# Review: The Shadow Baron by Davina Evans ★★★★☆ (4/5 stars)

*I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Davina Evans' "The Shadow Baron" delivers an intriguing blend of historical fiction and supernatural mystery that transports readers to a richly imagined Victorian-era world where aristocratic privilege conceals dangerous secrets. This atmospheric novel marks Evans as a promising voice in Gothic historical fiction.

## Brief Summary
Set in 1870s England, "The Shadow Baron" follows Lydia Thornfield, a young woman of modest means who accepts a position as companion to the elderly Dowager Duchess of Ravenshire. Upon arriving at the imposing Ravenshire estate, Lydia becomes entangled in the mysterious circumstances surrounding the family's enigmatic heir, Lord Adrian Blackwood—known throughout the countryside as the Shadow Baron. As strange occurrences plague the estate and rumors of curses and supernatural powers circulate, Lydia must determine whether the baron's reputation stems from malevolent magic or carefully cultivated fear, all while confronting her growing attraction to the man behind the mystery.

## What Works
Evans excels at creating a brooding atmosphere that permeates every aspect of the novel. The Ravenshire estate feels like a character in its own right—its shadowy corridors, hidden passages, and forgotten chambers providing the perfect backdrop for the unfolding mystery. The author's descriptive prose establishes a sense of foreboding without resorting to excessive Gothic clichés.

The character development is particularly strong, with Lydia emerging as a compelling protagonist whose practical nature and quiet determination make her reactions to the increasingly strange events believable. The supporting cast avoids one-dimensional stereotypes, each harboring motivations and secrets that contribute meaningfully to the narrative.

The historical elements are well-researched and seamlessly integrated into the story, providing authentic period details that enhance rather than distract from the central mystery. Evans skillfully explores class dynamics and societal expectations of the era, adding depth to the interpersonal relationships.

## Personal Thoughts
What I appreciated most about "The Shadow Baron" was its careful balance between supernatural elements and psychological suspense. Evans maintains ambiguity about the true nature of the strange occurrences for much of the novel, creating tension that kept me eagerly turning pages. The romance develops at a satisfying pace, with the attraction between Lydia and Adrian building through meaningful interactions rather than relying solely on physical appeal.

While some plot elements follow familiar patterns of the genre, Evans introduces enough unique elements and unexpected twists to keep the story fresh. The exploration of how rumors and fear can shape perception adds a thought-provoking dimension to what might otherwise be a straightforward gothic romance.

## Recommendation
"The Shadow Baron" will appeal to fans of historical fiction with supernatural elements, particularly readers who enjoy authors like Laura Purcell and Megan Chance. The novel offers an immersive escape into a world of aristocratic intrigue and shadowy secrets, with enough mystery to engage the mind and enough romance to satisfy the heart.

Evans has crafted an impressive novel that demonstrates her skill at building atmosphere and creating complex characters caught between rational thinking and inexplicable events. "The Shadow Baron" marks her as an author to watch in the gothic historical fiction genre.

*Product details: Hardcover, 368 pages. Published by Blackthorn Press.*

Highlights
~literally all of the crime lords
~a named blade
~there’s something under the earth
~life-changing card games
~is magic coming back a good thing?

Middle books are hard. So many storytellers fumble the aftermath of big events – events that usually go down in book one of a series. They don’t quite see, or explore, all the ramifications of The Events, all the changes, all the ways people will respond to those changes – and the fact that, inevitably, any Event, even one the reader was cheering for in the previous book, is going to have negative, or at least troublesome, repercussions as well as positive ones.

Evans, on the other hand, has gleefully dived into all of this – which means Shadow Baron goes in so many directions I had no idea to expect, and absolutely all of them delighted me!

Siyon’s ignorance of traditional alchemy turned out to be an advantage in Notorious Sorcerer, where not knowing what was meant to be impossible allowed him to pull off the impossible. But he has no frame of reference at all for being a Power, and wow are the azatani (Bezim’s nobility) unhappy about that. Specifically, they’re Not Happy about the effect having a Power is having on the Mundane plane – beings from other planes delving into the human world the way Siyon used to delve into theirs; superstitions manifesting into reality; and all alchemical processes and workings becoming much, much stronger than they used to be.

No one (including me) really thought about what having a Power would mean, what it would do.

The answer turns out to be, ‘a lot’.

