world-building master.

As in the previous novels in this series, “The Shadow King” is a tightly written and edited work. There are very few places for a reader to trip on typos and grammatical errors, because Hutson is skilled and his editors are good. For those of you who hesitate at independently published fiction because of spelling and grammar, you need not worry: Hutson’s work is professional and smooth. And his ability to turn a phrase is economically descriptive.

In conclusion, “The Raveling” is one of the very best epic fantasy series that I have read. It provides a vast and colourful world with depth and character, nuanced and independent characters who are believable and act with consistency unto themselves, a story for the ages rife with evil and good, and a subtly-woven plot with twists and turns and revelations to chill this reader’s core and turn her skin to gooseflesh. The few disappointments of the series are small, and do not detract from the overall product, particularly since it has one of the most satisfying conclusions of any series I’ve encountered. Hutson joins Alison Sinclair and Raymond E. Feist in my esteem as a seamless world-builder, and is easily one of the best character developers in the genre. Place his books along your shelves proudly with the likes of J. R. R. Tolkien, Tad Williams, C. S. Friedman, Jennifer Roberson, Terry Brooks, and Raymond E. Feist. I am so very glad I read this series and discovered this author. ...more

flag Like · see review

Jan 23, 2020 David rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jul 22, 2020 Devin Grey rated it liked it · review of another edition

3/5

I feel like this first part of the series didn't really do any justice for Keilan as the stories MAIN PROTAGONIST. I mean we learn that he's a talent but his use of magic is barely explored throughout the entire series.

Keilan's also clearly gifted in the understanding of ancient texts that nobody else can even read to the point that he pulls philosophical quotes and poems out of thin air randomly that provide nothing other than "thats deep" moments. He grasps sword-fighting with such ease tha ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 04, 2020 Nikki Turner rated it really liked it

The Shadow King brings Alec Hutson's The Raveling series to a satisfying conclusion. The pace picked up nicely in this book and towards the end I couldn't put it down. The character of Cho Lin really grew on me too.

I have a couple of small quibbles. I really would have liked to see Keilan come into his power a little more. He was the MC with this supposed wealth of magical talent, but he spends very little time developing or using it. Perhaps this was a conscious choice to avoid the "all powerfu ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Dec 30, 2019 Gerald Nunn rated it it was amazing

A fitting conclusion

First major kudos to the author for including summaries of the previous books. This is something I wish every series of books did given the typical time between entries.

Like the previous entries I very much enjoyed this book. It brought the series to a fitting conclusion and I'll miss reading about Kaelian, Nel, Cho and the other great characters. The series did a great job of world building, hopefully the author will set some future stories here, so much potential. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Dec 21, 2019 Mark rated it really liked it

A great conclusion to this debut trilogy by one of my favorite new fantasy authors.

I really wasn't sure how Hutson was going to wind up all the various threads he'd begun weaving over books 1 and 2. And to be honest I like series - long series. I like to sink my teeth into epic fantasy worlds and live with the characters and explore the story and worldbuilding for some time. But wind up all the reads Hutson did. Well, the main ones ;)

This is a rip-roaring yarn of a novel. Alive with vibrant wor ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 07, 2021 Rossana rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, finished-series

I’m sad to say that this book was underwhelming. Too many POVs, too many inner dialogues, nothing really happened for the first 30% and at the end we are left with some unanswered questions or rushed explanations.
I still liked some character developments and some choices the author made, but in the end it wasn’t satisfying enough.
The world is cool, some of the characters are really well thought, but the execution was lacking at times

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 07, 2020 Calvin Park rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Alec Hutson concludes his sprawling, epic fantasy trilogy with The Shadow King. This is epic fantasy in a classic vein written for modern audiences. It’s excellent. The characters come alive, and we cheer for their successes and mourn for their failures. The world building continues to be phenomenal, and the plot rushes to a superb conclusion.

