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When Shadows Grow Tall
When truth becomes a weapon, who shall wield it?
In the Grasp, a realm on the threshold of enlightenment, the dactyli guard the fading embers of their ancient brotherhood, dedicated to the pursuit of absolute truth. Lovelace and Gunnar are rangers, two of the orders' last who find themselves on the precipice of a changing world. When the order faces a fatal threat from within, Lovelace and Gunnar embark on a dangerous ranging, whereon they discover that more than the welfare of the order is at stake: a rogue dactyli named Alev amasses an army of those he calls the Burned Ones, mercenaries wielding elemental forces. Lovelace and Gunnar are forced to grapple with the unimaginable implications.
Meanwhile, the Grasp languishes under the oppressive rule of Osbert, who exploits the recent advent of the printing press to smoor the fires of budding enlightenment. A young woman named Kylene undertakes a journey to find her missing father, a prominent printer wanted for sedition. Her path leads her to the kapnobatai, a mysterious group of outcasts with whom Kylene takes up refuge and the mantle of her father’s fight for freedom.
In the mountains of Droch Fhortan, Lovelace and Gunnar encounter a feral young woman, Cora. Her mere existence uproots an age-old belief and puts to ground a new truth: magic can be awakened, magic can be taught. As their paths intertwine, a shared purpose emerges - to expose Osbert's tyranny, thwart Alev's dangerous plot, and rekindle the flame of enlightenment.
So begins the battle for the minds of the Graspish people, and a quest for the heart of magic itself.
In the Grasp, a realm on the threshold of enlightenment, the dactyli guard the fading embers of their ancient brotherhood, dedicated to the pursuit of absolute truth. Lovelace and Gunnar are rangers, two of the orders' last who find themselves on the precipice of a changing world. When the order faces a fatal threat from within, Lovelace and Gunnar embark on a dangerous ranging, whereon they discover that more than the welfare of the order is at stake: a rogue dactyli named Alev amasses an army of those he calls the Burned Ones, mercenaries wielding elemental forces. Lovelace and Gunnar are forced to grapple with the unimaginable implications.
Meanwhile, the Grasp languishes under the oppressive rule of Osbert, who exploits the recent advent of the printing press to smoor the fires of budding enlightenment. A young woman named Kylene undertakes a journey to find her missing father, a prominent printer wanted for sedition. Her path leads her to the kapnobatai, a mysterious group of outcasts with whom Kylene takes up refuge and the mantle of her father’s fight for freedom.
In the mountains of Droch Fhortan, Lovelace and Gunnar encounter a feral young woman, Cora. Her mere existence uproots an age-old belief and puts to ground a new truth: magic can be awakened, magic can be taught. As their paths intertwine, a shared purpose emerges - to expose Osbert's tyranny, thwart Alev's dangerous plot, and rekindle the flame of enlightenment.
So begins the battle for the minds of the Graspish people, and a quest for the heart of magic itself.
344 pages, Paperback
Published July 26, 2024
4 people are currently reading
26830 people want to read
About the author
Maressa Voss
1 book139 followersMaressa Voss is the author of When Shadows Grow Tall, a literary fantasy published with Roundfire Books in August 2024. She has short fiction in Trollbreath Magazine (Dec. '24) and forthcoming short fiction in Moonday Magazine (Oct. '25).
Her upcoming work is a solarpunk speculative standalone novel set in a near-future Southern California.
A seasonal fruit enthusiast, seed saver and lover of liminal zones, her writing tends to explore the intersections of ecology, systems of power and the wider boundaries of the heart. She has a degree in Classics with an emphasis in Language and Literature.
Find her at www.maressavoss.com, Instagram @maressakate, Blue Sky @maressakate.
Her upcoming work is a solarpunk speculative standalone novel set in a near-future Southern California.
A seasonal fruit enthusiast, seed saver and lover of liminal zones, her writing tends to explore the intersections of ecology, systems of power and the wider boundaries of the heart. She has a degree in Classics with an emphasis in Language and Literature.
Find her at www.maressavoss.com, Instagram @maressakate, Blue Sky @maressakate.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
January 16, 2024
A great slow-burn, elemental fantasy!
I enjoyed this from the start, and as a debut it’s a ringer.
Characters: 8/10
Atmosphere: 9/10
Writing Style: 9/10
Plot: 9/10
Intrigue: 10/10
Logic/Relationships: 8/10
Enjoyment/Vibes: 10/10
Total: 63/70
Star Rating: 5⭐️
I enjoyed this from the start, and as a debut it’s a ringer.
Characters: 8/10
Atmosphere: 9/10
Writing Style: 9/10
Plot: 9/10
Intrigue: 10/10
Logic/Relationships: 8/10
Enjoyment/Vibes: 10/10
Total: 63/70
Star Rating: 5⭐️
September 20, 2023
https://undertheradarsffbooks.com/202...
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for a honest review. This novel won’t be released until 2024 but this slow-burn epic has all the makings of something special. With two point of view characters to follow, poetic prose, earth-bound magic, and a member of an ancient brotherhood gone rogue for power, there is plenty of intrigue for all fans to enjoy. The first novel in the series is sure to raise some eyebrows.
Lovelace and Gunnar are rangers in the service of the ancient brotherhood of the Dactyli to find those with the gift of magic and to protect citizens at large from evil. A rogue member of the Dactyli named Alev has gathered an army of his own called The Burned Ones and he is killing those with magic to prevent anyone from opposing him. According to the brotherhood, magic can only be passed down through birth and it allows the bloodlines to be tracked. While gathering forces to oppose Alev, Lovelace and Gunnar encounter a young woman who can use magic of her own but she was not born with the gift. This realization will shake the foundation of the order and the land itself.
Kylene is the daughter of a printer and loves doing her scientific research with her family. Kylene has such found memories from her childhood and she seems to remember everything. When Kylene’s father is called away, guards later show up at her house wanting to arrest her family for sedition. She soon realizes that the memories her father left for her a clues to find and to seek the truth. Kylene will need to travel and find the kapnobatai, a mysterious group of outcasts with whom Kylene takes up refuge and the mantle of her father’s fight for freedom.
What drew me to this debut novel was the poetic prose and the denseness of the plot. Maressa will not hold your hand as the plot slowly begins to unravel. Everything may not click with you right away but if you stay the course you should be good to go. Some of the terms are a little complex to understand at first and it did take me out of the story for a minute or two. The magic is based on the natural elements of fire, water, air, and earth but it is a soft magic system which is not fully explained and leaves your grand sense of wonder to fill in the blank spots.
Memories are also vital to the telling of this story as we see them quite a bit in the plot. Not only seeing them from different people but also from different objects was a really cool twist. My only real negative is that the story is on the shorter side and ends right when the plot really starts to take off. No cliffhanger ending but I just wanted to read more.
All in all, this is an excellent debut novel for Maressa Voss. This story reminded me a bit of reading Janny Wurts Wars of Light and Shadow in terms of the brotherhood and the magic used in this story. Hopefully the reset of the series is on par or better than this debut and I’m looking forward to ready them when available.
Cheers!
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for a honest review. This novel won’t be released until 2024 but this slow-burn epic has all the makings of something special. With two point of view characters to follow, poetic prose, earth-bound magic, and a member of an ancient brotherhood gone rogue for power, there is plenty of intrigue for all fans to enjoy. The first novel in the series is sure to raise some eyebrows.
Lovelace and Gunnar are rangers in the service of the ancient brotherhood of the Dactyli to find those with the gift of magic and to protect citizens at large from evil. A rogue member of the Dactyli named Alev has gathered an army of his own called The Burned Ones and he is killing those with magic to prevent anyone from opposing him. According to the brotherhood, magic can only be passed down through birth and it allows the bloodlines to be tracked. While gathering forces to oppose Alev, Lovelace and Gunnar encounter a young woman who can use magic of her own but she was not born with the gift. This realization will shake the foundation of the order and the land itself.
