This was a really fun read. I enjoyed the darkness she wove into the tale. I also really enjoyed her world building, although I wish she had opened up on the characters a bit more. They felt slightly out of sync for me, but not enough to derail a book. Overall this is a fantastic read for anyone looking for fantasy.

This book was received as an ARC from Inkyard Press in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have read The Black Witch and what I liked about the book the most was that every page kept you in the story and you could not help but to keep on reading. In The Shadow Wand same thing every page correlated with one another and the struggle of power with Elloren was so beautifully expressed, I felt her pain throughout the book. The finding out since she is the most wanted in the land, she has to entrust in allies to protect her including her Commander Lukas Grey and many others that bestow her to train her to be a warrior and fight for her life and the fate of the kingdom. I felt like I was a part of a fantasy thriller. My heart was racing so fast and could not help but cheer Elloren on and be part of her team. I know our Teen Book Club will love this book and I can't wait to hear the discussions that rise.

We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review

I am here for this series and I absolutely loved this book!!

The Shadow Wand is the third book in the Black Witch Chronicles. We find Elloren and her group all separated and off on different tasks. Elloren is floundering and unsure, scared of her power. When things go sideways she has to escape back to Gardeneria and Lukas.

This book felt rushed. There was a lot of setup in the first third of the book including many new characters to learn, including Death Fae. At the beginning of the book, each chapter is told from a different point of view from many different characters. Some of what happens also didn't feel authentic. I still enjoyed the story, but this volume is not as good as the first two in the series.

Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow.. I tell you. Wow.

I knew I was going to love this book. I have been a fan of the Black Witch Chronicles for some time now. To me it is everything I like about Fantasy. With rich characters, mythical creatures, and lots of magic! I love wand magic and elemental magic and fated mates! This series has all the things I love. It also has a healthy amount of romance and I have been invested in the dark love triangle that has been going on too!

There isn't a ton I can say without spoiling this one, but if you are invested in this series, I really think you won't be disappointed. Its still brutal, fierce, and twisty. The evil is growing and the cruelty of our villain cannot be over stated. Vogel gives me the shivers but the systemic prejudices and evils built into the Gardnerian society is much bigger than just one man. This isn't a passively cruel country, they are actively trying to wipeout everyone who is different or threatening to them. The traditions and rules of their people make my stomach sick.

And I can't say I didn’t cheer a bit that a few characters got KO'd in a brutal fashion. NO spoilers but it was extremely satisfying after what they say and do to Elloren, Lukas, and anyone not a part of their stuck up life style or not doing what they want them to do. I shouted in joy!

I also have to fangirl over Lukas Grey! I knew he wasn't made this sexy and mysterious for nothing. Again, I don't want to spoil it, but if you liked him before, prepare to be rewarded. I loved how Elloren came to see him in a new light and he actively had me tearing up at least 2 separate times. He is a strong man playing a dangerous game and I adore him as a character.

I continue to be entranced by Elloren's journey. She started out oblivious, became a push over, then a reluctant rebel, and now she is in full on rebellion mode. I love seeing that kind of arc in a character and I think that the author has done such a great job leaving her with room to grow. Not just in her powers but in her personality. She was a pawn for so many years and that doesn't change overnight. It takes hard work, heart ache and a fight to change what has been laid down. I look forward to seeing what happens next in her character.

Overall, I was so happy with this novel. I am so excited for The Demon Tide. There is a cliffhanger to this one, so be prepared. Even though I had a gut feeling that the emotional revelation Elloren has about Lukas would lead us to the last page of this book, it was still very satisfying. I can't wait to see where the author takes us next.

5/5 Stars! Which is 3 for 3 in this series so far for me.

The Shadow Wand is everything that Laurie Forest promised it would be--a lot of kissing. Albeit, the kissing is very much forced by the plot, but I am HERE for it. I’ve read every novel and novella Forest has published in this series, and I was not disappointed by this installment. If you’ve been loyal to it so far, there’s definitely no reason to stop here.

One of the strengths of the novel is the shifting POV between several old characters and a few new ones. Some authors shift POV every single chapter, and it gets dizzying. Forest does not fall into this trap and understands when we want to spend more time with Elloren or another character. It’s really clever, and I appreciate the thoughtfulness here.

