The Shadow of What Was Lost (The Licanius Trilogy Book 1) Kindle Edition

Without spoiling these series, the first book takes about 200 pages to get started. Much of the rest of it won't make much sense until the end of the second book. It's some decent world building, but you have commit to reading the entire trilogy.I'd equate The Licanius Trilogy to something more like The Broken Earth Trilogy rather than Wheel of Time or Mistborn too. Where The Broken Earth makes sense and successfully builds out the story through all the three books, this series can get pretty messy trying to keep track of everything. Licanius Trilogy does finally come together midway through book 3, but that's not a great reason to keep going and requires a lot of (too much) patience and/or backtracking to figure everything out on your own.

First I'll preface by saying I loved Licanius(hence my 5 stars), but I recognize that it's really not the series for everyone. It does some things very well, and others not so well, and in both cases those things matter more to some people than others. As a result I feel the most helpful review is one that touches on what some people may like or not like about the trilogy rather than give a glowling commendation or scathing review as I feel the answer is subjective.Things some people may like-Very elaborate but well encapsulated and realized plot- it's clear the author knew exactly the story they wanted to tell from the start. A big part of licanius is gradually uncovering more about what's actually going on and recontextualizing pasts events of the story that you simply didn't have the perspective to understand what was actually happening at the time they happened. And everything finally clicking into place in book 3 makes for a very satisfying finish.-The magic system is very hard and the setting well fleshed out, as a result often it's reasonable to figure things out before "the big reveal" by understanding the bits revealed previously- a good series for people who get invested in figuring our the mysteries and who like making predictions. There are a number of big major plottwist-series philosophy heavy, as particularly the idea of predestination vs free will is central to the storyThings that turn off some people:- The biggest weakness of the series is unfortunately the characters- most of the main cast are boyscout fantasy protagonists. The character who is the central focus of the series does get interesting, but even for them most of the payoff doesn't come until book 3. tbh overall this series will probably appeal more to people who are ok with a series that is carried more by it's setting than it's characters.-Prose is clear but utilitarian. Also expect lots of "Companionable silences" whenever multiple protagonists are in the same location- mirroring the first point from my 'things people may like' list, the plot, while the plot is well realized, it is complicated, and some find it convoluted. It is also going to hit you with a whole vocabulary of made up words, often having characters use said words before what they mean has actually been explained to the reader. The cast of characters is also fairly large-Flipside to the hard magic/developed setting is that the series spends a lot of time explaining things. Also some people find it boring to be given the tools to figure out plot twists before they happen.-The series is-the payoff is heavily weighted toward the backend. The first book standing on it's own feels like fairly tropey generic fantasy- in large part because you don't yet have the context to understand what's actually going on. This combined with the slower pacing due to all the descriptions make the first half a slog for some people-series philosophy heavy, as particularly the idea of predestination vs free will is central to the story. May especially be a turnoff to people who have strong feelings about calvinismSo yeah, you'll notice a long as the things some people may like are directly tied in with if not a copy and paste of something that will drive other people nuts. So While personally I love Licanius trilogy, I don't think it's for everyone.

