***This is a review for the Shadowfast trilogy. The second book in the series will be published on 12/12***
Reading the grim side of espionage and thrillers can take a toll on you as you grapple with the darkness associated with heroes who navigate through the perilous missions often at the cost of losing someone or something precious to their soul. That’s why when I came across the Shadowfast series, I found myself deliriously enjoying the fast-paced and witty trilogy packed with badass action and cool characters. I also found myself with a surprising desire to capture the essence of the books by writing a series review. Each book ends on a cliffhanger that’s no ordinary cliffhanger as it leaves you wracked with nervous anticipation of what would happen not so far down the line but in the very next second. Another huge reason is that giving you a glimpse of book 2 would mean revealing what happened in book 1 and you wouldn’t want that.
Quinn Richards may come across as a rockstar in a metal band. That’d be a big mistake to those who underestimate him, for he and his team moonlight as a band to do something much more nefarious: pulling off heists and intricate cons in rather stylish ways. Things take a turn for the weird when he and his team are hired by a mysterious client to steal highly-guarded and encrypted data from a tech billionaire who may be planning to send America back to the Stone Age. Leave it to the Shadowfast team to take the fight to the enemy. From the opening chapter of the first book to the last page of the last book in the trilogy, this series reads like one giant thriller with a narrative that doesn’t break at all but rather does a barrel-roll just when you think the story would be resolved. You simply are compelled to read all these books one after the other.
The Shadowfast trilogy rocks hard with its roster of rockstars that each feel vibrant and rich with distinctive attributes and quirks that you easily fall in love with. The narrative has the ingenious and creative vibe of Mission Impossible movies where each character in the team shines in the spotlight at various moments and come together as a ragtag group to form bonds as strong as those of blood. This is important because the Shadowfast team can only trust themselves as they wade deep into treacherous waters on an international scale and dodge assassins, hacked automated cars, and contemplate buried secrets all while rocking the stage and taking down bad guys in cinematic action sequences laced with accurate technical details and filled with jaw-dropping moments and YEE-HAWS. You won’t look at Teslas and rock concerts the way you’ve been thinking of them after you’re done with these books.
Books 1 and 2 end on cliffhangers that will make you cancel all plans to read each of these books one after the other. I got lost in the charm of this trilogy, finishing it in 3 days. The books are relatively short, which make them perfect for binge-reading. The trilogy is one that’s designed especially to be read-together given that they cover an arching story that needs each of the three books to be read in the correct order for the best experiences. The Shadowfast trilogy is what happens when an author has fun writing a grand espionage story that delivers for fans seeking a cerebral narrative as much as it caters to readers looking for their next memorable action-packed read. As you’d expect, even the third book ends on a cliffhanger promising greater riches to be explored in the future. Start with Metal Spies, follow through the Metal Lies, and fasten your seatbelts for Metal Rise in this epically fun trilogy of action-packed thrillers.
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Purchase The Shadowfast Trilogy
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)
Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen
