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The Empty Gods #2

Lady of Shadows

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Death is simple. Dreams are dangerous. Life is . . . unexpected.

Outlaw wizard Corcoran Gray expected death to be final, but life, and his loved ones, had other plans. A year after being resurrected and flung into a new body, he's still trying to come to terms with his situation - and his self - when the all-powerful Mages' Guild demands his help to stop a deadly plague.

He's inclined to refuse the organisation that still wants him dead, until his partner Brix starts showing symptoms - to save her, Gray will do anything, even if it means working with his greatest enemies.

But it quickly becomes clear that this is no normal plague. The situation is more complicated, and more lethal, than anyone has realised. Ancient dangers are stirring, and thousands of lives are at stake . . .

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 14, 2020

7 people are currently reading
135 people want to read

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Breanna Teintze

5 books28 followers

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
Profile Image for Blodeuedd Finland.
3,676 reviews310 followers
April 9, 2020
I am reading a plague book, it hit me and well, yeah I am reading a plague book. Then I remembered how the story wrapped up in book 1, and I knew, they would find a cure, or they would vanquish this plague. Which made this one so good to read now. A happy plague ending is what we need.

I actually liked this one more than book 1, and we all know about the dreaded book 2 syndrome! But here I easily fell back into the story. And it managed to get an ending too, even when there is more to come. Which I do appreciate. But they still need to be read in order. It is still a series, and a lot happens in book 1 that has a lasting standing on Grey.

A plague is killing mages and the alike. Then his lover gets infected and they need to find a cure, and that leads them to a town on the brink of chaos and destruction. And I see the theme. I guess I know what will happen in book 3 now, and I am intrigued.

I enjoyed the tale. It felt light, *cough cough* I know people are dying and there are stitched up monsters, but the writing feels light and Gray and Brix is a great duo.
Profile Image for Tyler Hayes.
Author 13 books52 followers
May 18, 2020
An absolutely stupendous fantasy by an absolutely stupendous author. LADY OF SHADOWS is a beautiful mix of gaslamp fantasy, high fantasy, low fantasy, and good old noir, centered around a recently dead wizard, a magical plague, mysterious visions, and a brewing conflict between the wizards' guild, the police, and a race of people able to absorb the toxic effects of magic use from its wielders. Teintze has written a gritty book with heart, sparkling prose that describes horrible things, and a magic system that is as compelling and awe-striking as it is horrifying. The characters pop and fizz, the mystery pulled me through all the way to the end, and I found myself running the full gamut of emotions throughout it. It's beautiful and witty and fun, and I cannot recommend it enough.
Profile Image for Cassandra Doon.
Author 57 books83 followers
September 21, 2023

Book: Lady of Shadows
Read By: Ebook and Soft Cover
Author: Breanna Teintze
Genre: Fantasy
Recommend: Yes
Spice:🌶️️
< b>Age recommendation: 16-30+ Years
My feelings:

There is something about fantasy that just draws me in heart and soul.

I really really really enjoyed this book. It had everything I love in a book, and it was great compliment to book 1.

Very well done.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Louise.
33 reviews
January 8, 2025
Breanna if you see this please never stop writing
Profile Image for Lucy.
509 reviews7 followers
January 14, 2021
Another sequel. I loved Loved of Secrets so I was excited to read this. It is about a magical plague which I might have enjoyed more if we weren’t in a pandemic. I like the magic and the world is interesting. I didn’t connect to the characters as much in this but I still liked them
Profile Image for David Harris.
1,052 reviews36 followers
June 13, 2020
'm grateful to Jo Fletcher Books for an advance copy of Lady of Shadows to consider for review.

I was pleased to see this follow up to Lord of Secrets, picking up the adventures of rogue magician Corcoran Gray and his partner, escaped temple slave Brix, some six months after the events of the previous book.

