Into the Shadowlands

by Tiffany Putenis

In the Duchy of Amadan, all males are born with the spark of magic running through their veins. But there is a price to be paid by the strongest magic-wielders.




Once a generation, a magical tournament unfolds at the Duke of Amadan's fortress. The winner becomes a hero before being sacrificed to the Shadowlands, where the Demon Lord Trahern awaits.




Gedran wins the tournament and is shoved through a portal into the Shadowlands. His brother, Roarke, faces a harrowing to stay in Amadan or journey into the Shadowlands to save his brother.




Into the Shadowlands is an adventure through perilous terrain where the bonds of family and a brother's devotion are tested. This is Tiffany Putenis's first fantasy novel.

178 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 19, 2022

Reviews

[Taliesin Govannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not going to mince words: high fantasy is seldom my go to genre when I'm picking a book to read. Yes, I grew up on Lord of the Rings like every other good nerd, but Ann Rice locating vampires in the present day (as well as in the past) created a hunger for contemporary settings in my fantasy that has yet to be satisfied.

That makes "Into the Shadowlands" by Tiffany Putenis a rare find indeed... high fantasy that not only piques my interest, but keeps me reading until the very end. My DNF (did not finish) pile is littered with countless tales of orcs, elves, and dragons (oh, Lords, the dragons!), but Into the Shadowlands slayed my DNF pile with ease!

The world building is first rate... everything feels well thought out, but never overbearing. The characters are warm and likeable. There is one character, however, who blew me away: Eislyn. Eislyn is the bad ass, intelligent woman character we've all been wanting for FAR too long!

Tiffany Putenis' debut novel is a home run! Five stars!

[ka fi de · Rating 4 out of 5]

dooky. lol.

let's give it a 4. why not?

before we start! thank to booksirens for this. love your work buddy.

i liked this book a lot. it was very entertaining. i read this consistently pretty much. which is saying a lot because i get bored quickly...

the plot was good. even though we've had stories like this already, this one has a different take to it. we establish the treaty straight away. generations of people have to select one person to sacrifice to trahern in order to stop him from killing everyone. cool. you would think that they would train their champion to kill trahern but i guess they missed the memo on that one. then we see our other protagonists traverse through the shadowlands to save our champion. ~spicy spicy~ things happen during that. then more spoilery stuff and THEN THE ENDING. oof. i was surprised i'll say that much.

i loved that our main characters are brothers (sort of our main characters). gedran and roarke are the main driving forces in this story. it's different that we get siblings rather than love interests which is most commonly what you see. although we had the addition of eislyn in the story, her romance with roarke doesn't overshadow the main plotline of saving gedran.

i enjoyed the journey roarke and eislyn had through the shadowlands to save gedran. there was a lot of character development going on during that. their relationship was cute. i think i say that a lot in my notes below. the subplot of this development was a great way to make the adventure lighter. the tone of venturing through the shadowlands seems dark and ominous but this cutesy couply things going on made their situation.......less dark and less ominous lol (i have no words ffs). i was going to complain that they really went to l-word territory so soon but apparently they were in the shadowlands for weeks .

the pacing of the story was also great. we didn't waffle around too much which i find with some other books. i did think that we had one too many scenes of them roarke and eislyn just camping but that's super minor.

the characters were all well written. roarke in particular i think was very believable in his intentions. he loved his brother very much that he was willing to betray his dooky in order to save him. i think saving him was rooted in his love and longing for his parents because he's the only family that he has left. eislyn one of the few female characters that i've read that i think truly embody female empowerment (?) is that a thing. when i read about her i just think she's cool. she's a cool lady. she does suffer from nlog vibes. but i don't hate it. she has a katniss energy that i like. gedran, to me, feels very helpless. for someone who i initially perceived as this strong character was not... that. at all. lol. especially at the end. do something. you know. roarke's out here kicking demon tush and you're sitting there being all captured and chill. it was very funny to me. but also soz.

i don't really have that much that i disliked about the book. i sort of go through the nit-picky ones in my notes. but i think the main one is that i wanted more magic. the testing was incredibly simple and i don't think showcased the magical potential the competitors have. i thought they would go a battle royale route when i imagined the testing but it's just copying someone else's spell. i also didn't think trahern was that much of a villain as he was made out to be based on that final battle. i just wanted magic. especially because that testing sequence was so interesting to me and i just left wanting more of it.

