“The red star twinkling in the sky is not an omen of joy and prosperity. It’s the second sun, herald of the next Great Dying. And according to prophecy, it marks the beginning of the end of the world”

The sequel in the Amassia’s series, this book is an amazing adventure where friends and lovers have to find the path to face an inevitable war, weighing on their shoulders.
I really liked the plot, the magic system (the idea of people having phantoms as part of them just like Peter Pan, is very innovative!!) and the characters !!!
Ash, Marcus and Kaylin and Piper and Samsen are all amazing characters with a huge story to tell !! 
Their relationships are complicated but so good to read about !!
I fell in love with some of them more than the others, especially considering the couples who are about to blossom !!
Secrets and twists and turns are gonna define their journey to a power they are not sure they can wield.
I deeply appreciated the glossary at the end of the book !!!! When starting a fantasy series is fundamental to have an idea of the pronunciation of the names as well as a recollection of who they all are !!!!
I’m very sure there are a lot of thing and experiences yet to face and I honestly cannot wait for the story to continue and to meet these characters again !!!

“Natsari, Natsari, where hides the crown?
The forests are burning, the children are drowned.
Natsari, Natsari, bring the dark sun,
Kiss us farewell, the Great Dying’s begun…
Natsari, Natsari, call up the shades,
Lingering shadows of warrior blades.
Natsari, Natsari, unearth the bones,
Gather them all, lest we turn to stone

Curse of Shadows is the second book in the Amassia series and takes place after the events of the first.  I will admit that it had been a while since I read the first book and it took me quite some time to get up to speed with who was who and whatnot.  The action starts off right away again and we are off with Ash, Marcus, and the crew.  This time around they are on a quest to find the whistle bones but there are other dangerous people who are also after them.  The action is excellent as is the atmosphere.  The characters are fantastic with Kaylin and Ash being my faves.  I am a huge fan of switching POV with chapters and it really works well here.  The whole last section of the book is such great writing and I loved the ending.  All in all, this one is just as good if not better than the first and I cannot wait to see what happens next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

This was a great sequel and continued a great story. This was a very great read.

Thank you. Thank you NetGalley, Entangled Teen, and the publisher for granting me an ARC of this book in return for my honest review!

This book is terrific, spectacular, a fabulous and a must, must read! Pick up right where the previous book left off. 

Exciting to say the least.  Left me wanting more!!

Can not say enough good about this series!  A must read!

Can not get enough of Rhiannon and Paten. So, so ready for the next book in the series!

Didn't realise this was part of a series and haven't read the first yet so will give this a preliminary 5 star and re review once I have read the first.

Curse of Shadows
by A.K. Wilder
Pub Date: 06 Dec 2022   


For fans of epic fantasy with adventure and romance, Curse of Shadows reveals a world of unique magic, breathtaking action, and unforgettable love.

Amassia teeters on the brink of the next Great Dying.

The second sun has returned as our Bone Throwers foresaw--casting the nine realms into war.

My name is Ash, and I fell in the battle for Baiseen. But I’m awake now, slowly putting the pieces back together.

My Heir has lost his throne.

My sailor is gone.

And there is an emptiness inside me I can’t explain.

Amid the chaos, someone must collect the original twelve whistle bones from all corners of the world. Marcus is named to lead the cause, but with his volatile phantom, he’ll need diplomacy as much as his sword. And we are not the only ones to seek the bones.

Yet succeed we must.

Because if we don’t, it will be death to all… 

The Amassia series is best enjoyed in order.
Reading Order:
Book #1 Crown of Bones 
Book #2 Curse of Shadows

I really enjoyed this book and discovering this authors works. The story was full of adventure and twists and turns that I found very engaging. I absolutely loved this story and the journey the characters went through. I will be recommending this book to everyone I know.

Just like the last book this jumps right on into another adventure. A race against their foe in order to obtain ancient relics. And the band of merry people is back together again for it. I thought I was going to have a hard time remembering everything from the last book, but not at all. The beginning is done well enough that it is all explained. However that does make the book feel a bit longer. There is also a fair amount of lack of communication/non communication (trope) which I am never ever a fan of but it doesn’t take away from the story. I understand the need to want to put in the POV of Rhiannon and Paten, but we all know what’s happening there. It’s predictable, it’s not bad predictable it just is. I don’t think we needed their POV, it feels redundant. To be honest I would rather get Brogels POV. The pacing is good and fairly quick. It does feel a bit unedited but I loved the story. I loved it all. That last 25% got me, got me square in the feels. Solid second  book, solid fantasy read.

WARNING!
If you haven't read the first book – Crown Of Bones, I strongly suggest going and read it (thank me later) and then come back for Curse Of Shadows!
This review is somewhat spoilerish!

A wonderful continuation of our journey, Curse Of Shadows is the second book of the adventurous Amassia series.
The book picks up at the same place where the eventful ending of Crown Of Bones left us.
Narrated seamlessly trough multiple POV's our beloved characters each face a problem of their own on top of their massive task to somehow save their world from the next Great Dying.
Ash is struggling with her memory failing her and her inner voice gone missing, Marcus is thrown on the enormous task to collect all twelve whistle bones while he's not the only one after them. And the cherry on top, our lovely sailor Kayling is juggling with secrets of his own while trying to protect his lovely lass.
The way that every character's arc was developed was wonderfully made, and each of them had an equal weight for the story.
I, personally, loved that we saw a few characters in a new light as the story unfolded and gave an intriguing foundation for their development in the next installment.
The ending pulled all my emotional strings and safe to say left me heartbroken but wanting more!
So much to look forward to in the next book, and I can't wait.


Side note – I loved that there was a Glossary included and is helpful if you can't remember something from the first book, and you're not into rereading….but i, personally, think it would be more helpful if all that information was at the beginning of the book. So many times it happens that you discover all that helpful information AFTER you've read the book.

This was a good sequel once it got kicked off.  It took awhile for the plot to get rolling but about 1/3 of the way in I was definitely interested.  There's way more romantic feels in this than the first book, which was appreciated and that ending chapter has me craving the next book!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.  All thoughts and opinions are my own. I loved this book.  This book picked right up from book one and OMG I could not put it down.  Just a epic story …

I had enjoyed the first book Crown of Bones and was excited that it was going to continue in Curse of Shadows. It had what I enjoyed from Crown of Bones and I think improved in this new book. It had what I was looking for in a pirate adventure and I really had a good time going through this. The characters were great and I hope to see them in literature again.

“Marcus has gone b’lark-the-bones crazy,” I yell to Belair who gallops hard beside me. Stopping to distract the red-robe while we escape may seem brave—noble even—but really, this is too risky. “He’s taunting a red-robe for demon’s sake!”