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The Books of the Dark Goddess #1
Silver and Shadow
As a paladin of the Dark Goddess, sworn to protect humanity against the Goddess’s evil sister the Bright One, Ginnevra has dedicated her life to fighting monsters, especially the werewolves who are the pinnacle of the evil goddess’s creation. But when a fatal confrontation seems to put her under the Goddess’s condemnation, Ginnevra must leave her paladin company to discover why.
In a village plagued by monsters on the edge of civilization, Ginnevra believes she understands what she faces. But when she meets a werewolf who challenges her understanding of who monsters really are, the encounter tests her faith to its limit. And when she learns the truth about the monsters attacking the village, she must choose between doing her duty and forging a new path—one that may condemn her forever.
In a village plagued by monsters on the edge of civilization, Ginnevra believes she understands what she faces. But when she meets a werewolf who challenges her understanding of who monsters really are, the encounter tests her faith to its limit. And when she learns the truth about the monsters attacking the village, she must choose between doing her duty and forging a new path—one that may condemn her forever.
215 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 14, 2023
46 people are currently reading
302 people want to read
About the author
Melissa McShane
94 books858 followersMelissa grew up a nomad, following her family all over the United States, and ended up living in the shadow of the Wasatch Mountains with her husband, four kids, and three very needy cats. Her love of reading was always a constant during those uncertain years, and her love of writing grew out of that. She wrote reviews and critical essays for many years before turning to fiction, and was surprised at how much she liked it. She loves the fantasy genre and how it stretches the imagination.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 15, 2023
My as ever non-standard disclaimer applies for this story. Melissa agreed to accompany me to a foreign land and if that's not devotion, I don't know what is. I always strive for honesty, but couldn't blame anyone for treating this review with skepticism.
I love the way this story plays with preconceptions. Ginnevra is a paladin of the Dark Goddess in opposition to all the Bright One's monstrous creations—chief of which is the moon-driven werewolves. And one of the central tenets of her faith is that prophecy and destinies are a tool of the Bright One. And I didn't realize how instinctive it is to pray/wish for certain outcomes until Ginnevra chides against it (even in her own impulses). You pray to the Dark Goddess for strength and wisdom, not to succeed at whatever you are planning. Indeed, a large virtue of the faith is making the choice to be your best. I found this both enlightening and profound and loved Ginnevra's struggle to understand and accept, starting with a tragedy that sets her off on a lone mission rather than rejoining her original company.
And then she meets Eodan and has to relearn more preconceptions than she imagined possible. And I have to admit that I fell in love with Eodan fairly fast. He's quiet but strong. And he's patient even in the face of provocation. And he does the right thing, even when that's hard. Plus, he turns out to be a very handy companion for a paladin on the hunt.
This is an easy five stars for me. I love Ginnevra and adding Eodan is the perfect topping of an already fantastic dessert. I can't wait for the rest of this series to drop.
A note about Chaste: Sex happens in the course of the story, though none of it on -page. There are references to it, but not graphically. I consider this chaste, but others may reasonably differ.
I love the way this story plays with preconceptions. Ginnevra is a paladin of the Dark Goddess in opposition to all the Bright One's monstrous creations—chief of which is the moon-driven werewolves. And one of the central tenets of her faith is that prophecy and destinies are a tool of the Bright One. And I didn't realize how instinctive it is to pray/wish for certain outcomes until Ginnevra chides against it (even in her own impulses). You pray to the Dark Goddess for strength and wisdom, not to succeed at whatever you are planning. Indeed, a large virtue of the faith is making the choice to be your best. I found this both enlightening and profound and loved Ginnevra's struggle to understand and accept, starting with a tragedy that sets her off on a lone mission rather than rejoining her original company.
And then she meets Eodan and has to relearn more preconceptions than she imagined possible. And I have to admit that I fell in love with Eodan fairly fast. He's quiet but strong. And he's patient even in the face of provocation. And he does the right thing, even when that's hard. Plus, he turns out to be a very handy companion for a paladin on the hunt.
This is an easy five stars for me. I love Ginnevra and adding Eodan is the perfect topping of an already fantastic dessert. I can't wait for the rest of this series to drop.