The books are set in what seems at first glance to be a generic fantasy world, but Teintze's handling of her material soon gives the lie to that. Gray is driven to the town of varied - and into the reach of the all-powerful* Mages' Guild to whom he's a rebel, an outcast and an outlaw - not by a desire for treasure of adventure but because he can't sleep easily at nights.

He can't sleep because of trauma caused by the events of Lord of Secrets. It's not so much that he died and was incarnated into a handily empty body by his necromancer grandfather. No, it's the thirty two deaths (count them. Thirty. Two. Gray reminds us of the number several times) that occurred in that battle. Gray didn't cause them, but he feels responsible. Guilty. He also, clearly, feels the horror of what happened. When he sleeps, he casts spells. Sooner or later things will go to the bad. So he's come seeking a remedy... and stumbles into a mess of plots, counter plots and Guild intrigues.

Also - and how spookily timely is this? - there's a plague abroad, a mysterious thing that seems to target mages and the mysterious Tirnaal, Brix's people. As if this doesn't make Gray's life complicated enough, add in a zealous Guild inquisitor who wants to use him to find out what's going on in the city of Genereth, where the plague seems to have started and who WILL see him hang outside the guild house if he refuses - and you get, frankly, a mess.

This book is great fun. I enjoy Gray's sort of character - someone who basically wants a quiet life and some peace to get himself together, but who the world won't leave alone. What happened in Lord of Secrets changes him and made him an important piece on the board, so Guild, Gods, and other factions now see him as a means to an end not just a nuisance. After what Gray went thorough he can be forgiven for being very, very suspicious of those around him and he's not helpless, but Genereth is a dangerous place and there's a mystery to be solved. So the book is part fantasy, part detective story with elements of caper, and, in the rather tenderly drawn relationship between Gray and Brix, also elements of romance.

They're a strong pair of central characters, trusting and close but with a lot of history (in a short time) behind them and the situation creates its own strains. Generate is the ancestral city of the Tirnaal, the place from which Brix and her sister were abducted and enslaved, and so there's an element of "meet the family" to this story. Gray has his worries. The Tirnaal don't like magic a great deal (they have their reasons) so how will they react when one of their own takes up with a mage? Once she's returned home, will Brix want to leave? Despite the breakneck pace of this story - things don't really let up from the moment the party arrive in the city to the last page - Teintze gives space to this very human, very normal story and it motivates both Gray and Brix throughout.

A strong second part in this series, Lady of Shadows intelligently develops the situation from the first book and opens up much wider possibilities - and dangers - for Gray and for Brix. I somehow don't think he's going to get that peace and quiet any time soon...
Profile Image for Becky'sBookBlog.
700 reviews34 followers
April 20, 2020
I loved Lord of Secrets when I read it last year and was so happy when I won an ARC of Lady of Secrets off Twitter. I was dying to get back to Grey and Brix’s world and find out what has happened in the aftermath of Lord of Secrets… and I was not disappointed.

The story picks up roughly a year after Lord of Secrets ended, Grey is still not used to his new body and the spells that lie dormant underneath it until called upon. In sleep he has nightmares of his standoff with Jaern and find himself casting a spell when he wakes. Afraid of hurting Brix he sets off to find a way to sleep nightmare free. What he doesn’t realise is that, new body or not, the Guild are tracking him after the events of last year, and when they eventually find him they give him an offer he cant refuse, help them to find the people behind a curse that is killing Wizards or be put to death. But it’s only when Brix is somehow infected by the virus that Grey decides to help the guild, taking them on a journey neither expected where they will have to rely on friend and foe alike, and might just end up on the bad side of another God.

I loved Grey in the first book and that feeling only grew whilst reading this one. He has gone from a body rifled with disability to the body of a God, filled to the brim with spells and perfectly sculptured, and yet all he wants is his own body back, lame leg and all. He is so much more unsure of himself and it is only Brix who can make him see that, different body or not, he is still Corcoran Grey. When Brix’s life is on the line there is nothing that he wont do to ensure her safety, even if that means going up against the Guild who he originally agreed to help.