Kylene is the daughter of a printer and loves doing her scientific research with her family. Kylene has such found memories from her childhood and she seems to remember everything. When Kylene’s father is called away, guards later show up at her house wanting to arrest her family for sedition. She soon realizes that the memories her father left for her a clues to find and to seek the truth. Kylene will need to travel and find the kapnobatai, a mysterious group of outcasts with whom Kylene takes up refuge and the mantle of her father’s fight for freedom.
What drew me to this debut novel was the poetic prose and the denseness of the plot. Maressa will not hold your hand as the plot slowly begins to unravel. Everything may not click with you right away but if you stay the course you should be good to go. Some of the terms are a little complex to understand at first and it did take me out of the story for a minute or two. The magic is based on the natural elements of fire, water, air, and earth but it is a soft magic system which is not fully explained and leaves your grand sense of wonder to fill in the blank spots.
Memories are also vital to the telling of this story as we see them quite a bit in the plot. Not only seeing them from different people but also from different objects was a really cool twist. My only real negative is that the story is on the shorter side and ends right when the plot really starts to take off. No cliffhanger ending but I just wanted to read more.
All in all, this is an excellent debut novel for Maressa Voss. This story reminded me a bit of reading Janny Wurts Wars of Light and Shadow in terms of the brotherhood and the magic used in this story. Hopefully the reset of the series is on par or better than this debut and I’m looking forward to ready them when available.
Cheers!
September 15, 2023
A pair of rangers tread forward amid word of an army rising. A miscreant leading its fearsome elemental might. Elsewhere another attempts to battle against an oppressive regime.
Excellent slow burn fantasy. Rich lush verse & world building. Alluring story & characters. Terrific!
Excellent slow burn fantasy. Rich lush verse & world building. Alluring story & characters. Terrific!
June 19, 2024
Well, this came out of nowhere like a shovel to the face, albeit the shovel is made of delicious cake. Maressa Voss’ epic fantasy debut from Roundfire Books is a wickedly effective combination of old-school fantasy with modern day themes in a world that is part cosy Tolkien-Shire fantasy and part dark magic, power and back-to-nature themes of Le Guin’s Wizard of Earthsea, with a strong dash of Hunger Games-style defeat-the-dystopia thrown in. It sounds like it shouldn’t work, but Voss has a secret weapon: her utterly wonderful writing which sucks you in to her brilliantly realised fantasy world.
The land of this novel, The Grasp, is a standard fantasy land of magic and late medieval cities but with the twist that it’s on the verge of the enlightenment. In the big cities, the newly invented printing press is pumping out propaganda for the new tyrannical ruler Osbert, who has replaced the old kings and is hunting down all those who oppose his supposed new freedoms. This forms the basis for one of the two POVs, Kylene, whose father must flee when his rebellion is discovered, prompting Kylene to go on a dangerous journey to seek him and his rebels out.
But this is also a land of magic. In a secret fortress in the south, sorcerers called the Dactyli wield elemental powers and seek truth from nature. Unfortunately one of their kind, a lethal fire-wielder called Alev, has absconded and formed his own army, and so the second POV of the book is that of one of the Dactyli sorcerer-rangers, Lovelace, who with his partner must find out what Alev and his secret fire army are up to in the mountains.
It’s the twinning of these two storylines – the “viva la revolución” with the “there’s a new magic in town, kid” that makes this book so fun. The other secret to this tale is the fascinating magic system. With the Dactyli, Voss has combined some guilty pleasure cliché magic with a totally new system. On the one hand we have elemental magic: earth, wind, water, and air powers. This results in some very fun battles of TAKE THAT! TREE IN THE FACE and OKAY HAVE A WALL OF FIRE IN RETURN that are as fun as you’d expect.
But before you unfurl the “cliché” banner in my face, Voss balances out this much worn path with an utterly unique system which you could glibly call “Truth from Trees” (and I am nothing if not glib) but more accurately can be described as the idea that all nature carries memories of what happens around it, and if you can read these memories then you can, in theory, seek the objective truth of the world, and in the case of the Dactyli, store it in stone tablets in a massive library of magic-stored knowledge. It’s a fantastic idea that examines whether there is such a thing of truth, and our relationship with nature.
As you can probably tell by now, this is a book of strong nature themes, and it is also has cosy fantasy vibes. In particular there’s a group of nomads hiding in the mountains who lead the ultimate Shire-Hobbit-but-more-hipster life: bathing in warm pools; growing massive fields of bees and plants to go in their breakfast (the plants not the bees); and swinging themselves to sleep in the woods on hammocks. You could almost be lulled into thinking that this is a cosy fantasy at times, but the fast-paced and frequently violent deaths will quickly disabuse you of that notion. It’s a deft balance Voss pulls off, this mix of cosy and dark fantasy, but she does it like a seasoned pro.
It’s on the themes, however, that Voss has really struck gold here. This is a book about what happens when secret, privileged knowledge and the hoarding of power comes up against the relentless march of progress and the supposed democratisation of knowledge and power at the expense of violence and tyranny. The peaceful Dactyli seek objective truth, and hoard these truths along with the secrets to their magic. But Alev and his terrifying fire powers, as maniacal as he seems, seeks to offer these powers to the wider population. Even the tyrannical movement under Osbert claims to represent progress, denouncing the Dactyli as the elite, essentially. This lays the ground for a classic fantasy clash of “the stuck-in-their-ways-heroes versus the wrong-but-slightly-have-a-point-villains” but it’s also a wicked parable for today, where popular (and mostly right wing) movements across the globe seek to demonise the elites for hoarding their resources and power.
In the enigmatic Kapnobatai (the previously described hammock-swinging nomads) we have a potential solution: magic and wisdom for all but without the violence and tyranny. This clash of potential futures ramps up towards the book, and after one almighty brave and admirably bonkers twist, Voss ends the book right where you want the reader: salivating for the upheaval to come.
Overall this is an urgent tale of the dangers of progress versus the complacency of elites in a cosy-but-dangerous land of magic I never wanted to leave. One of the fantasy debuts of the year.
The land of this novel, The Grasp, is a standard fantasy land of magic and late medieval cities but with the twist that it’s on the verge of the enlightenment. In the big cities, the newly invented printing press is pumping out propaganda for the new tyrannical ruler Osbert, who has replaced the old kings and is hunting down all those who oppose his supposed new freedoms. This forms the basis for one of the two POVs, Kylene, whose father must flee when his rebellion is discovered, prompting Kylene to go on a dangerous journey to seek him and his rebels out.
But this is also a land of magic. In a secret fortress in the south, sorcerers called the Dactyli wield elemental powers and seek truth from nature. Unfortunately one of their kind, a lethal fire-wielder called Alev, has absconded and formed his own army, and so the second POV of the book is that of one of the Dactyli sorcerer-rangers, Lovelace, who with his partner must find out what Alev and his secret fire army are up to in the mountains.
It’s the twinning of these two storylines – the “viva la revolución” with the “there’s a new magic in town, kid” that makes this book so fun. The other secret to this tale is the fascinating magic system. With the Dactyli, Voss has combined some guilty pleasure cliché magic with a totally new system. On the one hand we have elemental magic: earth, wind, water, and air powers. This results in some very fun battles of TAKE THAT! TREE IN THE FACE and OKAY HAVE A WALL OF FIRE IN RETURN that are as fun as you’d expect.
But before you unfurl the “cliché” banner in my face, Voss balances out this much worn path with an utterly unique system which you could glibly call “Truth from Trees” (and I am nothing if not glib) but more accurately can be described as the idea that all nature carries memories of what happens around it, and if you can read these memories then you can, in theory, seek the objective truth of the world, and in the case of the Dactyli, store it in stone tablets in a massive library of magic-stored knowledge. It’s a fantastic idea that examines whether there is such a thing of truth, and our relationship with nature.
