Bound by Blood and Shadow

by L.R. Bryant

"This was it, the end of my story."

They were trapped with no way back. Stumbling into an unknown world is terrifying for any human, but for anxiety-riddled Lenora, it's worse. There's only one consolation: She arrived on horseback, with her beloved black gelding.

Starpathia holds a realm of enchanting creatures both wondrous and lethal. Protected under the watchful eyes of Elders, the people wield impossible gifts, unbelievable to an outsider. That is, until Lenora’s own hidden powers surface, turning the eyes of The Fallen upon her.

Shadow magic hurls Lenora into an age-old conflict begun long before her arrival. Whispers of one who can enter your mind place her in far more danger than most, for the caged beings she brought from home still reside deep inside. Now they are getting louder, screaming to be heard.

Can Lenora master her new powers against such ancient darkness?

Or will she fall prey to the darkness inside, dooming this realm and all others?

323 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 25, 2023

About the author

Born in South Florida but growing up on the Florida/Georgia line, L.R Bryant was raised in the woods before she began writing. Red clay, tall pines, horses & bringing home every stray was the usual rhythm of life for this wild farm child. From a young age she dreamed of far-off places, multiple realms, incredible creatures & magic that could fiercely protect or destroy. As she grew so did her world, expanding well beyond what most people could see or feel.

Known for writing any paper the night before, over complicating book reports & sharing colorful versions of recent events, Bryant has always been a natural storyteller. After high school she took only one college course at a community college, a creative writing class where an eccentric red-haired professor took an interest. Yet, the real world would keep her from realizing the extent of such writing talents for another decade.

Those years were filled with many lives lived & endless lessons to file away. Marriage, divorce, motherhood, dead end jobs, incredible opportunities, wealth & poverty would be just a few paths this life would bring. But through all the ups & downs, one thing never left...the ability to spin magical realms, alternate realities & wonder like no other from the back of her horse.

Then one day, grief pushed this weaver of tales to write again.

It was now time to pour those worlds out, the stories that needed to be told, characters voices who needed to be heard. With the best support & publishing team around, echoing the same encouraging words from a stranger so long ago, Bryant took a chance. One story would change her future, transforming into a debut novel. With it her title morphed from 'good with words' to 'published fantasy author' & she intends to stay that way for many years to come.

Reviews

[Seth Wildschut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great characters, interesting themes, and a brand-new world that I can't wait to see developed in future books.

[Sam Wicker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am an ARC reader for this book. This is my first ARC read and I'm honestly glad it was! Bound by Blood and Shadow is a great fantasy novel! Thrust into another world, Lenora must face her anxiety head on while trying to survive. Creatures are odd, even the trees, and that sends Lenora in a believable spiral where we as a reader get a taste of why she has anxiety and panic disorder all while getting to marvel at these beautiful new areas, beasts, and flora.
The lore is amazing, just enough of a twist on a known lore to make it comforting while introducing newness. While surviving her new world, Lenora finds herself with magic. Yup, that's a new thing she must deal with too! Her magic and entrance into this world make her a subject of awe for the good guys, and something the bad one's desire to be on their side desperately.
Best thing: Lenora's horse becomes her steadying rock. For horse people, we know this and can feel this.
I highly recommend this book for those that loved Narnia, and love isekai-type reads!

[Ben Merrylees · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bound by Blood and Shadow is a really good read! I've seen other reviews talking about how it can be hard to find new ideas in a genre as beloved and oft-traveled as fantasy, and I think L. R. Bryant does an excellent job bringing some fresh material to the table in a story that does a lot of things really well. Bryant introduces a cast of compelling characters and explores some all-too-relatable dark places of the human psyche, and also provides a wonderful dose of adventure and worldbuilding. From a system of magic that doesn't feel like anything I've read before to an ever-shifting collection of fantastic biomes and gnarly creatures, you can tell Bryant put in the work to build and artfully share a well fleshed-out reality. The stakes are high, the issues are real, and I think Bound by Blood and Shadow is a heck of a debut novel from a talented indie author. I'm very excited to see where Bryant takes us with the rest of this trilogy and beyond!

[Bronwyn Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fantasy fan, it’s hard to find fresh plots that aren’t been-there-done-that. I was delighted to discover that this novel not only kept me in enthralled, it kept me guessing until the very end. It checks all the boxes…beautiful storytelling, a relatable protagonist with dark and gritty baggage, battles and adventures and tastefully understated romance, mental health struggles, trauma (on page as well as insinuated). Super fun side note that horses are heavily entwined within the story. It’s Narnia for grownups. This is the best new novel I’ve read in a long time, and I cannot wait for book two.

[Autumn Wellmaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who is kind of new to fantasy books, I found this one to be great! I'm generally a young adult/romance reader so I will say this was completely different, obviously. With that being said, I personally found it hard to keep up with all of the different characters and where they belonged or who they belonged with. I am used to only 4-6 characters where this book has many more than that. I still think it is a great book and I look forward to the 2nd and 3rd books! If I read this book again I believe it will be easier to keep up with who is who. If you are a fantasy book lover it may not be as difficult for you as it was for me and you will really enjoy this work of art!!

[Leslie Konhaeuser · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am an avid reader, but not a die-hard fantasy reader (though I do enjoy the genre). L. R. Bryant made this style of read so accessible by weaving in emotional depth, engaging character development, and relatability. Bound by Blood and Shadow is a story I didn’t want to stop reading, and kept me on my toes through the end! As a therapist, I enjoy the realistic look into the effects of trauma happening in a totally whimsical and engaging other-world. I genuinely can’t find a thing wrong with this read. Very much looking forward to book two!

[Leslie Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fantasy lover I want to thank L.R. Bryant for this awesome read. So many times I get excited to read a new book and then it turns into a "I have read this before, just with different names and locations", type of read. Not this time though, I had to keep reading because I just couldn't wait to see what would happen next!
There was battles, adventures, a touch of romance and so much more! If you want to read a book that will have you lost in the story and wanting to binge read the next book, this one if for you!

[Ian Conrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading this book about three weeks ago and binged the second half in about 2 days. I absolutely loved the character development, the vivid themes, and the depth to her story. It is definitely not a cookie cutter plot, and the morally complex characters make her debut novel a powerful, dark fantasy. I'm definitely look forward to the sequel!