★ ★ ★ ★ ★
There are many high fantasy books that boggle my mind. These books require me to go back to read it a few times for me to finally grasp, but that's only if boredom doesn't overcome me before getting impressed does. The Shadowed Flame holds the perfect balance, and it is this perfect balance that made me love it so much.
Before going into anything... let me turn your attention to the fact that there are unicorn riders in the picture. Unicorns! And riders! We always have the dragons, and finally now, we have the unicorns and their riders who slay monsters. I went a little crazy over that.
What stuck with me next is the world-building. There wasn't a loophole in sight, every law properly placed at every turn, answering all my questions as the story passes. There is magik, and the two worlds, and how they all link together with the unicorns. I was so interested to know more and more about this world that the author has created. If I went deeper into it, I'd think that it was a clever twist of reality, where magik was used in place of electricity (I assure you, magik can be used for so many other things, but I won't say more). This story also made me wonder what our world could be like if electricity suddenly disappeared from our lives, and us not knowing what caused it. I could imagine the desperation those in Jackson's world felt as machines stopped running, affecting the economy, growing poverty — and worse of all, not being able to process water to remove its poisons. It is a terrible situation that should not befall anyone.
The bond that Jackson had with his unicorn, Luna, was beautiful. The challenges they faced constantly never fazed them. Jackson was easy to connect with. His voice was so relatable from the get-go, and I found myself feeling for him from the very beginning. He was strong, funny and smart, but he wasn't without his weaknesses. The chemistry he had with Moira, too, was fantastic, and how they dealt with the secrets that the unicorns were hiding together was inspiring. This couple is so different in personalities, but so fun to read about; while Moira is serious, Jackson is witty.
And oh, boy, the secrets. I was so glad that the author made it such that they were revealed little by little without info-dumping. The thing was, while wholly original and impressive, it wasn't complicated to understand, but it could if it was all squeezed into one chapter. I was fully immersed in it, eager to know more. I'd definitely be looking out for subsequent books in this trilogy.
This review is written based on the ARC provided by the publisher through Netgalley.