Dana Illwind and Growing Shadows

Dana Illwind and Growing Shadows #1

by Arthur Daigle, Shawn Whitlock (Illustrator)

Dana Illwind has watched Meadowland Kingdom sink ever deeper into despair. Her town suffers under high taxes, the militia has been called away and her eldest brother has been sent as a hostage to their king. The breaking point comes when an ancient horror threatens her town.
Desperate, Dana calls upon Jayden, the world’s only Sorcerer Lord and a wanted man. She finds him charming and offensive in equal measure, powerful and ruthless, a man alone and haunted by his past. Difficult and obnoxious as he is, Jayden is her people’s only hope.
Jayden opens Dana’s eyes to the suffering of the kingdom as she travels with him beyond her small town. Together they learn that Meadowland is in even greater peril than they thought as evil takes root across the land. Dana and Jayden could be the only hope for their homeland and that of neighboring kingdoms as well.

Genres: Fantasy, Humor, Adventure

289 pages, Paperback

Published December 26, 2020

Reviews

[deborah o'carroll (offline during 2026) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, that made it to my top-five favorite books of all time! Jayden and Dana are some of my favorite characters EVER. I was a fan of short stories about their adventures (two of them first appearing in Fellowship of Fantasy anthologies, and on Booksie), but they finally have a novel which just released and I. AM. ECSTATIC. I’ve read this four times now and I never get tired of it. I just can’t put into words how much I love it! I love humorous banter, I love fantasy stories, and I love these characters SO MUCH.

What do you get when you pair up a practical, solid farm girl and a lone-wolf, elegant, snarky, insanely powerful enchanter with a chip on his shoulder, and set them loose to fight monsters and injustice in a fantasy kingdom? This snarky, clever, sheer fun fantasy novel, is what! It perfectly balances comedy, epic swashbuckling, and those humorous or heartfelt character moments that I’m totally here for! Did I mention Dana Illwind and Sorcerer Lord Jayden are one of my top favorite duos EVER? THEY JUST MAKE ME SO HAPPYYYY! *deep breaths*

Let me break down some of my favorite things about this book.

1. Jayden: He’s my favorite. An elegant enchanter with anger management issues but a burning heart for justice, he’s open about his own flaws but won’t tolerate injustice and has it out for the king and queen. He can be politely cutting, snarky, or in a towering rage of righteous anger in turn, and woe to the corrupt, the villains, the oppressors who get in his sights. He has the best dialogue (my favorite!), and is always ready with a cutting remark or a bit of his shadow magic. (Also, watch out if you disrespect his friend Dana—oh, boy.) He covers a hurt, broken past with an exterior that’s alternately bored, casual, angry, or just—Jayden. I can’t do him justice in a description like this, but he’s one of my top favorite characters EVER! (He also gives me slight Howl vibes.)

2. Dana: Then we have Dana, who is just as marvelous in a different way. This sturdy, good-hearted girl is #goals. It’s amazing the way this fifteen-year-old girl can be the only friend of the world’s only sorcerer lord—and the only one to make him see reason. ;) She brings out the best in him and he in turn respects and informs her, and they’re my faaaavorite! They make an incredible pair, with Dana being the reasonable one trying to stop him from getting killed or redirecting his destructive tendencies, and often saving the day in her own way. I can’t really describe her either but she’s got to be one of my favorite heroines, and I don’t have many of those. She’s fabulous! I just love seeing her (and both of them) grow on this journey. They’re the most epic duo!

3: The Humor: I LOVE funny books. Love them. The style and the humor, the mix of comedy and dry wittiness, and all the snark and bantering dialogue! Glorious. There’s such a variety of humor, which I think is tons of fun, and I love how the funny parts often keep it lighthearted, without detracting from some of the heavier topics and the real struggles they face in this kingdom. Humorous AND epic? Sign me up! Which brings me to the next part.

4: The World and Story: Part tongue-in-cheek comedy, part epic fantasy kingdom, Meadowland Kingdom etc. creates the perfect backdrop for Dana and Jayden’s adventures. A mix of ordinary, spooky, and elegant in turns, the towns and people they encounter are deep in struggles caused by monsters, injustice, and a king and queen out for destruction. I love how, despite Jayden’s issues, he and Dana do so much good throughout the kingdom. They battle injustice wherever they see it, rid the world of destructive monsters, and encounter zany characters like Sir Lootmore and his terrifying cat Jumpscare, Suzy Lockheart the alchemist, various mischievous goblins, and others. It’s the BEST mix of my favorite type of epic fantasy with humorous fantasy. It’s just everything I’ve ever wanted in a book!