... and i don't know if it was just my copy that i got but there were two typos? but again super minor. i see it all the time with arcs.

my initial notes of this are so shit. i'm so sorry. i usually have a lot to say but it's been 4 days of attempting to write this review but i'm just sleepy.

let's just do my kindle notes! by the way the spoiler section are my real time notes transferred here. they don't make a lot of sense because there's no context but whatever. lol.



Chapter One

to start off my notes:
how do i say "Duchy". i know that i can totally just look this up but this'll be my lame attempt at pronouncing it.
is it "dooky" (which is making me inappropriately giggle right now because that means poop) or is it "duh-chi" (like how you say "duchess"?) or "ducky" (like the character from land before time)
i could look this up but leave me alone. i'm calling it dooky.
lol.

“There is a prophecy about me, Grainne,

i love how trahern is explaining this. he's doing a monologue like grainne has no idea what he's talking about. surely grainne knows what the deal is. this has happened for many generations. every few years i imagine grainne having this meeting and sighing every time trahern has to explain the prophecy again.
it's all just for us readers that we have this exposition. it's funny.

After a testing, which shall occur every twenty years, the victor shall be sent into the Shadowlands by a portal, wherein he will forfeit his human belongings and titles.

i feel like the competitors would just prefer to lose then if they know that winning will result in their death.
i look at it as "so what if i prove that i am the most powerful man in the dooky if i will end up dying anyway. if i'm smart, i'll just lose on purpose"
or maybe i'll send the most disposable person in the dooky with powers as a sacrifice. maybe someone on death row or something or someone who's done the most heinous crimes that they deserve to perish in the shadowland.
why would you sacrifice your most powerful?
maybe there's an explanation to it. it's too early to tell.

“You want me to... to sacrifice each generation’s most powerful magic wielder to you. You want me to send one… one of my subjects into the Shadowlands, where you will take possession of him in order to protect yourself.

WAIT HOLD UP. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THIS IS HAPPENING IN THE DOOKY. I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR GENERATIONSSSSS um hello
if you don't know i'm very stupid.

But, should you fail to do so…. You will all suffer.

i feel like he should've consulted the residents of his dooky before making this decision.

He signed the document, using his own lifeblood as iron-scented ink.

this scene is like ariel signing that contract from ursula

Throughout the duchy, the citizens rejoiced at the traditions that surrounded the testing.

ahhhhhhhh i get it.
we're fast forwarding through time and space.

While each man sent into the Shadowlands became a hero of the duchy, Roarke had no desire to be a hero, nor did he want to see his brother become a martyr.

so they're a hero because they sacrificed themselves for the good of the dooky.
i see where you're coming from but also... no.

“have you ever thought about purposely not performing well during the testing?”

see roarke knows what's up. i declare him as my favourite character!

i also realised that this is some battle royale type shit. or is it?

“For these tests, you must pay complete attention to the spell I weave. Each spell must be completed by each of you.

it's a charms lesson.
swish and flick.

A cheer went out from the crowd as the duke stood and raised his glass.

that was it?
i thought that we'd have like a full-on experience. not half a chapter of the testing.
it's fine i guess. i really liked reading what was going on so i wished that there was more.

Roarke tried to scream, his voice caught in his throat as his mind chanted “NO” over and over again.

... and they didn't even wash the dishes before they left. rude.

She desperately wanted to be a part of it.

ooooooooooooooooo eislyn. new character.
i feel like i already like her. even with this short section about her i already feel like we'll be seeing more from her and her ass-kicking skills.

Their once-close relationship became fraught with conflict as they both gave up their dreams in order to keep the farm afloat.

i definitely know a thing or two about giving up ones dreams in order to keep my family afloat.
it really sucks.

but I kept holding his hand until the burial was over.

omg cute. roarke and eislyn sitting in a tree k i s s i n g

Chapter Five Gedran

ooooooooo the chapter i was looking forward to. i am pretty excited to see the pov of the winner as they traverse through the shadowlands. i was expecting it to all be in roarke's pov and his travel to the shadowland but it's so much more full that we have gedrans perspective

She flung her bow across her back

she's an archer.
nice.

I hope they’ll forgive me for running off.

DISHONOUR ON YOU. DISHONOUR ON YOUR COW.

-Roarke’s travel journal.

i love how he ends it with -roarke's travel journal
-kafide's kindle notes

not to mention that moment at his parents’ wake,

he was blinded by his tears
and what if you were actually a stranger to him
what were you doing holding their hand during their parents funeral
eislyn's the best

Roarke looked her up and down as she stood, admiring the curve of her bottom.

roarke you creep

Me, though… I was expected to sit still, dress prettily, and apply myself to my embroidery.”

um arya is that you

What had she called it? He thought to himself. Something about fish? I should ask her again, but I don’t want her to think that I wasn’t listening to her the first time.

this is my overthinking brain at work.