Speaking of Elloren, girl, what happened?! Elloren was developing nicely into someone who could engage in critical thinking, cultural relativism, and fend for herself, but she is robbed of all agency in The Shadow Wand. She lets life happen to her and doesn’t put up much of a fuss, frequently being ferried from one location to another and getting beaten or bullied by those around her. It’s time for us to get an Elloren with agency! Consider this a petition to make Elloren a force to be reckoned with in book 4.

Overall, I would not hesitate to recommend The Shadow Wand to existing fans of the series, and I will continue recommending the entire series to fans of well-developed characters in a fantasy setting.

Anyone remember the debacle of reviews for book 1? I love that that as the series continues it just continues to prove them wrong! A great cast of characters with expanding story arcs, solid world building, strength in the diversity of characters, and excellent use of themes. Delightful series so far!

This book was fantastic!!!! It really messed with my emotions but Laurie sure has a way for making you want more even when it feels like your heart is breaking. I can't wait for the next book! Huge Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for this adventure!!!

I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'll be honest, when I requested this book, I did not realize it was part of an established series/universe. (I think NetGalley should have done a better job at making that clear!) I ended up DNF this book, even though I really wanted to so I could give it a proper review.

I decided to do three stars for several reasons:
1. This book seems like it would be great if I knew what was going on and was already a fan of the universe in which it exists.
2. A lot of what I struggled to get through may have been because of my lack of understanding the already established world.
3. It is well-written despite it being lengthy and hard to digest.

My main complaint with this book is: There was so. much. of. it. Don't get me wrong: I enjoy long books. However, this book felt thick in a way that was not necessary. Sometimes, less is more. Cut to the chase. I don't need super lengthy descriptions all the time.

Although this was a great addition to the series, I was thinking that it was the finale and instead it felt like a lot f  set up for the next book. I still enjoyed it but it wasn't what I was expecting. All in all I like the new perspectives, though it shifted to much for my tastes. Then the stories goes back to just two perspectives which was nice, but also weird after having so many. I also felt like there was too much romance but that is a personal taste. Overall I would recommend this series.

It is best to begin with the first book. One of the problems I had with The Shadow Wand is that the book begins with so many characters in so many different places--and it has been two years since I read The Iron Flower. I don't usually have a problem with multiple characters and subplots, but after two years, it took a while to get people and places in my head again, especially since everyone had separated by the end of book 2.

I loved the first two books and was eager for this one, and once I had wrapped my head around the various situations, I found myself engrossed once again. Not as happy as I was with the previous books, but still eager to find out what would happen next. Most of the story is with Elloren, but it seems to me she needed characters like Trystan, Tierney, Diana, Rafe, and Wynter to give her genuine substance, and although some of them are given a bit of space, it wasn't really enough to be satisfying.

It is a long book, and the pacing is erratic--not all sections really move the plot forward. Elloren became a little annoying at times. OK, more than a little and frequently. I wanted things to move on. I found the first two books compelling, but this one didn't feel as well-thought out. In contrast, some readers like this one best.

Will I read the next one? Oh, yes! I do hope the pacing is better though.

The Black Witch
The Iron Flower
The Shadow Wand

NetGalley/Inkyard Press
YA Fantasy. June 9, 2020. Print length: 608 pages.

I absolutely love this series and this book just made me love it more. I can't wait for book 4! These are some of my absolute favorite characters to revisit. Laurie continues to push boundaries and open our eyes.

Sorry for the delay in sending this. The review ran June 8, 2020.

