Shadowed Glass

The Lost Shards Book 3

By: Charlie Pulsipher

Narrated by: Keith Michaelson

Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

Stranded thousands of years in the past on the distant planet of Ealdar, Kaden, Aren, and James are building a life and a community with what's left of Omegaphil. Rho is gone. Vander too. The universe seems safe, but adventure isn't done with anyone just yet.

Aren's gifts will grow, Kaden will learn new ways to use his Egg, and James will tap into Ealdar's magic. Lyle will rebuild, Hasla's heart will mend, and Taggers will grow into a master mage. Dveldor rides a dragon, but remains Dveldor, solid as the stone he loves.

They do not know the gods are watching, what Penny will become, or that a new horror slumbers in the place of Rho's greatest failure. This enemy has less appetite than the dark god that spawned it, but also none of Rho's weaknesses.

It will take all their newfound skill to survive and save Ealdar from destruction once more.

©2015 Charlie Pulsipher (P)2016 Charlie Pulsipher

Thoroughly enjoyed this series

I'm sad to see this series end. I guess there are some additional possibilities still, but it was definitely satisfying. The narration through the whole series was solid and consistent. Pulsipher has created and world and characters I care about, that makes a good story. Mind bending plotting really makes you pay attention. I felt like this story was, in many ways, an explanation for all the space-time stuff that was going on, and, again, left me satisfied. You'll laugh (dragon gas!), sniffle (saying good-bye to...no spoilers), and have some serious ah-ha moments that might have you rewinding a few times. Kaden was captured so well by the narrator. Very well done. Good emotion

Read the series, it'll be time well spent!

I’d been waiting for this last book to come out since the moment I finished the second book, and was excited to get back to this world. The book starts with two synopsis chapters; one for each of the preceding books, as well as an apology for what happened in the last book (darn right you should be apologizing…I had people looking at me funny as I reacted to what happened in that book during my commute). What I originally liked about the series was the natural mix of sci-fi and fantasy. What made it special was the back and forth between story lines and the intricacies in how they were all woven together. But the previous books had brought all the story lines together, so I was curious what other tricks the author had up his sleeve for this one. If you are like me, you won't be disappointed. In this one, we move from being transported between story-lines to jumping back and forth in time. This leads to some ‘ooooo’ moments and some ‘wait…what?…really?!!’ moments that made me go back just to experience them again.

This is one of those books (series in this case) where the narration is done so well; every emotion, every character, every sarcastic line, and every exciting moment, is conveyed wonderfully so that it is hard to separate yourself from story. The author put together such an engrossing plot with characters you root for, and it feels like the narrator knew the souls of the characters by the intonations and inflections used. This made the whole combination of story and narration perfect.

I was gifted the audio to give an honest review. I was so excited to get back to this series, I had to break my own ‘first in, first read’ rule and push this one to the top of the next-to-be-read pile. It was worth it. Basically this review boils down to: read the series.

A Strong Continuation

Shadowed Glass is the third book in the Lost Shards series, and one that really works to tie up all those loose ends and answer some questions that were still somewhat open at the end of book two.

This one actually surprised me with how much is explained and how much depth is added, and it really surprised me to see it bravely tackle time travel to the extent that it did. Instead of bouncing back and forth between worlds like we did in the previous books, we stay on Ealder and simply move backward and forwards in time. We get to see the aftermath of Rho, as well as a time before everything really gets started...we get to learn how the religion starts and why, how the races of Ealder come to be, and just what roles everyone truly plays in the narrative. The time travel is very well done and easy to follow, but I will say that these are audio-books you have to actively listen to. I've found that I can't multitask as much with this series, because if my mind even thinks about wandering I end up missing something important and have to go back 30 seconds.

Kaden and Aren have come a long way since book one. They are braver, more independent, and tackle some pretty complicated tasks without too much complaint. They really step up to the mantle of leadership, even though they still remain teenagers at heart. The twin gods, Gathin and Erastin get a lot more screen time here as well and it was really cool getting to learn more about them an to see them interact directly with the group.