As you can probably tell by now, this is a book of strong nature themes, and it is also has cosy fantasy vibes. In particular there’s a group of nomads hiding in the mountains who lead the ultimate Shire-Hobbit-but-more-hipster life: bathing in warm pools; growing massive fields of bees and plants to go in their breakfast (the plants not the bees); and swinging themselves to sleep in the woods on hammocks. You could almost be lulled into thinking that this is a cosy fantasy at times, but the fast-paced and frequently violent deaths will quickly disabuse you of that notion. It’s a deft balance Voss pulls off, this mix of cosy and dark fantasy, but she does it like a seasoned pro.
It’s on the themes, however, that Voss has really struck gold here. This is a book about what happens when secret, privileged knowledge and the hoarding of power comes up against the relentless march of progress and the supposed democratisation of knowledge and power at the expense of violence and tyranny. The peaceful Dactyli seek objective truth, and hoard these truths along with the secrets to their magic. But Alev and his terrifying fire powers, as maniacal as he seems, seeks to offer these powers to the wider population. Even the tyrannical movement under Osbert claims to represent progress, denouncing the Dactyli as the elite, essentially. This lays the ground for a classic fantasy clash of “the stuck-in-their-ways-heroes versus the wrong-but-slightly-have-a-point-villains” but it’s also a wicked parable for today, where popular (and mostly right wing) movements across the globe seek to demonise the elites for hoarding their resources and power.
In the enigmatic Kapnobatai (the previously described hammock-swinging nomads) we have a potential solution: magic and wisdom for all but without the violence and tyranny. This clash of potential futures ramps up towards the book, and after one almighty brave and admirably bonkers twist, Voss ends the book right where you want the reader: salivating for the upheaval to come.
Overall this is an urgent tale of the dangers of progress versus the complacency of elites in a cosy-but-dangerous land of magic I never wanted to leave. One of the fantasy debuts of the year.
Read
March 31, 2024Rtc
January 26, 2024
(Advance Review through NetGalley)
When Shadows Grow Tall was an interesting read for me. Fantasy is a favourite genre for me, however I feel there are a lot of things to get right and a lot of risky tropes that can ruin a book (I suppose that's not unique to fantasy, but I have a sense fails in fantasy are more severe).
The strengths of Voss' novel are the great pacing - I don't think I experienced boredom at any stage of the story, nor little desire to speed things up to get to the 'good parts' the story had a good balance of exposition and world building, very epic and vivid action, and overall was always fun to be in the pages of this one.
Our MCs are Lovelace - a good, albeit rebellious, ranger mage who is desperate to save young mages from a an evil outcast who keeps finding and murdering emerging mages before his order can recruit them.
And Kylene, whose story is a little more mysterious - her father has disappeared after being revealed to be too seditious for the dystopian regime in place over 'The Grasp' and Kylene is willing to risk it all to find him.
While the story was good fun there were a few flaws in my eyes.
The prose was on the odd occasion, a bit much, I never realized a dawn could be "fresh and crisp as a new apple" but also break "as easy as an egg." To be honest, its not quite purple but there were moments that the simile were just enough to push me out of the story. (Although I will say use of the word 'Lumpsucker' wins a lot of points from me)
While the world building was really well delivered throughout the story rather than big info dumps, it felt like the whole story was interspersed with lore and particularly towards the end I really wanted more ACTION not more exposition. Especially the last few chapters - there was a bit of a sense of 'first book in a series' syndrome where not a huge amount of significant plot points happened as obviously enough needed to be saved for later books.
My final beef was that the villains were just a bit shallow and cheesy, their dialogue very "mwah ha ha." while the mythos around them was suitable, the delivery of their actual presence was somewhat flat.
Overall this book is great for fantasy lovers, especially if you're looking for intense magic battles but based in a relatively gritty grimy mundane world.
When Shadows Grow Tall was an interesting read for me. Fantasy is a favourite genre for me, however I feel there are a lot of things to get right and a lot of risky tropes that can ruin a book (I suppose that's not unique to fantasy, but I have a sense fails in fantasy are more severe).
The strengths of Voss' novel are the great pacing - I don't think I experienced boredom at any stage of the story, nor little desire to speed things up to get to the 'good parts' the story had a good balance of exposition and world building, very epic and vivid action, and overall was always fun to be in the pages of this one.
Our MCs are Lovelace - a good, albeit rebellious, ranger mage who is desperate to save young mages from a an evil outcast who keeps finding and murdering emerging mages before his order can recruit them.
And Kylene, whose story is a little more mysterious - her father has disappeared after being revealed to be too seditious for the dystopian regime in place over 'The Grasp' and Kylene is willing to risk it all to find him.
While the story was good fun there were a few flaws in my eyes.
The prose was on the odd occasion, a bit much, I never realized a dawn could be "fresh and crisp as a new apple" but also break "as easy as an egg." To be honest, its not quite purple but there were moments that the simile were just enough to push me out of the story. (Although I will say use of the word 'Lumpsucker' wins a lot of points from me)
While the world building was really well delivered throughout the story rather than big info dumps, it felt like the whole story was interspersed with lore and particularly towards the end I really wanted more ACTION not more exposition. Especially the last few chapters - there was a bit of a sense of 'first book in a series' syndrome where not a huge amount of significant plot points happened as obviously enough needed to be saved for later books.
My final beef was that the villains were just a bit shallow and cheesy, their dialogue very "mwah ha ha." while the mythos around them was suitable, the delivery of their actual presence was somewhat flat.
Overall this book is great for fantasy lovers, especially if you're looking for intense magic battles but based in a relatively gritty grimy mundane world.
March 7, 2024
When Shadows Grow Tall is a debut fantasy novel that introduces you to two compelling storylines that later merge.
Rangers Gunnar and Lovelace are a sort of long suffering, likeable pair that I enjoyed, I looked forward to their dynamics when dealing with problems and especially uncooperative people. Meanwhile, Kylene's personality and her story was definitely something that propelled me forward while reading, I love a good questing heroine!
Voss's lyrical and descriptive style of writing brings world to life - immersion is pretty easy.
Overall, When Shadows Grow Tall is a great choice for fantasy enthusiasts, showcasing the talent of a promising new author.
I was provided an ARC copy in exchange for honest review, thank you to NetGalley.
Rangers Gunnar and Lovelace are a sort of long suffering, likeable pair that I enjoyed, I looked forward to their dynamics when dealing with problems and especially uncooperative people. Meanwhile, Kylene's personality and her story was definitely something that propelled me forward while reading, I love a good questing heroine!
Voss's lyrical and descriptive style of writing brings world to life - immersion is pretty easy.
Overall, When Shadows Grow Tall is a great choice for fantasy enthusiasts, showcasing the talent of a promising new author.
I was provided an ARC copy in exchange for honest review, thank you to NetGalley.
January 31, 2024
Review: This was well written, fast paced, and had excellent character development. The world building is great and has a myriad of quests from which to entertain. Kylene is fun to follow around the landscape, never failing to entertain with her sharp wit. The magic is elemental, subtle and believable. The antagonist is perfectly cruel and without humor.
I am not sure if this is an authorial debut or not. If it is, just wow. The writing is expansive with intricate scene descriptions that allow the reader to visualize at great depth.
This author is and will be a force in the genre. Really well done.
Rating: 4.8/5
I am not sure if this is an authorial debut or not. If it is, just wow. The writing is expansive with intricate scene descriptions that allow the reader to visualize at great depth.
This author is and will be a force in the genre. Really well done.
Rating: 4.8/5
January 24, 2024
I requested this ARC almost before I finished reading the synopsis.
It did not disappoint. It exceeded my expectations!
When you review on NetGalley, you will find both books by more established authors and books by debut authors. There’s only so much you can glean from a plot summary…you just have to take a leap of faith and hope the story is as good as it sounds.
Folks, I’ve been burned before. I’ve had to slog through some not-so-good debuts. This, however, is not one of those disappointments. It exceeded my expectations! I’m so happy when I take a chance on an unknown author and it pans out! I’m thrilled with this book.