A note about Chaste: Sex happens in the course of the story, though none of it on -page. There are references to it, but not graphically. I consider this chaste, but others may reasonably differ.
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May 26, 2024I live with the terrible fear that I will run out of things to write. So far, it hasn't happened, but every time I get to the end of writing a book, I dread the possibility that it was the last one. I don't know why this is. Possibly it's that most writers complain of the opposite problem, so many ideas they don't know where to start, and I tend to get one idea at a time and, if I'm lucky, milk it for enough books that it becomes a series.
At any rate, this book exists because of that fear. I had come to the end of a very difficult novel (one, it turns out, that is so boring it will never be published), I'd recently brought the Tremontane series to an end, and I was complaining to my husband about how I didn't know what to write next. His input is always very helpful in this regard.
"It occurs to me," he said, "that you've never written a werewolf book, and you have a daughter who will love you forever if you do."
He referred to our second daughter, who does, in fact, love werewolves. If having a werewolf boyfriend was possible, she would be the first in line. She can never get enough of stories featuring heroic, sexy werewolves, number one of which is Kelley Armstrong's Darkest Powers series beginning with The Summoning (which I also love).
"But I don't write urban fantasy," I replied. "And that's what werewolf books are."
(Omitted: my TED talk about the difference between contemporary fantasy, which The Last Oracle is, and urban fantasy. You're welcome.)
"So write a werewolf book that isn't urban fantasy," he said, ever the pragmatist.
And that is where this book, and its series, came from. I'm afraid I don't remember why I wanted an alt-Renaissance Italy setting, aside from how I love writing food, and Italian food is amazing. I do know I had been thinking a lot about religion and faith, thanks to having written the Dragons of Mother Stone series, and I thought writing about paladins who weren't Lawful Good/stick-up-their-butts types would be interesting.
A couple of random facts:
--There is a monster called a squasc (pronounced "squash") that I did not make up. However, in my head it looks like Stitch from the Disney movie.
--I found pictures of a wonderful suit of plate mail armor online, not full plate, but sort of stripped down for mobility. An actual suit of armor, not some drawing or painting. I based my main character Ginnevra's (and the other paladins) armor on it. And I totally forgot to save the pictures. So now I have nothing to offer those who find my descriptions of paladin armor unrealistic.
--I actually did go to my daughter for help with creating the perfect werewolf boyfriend, so all the details about Eodan's character are thanks to her.
--
So far, I've written six books in this series. I anticipate it being open-ended, what's called a static series, and I hope there's room for many more books in it.
At any rate, this book exists because of that fear. I had come to the end of a very difficult novel (one, it turns out, that is so boring it will never be published), I'd recently brought the Tremontane series to an end, and I was complaining to my husband about how I didn't know what to write next. His input is always very helpful in this regard.
"It occurs to me," he said, "that you've never written a werewolf book, and you have a daughter who will love you forever if you do."
He referred to our second daughter, who does, in fact, love werewolves. If having a werewolf boyfriend was possible, she would be the first in line. She can never get enough of stories featuring heroic, sexy werewolves, number one of which is Kelley Armstrong's Darkest Powers series beginning with The Summoning (which I also love).
"But I don't write urban fantasy," I replied. "And that's what werewolf books are."
(Omitted: my TED talk about the difference between contemporary fantasy, which The Last Oracle is, and urban fantasy. You're welcome.)
"So write a werewolf book that isn't urban fantasy," he said, ever the pragmatist.
And that is where this book, and its series, came from. I'm afraid I don't remember why I wanted an alt-Renaissance Italy setting, aside from how I love writing food, and Italian food is amazing. I do know I had been thinking a lot about religion and faith, thanks to having written the Dragons of Mother Stone series, and I thought writing about paladins who weren't Lawful Good/stick-up-their-butts types would be interesting.
A couple of random facts:
--There is a monster called a squasc (pronounced "squash") that I did not make up. However, in my head it looks like Stitch from the Disney movie.
--I found pictures of a wonderful suit of plate mail armor online, not full plate, but sort of stripped down for mobility. An actual suit of armor, not some drawing or painting. I based my main character Ginnevra's (and the other paladins) armor on it. And I totally forgot to save the pictures. So now I have nothing to offer those who find my descriptions of paladin armor unrealistic.
