Shadow Crusade by Jessaca Willis Pages: 358
on December 29, 2020
Series: Primordials of Shadowthorn #1
Genres: New Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Also in this series: Blighted Heart, Immortal ReturnRuled by tyrants. Hunted by demons. She’s ready to fight back.
When Halira's parents are slaughtered by the grotesque demons that plague her lands, she joins the Shadow Crusade, a legion of warriors determined to slay the last living Primordial, end its reign of darkness, and put an end to demon-kind once and for all.
Will Halira be the savior her country needs, or will her own dark secret force her to hide in the shadows?
Shadow Crusade is the first in a dark, high fantasy series with a badass demon huntress, Lovecraftian immortal creatures, epic world-building, and a friends-to-lovers romance subplot. If you enjoyed books by Leigh Bardugo, Elise Kova, and Kendare Blake, then you'll devour Shadow Crusade!
Shadow Crusade is the first book in the new adult Dark Gothic Fantasy Primordials of Shadowthorn series by Jessaca Willis. I really, really enjoyed Shadow Crusade. I am super pumped to continue on with the series because this world is creepy and riveting. I was easily drawn in to Jessaca Willis’ fantastic writing, everything in this story flowed really well. It is a pretty dark book and there are some graphic battle scenes featuring some gruesome deaths, so be warned about that. If that is a trigger for you, then you might want to try a different book, but if you are not put off by that, I think The Primordials of Shadowthorn series is a fantastic read for fans of dark fantasies. I am already itching to read something else by this author.
In Shadow Crusade we meet out main character, Halira as she goes to see her best friend off to join the Shadow Crusade. Halira is not allowed to join because her parents believe it is a death sentence. The Shadow Crusade fights demons that are infecting the land with a disease called Blight and viciously slaughtering everything in their path. When Halira sees a demon attack on her way home, she discovers that both of her parents were killed. Newly orphaned and bent on revenge, Halira joins the Shadow Crusade and her dark and dangerous adventure begins. I loved Halira and her friend Dimitri.
I can’t wait to see more of the world because a lot of this book was spent in Shadow Crusade training, which will really appeal to fans of an academy setting. I was pleasantly surprised that they went to an academy of sorts as well because I am always a sucker for a boarding school/training school/academy in my stories. I do hope that we get to see more of this world in the next book as well as learn more about the blight and the different kinds of demons. I am also hoping for some more romance in the next book. There was a little in Shadow Crusade but not too much and I am interested to see where that will go. I flew through this story in just a few short hours and I found myself wanting the next book to continue on! I really enjoyed Shadow Crusade and I can’t wait for the next book in the series.
Glad to see you enjoyed. Sounds interesting.