The worldbuilding is excellent, and Maressa Voss paints pictures with words. You are transported to the Grasp, with all of its various peoples and climes. You will feel fear and exhaustion with Kylene, as she embarks on an arduous journey. You will learn about the dactyli, and travel along with Lovelace and Gunnar on a quest that has long been foretold. The magic system is intriguing and well-thought-out.
This starts with a bang. That opening scene is absolutely gut wrenching. I don’t have the words to adequately express my emotions upon reading it. Just…go get this book when it comes out on August 1st.
When Shadows Grow Tall is an amazing debut, and Voss is one to watch. I can’t wait to read her next book!
Thank you to NetGalley, Collective Ink Books, Roundfire Books and Maressa Voss for gifting me this wonderful ARC. All opinions are my own.
It did not disappoint. It exceeded my expectations!
When you review on NetGalley, you will find both books by more established authors and books by debut authors. There’s only so much you can glean from a plot summary…you just have to take a leap of faith and hope the story is as good as it sounds.
Folks, I’ve been burned before. I’ve had to slog through some not-so-good debuts. This, however, is not one of those disappointments. It exceeded my expectations! I’m so happy when I take a chance on an unknown author and it pans out! I’m thrilled with this book.
The worldbuilding is excellent, and Maressa Voss paints pictures with words. You are transported to the Grasp, with all of its various peoples and climes. You will feel fear and exhaustion with Kylene, as she embarks on an arduous journey. You will learn about the dactyli, and travel along with Lovelace and Gunnar on a quest that has long been foretold. The magic system is intriguing and well-thought-out.
This starts with a bang. That opening scene is absolutely gut wrenching. I don’t have the words to adequately express my emotions upon reading it. Just…go get this book when it comes out on August 1st.
When Shadows Grow Tall is an amazing debut, and Voss is one to watch. I can’t wait to read her next book!
Thank you to NetGalley, Collective Ink Books, Roundfire Books and Maressa Voss for gifting me this wonderful ARC. All opinions are my own.
February 7, 2024
If you want to read a great fantasy, with all the hallmarks of an epic, that also has some wonderful world-building then this is the book for you.
In a land known as the Grasp, ruled by a tyrant known as Osbert, who keeps his people under strict laws that suppress their freedoms and their knowledge. In this land, a young woman, Kylene, won't stand for half and hidden truths, she wants to know everything. She is forced from her village and goes on a perilous journey that shakes the very fabric of who she is. There are also the dactyli, elemental magic users who guard the histories of the world. Lovelace and Gunnar are part of the order, on the search for others of their kind to be raised in the order. They are fighting evil forces who are killing the young boys they have been sent to find until they are sent on the most important mission of their lives. They are to find the White Flame.
The world-building in this book was amazing, with depth and realism that brings you into the story. I did not truly get on with the author's style of writing, but that was just me, and it did not take away from the story unfolding before me. A must-read for fantasy lovers.
In a land known as the Grasp, ruled by a tyrant known as Osbert, who keeps his people under strict laws that suppress their freedoms and their knowledge. In this land, a young woman, Kylene, won't stand for half and hidden truths, she wants to know everything. She is forced from her village and goes on a perilous journey that shakes the very fabric of who she is. There are also the dactyli, elemental magic users who guard the histories of the world. Lovelace and Gunnar are part of the order, on the search for others of their kind to be raised in the order. They are fighting evil forces who are killing the young boys they have been sent to find until they are sent on the most important mission of their lives. They are to find the White Flame.
The world-building in this book was amazing, with depth and realism that brings you into the story. I did not truly get on with the author's style of writing, but that was just me, and it did not take away from the story unfolding before me. A must-read for fantasy lovers.
January 27, 2024
This was a great opening to a new fantasy series, the world building was well done although it took me a few chapters to wrap my head around the magic system. The characters are loveable and made me want to root for them. I really enjoyed the format between the two main characters’ stories, my only criticisms are that the end didn’t have enough action for a fantasy for me, there was a lot of exposition that would’ve been better before the face off as it was harder to take in the new information after all of the drama. The only other thing was that the villains fell a bad flat for me. Without spoiling, I expected a lot from this mysterious ruler and he didn’t turn out like I thought he would, but it does make a good contrast to the real villain. I’m very excited to see where this series goes next!
I was given an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Maressa Voss and Roundfire Books!
I was given an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Maressa Voss and Roundfire Books!
February 19, 2024
3.5 stars ⭐️ - this review contains some spoilers
First, thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC and to Maressa Voss for graciously sending me a physical ARC of this beautiful book. I adore the original artwork and its significance to the story.
In my opinion, this was a great debut novel! A slow burn fantasy with elemental magic and unique societal ways of knowing. I’m a sucker for Gaelic influences which also caught my attention right away.
Perhaps what I enjoyed most about this novel is the author’s writing style. I’d read that some folks could not get into it, but I personally liked it and felt the voice perfectly matched the type of story being told. I also learned several new words (thanks to Kindle reading for definitions)!
Other loves:
* I loved the way Voss used the first and second chapters of the book to begin to describe the magic and knowledge system in the story. The way this was accomplished through a vision of the main character was clever.
* I loved the realism and the way the author was able to illustrate the environment in each scene, as well as the whole story’s connection to nature and the earth. Foraging is awesome!
* I loved what the dactyli stand for in this story and the parallels to the maesters of the citadel in Game of Thrones.
* The magic system is interesting in the way the dactyli can experience memories. The details of how this is done and the thought that went into this seems unique to this world.
* Loved the twist toward the 3/4 point in the book. I was actually fooled, and I usually see twists coming!
Some critiques:
* I think I enjoyed the beginning of this book more than the end, particularly when I got to Kylene’s POV. I thought her family dynamic was rather interesting and was a bit sad we couldn’t get more of that!
* From there, I thought the plot was quite slow moving, understanding that much of this first novel needed to be world building.
* I struggled to wrap my head around the society of the Grasp and the core values and motivations of the people within it. The antagonists could have used more in the way of character development. Even with the short scene of them at the end, I never quite understood what Osbert’s regime was all about or why Alev would need or want to partner with him. I would not have minded a longer first book to better understand the antagonists, which would then make me feel more strongly for the protagonists and their new mission. This area of the story seems the most underdeveloped, but I’m hoping more will be revealed in the next book.
* Would have liked more detail about what the bellringers were doing and what their ultimate goal is/was.
* The climax felt a little rushed despite all the waiting we did up until that point.
Questions:
* Why did Kylene’s father save the letters he’d written and received from other bellringers? Wouldnt that get his family in trouble if they were found? And if he kept them because they were important to him why didn’t he take them?
Overall, I liked the book and plan to read the next one. I’m interested to see how the story evolves and the antagonists develop now that our protagonists and world building are further along!
First, thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC and to Maressa Voss for graciously sending me a physical ARC of this beautiful book. I adore the original artwork and its significance to the story.
In my opinion, this was a great debut novel! A slow burn fantasy with elemental magic and unique societal ways of knowing. I’m a sucker for Gaelic influences which also caught my attention right away.
Perhaps what I enjoyed most about this novel is the author’s writing style. I’d read that some folks could not get into it, but I personally liked it and felt the voice perfectly matched the type of story being told. I also learned several new words (thanks to Kindle reading for definitions)!
Other loves:
* I loved the way Voss used the first and second chapters of the book to begin to describe the magic and knowledge system in the story. The way this was accomplished through a vision of the main character was clever.
* I loved the realism and the way the author was able to illustrate the environment in each scene, as well as the whole story’s connection to nature and the earth. Foraging is awesome!
* I loved what the dactyli stand for in this story and the parallels to the maesters of the citadel in Game of Thrones.
* The magic system is interesting in the way the dactyli can experience memories. The details of how this is done and the thought that went into this seems unique to this world.
* Loved the twist toward the 3/4 point in the book. I was actually fooled, and I usually see twists coming!
Some critiques:
* I think I enjoyed the beginning of this book more than the end, particularly when I got to Kylene’s POV. I thought her family dynamic was rather interesting and was a bit sad we couldn’t get more of that!
* From there, I thought the plot was quite slow moving, understanding that much of this first novel needed to be world building.