As the third book in the trilogy, The Shadow King has the advantage of all the setup having happened in the previous books. That means it could focus entir Alec Hutson concludes his sprawling, epic fantasy trilogy with The Shadow King. This is epic fantasy in a classic vein written for modern audiences. It’s excellent. The characters come alive, and we cheer for their successes and mourn for their failures. The world building continues to be phenomenal, and the plot rushes to a superb conclusion.

As the third book in the trilogy, The Shadow King has the advantage of all the setup having happened in the previous books. That means it could focus entirely on bringing threads together for a stunning endgame—and it does that perfectly. From the opening pages, we’re swept up again in a story of sorcerers and paladins, of nearly immortal plotters and upstart queens, and of a boy discovering what it means to live a life fraught with magic. If these sound like classic fantasy tropes that’s because they are, but Hutson shifts and twists each just enough to make them interesting. That’s one of the reasons I love this series so much. It feels like classic fantasy, but done in a fresh way. While the plot rushes to its epic conclusion, the characters also draw you in keeping things interesting and fresh. Our main viewpoint characters continue to be engaging in this novel. Each plot point tends to be tied into something that furthers the development of our characters as well, and that’s something I always appreciate in my fantasy. In this case, it helps to keep the sprawling plot grounded in the human lives that these events affect. This grounding is also important because Hutson has crammed an incredible amount of world building into this trilogy. It never feels like it’s too much, however. Rather, each element of the world building combines to form a spectacular backdrop on which the events of the story play out. Half the fun is discovering the history of the world and how that history has brought the world and the characters to the present crisis. This world building extends to the marvelous magic that Hutson lets us see at nearly every turn. So much of what I love about epic fantasy plays out on these pages. Masterfully done, I enjoyed every moment.

What few things I didn’t like are small. The book can move a little slowly at times, especially in the first half. I didn’t mind this because it was easy to see how things were coming together, but it might be a larger negative for those who prefer a very fast-paced narrative. In terms of the characters, they are each engaging, and they all develop in ways that feel real. However, for a few of them, I didn’t feel as much emotional connection as I might have liked. There were certain moments when I felt like a deeper emotional connection to the character might have elevated my experience of the story. Even so, I found the tale to have more than enough to adore without this.

Hutson’s The Shadow King is a wonderful conclusion to his epic trilogy. It has a perfect classic fantasy feel. A wonderful epic fantasy to read curled in a blanket on a snowy morning sipping coffee. The way the various plot threads come together in a satisfying way is a masterful achievement. It's epic fantasy comfort food in the best sense of the term.

9.0/10

4.5/5 stars.

5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – It was ok, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing ...more

flag Like · see review

Dec 18, 2020 Margaret Day rated it it was amazing

The scope and depth of these three books of The Raveling is just wonderful. It's not often you get a series where all of the books are equally strong but this trilogy is consistent in it's quality and that quality is definitely of the five start variety.

The overall arc of the story is perfectly crafted, gathering in the main characters, giving them perfectly formed back stories, strengths and flaws, none are 2 dimensional, even the minor characters could have been drawn out and had a story of th ...more

flag Like · see review

Oct 19, 2021 Alan Behan rated it it was amazing

Wow what a conclusion to this absolutely brilliant series. The Raveling trilogy is a classic epic fantasy story that is excellently written, with beautifully detailed worldbuilding, plot and setting. Alec Hutson gives us well of flavours of lore from both eastern and western cultures. For anyone who loves an epic story, this would fit perfectly on your bookshelves of all you fantasy lovers out there. The Shadow King concludes what is a truly thrilling adventure that will have you not wanting thi ...more

flag Like · see review

Jul 19, 2020 Jeremy rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

flag Like · see review

Jul 09, 2021 John Walden rated it really liked it

I have never disliked yet identified with a main character more. So many fantasy novels follow an MC that starts off with no skills and ends up the strongest hero after a brief but tumultuous training period. This is not one of those series. Kailan goes through so much in less than a year period throughout 3 books and is only nominally more useful by the end but so frustratingly unable to learn from his past mistakes over an over. But his flaws make him feel so much more human than other 2D char ...more

flag Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 next »