The first two books in the The Black Witch Chronicles have given us interesting worldbuilding and a number of unique characters. Both books were told from protagonist Elloren Gardner's POV and as such, we've been limited by Elloren's age and inexperience. In this book, in contrast, we see a variety of POVs, including Elloren's, Yvan's, Aunt Vyvian's, Tierney's, Trystan's, Wynter's, and Thierren Stone's. The action is complex, taking place in both the Eastern and Western Realms, and we see a number of familiar faces, from the delightful Valasca and Chi Nam to the vile Marcus Vogel. The decision to keep Elloren and Yvan apart, so that they can train safely until they are ready to move against Vogel, seems early on to have been a very smart one. Yvan is attacked and the Vu Trin are quickly appalled by the extent of untrained Elloren's powers. In fact, they are so appalled there is dissent in the ranks and many of the Vu Trin want Elloren dead. The others, fewer in number, see her potential as a weapon, perhaps the only one, that can stop Vogel. Elloren is left with the difficult decision of returning to Gardneria and the "protection" of her fastmate, Lukas Grey, who she's been assured by her Vu Trin supporters, is honorable and friendly to their cause. Wait a minute... what?! In the first two novels readers may have found that the somewhat bland-seeming Lukas didn't seem very dedicated to Marcus Vogel's cause (that would be complete domination of Erthia) but it turns out that Lukas is a far, far more subversive Level Five Mage than one would have expected. And, though he's willing to confer his protection on Elloren, he is struggling with his feelings for her. Meanwhile, Elloren is lost in her feelings for Yvan. (Major spoilers therein, readers.) Elloren is still untrained, and though she possesses the Wand of Myth- the Zhilin wand- she's still having issues using it, both from her fear of a lack of control and from the wand seeming to be dormant. Marcus Vogel has far fewer problems with his wand, however. The Shadow Wand, and its shadow fire, grow in their terrible power. How will Elloren learn to fight and control her magic without giving away her identity as the true Black Witch of prophecy? The short answer is, she won't.

This third installment was less successful than the first two novels for me. The plethora of POVs made me feel that the central plot was getting muddied with a lot of subplots (some were interesting but we don't even see the Lupines in this one!) and the novel was very heavy on the romance angle between... Elloren and Lukas. (Telling you why would be a major spoiler.) I do have to say that Forest has built out the character of Lukas to be more interesting and to have greater depth than I expected. The hypocrisy of his family turns out to be as unpleasant as Elloren and her brothers' experience with her Aunt Vyvian. (And if you thought you hated Vyvian before, just wait until you see her in this one.) Additionally, I felt rather frustrated with Elloren herself. On the one hand, she spent most of her life dealing with being Carnissa Gardner's granddaughter and assuming she had no power because she was wielding a blocked wand. Suddenly she finds out she really does have great power and doesn't know anything about how to use it since she was never really trained. On the other hand, she was regularly feeling and accessing all kinds of fire and earth energy, could tell what kind of tree any kind of wood came from, and now she can wave a splinter and set the world on fire. (A bit of an eyeroll, reader.) She still cowers and wails about being afraid of everything but she's bold enough to punch Fallon Bane in the face? (Cheers!) Oh, and by the end of the book, she's like a warrior. Yes, it's quite the evolution over the last 100-150 pages of the novel. Similar abrupt changes are also seen in her relationship with Lukas, who just seems so much more mature for his age than Elloren. (It's true that she was so wrong about him...) Let's just say that Elloren is good at making the best of a challenging situation. Thank goodness for sanjire root... But fans of Yvan, don't despair. It's not what you think.

As Forest builds toward the endgame, she takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride over the course of 640 pages that felt scattered and with some plot digressions that felt as if the editing could have been tighter. But I'm still looking forward to the conclusion (presumably in the fourth book) in which Ren finally wields her Zhilin wand for the good of Erthia, hopefully with the full support of every tree still standing.

I received a Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Shadow Wand advances the story significantly, we are finally untethered to the school, and we are seeing the world through new POV's, new characters- well, not exactly new- bring fresh voices to Eloren's story. The story's pace also is finally picking up!

Eloren Gardener no longer, we get to see Eloren now "fasted" to Lukas, and I have always loved their dynamic, so their new dynamics in The Shadow Wand are my favorite. Eloren is also starting to finally learn to weild the immense magic inside of her. It's about damn time.

The ending will make fans clamor for more! Such a gripping cliffhanger, this is by far the most frought we've ever been. I really, really cannot wait for the next book! I cannot believe I'll have to wait at least a year for it.

Wow, picking up this book was daunting. It's really long and I was scared that it would be too long and that I would have to skip around in order to get through it. Boy, was I wrong! Aside from the beginning, which introduced many new characters and was a bit boring, the book was so fast paced! It alternated between exciting battles, steamy romance, and political intrigue.