* I struggled to wrap my head around the society of the Grasp and the core values and motivations of the people within it. The antagonists could have used more in the way of character development. Even with the short scene of them at the end, I never quite understood what Osbert’s regime was all about or why Alev would need or want to partner with him. I would not have minded a longer first book to better understand the antagonists, which would then make me feel more strongly for the protagonists and their new mission. This area of the story seems the most underdeveloped, but I’m hoping more will be revealed in the next book.
* Would have liked more detail about what the bellringers were doing and what their ultimate goal is/was.
* The climax felt a little rushed despite all the waiting we did up until that point.
Questions:
* Why did Kylene’s father save the letters he’d written and received from other bellringers? Wouldnt that get his family in trouble if they were found? And if he kept them because they were important to him why didn’t he take them?
Overall, I liked the book and plan to read the next one. I’m interested to see how the story evolves and the antagonists develop now that our protagonists and world building are further along!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 1, 2023
I was a beta reader for this novel and immediately fell in love with it. Voss's protagonists felt so real to me; by the end of the book, I felt like I personally knew the two protagonists. It seemed as though I'd sat in a firelit tavern, swilling ale at the table with them. The magic system was quite fun for me; I'm a sucker for an elemental magic system, and this one managed to walk the fine line between being too overpowered while also remaining interesting and engaging. However, the thing I enjoyed most about this book is Voss's prose. At its best, it has a poetic cadence that transports me into the setting and lets me see every detail. If you're a fan of high fantasy stories, then I highly recommend this book!
January 27, 2024
Narrative that immerses the reader in a fantastical world full of intrigues, magic, and good versus evil.
January 27, 2024
"When Shadows Grow Tall" is a Fantasy novel, set in a fictional realm called The Grasp. This is the first book of the The Cycles of Night series.
This novel follows Lovelace and Gunnar, members of a mysterious brotherhood of "dactyli." They find themselves in a realm on the edge of enlightenment, gathering the "truest truth". When the order faces a fatal threat from a rogue member, Lovelace and Gunnar embark on a dangerous journey where they discover more than the welfare of the order is at stake. Their former compatriot, Alev, amasses an army of those he calls the Burned Ones, who possess the ability to wield impossible magic.
Meanwhile, A young woman named Kylene undertakes a journey of her own to find her missing father, a prominent printer wanted for sedition against the overbearing ruler, Osbert.
This book is for you if you enjoy:
Elemental Magic
Mysterious Societies
Epic Quests
Unlikely Heroes
Strong Female Characters
Gaelic Influences
Battles of Good vs. Evil
Vibe Check
When Shadows Grow Tall gave me Robin Hood vibes in the best way. You can't help but root for the cast of loveable underdogs as they journey through nature to restore order to The Grasp at the hands of the oppressive rule of the mysterious Osbert.
Minor Content Warning for the murder of a child. This isn't particularly gory; it is a minor, isolated incident within the novel.
Overall, I enjoyed When Shadows Grow Tall and give it ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
As with any fantasy series, you'll spend the opening chapters meeting the cast of characters and learning the vocabulary of the realm and its particular brand of magic. With the exposition well-established, and the first part of this adventure well underway, I'm excited to see what journeys await in Book 2!
I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This novel follows Lovelace and Gunnar, members of a mysterious brotherhood of "dactyli." They find themselves in a realm on the edge of enlightenment, gathering the "truest truth". When the order faces a fatal threat from a rogue member, Lovelace and Gunnar embark on a dangerous journey where they discover more than the welfare of the order is at stake. Their former compatriot, Alev, amasses an army of those he calls the Burned Ones, who possess the ability to wield impossible magic.
Meanwhile, A young woman named Kylene undertakes a journey of her own to find her missing father, a prominent printer wanted for sedition against the overbearing ruler, Osbert.
This book is for you if you enjoy:
Elemental Magic
Mysterious Societies
Epic Quests
Unlikely Heroes
Strong Female Characters
Gaelic Influences
Battles of Good vs. Evil
Vibe Check
When Shadows Grow Tall gave me Robin Hood vibes in the best way. You can't help but root for the cast of loveable underdogs as they journey through nature to restore order to The Grasp at the hands of the oppressive rule of the mysterious Osbert.
Minor Content Warning for the murder of a child. This isn't particularly gory; it is a minor, isolated incident within the novel.
Overall, I enjoyed When Shadows Grow Tall and give it ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
As with any fantasy series, you'll spend the opening chapters meeting the cast of characters and learning the vocabulary of the realm and its particular brand of magic. With the exposition well-established, and the first part of this adventure well underway, I'm excited to see what journeys await in Book 2!
I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 19, 2024
DNF'ed at 30%
I'm sorry but I just couldn't get my head around this book... first of all the sinopsis really got me into, that's why I got the ARC, but the rest ...
There were long chapters (something that I'm not usually a fan of), I coukld only understand that Lovelace and Guinnar were part of the principal characters, but the others is just confusing. Kylene is one of the main ones ? I don't get it ...
The thing is, the long chapters were only on the Lovelace and Gunnar parts, but what really got me hooked were the Kylene ones, so that would be better, see things from the girl perspective.
Also, the language could have been more simpler than what it was. I'm not from a country whose native language is english, but I speak and write it fluently, and even I had some difficulties understanding some of the words or what the Author meant.
Last, but not least, the world building should have more to be said, I didn't understand much of the world that was around them ro the interactions between them. As for the elders of the council, the bookk could have also explained hopw they were organized and how the other factions (like Fingers and stuff) were organised.
Overall, it was a bit of a waste of time, though I had high expectactions for the book, but taking about 10 minutes to read Kylene's side, and taking about 50 minutes to read Lovelace's and Gunaar side was a downside for me.
Thank you so much Netgalley for the ARC, but it was not IT for me.
I'm sorry but I just couldn't get my head around this book... first of all the sinopsis really got me into, that's why I got the ARC, but the rest ...
There were long chapters (something that I'm not usually a fan of), I coukld only understand that Lovelace and Guinnar were part of the principal characters, but the others is just confusing. Kylene is one of the main ones ? I don't get it ...
The thing is, the long chapters were only on the Lovelace and Gunnar parts, but what really got me hooked were the Kylene ones, so that would be better, see things from the girl perspective.
Also, the language could have been more simpler than what it was. I'm not from a country whose native language is english, but I speak and write it fluently, and even I had some difficulties understanding some of the words or what the Author meant.
Last, but not least, the world building should have more to be said, I didn't understand much of the world that was around them ro the interactions between them. As for the elders of the council, the bookk could have also explained hopw they were organized and how the other factions (like Fingers and stuff) were organised.
Overall, it was a bit of a waste of time, though I had high expectactions for the book, but taking about 10 minutes to read Kylene's side, and taking about 50 minutes to read Lovelace's and Gunaar side was a downside for me.
Thank you so much Netgalley for the ARC, but it was not IT for me.
June 26, 2024
An astonishing debut; an exquisite fantasy novel.
A slow-burning, sweeping tale of elemental magic, the search for truth, and the dangers of mankind’s unyielding greed for power, „When Shadows Grow Tall“ is an outstanding fantasy novel. I could not put it down!
On the one hand, the book introduces the reader to Lovelace and Gunnar, two dactyli rangers. The dactyli are an age-old order of mystic men with magical powers, and their rangers were historically tasked with gathering the wisdom of the land to bring it back to their archives for safekeeping. Faced with the immediate danger of one of their own going rogue, Lovelace and Gunnar are given a different directive: to undertake a dangerous journey in order to find and protect a newly emerged young dactyli.
On the other hand, „When Shadows Grow Tall“ tells the story of a smart and determined sixteen-year-old girl named Kylene desperately searching for her outlawed rebel father, the book weaving back and forth between the two storylines until they eventually merge seamlessly into one.
The characters are splendid (young Pif most of all), complex and expertly created; the setting is eery and compelling; and given its first-rate world building and poetic prose, it‘s astonishing that this is, in fact, a debut novel.