--I actually did go to my daughter for help with creating the perfect werewolf boyfriend, so all the details about Eodan's character are thanks to her.
--
So far, I've written six books in this series. I anticipate it being open-ended, what's called a static series, and I hope there's room for many more books in it.
April 7, 2024
Fantastic addition to McShane's growing library of fantasy.
What I love about this book:
The religion driven world is like nothing I have ever read before. Dual goddesses at war, one light (but evil), one dark (but benevolent), turn classic mythos and symbology on its head in a very satisfying and beautiful way.
Questioning of religion without questing faith parallels nicely with knowing what you've experienced and what you perceive to be true being undermined by conflicting experiences. The environment for growth is excellent.
I can't wait for the next!
What I love about this book:
The religion driven world is like nothing I have ever read before. Dual goddesses at war, one light (but evil), one dark (but benevolent), turn classic mythos and symbology on its head in a very satisfying and beautiful way.
Questioning of religion without questing faith parallels nicely with knowing what you've experienced and what you perceive to be true being undermined by conflicting experiences. The environment for growth is excellent.
I can't wait for the next!
November 3, 2023
3.5🎖 because…DRAGON ❣️❣️❣️
This would have been 3 ⭐️, but that last 20% bumped it up, closer to 4⭐️.
Sooo, it started out slow, and was a little difficult to get caught up in. But it has an amazing story line, enough to make me persevere.
The style of writing was dry and stoic, and even after I succumbed to the story, it was still fairly slow and meandered more than anything.
The action scenes were brief, with more tension than actual action.
The mystery was part predictable, part frustrating, and part imaginatively unique.
There were moments I became frustrated at how obvious and blatantly the story was being driven, or the whole back and forth, yes, no, should I, shouldn’t I?
That was too repetitive, with one scene being so ridiculous, it was soap opera level drama. 😂
Despite all this, I liked the characters, and even more, the story and world building.
I would have preferred a bit more emotional responses, interaction…a bit more life and colour within.
But overall, this was an excellent story, well worth the read, once you got through it.
It was that last 20% though, that just made it all worth while. The climax, the justification, the beauty, empathy, intelligence, philosophy…it was everything I love and believe in. 🫠😍😘
There was a fascinating philosophy woven through, very Mystical and intellectual.
I would have seriously LOVED to have read more on that. The bits included were woven so well, they were a natural progression, rather than any sort of info dump.
Just could have easily have added more. But that’s a complete personal preference and is no reflection on the story.
Thank you Jacob for the recommendation. 🤗
This would have been 3 ⭐️, but that last 20% bumped it up, closer to 4⭐️.
Sooo, it started out slow, and was a little difficult to get caught up in. But it has an amazing story line, enough to make me persevere.
The style of writing was dry and stoic, and even after I succumbed to the story, it was still fairly slow and meandered more than anything.
The action scenes were brief, with more tension than actual action.
The mystery was part predictable, part frustrating, and part imaginatively unique.
There were moments I became frustrated at how obvious and blatantly the story was being driven, or the whole back and forth, yes, no, should I, shouldn’t I?
That was too repetitive, with one scene being so ridiculous, it was soap opera level drama. 😂
Despite all this, I liked the characters, and even more, the story and world building.
I would have preferred a bit more emotional responses, interaction…a bit more life and colour within.
But overall, this was an excellent story, well worth the read, once you got through it.
It was that last 20% though, that just made it all worth while. The climax, the justification, the beauty, empathy, intelligence, philosophy…it was everything I love and believe in. 🫠😍😘
There was a fascinating philosophy woven through, very Mystical and intellectual.
I would have seriously LOVED to have read more on that. The bits included were woven so well, they were a natural progression, rather than any sort of info dump.
Just could have easily have added more. But that’s a complete personal preference and is no reflection on the story.
Thank you Jacob for the recommendation. 🤗
May 7, 2023
3.5 stars
Started a bit mundane for me - at least until the monsters (and Eodan) showed up. Pretty interesting take of the good vs. evil (in terms of Dark Goddess is the "good" and the Bright One is the "bad") but straightforward tale of "not all monsters are evil and human can be more evil" plot.
Ginnevra felt a bit naive for me at times - but I liked Eodan... A LOT.