In this installment of The Black Witch chronicles, Elloren is on the run because pretty much everyone is after her. She must go to Lukas, who is none to happy with her after she fought their handfasting in the previous book. But she must trust him if she is to survive and fight Markus Fogel. Can she really trust Lukas and his motives? She doesn't have much of a choice so she must turn to those whom she thought were enemies because there is an all out realm war, and only the Black Witch can save everyone. Elloren must learn to control and harness her powers before she is caught. Markus Fogel would love nothing more than to claim her powers for his own.

I devoured this book in one day and cannot believe I will have to wait a year for the next book--especially with that ending! Please hurry up, Laurie Forest!!

I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This will be one of my shorter reviews as I did some bouncing around for this one. I began reading The Black Witch when I was approved for this ARC to review and I knew I wouldn’t be able to finish the other books prior to The Shadow Wand… so I skipped ahead. I know, I know, some people are probably gasping and clutching their pearls at such a decision, but I will definitely return to the other books and read through because this installment was flat out fantastic. With some research, it wasn’t difficult to follow and I was able to make it through the book and really enjoy it.

I really enjoyed Elloren. Watching her accept her power (albeit wildly out of control) was amazing, especially after hearing about her struggling through her powerlessness. Her personality was strong and I found myself wanting her to succeed at everything, for her to truly control her power, and bring down hell on a few particular people. I was a little confused about the Ren/Yvan and Ren/Lukas dynamic. There were parts that made uncomfortable and other parts that should have made me more emotional than I was. I’m sure going back and reading the precursor books will help with that.

This is definitely more of an adult novel, and I loved that about it. There were some really intense scenes, as well as a lot of really important themes to this novel, especially considering our current world state. Obviously Forest knew exactly what she was doing when writing this series.

The beginning was a little long-winded and confusing and the weird shift in POV wasn’t my favorite method of story-telling, but I think once I read the other books it will help get me connected to the other characters across the world. Speaking of the world, Forest’s world-building is magical. I definitely ended this ARC feeling emotional and out of breath. I desperately wanted more and wanted it immediately. I’ve already ordered Iron Flower and will now return to my reading of The Black Witch in order to absorb everything I may have missed. I’m super excited about this series and have so much anxiety around it. I love Ren and need to see where everything goes.

Elloren's story continues to gather momentum, though there were times during this one that I felt like there was just too much ground to cover. I continue to love her relationship with Lukas Grey, and I don't mind the way the love triangle moves the plot forward. Although the massive, sweeping epic of this world needs to continue to introduce new characters, I do find myself getting confused at times trying to remember who the characters are and what happened to them in previous books. That could just be due to length of time that passes between readings, as the main characters continue to stick out. The writing is beautiful and matches the imagery of the story. Eagerly awaiting the next book!

*This review is based on an arc given by netgalley in exchange for an honest review

The Shadow Wand is a high personal stakes journey story centering on a young woman coming into and owning her own power. This alone should have made it one of my first five star reads in fiction this year. Sadly it had a few things working against it.. The first half of the book is a particularly slow build and often details of the races and overall world were easy to get confused on.
With that said I loved the way the story somewhat recapped itself allowing a refresher for those who have forgotten bits of the earlier installment. Our Leading lady was easy to understand and grew in a believable way over the course of the story. Further I found myself invested in the party getting back together and was left eager for the next book which bodes well for a series book.
Readers of such books as The Shadow of the Fox series may enjoy reading The Shadow Wand. and will likely feel eager for future installments in the series.

Realizing that I would have to wait for this story to finish was bittersweet. I love how each movement of the characters sets up something to find out in the next book. This was definitely a novel of cliffhangers and suspense for me. After reading the last two books in a whirlwind weekend, I wasn't sure if the third would live up to the standard of writing promised. However, Forest delivered a spectacular story filled with hauntingly beautiful plots and creations that have me craving more.

So for some reason I thought this was a trilogy NOT a sextet and now I am FEVERISH with the need for the next books and yet I received this as an ARC to begin with.

Look this book has everything. Any little thing you've ever wanted from fantasy, every trope in YA it's ALLLLL here and that is a GOOD THING. Forest gives the people what they want! Sometimes that thing is chaste longing, sometimes it's smut, sometimes it's extended battle training sequences, sometimes it's bitter feuds, sometimes it's all of those things at once!? How!? Idk but it's great. Read the first two books and saddle up for this one. Also having now read the prequels I feel much clearer on some history and I love it all. Very good.