Brix definitely grew as a character in this book, she is the only thing keeping Grey together, and though we can see that wares on her she needs him to know that she loves him, no matter what. Strong willed and physically strong, Grey and the guild would most likely have failed in trying to stop the virus without her help.

Dace is a new character that we meet quite early on, a member of the guild, he is the one who put forward that they try to use Grey to help find the cure rather than kill him on sight. He’s an intriguing character, we never quite know his true intentions, whether he is truly on Grey’s side or simply using him for a task no one else can complete. His charatcer arc is very twisty and turny but I like that the author keeps your guessing, right until the end.

We see Grey struggle massively with PTSD in this book and it was done beautifully. The author doesn’t shy away from the dark side, showing his nightmares of the deaths that happened in this battle with Jaern, his unease in this new body and his utter distaste for the magic that runs through his skin. You can’t help but feel for him in his moments of distress, and his reliance on Brix has you worried what might happen if she doesn’t make it.

We get to see a whole other city in Lady of Shadows, Genereth the home of the Tirnaal, people who can suck the magic toxicity out of Wizards. I enjoyed delving more into the culture of Brix’s people. Seeing their distaste for Wizards and magic which you can understand when most Tirnaal and sold as slaves to give Wizards longer lives. I’ve always enjoyed Tentnte’s descriptive writing both of magic battles, and the places we get to travel too and this book did not disappoint in either matter. We get some truly epic magical battles, some brand new creatures that are a little creepy and we get to travel Genereth right along side Grey and Brix.

I really enjoyed this book as a whole, I felt it was a little slower starting than the first one, but when it picked up I found myself flying through the pages. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing and the author manages to keep you right on track with the characters so you come to the same realisations as them at the same time. An easy 4/5 and I would certainly pick up and further books in this world.
Profile Image for Kate Larkindale.
Author 14 books127 followers
July 7, 2020
Once again, this is a fantasy novel that even I, well-known loather of fantasy, loved. It's the sequel to Lord of Secrets which I also loved, and may even be a bigger roller-coaster ride than the first book.

Corcoran Gray is back, but he's living in the new body he stole from the guy calling himself the god Jaern. It's a better body than his old, lame one, but is no more immune to the forces of magic. It doesn't help that the body's previous owner somehow managed to inscribe spells under this body's skin. Dangerous spells too.

When the Madge's Guild come calling, demanding his help to stop a plague that is felling its members left, right and center, he's forced to call upon every spell he knows and others he doesn't.

Initially reluctant to help the Guild who have been nothing but trouble for him most of his life, Gray agrees to help them after his partner, Brix, is infected. This plague is a miserable way to die and Gray will do anything to keep Brix from falling ill. Even work with his mortal enemies.

Together with a Guild Madge, Gray and Brix travel to the place Brix grew up, a place she has not been back to since she was stolen away and sold into slavery as a child. It becomes increasingly obvious that whatever this plague is, it began here, but how it began and who is controlling its spread is more complicated - and dangerous - than Gray could have believed.

As he uncovers the truth behind the illness, ancient magic is revealed as is the dark secret at the heart of this seemingly innocent town.

The world building in these books is stellar. I love that magic, while useful, makes the user sick. The way it is regulated by the Guild and protected for use only by its members is also clever, although Gray is clearly more skilled at its use than the Guild Members. '

Gray is a fantastic character too. A lovable rogue who will stop at nothing for those he cares about. He's a very skilled user of magic, but not entirely in control of the spells he carries under his skin. Throughout the book he learns more about the magic he holds and learns how to use what he carries with him.

And the creatures are delightful too. Horrific things stitched together by some madman and set loose upon an unsuspecting town. Necromancy at its finest kids!