My only complaint is that the ending mainly set the stage for its sequel - which I am already eagerly anticipating.
One of the most exciting new voices in fantasy!
Thank you to NetGalley and Collective Ink Books / Roundfire Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
„When Shadows Grow Tall“ is slated to be released on August 1, 2024.
A slow-burning, sweeping tale of elemental magic, the search for truth, and the dangers of mankind’s unyielding greed for power, „When Shadows Grow Tall“ is an outstanding fantasy novel. I could not put it down!
On the one hand, the book introduces the reader to Lovelace and Gunnar, two dactyli rangers. The dactyli are an age-old order of mystic men with magical powers, and their rangers were historically tasked with gathering the wisdom of the land to bring it back to their archives for safekeeping. Faced with the immediate danger of one of their own going rogue, Lovelace and Gunnar are given a different directive: to undertake a dangerous journey in order to find and protect a newly emerged young dactyli.
On the other hand, „When Shadows Grow Tall“ tells the story of a smart and determined sixteen-year-old girl named Kylene desperately searching for her outlawed rebel father, the book weaving back and forth between the two storylines until they eventually merge seamlessly into one.
The characters are splendid (young Pif most of all), complex and expertly created; the setting is eery and compelling; and given its first-rate world building and poetic prose, it‘s astonishing that this is, in fact, a debut novel.
My only complaint is that the ending mainly set the stage for its sequel - which I am already eagerly anticipating.
One of the most exciting new voices in fantasy!
Thank you to NetGalley and Collective Ink Books / Roundfire Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
„When Shadows Grow Tall“ is slated to be released on August 1, 2024.
February 25, 2025
I LOVED IT ALL!
In the beginning we meet our new friend Kylene, who lives with her parents and sister. Spending her time tinkering with the occasional explosive experiments in their basement. Kylene is the FMC that is forever curious with an actual head on her shoulders - not fixated on some random guy, that's her sister - but more about that later.
We then meet Gunnar and Lovelace. Two rangers of a magical order that are trying to find kids with earthly magic or abilities. I don't want to spoil the why, but in the first three chapters you figure out what's the big bad.
I enjoyed the writing, the world building and the characters. I loved Kylene immediately and felt Gunnar's dread.
This is easily one of my favorite reads of the year so far and appreciated the way the storylines of our friends connected.
If you are looking for a great adventure, this is it!
#CuriosityAndCourage
"You must never stop asking questions, my darling. If you don't go about asking questions, no one has to worry about the answers they're giving you."
Thank you to Maressa Voss for giving me the opportunity to embark on this adventure!
In the beginning we meet our new friend Kylene, who lives with her parents and sister. Spending her time tinkering with the occasional explosive experiments in their basement. Kylene is the FMC that is forever curious with an actual head on her shoulders - not fixated on some random guy, that's her sister - but more about that later.
We then meet Gunnar and Lovelace. Two rangers of a magical order that are trying to find kids with earthly magic or abilities. I don't want to spoil the why, but in the first three chapters you figure out what's the big bad.
I enjoyed the writing, the world building and the characters. I loved Kylene immediately and felt Gunnar's dread.
This is easily one of my favorite reads of the year so far and appreciated the way the storylines of our friends connected.
If you are looking for a great adventure, this is it!
#CuriosityAndCourage
"You must never stop asking questions, my darling. If you don't go about asking questions, no one has to worry about the answers they're giving you."
Thank you to Maressa Voss for giving me the opportunity to embark on this adventure!
March 28, 2024
3/5 ⭐
this was actually a really good and engaging debut! however, i found the story a little too predictable and yet, it didn't stop me from reading it as i enjoyed the bits of magic. when it comes to the writing: i did need to get used to it but it was beautifully and competently written in general. i think this story would be great for those who seek captivating world building and those who love having a book with more than one perspective. (yes, we have two POVs which is what i appreciated the most:))
(netgalley arc review)
this was actually a really good and engaging debut! however, i found the story a little too predictable and yet, it didn't stop me from reading it as i enjoyed the bits of magic. when it comes to the writing: i did need to get used to it but it was beautifully and competently written in general. i think this story would be great for those who seek captivating world building and those who love having a book with more than one perspective. (yes, we have two POVs which is what i appreciated the most:))
(netgalley arc review)
April 30, 2024
3.5 ⭐️
Firstly, I want to thank the author and publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read this book. I received it on NetGalley.
I was really into this book in the first maybe 30%.
I was more into the fmc’s storyline than the mmc’s within that time frame.
After that 30% it kind of dropped off for me and started to drag. It was still an interesting read with great concepts and character dialogue but it fell flat for me unfortunately.
Firstly, I want to thank the author and publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read this book. I received it on NetGalley.
I was really into this book in the first maybe 30%.
I was more into the fmc’s storyline than the mmc’s within that time frame.
After that 30% it kind of dropped off for me and started to drag. It was still an interesting read with great concepts and character dialogue but it fell flat for me unfortunately.
August 29, 2024
*Thank you to the author and publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.*
First off the world was very cool and it has all the things I like in a fantasy novel: an adventure, interesting magic, beautiful and otherworldly world descriptions.
However, there were a lot of problems with this book and I think a lot of them could be solved with some editing. The writing itself was good but the plot wasn’t exactly cohesive and I didn’t love the characters. It follows Kylene, a 16 year old girl who is a self taught herbalist, and Lovelace, an adult man wizard. Who’s paths eventually cross as they both run from a rogue evil wizard and his peacekeepers.
I thought these were a bizarre choice of characters to follow as they are two demographics of readers and so I related to one and was utterly bored by the other. I found the fantasy names to be a bit cliche and also a bit of a pain. There were so many world building dumps that I just plowed through without really remembering who’s who and what silly fantasy words they’re talking about.
I think the main problem was the structure of the plot. The inciting incident sorta doesn’t happen until 100 pages in. The book itself is quite short for all of the world building it does. It’s only 200+ pages with all for the action happening in the later 100.
I thought the opening chapter about a random boy was very catchy and interesting but then bouncing between too seemingly unrelated characters plots didn’t really make sense.
The book ending ends up making the whole story feel like a setup for the actual plot (which would be book 2). It all felt like backstory.
I think the setup for the story is interesting but then it’s unclear what all the characters goals are until 100 pages in. I don’t know what Kylene is attempting to do really besides find her dad but she doesn’t seem to have a real plan or goal. Lovelace and Co’s goals are also unclear. We’re getting lots of wizard lore and then for some reason they stop in 1 town to recruit help but only 1 town and then give up and continue on their journey????? As a result there’s 0 character growth.
The two kids that Lovelace ends up picking up felt more like pets and plot devices than people.
Overall J thought it was a very mid fantasy book which was disappointing since the world building was cool and the synopsis sounded really promising.
SPOILERS FOLLOWING:
I don’t understand why Kylene goes by a different name at the end it was utterly ridiculous.
Also I don’t believe Lovelace and Gunner would have defeated Alev, he was far too powerful and the fact that they all died but then somehow they came back to life was ridiculous.
The Kylene pools bit at the end with the trippy death/transcendent montage was ridiculous.
First off the world was very cool and it has all the things I like in a fantasy novel: an adventure, interesting magic, beautiful and otherworldly world descriptions.
However, there were a lot of problems with this book and I think a lot of them could be solved with some editing. The writing itself was good but the plot wasn’t exactly cohesive and I didn’t love the characters. It follows Kylene, a 16 year old girl who is a self taught herbalist, and Lovelace, an adult man wizard. Who’s paths eventually cross as they both run from a rogue evil wizard and his peacekeepers.
I thought these were a bizarre choice of characters to follow as they are two demographics of readers and so I related to one and was utterly bored by the other. I found the fantasy names to be a bit cliche and also a bit of a pain. There were so many world building dumps that I just plowed through without really remembering who’s who and what silly fantasy words they’re talking about.