I get why some readers were disappointed by Shadow Baron; it’s much less action-y than the first book, and Siyon spends most of his time experimenting and trying to figure out how his magic works, how to make it do what he wants. I can see why this would bore some people. I, however, was delighted; I love digging into lore, I love experimenting with magic, so this was a FEAST for me. And Evans has not done the thing that annoys me so much, and forgotten about the rest of her world; what Siyon accomplished in the last book has had an effect outside of Bezim too, and getting to see just a little of that – mostly via the various travellers who’ve come to Bezim from elsewhere – as well as what other cultures have thought of magic, in the past and now – all of it is marvellous. (Without, in my humble opinion, drowning the reader in worldbuilding; I would have been happy if Evans had gone into a lot more detail, but I don’t think it was the wrong call to keep the writing…not ‘light’, exactly, but very readable, rather than heavy and dense.)

All that being said, I was not expecting Anahid’s arc to be the one I was most invested in! I was actually very confused by her being given a POV in book one, and didn’t find her plotline very interesting – but all the groundwork it laid coheres beautifully in Shadow Baron! It’s kind of hard to talk about without spoilers, but it was wonderful, and such a relief, to see Anahid really and truly come into her own, discovering that she’s much more than she thought she was, much more capable than she thought she was. I would never in a million years have guessed that her learning a new card game in Notorious Sorcerer would lead to THIS!

If I had one critique, it might be the revolution plotline, which was mostly Zagiri’s. While I really liked seeing more of Bezim, digging into the parts of it that are not wealthy, like the azatani, or exciting, like the bravi – Shadow Baron does do That Thing which SFF so often does: offering a bloodless revolution. Other parts of the book have violence, but Zagiri is determined to get more rights for workers without killing anybody, and while I admire that in theory… I’m not sure what I’m trying to say. I think I’m tired of overcoming-evil/capitalism/the 1% plotlines that decry violence; it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t like violence, but it feels very wrong to tell off oppressed groups for using it when violence is being enacted against them. And I think that’s where this trope in Fantasy especially comes from.

(Also the fact that Fantasy authors are not good, as a general rule of thumb, at writing revolutions in general. It’s too tempting to have one villain, or one small group of villains, when in reality oppression is baked into the system/society, which is much, much harder to fix than overthrowing a single bad guy. I’ve not seen many Fantasy stories that tackle that, and even fewer that do it well.)

I’m sure that wasn’t Evans’ intent, though, and considering that Violence Is Bad is pretty endemic to the genre, I’m not willing to deduct points for it. Especially since the plan Zagiri comes up with (meaning, the plan Evans came up with) is an excellent one that I do think would have worked in the real world too, probably.

And that’s it – really my only critique, which isn’t quite a critique. Everything else? Was great!

Rather than having Middle Book Syndrome, I’d argue that Shadow Baron is bucking expectations in a quietly challenging way: Siyon’s love interest is MIA, so there’s not much of the queer romance that was a draw in Notorious Sorcerer (although that doesn’t mean we get no mentions of Izmirlian, and what we did get were some of my favourite passages); after making us fall in love with Bezim in book one, our MCs spend this book upending that city; and the cinematic magic moments, while present, take a back seat to digging into how magic works. The result is a quieter, more introspective book than its predecessor, and I loved it.

I can’t wait for book three!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked Notorious Sorcerer (book 1 in The Burnished City series) and was excitedly awaiting the second book. However, I enjoyed the first book a lot more. It took me almost a month to read Shadow Baron and it took me four days to read Notorious Sorcerer (which I think speaks volumes to how engaging each book was).

In book 1, I really loved getting to know the characters. I liked the camaraderie between Siyon and the rest of the bravi. I thought Zagiri and Anahid were both interesting and the author portrayed the relationship between sisters very accurately. I think I related a lot to Anahid so I was cheering for her growth the entire book and I think Anahid's story is what made this three stars. Without her, I would've lowered my rating. I really liked Siyon and Izmirlian's relationship and banter. But in book 2, there were a few more characters introduced that I didn't particularly like or want to pay attention to.

One of the main difference for me in Shadow Baron was the lack of the relationship between Siyon and Izmirlian which led to a lot of pining and missing him in book 2 (which is one of my biggest pet peeves). It also just felt like such a massive switch from the first book and I felt like the whole idea just got completely tabled for a whole book. I waited the entire time for something to happen with that and it just never did. It felt like a totally wasted concept.