So it goes without saying that I would recommend this one. It's exciting, fast-paced and full of twists and turns you'll never see coming.
34 reviews3 followers
April 15, 2020
Adored Lord of Secrets. Happy to report that Lady of Shadows (sequel) delivered the same wonderful reading experience. The heart of these books is the complex and deeply satisfying relationship between Corcoran Gray and Brix. I'm so in love with them both. That plus the charming, humorous, self-deprecating narration by Gray is all I need for another ten books at least in The Empty Gods series.

If you like loyal and lovable characters, necromancy, great world-building, magic with serious consequences, a very much non-modern, magical plague, and all sorts of mayhem, you will love Lady of Shadows.
Profile Image for Frank Burns.
406 reviews5 followers
February 11, 2023
As per my review of the first book, these are engaging 'brain in neutral' fantasy that avoid the "chosen one" fallacy. The author also likes to keep the word count well within sane limits which is also much appreciated.
This one dragged a little in the middle. Perhaps because, unlike the first book, the locale didn't change overmuch which meant a relentless focus on the current big bad which led to a feeling of 'padding'. A thing I appreciated in the first book was it's skipping about, allowing new characters to be brought in. Also, the antagonist in the first one had way more charm than the one in this.
That all being said, it still rates 4 stars and a recommend.
Profile Image for Dee.
1,035 reviews51 followers
May 11, 2020
Great to have another desperate adventure with Gray and Brix, even if it's a weirdly apposite time to be reading a book about a magical plague. They remain wonderfully complex characters, and Dace was a similarly fascinating addition - prickly and competent and in conflict. The plot and action didn't quite come through as strongly as the first book, but I loved spending time with these characters, I am fascinated by the way this book ends things, and I really hope to have more adventures with this crew again soon!
Profile Image for Jennifer Gottschalk.
632 reviews2 followers
July 5, 2020
Drawn out, long winded and confusing - "Lady of Shadows" is another fantasy novel with an intriguing premise that does not deliver.

On the plus side, we have a cast of strong, memorable characters. The interplay between the protagonists is the best feature of this book.

On the minus side, the plot was almost impenetrable and it took far too long for Teintze to get to the point.

I was relieved to finally get to the end of this one and did not enjoy reading it. My plan is to give future offerings by this author a miss.
Profile Image for Suzanne.
132 reviews3 followers
June 16, 2021
A great follow up to Lord of Secrets. Even darker than Lord of Secrets was. It also hit home for when I started this story we where right in the middle of the pandemic in the Netherlands. Seeing this story revolves around a plague, fantasy and reality begane to look a bit similar.

It didn't stop me from loving this book just as much as Lord of Secrets. Lady of Shadows raised the stakes even higher and if Gray's fails his mission he will lose all he loves.

It was a page turned and I enjoyed every moment of it!!
Profile Image for Sarah.
899 reviews14 followers
May 13, 2023
Well. I've been browsing the library Sci-Fi shelves. I am rejecting any book out of hand if it looks too big (most of them). The first book I chose was definitely in the wrong place but looked interesting - but was part #2 and Derbyshire libraries don't have #1 so I have put in a request for them to buy #1 (can't even remember what it was but hope the library will inform me if they buy it). The second was certainly in the wrong place but turned out to be a really interesting japanese book of 4 interlinked detective stories - Prefecture D. The third looks more like fantasy since I brought it home but also turns out to be #2. I shall give it a go.

Well NOT Sci-Fi. And well written. BUT. After the early chapters it is mostly writing about blow-by-blow magical fights interspersed by running away in various ways - in great detail. So doesn't quite make 3 stars except that it was aiming for quite good world-building and characters and I'm glad I started (and finished) with #2.
Profile Image for T.L. Merrybard.
Author 13 books9 followers
November 28, 2020
Pre-ordered it, read it within 2 days of its arrival, picking it up at every opportunity (and sometimes when I should have been doing other things). Still love Gray and Brix and would follow them anywhere. More please!
51 reviews
May 25, 2023
I can't wait for book 3. Fast paced, fun and exciting.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews

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