She stroked the mare’sher flank and nuzzled her side before removing Roarke’s saddlebags and bedrolls.

i see a typo.
or is it a typo?

“Not much,” she said.

it's funny how she said "not much" but also proceeds to tell the tale of the shadowlands and trahern's existence. lol

He slid into unconsciousness from the pain.

cute.

“No, we aren’t. You’re being foolish.”

i don't appreciate this gaslighting behaviour sir

“If you don’t want to listen, if you’d rather argue, then go home, Eislyn. I don’t need or want you here.” He watched as her eyes flashed with anger.

honestly this is all just escalating really quickly. one second they're sleeping together and now they're breaking up.

He knew he shouldn’t speak to her that way, but he couldn’t help it.

um --- yes you can hello?

“I won’t push you away again.”

bahahahahahahhahahahahahah the turnover of emotions in this scene is ridiculous

“Don’t be thick, Roarke. We save him. Let’s go.”

let's add defeating trahern to the plan guys.
it's pointless if you only save gedran because trahern will definitely know that one of the citizens of the duchy went into the shadowlands to save their champion and what is trahern going to do? kill everyone.

“I’m not leaving, you idiot. I love you.”

they've been really cute and all but i'm not exactly sure if i buy this.
i'm so sorry.

“And you love her,” Gedran interjected. “I’d have to be blind not to see how you’re looking at her right now.”

why is this just so funny to me

Her stomach growled, and Roarke chuckled quietly.

i love how everyone is suddenly so chill
your brother was kidnapped by trahern directly. can we please have some urgency. what's with setting up camp. go find your brother.

“This is my life, Roarke. Mine. Not yours, not my father’s, not my mother’s.

now that we've been with these characters for a bit... i'm now too scared to ask... how do you pronounce roarke. i'm saying it in my head as "rorke" buti know it's wrong. send help pls.

But Gedran does.”

Gedran is a fainting princess.

a chagrined look on his face.

we've had 2 chagrined faces in this book so far.
i've never seen it used before let alone see it be used twice.
we love chagrining in this book.

You’re not like the other girls from the village.”

I'm not like other girls *tucks hair behind ear*

Roark tossed an extra set of saddlebags across the back of the horse and tied the reins to his pommel,

you spelled your character's name wrong. oops.

What’s his name again? Trahern thought. Putrus? Tumnus?

mister tumnus from narnia

Chapter Twenty-Two

i just made note of this now but i've noticed it chapters ago but we're not getting pov's anymore???
i sort of understood before because roarke and gedran were together so the perspectives combine but now they're separated again and we're getting pov from tudras and trahern and from the two boys. i mean it's not difficult to know who's speaking but some consistency would be nice.

“I read it, you know. Your journal.”

eislyn sweetie
this ain't cute
you shouldn't be reading that. periodt.

“Ok, then let’s plan. How do we want to do this?” Roarke asked.

i love how we quickly just shied away from the obvious privacy invasion that's happened here. lol.

Eight-legged, with wide, hourglass-shaped bodies and large, clicking mandibles, the strange creatures ran toward Eislyn, following the direction of her scream.

eislyn keeps blowing their cover. is that just me? hahaha

he walked back toward his horse.

these horses are amazing.
they've survived days probably not eating the right stuff because these two probably brought food for themselves. they also survived the terrible conditions they're under. none of the creatures have chosen to attack the animals standing to one side and just watching their owners get destroyed.
if they have this plot armour surrounding them, i'd have them go save gedran tbh.

He swung his sword in a showy arc,

i just imagine his pose. and i hear yelena's voice in my head when she criticised natasha for posing.

Gedran’s neck snapped, the sound echoing in Roarke’s mind as he watched his brother’s limp body sway from the momentum.

this is the face crack of the century

what a fucking waste. BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA

“I finally remembered the phrasing of the prophecy. ‘Under a red sun, the strongest man will face the Demon Lord. Driven by what is just and right, only he can bring these shadowed lands back into the light.’ It never mentions magic, or where the strength comes from.”

i don't recall reading the actual prophecy.
but then again i am pretty stupid.
i may have to go back and check if the actual prophecy was said.