I think the main problem was the structure of the plot. The inciting incident sorta doesn’t happen until 100 pages in. The book itself is quite short for all of the world building it does. It’s only 200+ pages with all for the action happening in the later 100.
I thought the opening chapter about a random boy was very catchy and interesting but then bouncing between too seemingly unrelated characters plots didn’t really make sense.
The book ending ends up making the whole story feel like a setup for the actual plot (which would be book 2). It all felt like backstory.
I think the setup for the story is interesting but then it’s unclear what all the characters goals are until 100 pages in. I don’t know what Kylene is attempting to do really besides find her dad but she doesn’t seem to have a real plan or goal. Lovelace and Co’s goals are also unclear. We’re getting lots of wizard lore and then for some reason they stop in 1 town to recruit help but only 1 town and then give up and continue on their journey????? As a result there’s 0 character growth.
The two kids that Lovelace ends up picking up felt more like pets and plot devices than people.
Overall J thought it was a very mid fantasy book which was disappointing since the world building was cool and the synopsis sounded really promising.
SPOILERS FOLLOWING:
I don’t understand why Kylene goes by a different name at the end it was utterly ridiculous.
Also I don’t believe Lovelace and Gunner would have defeated Alev, he was far too powerful and the fact that they all died but then somehow they came back to life was ridiculous.
The Kylene pools bit at the end with the trippy death/transcendent montage was ridiculous.
September 8, 2024
This novel was BEAUTIFUL. A fantasy that was subtle and and encouraged moral platitudes that had me pausing to think about the learnings I wanted to take from this story.
The characters are delightful and I really enjoyed the pacing and composition of the timeline and plot. It felt unexpected and not at all formulaic. I welcome this new author into my library and can’t wait to read more.
The characters are delightful and I really enjoyed the pacing and composition of the timeline and plot. It felt unexpected and not at all formulaic. I welcome this new author into my library and can’t wait to read more.
February 28, 2024
Received as Goodreads Giveaway. This slow-burn, elemental fantasy was a little *too* slow-burn for me in the first half. Some confusion early on was cleared up through fireside info-dumping chats. I did find the second half to be a little more intriguing. I enjoyed Lovelace and Gunnar’s relationship and how the two storylines in the book end up joining. The ending felt a little rushed with loose ends. Note: I didn’t realize while reading that this is to be the first book in a series, so the loose ends and pacing make a little more sense after the fact. Overall, the writing is very pretty and I would consider continuing the series.
December 9, 2024
DNF at 72%.
Thank you to NetGalley, Collective Ink Books, Roundfire Books and Maressa Voss for providing me with the eARC and the opportunity to read and provide an honest review.
This is a slow-burn story with elemental magic and remarkable world-building. While following two rangers, Lovelace and Gunnar, who are the orders' last on a dangerous mission, at the same time, we follow Kylene, the daughter of a printing press on the journey to find her missing father which leads her to a mysterious group of outcasts with whom she takes up refuge.
With the magic of words, Voss has laid out beautiful visuals in great detail that allow for oneself to fully immerse into the world and the surroundings.
Although the writing style took time to get used to, the story is fascinating and leads to the turning of pages. While the part where I DNF'd was probably the most exciting of the book so far, to be very honest, life got ahead of me and I haven't picked the book up since. Given the chance, I would be interested in continuing.
Thank you to NetGalley, Collective Ink Books, Roundfire Books and Maressa Voss for providing me with the eARC and the opportunity to read and provide an honest review.
This is a slow-burn story with elemental magic and remarkable world-building. While following two rangers, Lovelace and Gunnar, who are the orders' last on a dangerous mission, at the same time, we follow Kylene, the daughter of a printing press on the journey to find her missing father which leads her to a mysterious group of outcasts with whom she takes up refuge.
With the magic of words, Voss has laid out beautiful visuals in great detail that allow for oneself to fully immerse into the world and the surroundings.
Although the writing style took time to get used to, the story is fascinating and leads to the turning of pages. While the part where I DNF'd was probably the most exciting of the book so far, to be very honest, life got ahead of me and I haven't picked the book up since. Given the chance, I would be interested in continuing.
August 6, 2024
Loved it so much. I can't wait for the next book. Detailed video coming soon. Love it.💚
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.”
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.”
March 9, 2024
I think this is a fine fantasy book if you want a bit of magic, a lot of banter and a good/evil conflict. It is competently written and in general, I enjoyed my experience in the world of Maressa Voss.
Now, you might think that glowing praise sounds different, and you would be absolutely right. For while this is a fine fantasy book, I did not find it particularly original or surprising. In fact, what is presented as a plot twist seemed very clear very soon. I am also a bit tired of bad people doing bad things because they are bad. Also, the good people are really good, so that is a bit... binary? Obviously Maressa Voss has ideas, but it felt like I already knew most of them. The magic system might be interesting, but it remains a bit... vague. We have a special one, of course, but that alone does not make a book very interesting. I think When Shadows Grow Tall could be a table-setting book, followed by more interesting volumes, but then I would prefer to read those.
I did receive an ARC from the netgalley for my honest review, and would have really liked it to be a bit less lukewarm. Alas, it is what it is. While reading the book did not annoy me, I will absolutely not remember much of it in a few weeks.
Now, you might think that glowing praise sounds different, and you would be absolutely right. For while this is a fine fantasy book, I did not find it particularly original or surprising. In fact, what is presented as a plot twist seemed very clear very soon. I am also a bit tired of bad people doing bad things because they are bad. Also, the good people are really good, so that is a bit... binary? Obviously Maressa Voss has ideas, but it felt like I already knew most of them. The magic system might be interesting, but it remains a bit... vague. We have a special one, of course, but that alone does not make a book very interesting. I think When Shadows Grow Tall could be a table-setting book, followed by more interesting volumes, but then I would prefer to read those.
I did receive an ARC from the netgalley for my honest review, and would have really liked it to be a bit less lukewarm. Alas, it is what it is. While reading the book did not annoy me, I will absolutely not remember much of it in a few weeks.
March 4, 2024
The writing style is so beautiful in this book! The descriptions are so lovely, I found myself rereading a lot of sentences ((in a good way))
The world building is my favorite part. It was really well done and very interesting. I particularly
enjoyed reading from Lovelace’s POV. Truly hard to believe this is a debut! There is so much heart put into this story 💖
The world building is my favorite part. It was really well done and very interesting. I particularly
enjoyed reading from Lovelace’s POV. Truly hard to believe this is a debut! There is so much heart put into this story 💖
June 2, 2024
When Shadows Grow Tall sets out to be the first entry in a sweeping, brutal, high fantasy series and does an impressive job hitting that mark.
I will freely admit that the first quarter of a new fantasy series is always the hardest for me to get through, but Maressa Voss kicks her book off with a brutal prologue that caught me off guard in the best way. From the end of the prologue I found myself intrigued and invested in what happened. The pacing is one of the strongest aspects of this book, and the point of view exchanges between Lovelace and Kylene are timed very well. Voss’s prose is sweeping in a way that feels very familiar to anyone who has spent time in the genre, but I don’t think she goes overboard with it. I found the descriptions to be very sensory, and would be imagining the smells and sounds of a scene just as often as what everything looks like.
The character archetypes and good vs evil conflict they play into are fairly simplistic, which didn’t detract anything from the story for me. I don’t have any terribly strong opinions about the villains, but I don’t think the audience spends enough time with them to develop any. Lovelace is easily my favorite, his anger is palpable and it bleeds off the page as much as his kindness does. He plays very well of Gunnar, and the introduction of Pif and Ailwin as companions does a good job to help flesh everyone’s personalities out. Kylene endeared herself to me the page long choice paralysis she ran into trying to decide what toppings to add to her porridge. I feel the same way about oatmeal.