The Shadow of What Was Lost was easily one of the most impressive debuts in recent years; complex yet well-plotted with incredible worldbuilding and great characters - it marked the beginning of a very promising epic fantasy trilogy.I first read The Shadow of What Was Lost over 4 years ago when it was still self-published. It came to my attention for two reasons - Michael Kramer narrated the audiobook and more importantly, Brandon Sanderson recommended it. Blurbs were touting how this book will appeal to fans of Robert Jordan and Sanderson. I know that such claims usually needed to be taken with a grain of salt, but I can say that in this instance it was spot on. While I have read and as a whole liked The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan, I have to readily admit how much I was aggravated by its bloat and numerous narrative issues. Let's just say that I've even skipped a few books to get to the end, i.e. the last three which Sanderson finished. Even from this very first book of the trilogy, The Shadow of What Was Lost felt like what The Wheel of Time could've been minus all those problems.The influences and inspiration from Jordan and Sanderson were very apparent from this novel, particularly in the worldbuilding and plotting aspects. However, this is not to say that Licanius felt derivative; it is not, at all. In fact, I would even say that it was incredibly well done. Islington clearly knows how to create a world that truly fascinated with its history and lore, and its dual magic system. Even better, he really knows how to handle the exposition well to avoid the dreaded info dump and keep the readers engaged. You'll have a lot of questions right from the start, and as a reader, you'll gradually learn as the main characters did as each of them was very soon thrown into dire situations and circumstances. The best part was that the intrigue never stops; as earlier questions were answered, more questions will arise. The complex yet tight plotting was skillfully weaved with mysteries and revelations that just never stopped coming. This made the book into an immensely compulsive read, even though it did not have a lot of action scenes. I blasted through this in two days; reread notwithstanding it is still a pretty big book.I did not know why I initially found the characters being a bit flat, and I wish to take back that statement. I enjoyed my reread more, and it was mainly because of my emotional investment in the characters. The main characters, Davian, Asha and Wirr, are young adults, and thank goodness, they are refreshingly sensible ones. Maybe after having read so much more in the last few years, I've grown to appreciate character work which doesn't aggravate me with silly dramas and plot devices. A lot of the information about the world's history and magic system came about through the characters' perspectives and experiences, which contributed to their development and growth, hence making each character arc distinct, realistic and relatable. Prior to this reread, my favourite character was Caeden primarily because his story was the most intriguing by far, and Taeris whom I found to be a misunderstood and sympathetic character. This time though, I liked each and every one of them, albeit Caeden still retained the top spot for having the most interesting story.Islington writes in a simple and direct manner, and the earlier part of the novel did feel like a debut with occasional clunky sentences and repetitions. Somewhere around the mid-portion of the book though, the writing started to be noticeably more polished. I hope that this improvement will continue throughout the series, because Islington has a whole lot of story to tell. The ending of The Shadow of What Was Lost was a resounding promise to an even more epic tale to come, and I can't wait to jump in to the sequel immediately.I would classify this novel as a classic epic fantasy told in a modern voice. As I grew up reading classic fantasy more than three decades ago, this has always been my favourite subgenre. It always feel like coming home to me when I pick up a fantasy book that harkened back to my earlier reading years, and it reminds me of why I fell in love with this genre in the first place. The Shadow of What Was Lost is one of the best debuts I've read that satisfies my yearning for classic epic fantasy stories.

This book was everything I love about fantasy. The character development was solid, the loops through time and the revelations throughout the series kept me heavily engaged! It’s one of those series you wish you could read for the first time every time.

(4.5 Stars - Amazon won't let me set that - so I rounded up)It has been about a year since I read a good fantasy book that engulfed me.Having read a ton of Brandon Sanderson, Joe Abercrombie, George R. R. Martin, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Patrick Rothfuss in my time - I am a big fantasy fan!There is something magical about the limited knowledge Mr Islington allows the read to hold throughout this novel, having it trickled in for the reader at the right time, and not before. This book is just the first part of three (the second is already out, with third coming out Dec 2019), and it really is a great first stage in the story. Throughout there are tidbits and hints which just make you want to push on and get another chapter under your belt. I felt like I was able to engage firstly with the characters, secondly with the world and finally with the skills and abilities each type of person has - a nice order in my opinion.Towards the end, I did get a little confused with a couple of the names, as some of the characters have a few different ones depending on where they are or who they are with. But within a few pages, there has usually been a few hints scattered in which allowed me to remember who the flippin person was that they referred to a moment ago, or who turned up out of the blue again ten pages back.I am about to crack on with the second one, getting it well cleared before December when I know I will have a great couple of weeks before Christmas smashing through the third and final tome in this series, and yes, I will do it in no time.If you like fantasy - it is worth a read, but if you are new to this genre, I would try Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series first, to test the fantasy waters.

