In Shadowheart, the second Legend of the Raven book, the conflict between the four colleges of Balaia has finally burst into war. With Julasta still struggling to revive it's buried heart after the Wesman attack, Xestek plans to impose its rule over all of Balaia. Across this background, the remaining members of the Raven move to keep their promises-- one to see Julasta's magic returned, another to see Xestek's protectors finally freed and another to help Erienne deal with the all encompassing power slowly taking over her mind.

As always, the world of the Raven is filled with colorful characters and plenty of action. The story is so layered that there should be no shortage of adventures for the Raven. Beneath the main war between the colleges is the still unrealized threat from the Black Wings-- an anti-magic movement that is gathering support among the common folk who are still rebuilding after the One Magic ravaged Balaia and destroyed their towns. Also the reemergence of the One Magic weaves into the story as well as the Raven's promise to return the weakening Sha Kaan to his dragon realm home.

My Recommendation
Shadowheart by James Barclay fits right in with the rest of the Raven titles. Barclay is a wonderful storyteller and like the rest of the series, Shadowheart will pull you into the world of Balaia and make you care about its struggles. I highly recommend both Shadowheart and the rest of the Raven titles.

Shadowheart by James Barclay
Published by Pyr
383 pages

Shadowheart by James Barclay is available at Amazon.com

The publisher provided me with a free review copy of Shadowheart