Roarke raised his sword and swung, striking him in the neck and severing Trahern’s head from his body.

for someone who's half god half succubus he sure is pretty lame.
i didn't really see any actual spells used. he's been hoarding all this power from the sacrifices and the final battle is reduced to weapon fighting

When I call on her tomorrow, assuming her father doesn’t kill me on sight, we’ll find out, I guess. Oh Gods, I’ll have to meet her father tomorrow.

dude you killed trahern.
get it together.

“What are your intentions?”

i asked my cousin's (then) boyfriend/ (now) fiance this exact question and he was livid. BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA we went all feminist with me. it was really funny.

They reminded me of you braiding the corn flowers into your hair after we defeated the Demon Lord.”

i thought that they would have at least a celebration dedicated to them considering they defeated trahern but the town was pretty much like " oh yeah. yous guys are back. didn't even know you left. what? demon lord's dead. cool. cool cool".

“Eislyn, will you marry me?” Roarke asked.

excuse me. sir.

“If you require further proof, ride west to the Shadowlands. They are no longer under a red sun, and the land has become fertile again,” Roarke said. “Trahern is gone, and the Shadowlands are no longer. They’ll need a new name now.”

if you needed further proof... here's his head! OH WAIT I DIDN'T BRING IT BECAUSE I'M AN IDIOT.



nice.

do i have any final thoughts?

YES! please read this :) it's good. would def recommend.

i was reading this and playing fire crackling sounds in the background and it's very immersive if you do it that way. it's a chill read especially if you're into adventure.

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

[K.R. Wieland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an enjoyable book. I loved the closeness of Roarke and Gedran, at times strained, but it was clear how they cared for one another even when they didn’t say it. Eislyn was a fantastic female character who was fun to read. I loved the way she fought not only for her right to journey with Roarke, but she fought beside him in battle too.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like to say that I'm an avid reader of fantasy, though it's not the genre that I lean towards over others. I like the idea of high fantasy, but have an issue with the amount of world-building, characters, and plotline which make a story convoluted; this is an issue that this book did not have. There were some strong characters in Eislyn and Roarke, and a nice little world built into this short (assumedly standalone) novel. It's not often that we get something short, sweet, and not apart of this massive larger series which can be both good and bad.

I really enjoyed the world that Tiffany built and found it easy to picture with the descriptions that were included. The pacing was definitely there and never fell flat for me, I liked that the novel was broken up into different points of view as well, and was useful in continuing the plot forward. The main villain's demise felt a bit too easy to me but our main characters are what really carried the story through. I think I audibly gasped in line for Space Mountain when Gedran died, I was so mad, lol.

I think I would've liked this even more if it was quite a bit longer with more details included, particularly about the magic tournament which I felt went by in a snap when I expected it to take up half the novel. I would've loved to see a more in-depth explanation of the magic system and what else it was used for within Amadan outside of the tournaments. Regardless, for a debut novel, fantasy can be particularly hard and I think Tiffany did a great job at creating this magical realm without making it too confusing or unrealistic.

I would love to see more of Eislyn and Roarke's relationship fleshed out if this story continues as I found them to be both extremely likable and loved Eislyn's willingness to go into battle, she's a great, strong, female character.

Anyway! Congrats Tiffany, great writing, a good story, more than happy to read anything from you in the future.

[Siobhain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Into the Shadowlands is the first fantasy novel by Tiffany Putenis and sees an adventure through a perilous terrain where the bonds of family and a brother’s devotion are tested.

The novel takes place in the Duchy of Amadan where all males are born with a spark of magic but there is a price to be paid by the strongest magic-wielders. Once in a generation, a magical tournament unfolds at the Duke’s fortress. The winner becomes a hero – right before being sacrificed to the Shadowlands, where the Demon Lord Trahern awaits them.

Gedran wins the tournament and is sent to the Shadowlands but his brother Roarke faces a harrowing decision: to stay in Amadan or journey into the Shadowlands to save his brother.

This novel is honestly one of my favourite reads this year to date. It wasn’t the longest read at only 164 pages but the story in those pages was gripping, heartfelt and thoroughly enjoyable. The characters are well developed even in the short space. You see their personality shine through. Roarke is someone you instantly feel a connection with due to his compassion and empathy. I was pleasantly surprised how Putenis managed to create such a fantastic story in so short a space and time. It has everything you could want in a fantasy adventure and young adult fantasy. Fast-paced action, magic, fights, strong characters, a rather awesome female character, romance but not as the main theme and one of my favourite kind of ends that merges bittersweet with happily ever after. I also adored finding out what happened to Roarke in the future.