'Don't judge a book by its cover' is a bit of a cliche, but what about 'don't judge a book by its title'? I actually think the title is a good starting point for evaluating a book, and I was intrigued by this. 'The Shadow of What Was Lost' hinted at the best of epic fantasy, it promised a deep background story and a fascinating mystery. (The cover art isn't bad either).Perhaps I was reading a bit too much into the title. The story does have some of those things, but it has its flaws as well. I got a hint of that early on, in the first few pages, where the description of the setting was detailed but to me also confusing: I had no clear idea of where this was taking place, or what the layout was.To be fair to the author, there was a lot of good stuff here. He has a wonderful creative imagination, which shows in the vivid and detailed worldbuilding, and especially in the well thought out system of 'magic'. He brings the same talents to the plot, but here they don't work so well. It is very complex, with multiple protagonists and new ones being added in all the way through. I've nothing against complex or even convoluted plotting, but there is a very fine line between complex and confusing. It is a difficult line for the author to see, I know, especially as its exact position varies according to the reader, but for me Islington strayed rather too far over it and left me wondering what was going on and who was doing it. Several times.Another problem I had was with the characters. There are a lot of them: they are well drawn but to me lacked depth. I didn't find myself caring much about them - and in a book this long and complex, that's a bit of an issue. So is pace, and it needed to show a bit more variation and to speed up more at the climax to get me through it.In style, it reminded me most of Robert Jordan. For fans of 'The Wheel of Time' that would probably be a big plus, but I'm not one of those. I gave up on Jordan's epic after two or three volumes and have never felt tempted to return. Overlong and a bit baggy was my impression, and that also applies here.Overall, it wasn't a bad read, but it isn't page-turner, and several times I put it aside after a chapter or two. For many people it probably hits all the right buttons, and I expect will get a lot of five star reviews, but it didn't really do it for me. I liked it - three stars - but no more.Will I read the rest of the trilogy? Probably not. It's just a little too much hard work for too little reward.Though the titles are quite intriguing...

At around 700 pages this is a chunky book but I raced through it and that's always a good sign for me. I looked forward to reading it each day and didn't have to push through; most readers will understand that you do this at times just to finish.It says on the cover that fans of Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson will enjoy this: I completely agree. It feels like it could sit alongside the Wheel of Time and Stormlight Archive on your bookshelf.It's best to go into this series knowing as little as possible; this makes a synopsis quite hard but rest assured it's better to just dive in. Spoilers for this series will truly ruin it for you but I think I can safely say that the twists are fantastic.The characters are incredibly likeable. All are good but I want to point out a character called Asha - her story is the most interesting for me. There are also some genuinely creepy villains (known as the Sha'teth) and that's something that is hard to pull off in fantasy so well done to the author.We're only on book one but the character arcs look promising....lets hope he can keep this going because this is somewhere where I've seen a lot of authors mess up.There are so negatives: we're dealing with complex magic here (think Stormlight Archive) but it is not explained well in my opinion. Magic is the keystone to this series so some exposition would have been welcomed but it's all a bit vague. The author is trying to write an ambitious story and deserves praise but it is confusing in places. If anyone is reading this after book one then they will know that it will only get more complex. I hope the author makes allowances for the readers.Overall this was fast paced, fresh and ambitious and has the potential to be an excellent series.8/10

This was a really enjoyable read. Echoes of the Wheel of Time with a prologue set before the main story and characters you don't know making pronouncements about things you don't know about. I liked it a lot. Then we get introduced to the world via our main POV Davian, a gifted (magician) in training who can't get magic to work for him. We have two further POV's, Davian's friends Wirr and Asha and a final one in a young man called Caeden who has no memories other than the last few weeks who has been accused of massacring an entire village.It's an interesting world created by the author with a rich history. There's an area to the north that's been bound for thousands of years with no entry in or out. Twenty years ago there was an uprising against the gifted who were in charge and most of them were killed. The few remaining were forced into a binding which severely restricted the use of magic. There are a couple of remaining schools open where all gifted are trained but they are looked down upon by the general populace and are overseen by the rulers in charge. It's into this world that our protagonists are thrown into and things start happening, secrets come to light and new secrets are discovered. Our POV's are all likeable, each with their own agency and plot with mysteries to be revealed for each. Caeden's was particularly good in that you knew almost immediately there was something big behind him and it did not disappoint.This has been compared to the Wheel of Time and I can see why. It's got that similar feel to it, ordinary characters with the whiff of destiny on them. There are secrets, oh so many secrets, prophecies, ancient beings, a big bad, a persecuted magic wielding people, and even a Shadar Logoth type city! Having said this I still found it quite original and interesting and even if there are a fair amount of tropes present, as long as they are done well then there's a reason tropes became so in the first place. The characters are good and easy to like, though perhaps lacking a bit of depth. There's a lot hidden and a few times I was nearly as frustrated as the characters trying to figure out what was going on and who to trust. There are a lot of names and places and I found it hard to keep track of, a glossary would have been handy. I went online and found one on the author's site but unfortunately it spoiled a pretty huge reveal which was disappointing. Don't do that. Other than that I found it a very exciting and interesting book and it kept me up too late far too many times, which is always a great sign. For a debut book this is amazing and I can't wait to delve into the next one. Luckily I already bought it!