I’ve been awaiting this book releasing ever since the very first short adventure I read about Dana and Jayden in the multi-author anthology “Mythical Doorways.” Over the next couple of years, I followed their continuing adventures with sheer delight every time a new “episode” was posted online—my family can attest to how my day was always brightened and I’d go around in a cloud of happiness all day whenever there was “a new Jayden and Dana story!”

I just can’t explain my love of these characters and their fantastic, humorous, feelsy adventures. I’m absolutely beyond thrilled that there is now a whole novel available so the world can experience this book that I’ve been in love with since before it existed in book form. It’s a dream come true to finally have it on my shelf! I can’t wait for the next book. ^_^

DANA ILLWIND AND GROWING SHADOWS is my favorite book I read in 2020 and one of my top-5 favorite books I’ve read, period. Joining the ranks of Lord of the Rings/Silmarillion, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Paper Crowns, I simply ADORE this book and can’t recommend it highly enough! Perfect for fans of Diana Wynne Jones, Discworld, or Magic Kingdom for Sale/Sold. Teens and adults alike will all find this book delightful.

Go read it! We all need some humor, adventure, and these amazing characters to improve our lives. It’s my favorite and I wholeheartedly recommend it!

(Review originally posted here.)

[Carina Shephard · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 stars // read August 2022

I was hoping that this would be The Book to get me out of the major reading slump that was this year, and it was!

-The humor was spot-on, and easily my favorite part of the book.

-The characters!! I adored Dana and Jayden's relationship. I also really liked that this is not a book where you are yelling at the characters for being so stupid. Characters (and by "characters" I mean primarily Dana) use their brain and make logical decisions. Also, none of the characters fall into stereotypes. I especially liked the scene with the mercenaries and the barn towards the end.

-With a small caveat (see "Dislikes" below), I really enjoyed the episodic feel of the book. There's an overarching storyline, and as the book continues it builds to a climax and everything comes together, but the mini-adventures of defeating various monsters allow for lots of character development. It makes it feel less intimidating than a big epic fantasy.

Dislikes:
Overall, this book was really well done, so my dislikes are super nitpicky.
-At times it felt like people tended to have extreme reactions to events- like shouting, yelling, etc. at things that were mildly surprising. The episodic style of the book also made it feel slightly disjointed, especially at the beginning, when events were recapped that just happened. However, it definitely feels more cohesive as the story goes on.

-Content: A few cut-off swear words (for example, an unfinished "son of a-") that seemed really out of place in this otherwise clean book. A drunken man asks Dana how much she "charges" and the insinuation completely goes over her head.

[Stargazer R. L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fabulous.

I expected to like and enjoy this book and be amused by it.

I LOVED it, had a wonderful time reading it and laughed out loud so many times.

Jayden and Dana are so much fun.

Dana Illwind and Growing Shadows is funny, epic, hilarious and enjoyable with laugh out loud moments, all the feels, and ten dimensional characters. The world building is phenomenal and unexpected. This book brought a bunch of happiness and inspiration to my little heart. I am eager for sequels.

To sum up: This book is an excellent piece of literature. Clever, funny, moral, epic, fast-paced, well written, spectacular: it’s just a solid well rounded read.

[Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another masterpiece from Arthur Daigle that once again takes place in the amazing world of the other place.
This book was a fun adventure to follow, one that certainly deserves much more attention than it gets. At first I was disappointed that it wasn't as outlandishly funny as William Bradshaw, but despite it being more serious, I was quickly immersed in the fascinating story.
This book should most certainly be read by anyone who enjoys the fantasy genre.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you haven’t read Arthur Daigle before and aren’t sure you want to try this book, Find the book “Hall of Heroes: A Fellowship of Fantasy Anthology.” It’s free and has the first Dana and Jayden story, which you can read to see if you want to read more. You can find another of their short stories in “Mythical Doorways: A Fellowship of Fantasy Anthology,” as well as a plethora of excerpts and short stories on Arthur Daigle’s Goodreads Blog.

Themes: Friendship, good vs evil, corruption, slavery/freedom, morality/responsibility…and other stuff. There are a lot of themes.
Language: Mild-less than a handful of profanity
Violence: On the light side of Moderate-There is a lot of fighting in this book because it centers around sabotage, adventuring, and war, but it’s more action than graphic. There is nothing gross.
Sex: None
Editing: Professional- A lot of sentences begin with coordinating conjunctions, but considering the way they seem to be used either in conversation or to force a pause, I think that this was a purposeful style choice rather than grammatical mistakes. A few absent commas.