My only complaint? I wanted more! But in fairness it could have potentially ruined the perfectly paced story. I am extremely excited to see more work by Putenis in the future.

[Deviant Quill Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://www.deviantquill.com/post/int...

After reading hundreds of fantasy books, I'm always in search of something new. To be honest, the cover is what grabbed me here. The story takes place in a fictional land, where people can wield magic. Based on a contract between a half-demon and a duke, the strongest magic wielder in every generation is portaled into the Shadowlands. The brother of the last young man to be sent there embarks on an journey to save him and gets tracked and aided by a girl he barely knows from his village.

Now, the story is not bad, but it gives me a feeling of generic fantasy. With so many books out there from this genre it's hard to come up with something new and exciting. I think what I didn't like was that the characters were quite undefined. Eislyn, the main female character, is portrayed as a strong girl who knows her own mind and doesn't need a man to defend her. I think she's the best-defined character in the book. The rest of them feel quite two-dimensional.

I'm not saying the plot is bad in any way, but it didn't bring anything that I was looking for. It would be ideal for someone who just now starts reading fantasy. It's quite tame, so perfect for a teenager.
The review copy was provided by Book Sirens.

[Samuel Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a hard read. I enjoyed it but some things were off and it was a matter of deciding if this was a Five star even though I had issues with it story like I’ve done before or a Three stars because some of these issues are things I usually don’t give a pass too. It sits at three stars unfortunately. This is mostly because my first issue came in the beginning before I actually started to enjoy the novel.

Let’s just talk about what I loved. The world itself was brilliant. I like fantasies with a good prophecy and this one had that. And the hero wasn’t reluctant. This was mostly because he became the hero via a quest to save his brother. So all the annoying angst about just wanting to be a normal teen, and running away from destiny were pleasantly absent.

The creatures and the journey the heroes have to take kept me reading. There’s nothing like a few epic battles and carnage to set the pace for a good rescue mission. Especially when it doesn’t come with all that whiny ‘I don’t want to hurt anyone’ YA hero drama that is just distracting.

Overall, this story had all the right things to be awesome, but some of the plot decisions seemed odd. Roarke has some magical qualities and is having dreams. Almost all things magic find recurring dreams very important. That being said Roarke’s brother doesn’t take the dreams seriously and still goes into this contest. To be fair even writing this I’m not sure if Roarke himself took them seriously enough to tell him. The whole dream thing was basically washed over for the plot. Gedran can’t of course get captured if he takes the dream seriously. It didn’t stop there though. He has another vision about his brother being tortured and his travel companion, Eislyn, tells him it was just a dream. So twice the dream thing has been ignored but when there’s a mental connection between Gedran and Roarke we are suddenly to get on board with that vision getting believed.

Then, and this is a plot spoiler of sorts, his brother is transferred into the middle of the cursed lands presumably for the pleasure of the demon watching his magical life force be slowly etched out of him. He sends his minions to retrieve him but at the end he just creates a portal to get him. If it were that easy why all the mechanics of having him brought to him. Then there’s the fact that he was torturing Gedran as is evident by Roarkes dream and Gedran wounds, so why did he do this away from the castle and furthermore why did he leave him there to be transported by minions when clearly, he portalled himself home. It was just a one-off thing to torture him at least a day away from the stronghold? So much about Gedran’s part in the story seemed off. If the demon wants to steal and torture why didn’t he have him strung up and whipped the entire length of the novel? Like serious hardcore torture?

The insta-love really killed this story for me. Like there wasn’t even any real flirtation and Gedran says you love her and then every page, I mean every page after that revolves around this love and it’s pulls so far away from the essence of the book, a boy on a mission to save his brother. I skimmed so much of the last quarter of this book. It got so deep into it that Roarke said it’s too dangerous and he didn’t want to risk losing her. This was when I really pretty much bowed out. When Eislyn shot that first arrow at a bear I was so excited. Finally, a woman who doesn’t need the male hero to survive. I knew it was a false hope cause Roarke’s first real thought of her was ‘I have to protect her’. I audibly groaned so the people on the bus heard me.

It just became frustrating that, ultimately, other than always killing something with an arrow just at the right time to save Roarke, that it was at its core still a book about the hero protecting his woman and I was hoping with everything I had she was more than just an arrow shooter and Roarke wouldn’t take on a protector complex, and, most importantly, the romance would jsut be a light in the back thing. But, after the defeat at the end. The entire ending of the book, about ten percent or so, so a decent chunk, was about there budding relationship, and proposal and marriage, and then naming their firstborn after his brother, and, for me, the book was well and over when the demon was defeated.