Voss refuses to hold your hand and expects the reader to be able to keep up with her which has its pros and cons. I think her magic system is simple enough that she doesn’t need to explain it anymore than she does, with the sguels being my favorite part. Her characters generally talk about the magic in a way that you can pick all the important functions up, while managing to keep those conversations feeling natural. It’s refreshing as a reader to be trusted like that, but it’s not infallible. I think we’re supposed to piece together some rules about gender roles and expectations in the Grasp, but nothing is clearly defined until around 43% of the book where it becomes very explicit. So many aspects of Kylene, Lovelace, and Gunnar’s lives are dangerous, it can be overwhelming to parse out what differs in the threats between people considered rebellious, rangers, educated people, women, and men.
I do think the blurb gives too much away. As a rule for myself, I like to go into a book pretty blind and if the genre and first couple sentences of a book line up with my taste that’s enough for me. Your milage may vary with that, but I didn’t read the blurb until after finishing the book and was very happy with that choice.
Overall this was a very strong debut and I really like Voss’s voice and style. I look forward to reading what she puts out next.
Thank you NetGalley and Collective Ink for the eARC.
I will freely admit that the first quarter of a new fantasy series is always the hardest for me to get through, but Maressa Voss kicks her book off with a brutal prologue that caught me off guard in the best way. From the end of the prologue I found myself intrigued and invested in what happened. The pacing is one of the strongest aspects of this book, and the point of view exchanges between Lovelace and Kylene are timed very well. Voss’s prose is sweeping in a way that feels very familiar to anyone who has spent time in the genre, but I don’t think she goes overboard with it. I found the descriptions to be very sensory, and would be imagining the smells and sounds of a scene just as often as what everything looks like.
The character archetypes and good vs evil conflict they play into are fairly simplistic, which didn’t detract anything from the story for me. I don’t have any terribly strong opinions about the villains, but I don’t think the audience spends enough time with them to develop any. Lovelace is easily my favorite, his anger is palpable and it bleeds off the page as much as his kindness does. He plays very well of Gunnar, and the introduction of Pif and Ailwin as companions does a good job to help flesh everyone’s personalities out. Kylene endeared herself to me the page long choice paralysis she ran into trying to decide what toppings to add to her porridge. I feel the same way about oatmeal.
Voss refuses to hold your hand and expects the reader to be able to keep up with her which has its pros and cons. I think her magic system is simple enough that she doesn’t need to explain it anymore than she does, with the sguels being my favorite part. Her characters generally talk about the magic in a way that you can pick all the important functions up, while managing to keep those conversations feeling natural. It’s refreshing as a reader to be trusted like that, but it’s not infallible. I think we’re supposed to piece together some rules about gender roles and expectations in the Grasp, but nothing is clearly defined until around 43% of the book where it becomes very explicit. So many aspects of Kylene, Lovelace, and Gunnar’s lives are dangerous, it can be overwhelming to parse out what differs in the threats between people considered rebellious, rangers, educated people, women, and men.
I do think the blurb gives too much away. As a rule for myself, I like to go into a book pretty blind and if the genre and first couple sentences of a book line up with my taste that’s enough for me. Your milage may vary with that, but I didn’t read the blurb until after finishing the book and was very happy with that choice.
Overall this was a very strong debut and I really like Voss’s voice and style. I look forward to reading what she puts out next.
Thank you NetGalley and Collective Ink for the eARC.
February 14, 2024
*Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review*
This started out really interesting. You're really thrown in, but the dual-POV was intriguing enough and the magic system was very inventive. However, around the 70-80% mark, I started to lose interest and by the time the ending rolled around, I was a bit frustrated, especially since the ending felt far too rushed. It felt like all this build-up for what amounted to not a whole lot of satisfying pay-off.
This is a potentially nitpicky opinion but I really hated the repetitive use of "man & woman" as gender identifiers. Like, please, you can just say "people" or any other word in the thesaurus to illustrate that. Think outside of the binary, I beg!
There was a religious system, but it sort of felt incidental? I guess, it didn't make a whole lot of sense and the way it integrated into the world wasn't always entirely clear to me.
This is a pretty expansive world and there was a LOT of info-dumping, which took place during dialogue. I wish there'd be more actual moments of discovery on both the part of the characters and the reader rather than outright telling. Also, there were parts of the book that felt overwritten in a way where I had to re-read the sentence or paragraph a few times because things weren't entirely clear. That's not to say the writing wasn't good at times. There were moments where things were illustrated in a way that I liked. Overall, though, it felt it was trying too hard to emulate a narrative style that didn't quite work.
The book, also, I think needed to be longer to account for the depth of the world. Like, I was honestly surprised at how short the book actually was in comparison to what the author was trying to outline. Sometimes a high fantasy book can accomplish this, but I don't think it worked here. Especially because the vast majority of the world-building had to be dumped into large chunks of dialogue as a result.
I'm also unsure of Kylene. I don't think she was an unnecessary character, but I do question whether her POV was even needed at all, despite later revelations in the book. I think the story would've felt more cohesive to just focus on Lovelace's POV and build from there.
Overall, while this started out interesting, I was ultimately left kind of bored. I'm not really interested in continuing with further books in this world.
This started out really interesting. You're really thrown in, but the dual-POV was intriguing enough and the magic system was very inventive. However, around the 70-80% mark, I started to lose interest and by the time the ending rolled around, I was a bit frustrated, especially since the ending felt far too rushed. It felt like all this build-up for what amounted to not a whole lot of satisfying pay-off.
This is a potentially nitpicky opinion but I really hated the repetitive use of "man & woman" as gender identifiers. Like, please, you can just say "people" or any other word in the thesaurus to illustrate that. Think outside of the binary, I beg!
There was a religious system, but it sort of felt incidental? I guess, it didn't make a whole lot of sense and the way it integrated into the world wasn't always entirely clear to me.
This is a pretty expansive world and there was a LOT of info-dumping, which took place during dialogue. I wish there'd be more actual moments of discovery on both the part of the characters and the reader rather than outright telling. Also, there were parts of the book that felt overwritten in a way where I had to re-read the sentence or paragraph a few times because things weren't entirely clear. That's not to say the writing wasn't good at times. There were moments where things were illustrated in a way that I liked. Overall, though, it felt it was trying too hard to emulate a narrative style that didn't quite work.
The book, also, I think needed to be longer to account for the depth of the world. Like, I was honestly surprised at how short the book actually was in comparison to what the author was trying to outline. Sometimes a high fantasy book can accomplish this, but I don't think it worked here. Especially because the vast majority of the world-building had to be dumped into large chunks of dialogue as a result.
I'm also unsure of Kylene. I don't think she was an unnecessary character, but I do question whether her POV was even needed at all, despite later revelations in the book. I think the story would've felt more cohesive to just focus on Lovelace's POV and build from there.
Overall, while this started out interesting, I was ultimately left kind of bored. I'm not really interested in continuing with further books in this world.
February 28, 2024
I'll start with the things I like.
1. The magic system was pretty cool.
2. Pif was adorable
Now for the things I didn't like:
Is this set in medieval times? Who knows because at one point, gutter pipes are mentioned.
There are times in the book where there is so much description that it was a bit too much, but all descriptions seemed to go away from the book as soon as it was actually needed.
The editing needs work. People seem to appear out of nowhere. Words that should be entered into a sentence are completely missing. They're just needs to be a little bit more editing.
This book could also be considered YA. Yes, there are things that are a little bit more adult. But the entire book and the way that it was written just screams YA.
It's not a bad book. There are things about it that were enjoyable. However, as an adult reader that loves character development, creative world building, this one just did not do it for me.
1. The magic system was pretty cool.
2. Pif was adorable
Now for the things I didn't like:
Is this set in medieval times? Who knows because at one point, gutter pipes are mentioned.
There are times in the book where there is so much description that it was a bit too much, but all descriptions seemed to go away from the book as soon as it was actually needed.
The editing needs work. People seem to appear out of nowhere. Words that should be entered into a sentence are completely missing. They're just needs to be a little bit more editing.
This book could also be considered YA. Yes, there are things that are a little bit more adult. But the entire book and the way that it was written just screams YA.
It's not a bad book. There are things about it that were enjoyable. However, as an adult reader that loves character development, creative world building, this one just did not do it for me.
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