“Dana Illwind waited at the forest crossroads outside her hometown of North Lights, not happy with her current situation. That was unfortunate given she was responsible for ninety percent of what was happening to her.”
What a relatable beginning XD. This first book of Dana and Jayden begins with Dana acquiring help from Jayden, an infamous self-proclaimed Sorcerer Lord. After reluctantly working with him to protect her village, she decides to take on the responsibility of being his moral compass and teams up with him to face threats across Meadowland Kingdom. Jayden himself is mainly focused on one threat to the Kingdom: The King and Queen. As Jayden becomes more and more obsessive about his mission, Dana works to temper both his rage and his guilt. They work as a well-balanced team of equals in their fight to overthrow ( or at least annoy ) the corrupt royalty. The royalty, for their part, turn out to have an even more twisted goal than even Jayden had imagined….


Bear with my disjointed thoughts:

I love this first book and can’t wait for the rest of the series. It’s fast paced, the action scenes are gripping and well written, and it’s impossible to not get invested in the characters’ mission.
The first chapters of this book tend to be episodic, jumping from one adventure to the next. I assume this is because those first chapters started out as short stories. While this book is set in the same world as William Bradshaw and Dr. Moratrayas, the world’s rules are considerably less ridiculous and the tone of this book is much more serious - more Dr.Moratrayas than William Bradshaw. It does still have many funny moments and lines though. Randomly, I was a little disappointed to not see The Great Zamphini, who is a character from Arthur Daigle’s short story In Plain Sight ( found in the aforementioned Hall of Heroes Anthology). I’m not even sure Zamphini occupies the world of Other Place, it’s been a while since I read his little story, but I remember it had similar corruption and fighting going on as are going on in this book and for some reason I expected to see him somewhere.

There is something about the way Jayden is written that reminds me of the way Sherlock Holmes is written; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original Holmes, not the many recreations of the character. I’m not articulate enough to really pinpoint what it is about Jayden, but there is something in the way his character interacts with Dana that brings to my mind Sherlock’s interactions and relationship with Watson. He has that same intense, focused, but also flippant and superior witty repertoire and attitude. And in some ways, Dana is also Watson-esq (again, like the original character of Watson rather than the often bumbling TV portrayals); an even, loyal, well rounded individual trying to temper and help an extraordinary friend. I will put in that Dana is extraordinary in her own right. The success of their partnership is just as much because of her as it is because of Jayden. Like Watson, she works hard to keep her Sherlock from becoming bored and harming himself. Like Holmes, Jayden is, in my mind, iconic. Of all the things I could say about Mr. Daigle as an author, I think the thing that is most consistent in his books and stories is that he creates iconic characters.

The only thing in this book that I didn't like was that Dana kept telling everyone her name. She's working with a wanted man and still tells everyone who she is. I kept wanting to shush her. I don't know how the Crown haven't already figured out who she is and sent someone after her family.

Something interesting about the story-style of this book is that the character’s don’t have a large growth arc. By that I mean that there aren’t huge character flaws that must be overcome. Sure, Dana may be naïve and Jayden may have a temper, but they are already fairly mature individuals, so their changes are more of a gentle learning curve of responsibility, acceptance, and understanding, which I don’t think is finished by the end of this first book. Quite similar to many of Sir Terry Pratchett’s character arc’s and lessons actually. I really enjoyed this way of handling Dana and Jayden as people because it meant that A) I didn’t have to read through any bratty, spoiled, or annoying character stages, and B) It felt a little more real to have people who are already good, normal people being forced to be better slowly over time. Speaking of which, there is even a quote from the book that illustrates this second idea:
“Haven’t you ever heard people say just be yourself?”
“That’s terrible advice! What if a man was a drunken illiterate bigot? Being himself would be the last thing anyone around him would want.”
“Fine, so what should you do?”
“Be better,” Jayden said as he resumed walking. “Be superior to who you were the day before, the week before, the year before. Learn, grow, improve, and never stop, because the day will come when people need you to be better for their sake, and your own.”

It’s a fun, exciting, enjoyable read and I would recommend it to pretty much everyone.

[Francesca Filler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't wait for book 2! 👍

[Sandra Peterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just read it.

Short, simple, to the point. It's a good read with rollercoaster like action. Ups, downs, comedy, adventure and yes, even romance.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a funny comment Arthur Daigle made on Facebook and found out that he wasn't just hilarious, he also wrote books. So I just had to try one.
I have only read 3 chapters but I like it a lot so far. It's an interesting story, lots of action and humor.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book series following Dana Illwind and Jayden, the Sorcerer Lord. It is set in the same world as the William Bradshaw series, but in a different kingdom in Other Place. Their story is a little darker and edgier than most of the Bradshaw books, but is still appropriate for older kids. The humor is more sparse, but just as rich.