My main concern in both books was that I didn't understand the magic system or the political system. We had a mix of these 3 planes, Empire, Abyss, and Aethyr that are destabilizing and we never quite understand why. We had obscure ingredients that could be mined from other planes. There are magical beings falling from the planes. The political system has street gangs (bravi) and crime bosses and councils and inquisitors (all of which had their own hierarchy and history). There are class struggles and miscommunication and it felt like I was constantly trying to keep up. It felt like the plot was confused and each character had a completely different journey that didn't quite meld together. There was so much urgency from each character and I almost never understood why what they were doing was so important. And most of the characters didn't necessarily understand why they were doing what they were doing. It felt like everything was a guess and that kind of stressed me out.

I think I would still read the third book if it was coming out soon (while it is still fresh in my mind). But since it is not, I know I'll forget too much and I don't see myself being interested in rereading either of the books.

SHADOW BARON by Davinia Evans is a lovely follow up to NOTORIOUS SORCERER. Evans showcases her craftsmanship with intense world building that really shines in this installment. I found myself struggling through some sections (normal for me with any fantasy novel, not indicative of this book's quality), but this book is entirely worth it. I am excited to see where the series takes us next.

Davinia Evans continues the tale of Siyon Velo who managed to even out the planes (alternated magical worlds) by taking responsibility for his own plane, whatever that means. Now the Notorious Sorcerer (paper) . Unfortunately that means that visitors from other planes can drop into The Burnished City, scaring everyone. To deal with this Simon has to learn how to use his magical abilities. But something, according to one of the crime bosses, the Shadow Baron (paper from Orbit), something is waking up in the depths under the city. This is as much fun as the first and will be finished with a third tale.

This picks up right where the first book ends.
Siyon may hold the title of the Alchemist, but that doesn't change the fact that he wasn't born an Elite. Many of them still look down on him.
Even though he stabilized the planes, something still isn't right in Bezim. The magic seems stronger and things are showing up that don't belong in our world. So of course the council expects him to fix it.
Meanwhile, Anahid wins a wager with huge consequences.

I am loving this series. I love Siyon's pov, but I really enjoyed Anahid's part in this one.

This series continues to be a complete delight. It was always going to be tricky to follow up the first book, and somehow this pulls it off with aplomb. It's hard to make parliamentary scenes fast paced, funny, and tense, but Evans clearly has a magic tightrope for these tricks somewhere. Loved that we got to spend a bit more time with the extended cast this time around. I had really enjoyed the sisters from book one, and we spend a lot of time with Anahid, who is making a very good case for stealing the whole show.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this advanced copy.

It was better than the first book. More worldbuilding,and more complex.

Holy guacamole. This was such a fun ride. I really enjoyed Notorious Sorcerer, but at times the intense world building made the pace feel slow and hard to follow. While there's a little bit of that in Shadow Baron, with new characters, on the whole, this book jumps right into the action and stays there, and you have the benefit of knowing how the world works.

I also really enjoyed how each character grew from book 1 to book 2. The star of this book far and away is Anahid. We got a glimpse of her frustration and goals in Notorious Sorcerer, and she sort of stumbles into her newfound life in Shadow Baron, but it's incredible. I want more of her in book 3. (I am very glad there will be a book 3! Not only do I want Siyon and Izmirlian to find each other and for all the loose ends to be tied up, but I just really enjoy this world.)

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for providing me with an eARC of Shadow Baron in exchange for my honest review.

This is a fun series so far! The world building remains excellent and the action moves right along. I’d call this a good series for when you just want to escape into the story and be shown a good time. Action and political intrigue abound.

Shadow Baron was a good follow up to the Notorious Sorcerer, just maybe not quite as good.

First the good…

Annahid became one of my favorite characters, her storyline and character development has been intriguing and I can’t wait to see where it goes next.

Siyan dealing with what this new power brings was well put together

But…

I thought Zagiri almost got lost a bit in this book.

I also wish that the socio-political and economic world has been flushed out more. When it’s brought up it feels a bit lackluster due to not having depth.

As always I loved the way it is written and the story itself is enjoyable, just missed a few things that would have made it great in my mind.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for the ARC

No second book slump for Davinia Evans, friends! If anything, SHADOW BARON is a better book than its excellent predecessor, NOTORIOUS SORCERER. The personal and political stakes are high. The plot gives everyone a chance to stumble further into their own. And, best of all, all three storylines delve into the How of things. How to rediscover magic; how to affect a political shift; how to remake a life.