This story was well written. Entertaining. Checked all the boxes but, unfortunately, had a few plot choices that didn’t sit well with me. How the demon deals with Gedran, and how he can clearly take out our heroes without breaking a sweat but doesn’t and allows them in his house to destroy him. How the insta-love bulldozed its way into the story and then became the entire focus of the story. And a female lead who is clearly awesome still somehow ending up in the need to be protected role and relegated to perfect timing to keep our hero alive. All of these things, plus a few other little quirks, took away from the overall enjoyment of this otherwise expertly crafted story. That’s it really, a few odd choices changed the tone of this book drastically enough to derail the connection that I could’ve and thought I would’ve had with this story.

Full review and video here: https://readingismydrug.com/2022/01/2...

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is of Into the Shadowlands by Tiffany Putenis.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Note: this review obtains spoilers in order to explain my rating.
The story starts out well. There is a new world the reader needs to explore. There’s a village, an evil presence, a terrible curse, and one boy who is out to break it. The problem is that everything happens too fast. Rourke, the boy out to break the curse, and Eislyn, daughter of the rich man in the village, fall in love within two pages. When the quest started, Rourke didn’t even know who she was and Eislyn had met Rourke only once. Yet after a few days together in the Shadowlands, they pledge their undying love to each other. Other events that would work better with a five or six page story are also cut short to only two or three pages.
In short, the story line is good. Descriptions of the terrain are very good, especially during the quest. We know about the characters and what drives them. We just need to know more about what happens.

[Cole Weaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book! I read it with two of my children and we were hooked. We loved the characters, especially Eislyn. If you are looking for a strong female character this is the book for you!!! The book was fast paced and we never got bored. The author did an excellent job of keeping you in suspense. The hardest thing was putting the book down so my kids could go to bed. Seriously, this was a great read for young adults. New author for us and I can't wait to read more of her work. My daughter (our bookworm) liked it so much she wrote a card to Ms. Putenis. That's a first in our house. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

[Mick Putenis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the privilege of reading this as an Advanced Reader Copy. I was not compensated for my review, and it represents my own opinions. This book was alot of fun to read. The author created a fun world with tons of details that really sucked me into the story and helped me imagine everything. Her characters were great, too. Especially Eislyn, who just wants to escape from the life she is expected to lead. I loved this book!

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, engrossing, quick read!

[Janelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a satisfying read for 164 pages. The best part of the story is the rich description: the reader can easily visualize the characters and plot because the writing appeals to all the senses. I am relieved to read a novel that is written so smoothly that I can follow the story easily.

I don't give 5 stars because the plot was too predictable and the protagonists'
relationship needed more development.

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

[Doris Metz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strong characters and a strong plot make for an engaging story. I couldn't put this book down until it was finished!

[Tonya Halberstadt · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Into the Shadowlands' is a well written, well plotted fantasy novel dealing with swords and sorcery with likable characters.

Every generation the strongest magic user in the land is forced through a portal into the shadowlands. The sacrifice of the magic user ensures the creatures of the shadowlands will not invade, preserving the survival of most.

Gedran's pride won't let him lose the contest for the strongest magic user, so he is the current sacrifice. His brother, Roarke, cannot face the loss of his last family member, so he decides to rescue him from the shadowlands and whatever fate faces him there.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to more.

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

[Rukshy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Into the Shadows is an interesting if somewhat simplistic read. Due to a prophecy and agreement with the Shadow demon king, every generation the strongest magic wielder is sent into the shadowlands to die. Gedran is chosen, but his loyal brother Roarke sets out on a quest to save him. The plot is interesting but I felt that the plot and characters could have been better developed as it sometimes felt a bit rushed. The relationship between the main characters also was at times forced and rushed. I think more time to develop the story would have made a big difference. 3/5 stars

[Ainsley Curry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tiffany Putenis might be my new favorite author. I was gifted this book for Christmas and was instantly absorbed. I loved the use of journal entries to help fill in gaps and show what Roarke was thinking as he experienced things, and I cried at the end. Can’t wait to read Tiffany Putenis’s next book!

[Brooke Ulikowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fast paced, well-written, and engaging romance. I loved this book and I’m looking forward to reading the author’s next novel!

[William Bartlett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read, well written, highly recommend.

[brenda kimball · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love , love this book!

The author kept you engaged throughout the book. I enjoyed the characters and story line immensely. The ending was captivating. Looking forward to reading more from this Author!