When an old monster returns to hunt Dana's village, she feels she has no choice but to seek help from the infamous (and wanted) Sorcerer Lord in Meadowland Kingdom. All of the men of fighting age have been conscripted into service, leaving the small village unable to defend itself. She wished to lead Jayden to the monster and return to her quiet life. What Dana didn't expect was the camaraderie that developed when she found herself fighting the monster side-by-side with Jayden. That grew into a partnership as the book goes on, one of mutual respect for each other as flawed human beings.

Fans of the Bradshaw series will enjoy the references and tie-ins to the characters and stories they know and love, while appreciating the uniqueness that Jayden and Dana bring to this colorful world. I look forward to the next books!

**I have received a free copy of this book for a honest review**

[Jenelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this story sucked me in right away in the first chapter, I also found myself struggling to stick with it after that because it felt more like a series of short stories strung together than a cohesive novel, especially for the first third of the book. There seemed to be some major time gaps between chapters with important things happening “off screen,” and each chapter spent some time re-hashing what had happened in the previous chapter, and this… kind of frustrated me. I barely have patience for books that do that for previous books in a series (because I more often than not am binge-reading the series and so I have not had time to forget what happened in the previous book).

However, once I got past those first chapters, the story settled down and became more of a novel. I enjoyed the character interactions, the impulsive and intelligent Dana, the epically powerful but sometimes unobservant (and snarky) Jayden, and the various characters they interact with along the way.

I definitely had some suspicions about Jayden that turned out to be correct, so I felt very smart about that.

Overall a fun adventure and a world I look forward to spending more time in.

[Reina Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I could have a half star.

I've read most of this authors other work here, and this was no exception to the previous fun and engaging writing. It was (mostly) quick passed, enjoyable, and really did a good job expanding the characters and world he's already created. However, the beginning was a bit off. Perhaps it's simply because I was not expecting that episodic first half, but the pacing and storytelling just felt a tiny bit disconnected from the rest of the book. Not that it wasn't enjoyable or well written- it was- just that it felt like something was missing somewhere. So if I could, if really give this book a 4.5 star rating. In any case, this was a really fun first book and I can't wait to see what comes next!

[Jaime K · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book begins with a short I read in an anthology, so I expected it to be a bit ridiculous.
Unfortunately, it's a little TOO ridiculous, and some of the writing falls flat to me.

A girl of 15 meets Sorcerer Lord Jayden, seeking him out for help with trouble her village is having. I was disturbed that she finds him attractive since he's supposed to be in his 30s, but then I realized over time that she appreciated how he looked and didn't actually want a relationship beyond friendship with him, not really.

The book follows their first year together, and each chapter is like a short story itself while continuing the greater plot. Towards the middle the chapter changes felt less abrupt and flowed better, but at the two ends, the passing of time is jarring and confusing.

In Chapter 9 we learn a truth of Jayden he barely hinted at--only that people thought his past name was dead--and it's a great reveal, one I couldn't stop reading (though how it was done was odd, but odd magic is the foundation of the book).

Despite being a lone wolf, Jayden tolerates Dana following him, helping him, working with him. She makes him better and is beneficial in ways that a man just can't be. She is smart but incredibly naive at times. I don't know how she knows about sex but is utterly baffled when someone asks how much she charges. This bewilderment occurs more than once.

Dana is also incredibly annoying towards the beginning, being disrespectful of Jayden's desire to not speak of his past and then she pries and guesses.
Even worse is a character named Suzy, who for some reason storms Jayden's hotel room and demands to know why he hasn't slept with Dana despite being with her for months. Um. Because she's half his age? Because he respects her as a person but isn't romantically interested? Because it's none of your business? It was such a useless and asinine scene that it made me drop this an entire star rating.

What also didn't help is how repetitive things are, making it feel even more like a bunch of short stories put together without editing for better flow. I know she is 15. I know she was used to traveling unnoticed with Jayden. I know she stupidly blushes any time someone older kisses her forehead. I know that Jayden hates the king and queen and is actively trying to make their lives hell.

So this took me longer than expected to read because I got bored at times and then irritated at others.

[David Justiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very episodic. It kind of reads like a cartoon series with each chapter as an episode. It's not bad, but I don't know if I'm interested enough to get book 2.