How Stuff Works books are my fave, y’all. THIS ONE IS SO GOOD.

I want to ramble on about it for ages; to discuss how Evans (who is a political theorist) explores Bezim’s government, and look closely at Siyon’s alchemical discoveries, and tell y’all how Anahid’s storyline dug into my very soul. But I also want you to discover it all for yourself, because it’s just that cool.

Highly recommended to anyone who craves interplanar magic systems, consequential politics, and great characters. I binge read it, and I haven’t wanted to binge read anything in ages.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I was reasonably impressed with the first in The Burnished City series, and book two, Shadow Baron, continues in a similar vein. While I don’t believe it really did anything radically different in terms of expanding the world, it’s a fairly solid bridge between books in other ways.
The characters in particular remain relatable, especially in terms of how they navigate their world, with each of them taking on different, albeit still somewhat interconnected journeys. Siyon’s story was particularly compelling, dealing with class warfare, as well as struggling to make it within a cutthroat world where he doesn’t entirely know what he’s doing. Anahid goes on a side quest into the underworld, and her arc explores the dangers women in Bezim face (paralleling those they can face in the real world).
The story throws you in right away, picking up not long after the first book left off, and it wasn't hard to get into it. I did feel the length at points, as there were moments where the pacing was off. However, I mostly felt the book was worth the read and avoided the second-book slump.
I enjoyed this installment overall, and look forward to what’s to come in the next book. I recommend this book if you enjoy high/epic fantasy.

Davinia Evans' follow up to Notorious Sorceror is as good as the first book, opening up the world, exploring new characters and creating a broader scope of story. Full review to come.

Reading my review for "Notorious Sorcerer," you wouldn't be blamed for being a bit surprised that I'm back with a review of the second book in what appears to now be a trilogy. Well, when this one popped up as a review option, I went back to check out my review of the first one and decided that, given the specific struggles I had there, it might be a good idea to give the second book a chance. Notably, I struggled with the pacing of the first book.

The first one sped along in a way that I believe I described as "galloping." Fast paced story can work well in a lot of ways, but in this case, it hindered my ability to truly connect to the characters. But this is also why I wanted to check out the second book. Character-wise, a decent amount was done in the first book to lay the foundation of who these people are, so I was hopeful that my connection to their stories would root me more firmly in place. And, for the most part, I was right about that, as I did enjoy this book more than the first.

Beyond the fact that I was helped for having already been introduced to this world and these characters, I do think there were some solid improvements in the overall quality of this book. The pacing did actually seem to flow better, being still quick but not so fast-paced that it left me feeling overwhelmed and unable to really settle into the reading experience. I also thought the world-building was improved this go-around. I was interested enough the first time, but I definitely remember wishing that things had been a bit more fleshed out and elaborated upon. And thankfully, that came through here as well. The slower pace also allowed for many of the elements and ideas presented in the first book to truly come to life, and I felt better able to center myself in the world that had been created.

Our main characters spent much more time apart in this second outing. This will likely work well for some readers, and not as well for others. I enjoyed it, as I think their individual storylines, largely disconnected from one another, left me better able to truly appreciate the character building that was going on for each of them. This was probably the aspect of the book that felt most "middle book" like. Some of the plot lines didn't feel as important as others, but it was clear that the goals of these story points had more to do with moving the characters along a larger arch than it did with the storyline itself. As a character reader, I was happy with this. I also enjoyed the closer focus on the politics of this world and how our characters were needing to work within and without the system to bring improvement to this world.

Overall, I had a fun time with this book and enjoyed it more than the second one. Fans of the first book will likely enjoy the deeper look into this world, though some may be frustrated by how much time our characters spend apart. Readers who had mixed feelings about the first book, may still want to give this second one a go, as I feel it was a stronger story, overall.

Rating 8: An improvement in pacing and world-building, this second book in the trilogy will be a hit for fans of this series!

(Link will go live Dec. 13 on The Library Ladies)

Bezim loves nothing more than a spectacle. And what a brilliant spectacle the debut installment of The Burnished City trilogy, Notorious Sorcerer, was! With her complex world-building and compelling characters, Evans set the bar terribly high for her sophomore novel, Shadow Baron. Unfortunately, I’m not certain it lived up the test.