For a story, it feels complete already. I mean, it doesn't offer cliffhanger even if the Dark Goddess signals of changes ahead. Would still probably check out the second book 🙂
Started a bit mundane for me - at least until the monsters (and Eodan) showed up. Pretty interesting take of the good vs. evil (in terms of Dark Goddess is the "good" and the Bright One is the "bad") but straightforward tale of "not all monsters are evil and human can be more evil" plot.
Ginnevra felt a bit naive for me at times - but I liked Eodan... A LOT.
For a story, it feels complete already. I mean, it doesn't offer cliffhanger even if the Dark Goddess signals of changes ahead. Would still probably check out the second book 🙂
April 30, 2023
While I don't love every Melissa McShane book I've tried, I enjoy most of them, and they're always exceptionally well edited. This one is well up to her usual standard.
One of the things I like is that, rather than just rehashing someone else's premise, she always comes up with something original, including original worldbuilding. Here we have a Dark Goddess who is the good one and a Bright Goddess who's the evil one, already an intriguing trope inversion, and the Dark Goddess has paladins who are all women. There's a good reason for this: Because women are usually physically weaker than men, the fact that all of her paladins are supernaturally strong is even more of a proof of her intervention than if she started with men in the first place. They're not just D&D paladins; they're paladins, but given a fresh concept that both makes sense and sets us up for an interesting story.
One of the main characters is such a paladin, sent on a solo mission after an unfortunate incident that leaves her feeling guilty even though she knows she didn't do anything wrong. The other MC is a werewolf, from a species created by the Dark Goddess - but he's chosen not to serve her, not to be a monster. The paladin, who has spent her life fighting the Dark Goddess's monsters, has some major prejudice to overcome when they meet and, by force of circumstances, team up.
There's a mystery to solve, some fighting to be had, significant moral choices to be made, mistakes to recover from, mutual attraction to negotiate, and in general a cracking plot. This is good solid fantasy, and I wish there was more of it and less tepid, poorly written, poorly punctuated clone-army nonsense to sort through in order to find the occasional gem like this.
One of the things I like is that, rather than just rehashing someone else's premise, she always comes up with something original, including original worldbuilding. Here we have a Dark Goddess who is the good one and a Bright Goddess who's the evil one, already an intriguing trope inversion, and the Dark Goddess has paladins who are all women. There's a good reason for this: Because women are usually physically weaker than men, the fact that all of her paladins are supernaturally strong is even more of a proof of her intervention than if she started with men in the first place. They're not just D&D paladins; they're paladins, but given a fresh concept that both makes sense and sets us up for an interesting story.
One of the main characters is such a paladin, sent on a solo mission after an unfortunate incident that leaves her feeling guilty even though she knows she didn't do anything wrong. The other MC is a werewolf, from a species created by the Dark Goddess - but he's chosen not to serve her, not to be a monster. The paladin, who has spent her life fighting the Dark Goddess's monsters, has some major prejudice to overcome when they meet and, by force of circumstances, team up.
There's a mystery to solve, some fighting to be had, significant moral choices to be made, mistakes to recover from, mutual attraction to negotiate, and in general a cracking plot. This is good solid fantasy, and I wish there was more of it and less tepid, poorly written, poorly punctuated clone-army nonsense to sort through in order to find the occasional gem like this.
February 8, 2023
Love, love, love this book!
I won’t hide that I’m a big fan of Melissa McShane, and I always look forward to a new series, as she is a master at world building. As much as I love her other series, I think this one is going to be my favorite. Great characters, a fascinating world (I loved the clever way she reversed our preconceptions about dark being evil and light good), and a storyline that kept me interested without becoming predictable made for a book I didn’t want to put down and was sorry to finish! I also appreciated that, as is McShane’s style, this story was complete in itself, and although we are set up for what promises to be a fascinating series, we are not left hanging over the proverbial cliff.
I am lucky enough to be an ARC reader, and so received this book for free, but a review was not required and all opinions are my own.
Thank you, Melissa McShane, for another amazing story!