I think Islington had very unique and interesting ideas and concepts throughout the book, but there were too many! There are three main characters and each had their own individual, very in- depth story line. Yes, they were all linked, which was smoothly done but there were too many stories to focus on, so I didn't really focus on any. There was a lot going on in each character's life, new revelations, new discoveries, that everything felt too overwhelming. My focus wavered on multiple occasions and I found myself skim reading ahead to keep myself engaged. This happened often, to the point where I gave up half way through.Islington writes in mountains of depth, which I didn't like at all. I enjoy fast- paced story lines, that have a couple of significant ideas and concepts going on- this keeps me engaged. Despite the depth of detail, I still couldn't quite picture the setting. I think there was too much to consume that I didn't consume anything at all or the setting was poorly described.The POV is constantly changing, which again I did not like. Yes, it only happens every few chapters, but because the story line of each character is in depth, when you have finally started engaging in one character's story, the POV suddenly changes and you don't have time to feel what the character was feeling, you can't carry those feelings over, because then you're hit with a completely new narrative. I don't usually mind POV changes but only if they carry the story forward, not hinder one character's story to progress the other's like this novel did. Marie Lu in Legend is a fantastic example of the POV changes that I enjoy, even Eragon's POV change was better than this!There are adrenaline releasing events that happened, which I did really enjoy reading, however the excitement is very short lived, because either they don't last very long or they last too long, and all the thrill is gone. I have to say this book did lack balance. I am a very straightforward reader, I do not like waffling at all but this book definitely enjoys waffling! The smallest of adventures takes chapters to complete- it is very underwhelming and disheartening! Everything is complicated and intertwined, which usually makes things more interesting, but in this book that only made things more boring and mundane. The book is too long, especially considering it's part of a trilogy. I would read chapters and chapters, then realise a hundred more things were to come, I didn't like this either.I purchased the book after reading the blurb and first few chapters on Amazon, which were very gripping by the way. That's the issue though, it starts very fast paced, it's intriguing, there are new ideas and concepts, and this is all great for the first few chapters. But, you are constantly being hit with new ideas and concepts that you don't have the opportunity to settle in. There is no real, long enough pause to build a rapport with the characters, even though each main character has a great personality- they are all likeable. I like walking the journey with the characters, but that wasn't possible with this book.I think Islington does develop each character smoothly and he doesn't rush with a romance or love interest, which was very refreshing to read. Often, in young adult books, there are very fake, swept away romances that are inauthentic and only convenient for the story line. This book did not have that.The book was surprisingly political and historical, both of which I did not enjoy at all. I don't mind politics if it's written in the depth of the Legend series by Marie Lu. It's straight forward, easy to understand and not all consuming of the story line. With history, I like the depth of Spellslinger by Sebastian de Castell- easily understood and simple. This book was all consuming, tedious and very, very complicated. Like Eragon by Paolini, there is history too complicated and tedious to comprehend and names that are too long and difficult to pronounce and remember, so you often have to go back a few chapters to understand what they are taking about. I don't understand why Authors do this, it disengages the reader- at least I lost interest.I purchased the entire trilogy in the same transaction, that's how much hope and excitement I had for this series, but alas I was disappointed. In the beginning of the second book, it summarises what happened in the first book, so I read that because I had no idea for the most part what was going on in the first novel. I would read something, understand it, then something long, new and complex in terms of history, politics and its name would crop up, and I wouldn't understand how it was all linked. The summary was very helpful. I wish the book was simplified, so there would be no need for a summary at the start of the second and third novel.Huge credits for the book covers and titles, which are eye- catching and aesthetic. They would look beautiful on a book shelf.I think this novel/ series in general could have been excellent had the author only stuck with a couple of main ideas and themes, and had its pace been significantly faster. If you are a fan of books like Legend by Marie Lu, Talon by Julie Kagawa, Spellslinger by Sebastian de Castell, Slated by Terry Teri, Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian etc then DO NOT READ THIS TRILOGY!!! However, if you enjoyed Eragon by Christopher Paolini, then you'll probably enjoy the pace, the writing style, complexity and depth of this trilogy.