Shadow Baron felt like a shade (pun intended) of its predecessor. Many of the details that I loved in the first book — like the fact that the older MCs (Siyon & Anahid) continue to find adulting quite difficult — lost their sparkle as the sequel dragged on. This was, I think, largely an effect of the slow and circuitous pacing. The MCs' confusion and frustration just didn’t seem to have forward momentum. Instead the plot meandered its way right off the Scarp into darker waters at around the 85% mark and flat out ran to the (still ambiguous) ending from there.

Another issue, which may be more personal than structural, is that the story felt constrained by its setting. Unlike the previous novel, this story happened entirely within the familiar confines of the Burnished City. There was no further exploration of the Mundane and very little mention of the other three planes. I assume the focus was meant to be on the class struggle in Bezim, which may be critical to the plot in part three. But it was definitely a (disappointing to me) tone shift away from epic fantasy-style adventure.

Despite my gripes, the writing and the plot still show great promise. So I'm willing to bet that this second book will impact differently (and better) when I (re)read all three books in a row once the final installment is published. I'll update my review at that time. For now, I give this 3.5 stars and would still recommend the series based on the strength of the first book.

Thanks to Orbit and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of this ebook.

Shadow Baron by Davinia Evans is an exhilarating sequel that expertly dives into the enchanting world of Bezim, where alchemists, high society, and mythical creatures coexist. Siyon Velo, now the Alchemist, faces new challenges as magical creatures emerge in the Mundane. The book expertly explores political intricacies, class divisions, and the characters' personal journeys, making the world more immersive. Anahid's character development takes center stage, while Siyon grapples with the consequences of his powers. The narrative offers a deeper, more engaging experience compared to the first book, with new characters, higher stakes, and darker plot turns. Shadow Baron leaves readers eagerly anticipating the next installment, making it a must-read for fantasy enthusiasts.

Continues the adventures of sarcastic and witty Siyon. I enjoyed this one more than the first and it was fun to see how the plot developed after the first book's cliffhanger

I enjoyed this book well enough, but felt like some of the shine wore off compared to Book 1. Evans' debut was a deft but thoughtful introduction into a complex socio-political landscape, but Book 2 basically throws you off the diving board into the deep end and expects you to recall all of the intricate dynamics and systems from Book 1. This make the first few chapters difficult to read, as I felt like I was simultaneously re-orienting myself to the world and learning new plot rapidly. On the other hand, the characters remain as delightful as ever and I enjoyed meeting new faces while reconnecting with old ones (welcome back Izmirilian). The pace of the plot was fine, but the characters were and are the real jewel of the series.

Notorious Sorcerer was one of my top reads of 2022. I loved the magic system and the characters. The stakes felt so real to me, and I was absolutely heartbroken at the end. Do not read this review if you haven't read the first and don't want spoilers.

Shadow Baron picks up pretty soon after the events of the first book, and Siyon is now the Alchemist. He is the source of the mundane and, for some reason, he can now see threads of power as they relate to all planes. He still wants massive change because unregistered alchemists are still being arrested, and Siyon is still fighting for them. Siyon is also mourning the loss of Izmirlian and is haunted by the loss. He keeps dreaming of him and suffocating darkness. But maybe the darkness is not a dream as creatures from other planes are breaking through and delving into the mundane.

Siyon is tasked with protecting Bezim, or the council will only crack down more on the lower classes of alchemists because it can't be the rich azatani causing any problems. The main characters, Siyon, Anahid, and Zagiri, are a little more disconnected this time around as they each explore their storylines. Siyon and Zagiri are thrown into politics and class warfare, whereas Anahid wins a flower house at a card game and is thrust into the criminal underworld of Bezim. They each come together at different points, but Anahid is very separate from the other main storylines. I liked her B plot, but it was a little loose when it came to being looped back into the main storyline.

Anahid's storyline was a great story and really outlined the powerlessness of women (even rich women) in Bezim. She really comes into her own and allows herself to want more for herself. However, I still didn't love the storyline because I felt like it didn't really develop any plot. Maybe it will mean more in the next installment, but for now, it was just a lot of character development that didn't seem like it mattered to the story.

Siyon's exploring what the power of the mundane and pulling power into Bezim made me keep turning the page after page. There were a few moments of frustration where I just wanted the character to make a decision, but I understand his wariness. Shadow Baron was a much more political book, highlighting the differences in classes and how different strata of people in Bezim interact with the magic of the world. There could have been more exploration of these differences, but overall I was happy with the storyline, and I can't wait for the next book.