AUTHOR: Maressa Voss
PUBLISHED ON: 26 July 2024
GENRE: Fantasy
RATING: 4 Stars
SUMMARY:
When Shadow Grows Tall by Maressa Voss follows two different stories at the same time. The first story follows two of our soldiers, Lovelace and Gunnar. Describing them as soldiers is the easiest way to explain how they are serving an ancient brotherhood and are on a mission to protect the citizens from one of their own. The members of the brotherhood, use elemental magic. As they are on their way to find Alev and neutralise the threat, they meet other people on their way, changing their beliefs and leaving them with more questions than ever.
“When you’ve been hungry long enough, you’re grateful for any meal coming your way.”
Kylene lived a beautiful life: a loving mother, a sister by her side and a supportive father. Being curious by nature, she questioned everything and her father encouraged her. He appreciated her tact and turned his eyes when she was doing something she wasn’t supposed to. But that all changed when a knock on the door, forced her father to go into hiding. She questioned everything and searched for answers. When the soldiers came to ask them, she did the only thing she could. She ran away like her father with the hope of finding him or the answers. What she didn’t expect was how this journey would change her entire life.
“ I have been alone for the bloom of four springs… The bloom of four springs, the heat of four summers, the mist of five autumns, the death of five winters.”
Lovelace and Gunnar, accompanied by Pif and Ailwin are troubled with just one thought, how do you kill a God? But everything changes when they meet Cora and now they are on a quest they didn’t even imagine.
“I just don’t think perfect is a thing that can be had. Least of all, where truth is concerned.”
MY THOUGHTS
When Shadows Grow Tall by Maressa Voss is a perfect example of debuts that are going to rock the world. With the ever-rising Fantasy books, reeking with different magic systems and new wars, When Shadows Grow Tall stood apart for me. The elemental magic and slow burn aspects quickly made this book one of the most interesting read for me.
“If he had seen fit to give up their family for the sake of freedom, she hoped it was worth it.”
When Shadows Grow Tall takes us as we hunt a child. The first chapters generally are a hit or a miss. But Voss took a perfect opportunity to not only write a chapter that shows a glimpse of what we are to witness but also develop an emotional connection. Both of them, I admire. The story paces in a dual storyline. Each story is parallel to another and yet on a different journey altogether. I have to admit, I wanted to know the story. At least in the beginning, I just wanted to know how the stories would merge and how they would integrate. But slowly, I began to care for the characters.
“Hold dear those that seek truth, but beware of those who find it.”
There is something poetic about When Shadows Grow Tall, while the title itself is a beautiful reference to trees and for me a glimpse into the elemental magic. But along with that, I think the true beauty of the story was in the prose. Every line, every sentence was an utter perfection. There were so many times when I stopped myself and sat with the line I just read.
“Nothing. There was nothing left.”
With book release around the corner, there is just one thing I urge everyone and that is to pick yourself a copy of this book and enjoy a sense of calmness, profoundness and a feeling of something different as you read When Shadows Grow Tall.
“… was reminded not for the first time, of the duality of a thing. Fire can kill, just as it can feed.”
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You can read the review for The Justice of Kings here.