I won’t hide that I’m a big fan of Melissa McShane, and I always look forward to a new series, as she is a master at world building. As much as I love her other series, I think this one is going to be my favorite. Great characters, a fascinating world (I loved the clever way she reversed our preconceptions about dark being evil and light good), and a storyline that kept me interested without becoming predictable made for a book I didn’t want to put down and was sorry to finish! I also appreciated that, as is McShane’s style, this story was complete in itself, and although we are set up for what promises to be a fascinating series, we are not left hanging over the proverbial cliff.
I am lucky enough to be an ARC reader, and so received this book for free, but a review was not required and all opinions are my own.
Thank you, Melissa McShane, for another amazing story!
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June 9, 2023This was a really good book! Though it did have some very difficult names to pronounce repeatedly. But it brought back old memories of when I was much younger, and I was really getting into reading.
Early in my reading history I got hooked on Gothic, Ghost, and Haunting types of books. This book has that all going for it Plus.
It also had a strong leaning towards Witch Persecution, with Ghost Hauntings from the wrongly accused that were made to suffer cruelty and unfair mocking by profoundly coldhearted accusers and then made to face a terrifying assassination. These were the kinds of books that I really used to crave reading... go figure, I am nothing like that now, but I was able to see how horrible humans can be. I guess I needed to know that then.
This book reminded me of the lesson we all need to know. Never accuse some one of being something without legitimate proof that it is so, and to never be cruel or hateful.
Early in my reading history I got hooked on Gothic, Ghost, and Haunting types of books. This book has that all going for it Plus.
It also had a strong leaning towards Witch Persecution, with Ghost Hauntings from the wrongly accused that were made to suffer cruelty and unfair mocking by profoundly coldhearted accusers and then made to face a terrifying assassination. These were the kinds of books that I really used to crave reading... go figure, I am nothing like that now, but I was able to see how horrible humans can be. I guess I needed to know that then.
This book reminded me of the lesson we all need to know. Never accuse some one of being something without legitimate proof that it is so, and to never be cruel or hateful.
April 28, 2025
I can’t believe I read this all the way through…. It wasn’t horrible but it wasn’t good either. The way this is written is so…. Idk the word. Everything is extremely easy, problems fixed within 2 sentences and the main character can change her whole look on something within one paragraph. She’s one way her whole entire life but then within 4 sentences she thinks completely different…. Also idk how or when they fell in love because I didn’t see it or feel it.
There’s supposed to be action and drama and it all happened to easily and so fast I didn’t feel any of it. I felt bored…
The redeeming star is for the dragon. Because I really liked the dragon and the description of the dragon.
Other than that… no. Just no.
There’s supposed to be action and drama and it all happened to easily and so fast I didn’t feel any of it. I felt bored…
The redeeming star is for the dragon. Because I really liked the dragon and the description of the dragon.
Other than that… no. Just no.
June 12, 2025
Ginnevra Cassaline serves the Dark Lady as a paladin, certian in her duty, her strength and her cause. She protects humans from the monsters. But a small assignment changes everything when she is rescued by a werewolf that she tried to kill. Eodan's actions upend her certainity and set her on a new course.
Why I started this book: Purchased it years ago, and now felt like the right time to read it.
Why I finished it: It never fails that all your library holds arrive at once, which is why it took me so long to read this book. Not because it was bad, but because I set it down to read all the books with screaming deadlines. Then I eagerly picked this one up and finished it too. Liked the magic/religion aspect of the story and I'm always ready for werewolves.
Why I started this book: Purchased it years ago, and now felt like the right time to read it.
Why I finished it: It never fails that all your library holds arrive at once, which is why it took me so long to read this book. Not because it was bad, but because I set it down to read all the books with screaming deadlines. Then I eagerly picked this one up and finished it too. Liked the magic/religion aspect of the story and I'm always ready for werewolves.
February 9, 2024
Not your usual werewolf story
I really enjoyed this book. The Goddess angle with female paladins was interesting and I appreciate that it didn't feel like it was bashing the opposite sex.
I didn't even realize this was a romance until little hints started showing up, but I appreciate that it was clean and wasn't the main story.
Ginnevra was likable and relatable as she tried to figure out her life purpose after and unexpected disaster while traveling with her company. She wasn't ridiculously enhanced with magic and she was humble enough to not come across as cocky.
Overall a great read and I'm looking forward to getting to know her and Eodan more.
I really enjoyed this book. The Goddess angle with female paladins was interesting and I appreciate that it didn't feel like it was bashing the opposite sex.
I didn't even realize this was a romance until little hints started showing up, but I appreciate that it was clean and wasn't the main story.
Ginnevra was likable and relatable as she tried to figure out her life purpose after and unexpected disaster while traveling with her company. She wasn't ridiculously enhanced with magic and she was humble enough to not come across as cocky.
Overall a great read and I'm looking forward to getting to know her and Eodan more.
February 16, 2023
This was fantastic. Well written with incredible world building and such great characters, I just couldn’t put this down. A fascinating world where we meet Ginnevra a paladin of the dark goddess, raised to fight monsters, the bright ones creations and taught to believe that includes werewolves. Tragedy strikes and we accompany Ginnevra on her lone mission that shows her all is not a she knows it. It’s one hell of a journey that I really enjoyed and when she meets Eodan Who’s strong, patient and kind and not a monster at all, her beliefs are very much challenged.
September 10, 2023
Naive and unbelievably borring
As many before I sometimes wonder who rates these books. This is a naive, uneventful and extremely predictable book. The writing style is bland and the dialog, and there is a lot of it, is clunky and unrealistic. There is an endless plot of eating cheese and bread, drinking water, going into the forest, and explaining every possible thought, notion, plot twist (they aren't really twists, since the plot is easy to guess) and daft religious philosophy.
At one point the male character says to the female character: 'There are any number of things we can do that stops short of intercourse'. I thing that is about the dumbest most redicolous sentence I have ever read in a book for adults. This is supposed to be an enemy to lovers book, yet there is absolutely no chemistry between the main characters, and that sentence just proves it.
I will not read anything else from this author.
As many before I sometimes wonder who rates these books. This is a naive, uneventful and extremely predictable book. The writing style is bland and the dialog, and there is a lot of it, is clunky and unrealistic. There is an endless plot of eating cheese and bread, drinking water, going into the forest, and explaining every possible thought, notion, plot twist (they aren't really twists, since the plot is easy to guess) and daft religious philosophy.
At one point the male character says to the female character: 'There are any number of things we can do that stops short of intercourse'. I thing that is about the dumbest most redicolous sentence I have ever read in a book for adults. This is supposed to be an enemy to lovers book, yet there is absolutely no chemistry between the main characters, and that sentence just proves it.
I will not read anything else from this author.
sampled
May 7, 2023Aside from flipping the dark goddess/light goddess dynamic (for the beginning at least), there's nothing special here. We've got a fairly standard "person of conviction will question what they know of the world" story according to the blurb, and nothing in the sample made me care for the main character or have interest in what's happening to make me care to keep reading.
March 18, 2023
A really interesting take on the idea that light = good and darkness = bad. In this book, paladins serve the Dark Goddess, and the monsters are creations of the Bright Goddess. And not all monsters are as opposed to humanity as the paladins think....
May 8, 2024
I love a good werewolf book and this is definitely a great kick off to a series where we see werewolves in a delicious fantasy light. There's also a unique take on paladins and religion and acceptance.
I'm having fun seeing where this will go.
I'm having fun seeing where this will go.
April 8, 2023
3.5 stars rounded up.
May 16, 2023
What a great first book!
Beautifully written. I can't wait to start the next book! I may have a soft spot for werewolves. But Eodan was exceptionally sweet. <3
Beautifully written. I can't wait to start the next book! I may have a soft spot for werewolves. But Eodan was exceptionally sweet. <3
May 30, 2023
Intriguing new world
A new world that captures your attention from the beginning. It is a world full of humans and monsters but the characters learn they are more than that.
A new world that captures your attention from the beginning. It is a world full of humans and monsters but the characters learn they are more than that.
May 22, 2023
This was a great series starter, but I'll save my in-depth for after the concluding book.
August 10, 2024
This unexpectedly tugged at my heartstrings & I enjoyed it.
A little boring in the middle but the end made up for it
Plus I like her writing enough to try her other works. Binge reading here I come 🤞🏾
A little boring in the middle but the end made up for it
Plus I like her writing enough to try her other works. Binge reading here I come 🤞🏾
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews