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MY ⭐️ RATING: 5/5
Format: Kindle Whispersync
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Swordplay, magic, intrigue and friendships stronger than iron: the first volume in the new swashbuckling fantasy series set in the universe of THE GREATCOATS.
Damelas Chademantaigne picked a poor night to flee a judicial duel.
He has precious little hope of escaping the wrath of the Vixen, the most feared duellist in the entire city, until he stumbles through the stage doors of the magnificent Operato Belleza and tricks his way into the company of actors. An archaic law provides a temporary respite from his troubles – until one night a ghostly voice in his head causes Damelas to fumble his lines, inadvertently blurting out a dreadful truth: the city’s most legendary hero may actually be a traitor and a brutal murderer.
With only the help of his boisterous and lusty friend Bereto, a beautiful assassin whose target may well be Damelas himself, and a company of misfit actors who’d just as soon see him dead, this failed grandson of two Greatcoats must somehow find within himself the courage to dig up long-buried truths before a ruthless band of bravos known as the Iron Orchids come for his head.
Oh, and there’s still that matter of the Vixen waiting to duel him . . .
MY REVIEW
As the famous phrase goes: “The show must go on”, and because of de Castell, the show would go on in the world of the Greatcoats, this time in Jereste, Tristia. One of the best things in the world, is jumping back into a world that you know and love so much, and coming back to de Castell’s swashbuckling world of Tristia is one of my absolute favorites to jump back into. There’s honestly nothing like it, and it’s always a wild ride, but what makes Play of Shadows even more interesting than the original quartet, is that this is deals a lot more with the paranormal, just like Crucible of Chaos, and that’s what makes this so refreshing and different. Not only that, but it’s not often you read something that’s based around the theatre, and I couldn’t help but be transported to 17th century Venice or late 18th century Moulin Rogue, that I couldn’t help but see similarities of throughout.
One of my favorite narrators, Joe Jameson, returns and does an absolute phenomenal job of giving more life to this story and its characters as he does with every performance. I absolutely love de Castell’s writing and his stories, because they suck me in so easily and are just so enjoyable. This entry felt different than its predecessors that were inspired by Alexandre Dumas, and felt more Shakespearean in tone, with the Tragedy of Othello being something that it reminded me of. With that said, there was also a fight scene that was a bit reminiscent of Gangs of New York and Anchorman, that made me giggle a little bit when I started thinking of those scenes. I love the comedic tragedy style of story that this is, with action and mystery that kept me on my heels. The fights and duels were captivating and the banter between characters was stellar.
“The world needs stories as much as it needs verdicts. It wants for hope even more than justice. These times call for Bardatti as much they do for Greatcoats.”
“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts.” Told from a first person POV of Damelas Chademantaigne, a penniless sitar player, oh wait, wrong story (Moulin Rouge joke)… a coward on the run from a duel finds a home at the Operato Bellaza in the duchy of Petine, with the Knights of the Curtain, a roughshod troupe of actors who help bring life to Damelas’s story. But there’s more to his story than meets the eye, as he’s much more of a reluctant hero than an actual coward. Aside from Damelas, Beretto and Abastrini may be my favorites because of what they bring, with that said de Castell surrounds Damelas with some strong female characters like a Dashini assassin, a sharp tongued Bardatti, and a deadly duelist known as The Vixen. The characters are all strong and interesting, and getting to know each and everyone of them has been and will be a treat.
The Veristor magic system is actually something I really enjoyed as it introduces “flashback” scenes, that I thought were done extremely well, by channeling spirits of dead historical figures they portray. It feels as if this is how a great actor delves into a character to portray them as best they can, in this case, they actually experience what the character experienced and can show the world that same experience. If you’re looking for a story with friendships, loyalty, love, forgiveness, redemption but also revenge, jealousy & betrayal with swashbuckling duels, brutal militias and secret societies, then this is exactly what you’re looking for. You don’t exactly need to read The Greatcoats quartet to understand anything in this story, but since there is a few name drops, I would suggest reading those first.
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