Beat the Backlist 2020 – The Bookish Curmudgeon

The Girl with the Whispering Shadow is the second book in The Crowns of Croswald series. I received a review copy of the first book and enjoyed it. (My review can be found here.) This review does NOT contain spoilers, however the synopsis does contain spoilers for book one, so I will not be posting it, but you can check it out here on GoodReads.

I received a copy of The Girl with the Whispering Shadow from Stories Untold Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

D.E. Night created something fun and magical in The Crowns of Croswald. The Girl with the Whispering Shadow is a fantastic sequel that adds to that magic.

While this book does feel a bit different, it is still just as enchanting as the first.

The world building is expanded and readers get a deeper peek into the world of scrivenists. And as with the first book, I never quite knew what to expect and was excited to see what new creature, spell, or potion was waiting to be discovered on the next page. (There are times when I suspect D.E. Night’s imagination is in fact limitless.)

It is an absolute delight to follow Ivy’s story and uncover more of the secrets of her past and Croswald.

D.E. Night’s writing is still just as vivid and it’s hard not to imagine yourself alongside Ivy and her friends. Another aspect that made me enjoy this sequel even more was that D.E. Night gives you the information you need when you need it without completely retelling you what happened in the first book. This is something people who don’t reread, marathon read series, and/or read series as they are released can truly appreciate. (I know I did.)

I did have some issues with the pacing and occasionally got lost in the world building, but I was still able to enjoy the story. I actually think I enjoyed this one more than the first and am excited to see what happens next in Ivy’s story.

So, if you’re looking for a magical escape I recommend checking out this series! The third installment, The Words of the Wandering is available now too.

Thank you so much Stories Untold Press and NetGalley for the review copy!

The Girl with the Whispering Shadow: 4 stars

A big goal I’ve set for myself this year is buying fewer books and reading more of what I already own. It’s a bit daunting to look at my shelves and see so many books I still haven’t read (especially if there are multiple editions of those books). So I’m going to make another attempt at the Beat the Backlist Challenge.

If you’re unfamiliar with the challenge hosted by NovelKnight check out this post for more details and to sign up.
Basically you read books published in 2019 or earlier in any format.

Books I hope to read:

The Folk of Air Series by Holly Black
The Cruel Prince (reread)
The Lost Sisters (reread)
The Wicked King
The Queen of Nothing

The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan
Eye of the World*
The Great Hunt
The Dragon Reborn

Arc of a Scythe series by Neal Shusterman
Scythe (reread)
Thunderhead (reread)
The Toll

The Traveler’s Gate Trilogy/Chronicles by Will Wight
House of Blades
The Crimson Vault
City of Light

Elder Empire: Sea by Will Wight
Of Sean and Shadow
Of Dawn and Darkness

Elder Empire: Shadow by Will Wight
Of Shadow and Sea
Of Darkness and Dawn

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott
The Necromancer
The Warlock
The Enchantress

Stalking Jack the Ripper Series by Kerri Maniscalco
Becoming the Dark Prince
Capturing the Devil

From Subscription Boxes:
We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal
Magic is For Liars by Sarah Gailey
Fire & Heist by Sarah Beth Durst
Nocturna by Maya Motayne
Stronger than a Bronze Dragon by Mary Fan
Middlegame by Seanan McGuire
Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons
The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna by Juliet Grames
Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte
Once a King by Erin Summerill

I’m sure I won’t get through all of these, but at least making a dent in the list will help me knock out a chunk of my owned and unread books.

*If you follow me on Instagram you know I already started Eye of the World last year but didn’t make it very far. It’s been a few months since I’ve picked it up, so I‘m going to be starting it again from the beginning.