The Shadow Maker is a fun fantasy that takes the classic “magical school” story and launches it into space. When Eisah discovers he has unique powers, he gets whisked away to Weun Academy on a distant planet—think Hogwarts or Sky High, but with aliens as classmates.
The world-building here really shines. The author does a great job creating believable alien cultures and making life on a different planet feel natural.
What makes this book work is how it balances the fantastical setting with very real, relatable problems. Eisah main problem us dealing with bullies. The friendship dynamics feel genuine, and the author handles the bullying subplot with care, though sometimes the emotions of the story feels off between the bullying and the separate threat to everyone.
The pacing is spot-on. Just when you might start getting a bit tired of learning about alien customs and planetary politics, something happens to pull you back into the action. There’s also a hint of bigger threats lurking in the background, which keeps you invested in what’s coming next.
The Shadow Maker delivers exactly what it promises—an engaging adventure with heart. It’s not groundbreaking, but it’s a solid, entertaining read that knows how to keep you turning pages. Perfect for anyone who wants their fantasy with a sci-fi twist.

This was a strong start to this series, it had that scifi element that I was looking for and was engaged with what was happening. I enjoyed this as a opening chapter and am excited to read more in this universe. The characters had that overall feel that I was wanting and enjoyed the concept. Michael Zummo wrote this well and was engaged from the first page.