A Tale of Stars and Shadow (A Tale of Stars and Shadow #1)

Content Overview

Overall Content
Severity
3.4

Language

5.2/10

Alcohol, Drugs, Smoking

1.6/10

Intimacy, Sex, Immodesty

1.8/10

Violence, Weapons, Crime, Blood

7.0/10

Potentially Intense Themes

1.2/10

**As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

My Opinion

“You belong in a place where the people around you respect you for who you are, respect your choices, and offer you friendship not based on material things, but on your worth as a person.”

5 out of 5 stars (5 / 5) I really liked this book! First off, “warrior-trained princess” is what got me. Come on, you know me, I’m a sucker for tough chick books! This one did not disappoint. I was thoroughly entertained the entire time. More so, I fell in love with the characters. Cassidy has talent in building those characters to seem like people you truly love. I felt a range of emotions while reading, and felt invested in the lives of these people.

The one problem I had with this book was that I felt it had more to give, to lead me somewhere else. What the point of her quest? I wanted more info and more large events to squelch that curiosity. Now, is this a bad thing? No, this could definitely work to Cassidy’s advantage in obtaining more readers. Her climactic events were so well written and so exciting (she had me fully entertained in a sports match so that’s impressive) that I wanted more. The last big event was perfect. It played up their strengths, their loyalty, their commitment and kept me reading fast to soak it all in. I want more of that! And that bit of info she slipped us at the end. Perfect. I did NOT see that coming!  

For the content, I have to say this is not YA, but it does fall into YA standards. Language was about medium, the sex was minimal but when it did happen, there weren’t a lot of details. Violence was medium also. There were a few more details with blood but not many.

**I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A Tale of Stars and Shadow

Lisa Cassidy

Dumnorix princess and born warrior, Talyn Dynan was the finest fighter of her generation. With her Callanan partner at her side, she was invincible, recklass, a death-knell to their enemies. But after her partner is torn away from her, Talyn is left broken, wracked with guilt and unable to regain the confidence she once had. Could an unexpected mission to the mysterious country of Mithranar, home of the magical winged folk, be the thing that saves her? Or will the danger and secrets she finds there finally break her completely?

The Shadowhawk lives a life in the shadows. Constantly hunted for his criminal exploits, yet desperate to help the human folk of Mithranar who are oppressed by their winged folk rulers, he haunts the streets of Dock City. The arrival of a foreign warrior threatens to upset the carefully balanced life he leads, but when she begins to offer a hope for the humans he’s only ever dreamed of, can he risk trusting her?

And unbeknownst to both, a mysterious foe stalks the dark corners of Dock City. One that answers to a single purpose… Vengeance.

-Excerpt taken from author’s website.

Check Goodreads to see the books ratings. 

Detailed Content Review

Language 

F***-

H***- 4

S***- 16

A**-

B****- 1

D***- 26

Bas****- 5

Religious Cursing-

J****-

Chr***-

G**- 4

L***-

Derogatory terms and curses unique to the book-

Six thrices 

Alcohol, Drugs, Smoking

Two people sip wine. 

Three women sip ale with lunch. 

Cigar smoke hangs in the air. 

A man smokes a cigar. 

A man reeks of alcohol. He is arrested. 

A woman drinks a coconut alcoholic drink.

A man drinks wine. 

A man drinks spirits. 

A man sips ale. 

A woman drinks shots and spirits. 

A woman drinks spirits before a surgery. 

A man sips ale. 

A man has 4 empty wine glasses at a game and not slowing down. 

A group of people go out for a drink in celebration. 

A man tells of his dependence on alcohol after many losses in his life. 

A group of people are drinking early in the morn. 

Intimacy, Sex, Immodesty

A man and woman kiss. She pulls his shirt out of his pants and he unbuttons her vest then she pushes him onto the bed. She describes him as her lover. 

A “street girl” is scantily dressed. No more details.

A woman sees another woman pushed against a wall by a man, shirt torn, breasts exposed. He is grabbing her breast and trying to undo his pants. It is obvious that the woman is about to be raped. The woman wants to “cut his balls off.”

A naked woman is in a bed with a man. He has his shirt off. 

Violence, Weapons, Crime, Blood

A group of men steal crates from a boat. 

A region uses slave labor. 

A woman throws her bag, hitting a man, making him fall and hit his head. One throws a knife at her, she knocks one down with a door another she holds a knife to. 

Fighting, a man sends a man into a wall, another hits him with a pipe, blood spraying. They continue fighting, one man with a bloody nose and gash. 

Two men roll on the ground punching and fighting. A woman intervenes and threatens with a sword. 

A man and his network regularly steal and give to the poor. 

People regularly mention trying to prevent rape, theft and more. 

A man’s body is found murdered. Blood on his neck. 

Disrespectful people are given a flogging.

Two men are bruised and swollen. 

A man throws a knife at a woman. She slams the hilt of her sais on the back of his head, knocking him unconscious. A blade is thrown at her head. 

Another body is found, his throat slashed. 

A man breaks into a woman’s bedroom. 

A woman is shot in the shoulder with an arrow. Blood is soaking her shirt. She is operated on, blood flowing while many assist. 

A woman is killed in combat with an arrow through her heart. Another woman relives this multiple times. The presence of the woman always stays with her friend. 

During a game played in an arena, men get hit multiple times with blunt weapons and each other. One weapon makes a gash in a man’s thigh. Another is hit in the head. One kicks another’s knee. They tackle each other, bloodying up each other sometimes. One is cut on the cheek.

One man tackles another, him elbowing in the process. A knife is knocked away, one knees the other in the ribs then head butts him. 

Another man is murdered and his body left outside. 

A man is attempting to rape a woman. A woman intervenes. A man then intervenes and uses magic to make her walk away. 

A woman uses her sais and plunges it into a man’s chest. He makes no sound as he dies. A crossbow is shot at her. She silently slides her sais into his throat. Another time in a chest. She plunges it in another’s throat, he grabs her weapon and his blood sprays across her face and hands. A crossbow is shot, men tackling who shot it. A man is kicked down the stairs, another sword in a chest. Two men are fighting three, blood dripping from weapons, two bodies on the floor. One gets a sais to his chest, a knife slashed ones throat, a sword into the back of another. Weapons and the fighters were splattered with blood, gore and brain matter. 

Arrows are fired at a woman. She hits a man in the temple and knocks him off horse. She plunges her sais into a man’s ribs, he coughs blood and falls. She fights many men, getting gashes but killing them. She is covered in blood and gore with bodies strewn everywhere. 

Potentially Intense Themes

Large cats and snakes kill people in a forest. 

A large rainfall causes flooding. Last time this happened, hundreds died.  The waters rise significantly. People are trying to save others. One finds a body of a man who has turned blue from cold. Houses are being covered in water. One person goes back to get some kids and gets pushed away by rapids, believing they’re dying. 

A man’s brother died when he fell out of a tree. 

**As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 


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