Play of Shadows by Sebastien de Castell: review

4/5 stars on Goodreads

Play of Shadows by Sebastien de Castell

Play of Shadows starts the Court of Shadows series, a spin-off of de Castell’s Greatcoats series. I hadn’t read it, or the prequel to Play of Shadows, but that wasn’t necessary. The earlier series is set in the kingdom of Tristia, and this book takes place in a small duchy of Jereste there.

Damelas Chademantaigne is a grandson of two Greatcoats, famed magistrates and duellists of the kingdom, but he’s more of a coward. The book starts with him fleeing from a duel with the deadliest duellist of Jereste, the Vixen. He hides in a theatre and claims to be an actor there, which by the laws of the duchy grants him immunity. He’s safe, for now.

A year later, he’s still with the troupe, playing two-line bit parts. Then one night, during a history play about the duchy’s greatest hero and greatest traitor, he suddenly delivers lines he has no recollection of saying. It turns out he’s channelling the spirit of the traitor. And the Duke wants to hear what he has to say.

The duchy is in chaos. A private militia, Iron Orchids, has all but taken Jereste over. The duke wants to find out where they come from and who controls them. And he believes the answer lies in the past. So, night after night, the troupe has to stage the play that evolves and comes to life with whatever Damelas channels. And the more he learns, the more in danger he and those he holds dear are. The truth might very well see all of them dead.

This was a good book with great characters. Damelas especially turned out to be more than he believed himself capable of. It’s about a found family too, with unlikely people coming together. I liked Beretto best, but the women didn’t quite reach the potential of their interesting jobs.

The plot, however, left me wanting. The stakes were low, and the path to the goal was out of the hands of the characters. Learning who controls the Iron Orchids wasn’t that interesting to begin with, and the truth was a let-down. There was no antagonist to fight against, just a nameless mob, so the conflicts were mere street fights that didn’t really lead to anything but a body count. But the wrap-up in the (amazingly long) epilogue was satisfying. It sets the next book too, but I’m not entirely sure I’ll continue with the series.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.