Keith's reading continues to be perfect for the story, and I'm always impressed with the level of consistency with all the different voices he provides. Every character is clear and easy to understand and identify, and there is little in the way of variation in a single voice when it comes to him jumping back and forth between so many.

This has been such a great series! It has a ton of things going for it and it's not a read that one can just sit back and turn on autopilot for, which I for one really appreciate. I like book that make me actively think about what's going on and how it ties into the over-arcing story.

Things get even more complicated

This was another action packed story in the series. The narration is good and there is a very helpful synopsis of the first two books at the beginning of this one. The book has the same two main teen characters but now they start jumping through time instead of to different worlds. The story is a spider web of actions and consequences. I would have benefited from a time line map to help me understand the dates given because my thoughts still run linear and have trouble with jumping back and forth and sideways. But it still was an enjoyable ride. I had my guesses as to whom the twin Gods really were, but I was completely wrong.

I was given this audiobook free by the author for an honest review.

The cycle of events needs to continue to happen.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Shadowed Glass?

The scene towards the end where we learn a few shocking details.

Which scene was your favorite?

I don't think I have one favorite scene as much as I enjoyed the interaction of the characters throughout the story. The characters blend so well with their different personalities and quirks. They make me smile with their small jokes trying to lighten the moods. They all have a great charisma that I fall for that has me wanting to be here with them.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely! I do really enjoy listening to Michael's voice, in all character forms. He takes on the personality of each character and it is heard in each personality and voice. I could listen to him talk all day long. I smile when he comes to drastically different voices, like a dragon or Rho. He switches with ease from one to the other. The questions, worries, and all emotions that come through voice are ever present. The narration is seamless in flow.

Any additional comments?

This series is one to read in order. If you are unsure of where we left off in Obsidian Threads, don't fret. Charlie has a synopsis for book 1 and 2 at the beginning to bring us back up to speed. Cool, thank you.

We get to see many of our favorite characters again. James and Angie along with Penny and others. We can't forget about Kaden and Aren, they are the most important characters to make things happen as they should. Their gifts are still growing and what they can do will help them along their way. We also get to see the Twin Gods more! Gathin and Erastin have a lot more face time here along with tinkering in what is happening.

We don't visit as many worlds this time, but we do visit different times. It's easy to follow! The heading of each chapter tells you when we are. But, if you've read/listened to the previous two books you'll understand this with ease. If you remember, at the end of book 2 Kaden and many others ended up in the past. But we still have friends in the future as well. What happens in the past creates the events they lived through, so we see a few setting things up so it can happen as it's needed to happen. We visit three time frames; the past where Kaden and many are at now, in the future before the war is fought for important events and setting, and the distant future after the war fought in Obsidian Threads as things still need ironed out.

Charlie has come back strong with this story. We learn new secrets and a shocker or two in regard to a few characters and why they are doing what they do. We end with a possibility for Kaden and Aren. Will they take it? Will it work out? I'm curious to find out.

Fabulous adventure with superb descriptives!

Pulsipher is a master of descriptives that suck you into each scene. Full of beautiful writing and unexpected twists, these will be a go to for years to come. What a fabulous ending to a fun adventure through time and space. I miss the characters already! I can't wait to see what else Pulsipher will create!

Epic Ending...or is it?

If you could sum up Shadowed Glass in three words, what would they be?

Mind Blown Again

What was one of the most memorable moments of Shadowed Glass?

I loved that this book played with time and that the author was able to weave events so seamlessly together.

Have you listened to any of Keith Michaelson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes. I listened to the first 2 books in the Lost Shards series and thought this one was just a good.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes. It put me on the edge of my seat, and then in the back of my seat, and then on the edge of my seat again.

Any additional comments?

This is one of the fantasy books that stays with you hours, days, weeks after it's over. I find myself thinking about the extraordinary things the author was able to achieve and the characters who did those things. I'd totally recommend this book to those who love a good fantasy/scifi read. Well done!

Another epic installment!

I read the first two books in this Series as ebooks, then later listened to the audio books. I fell in love with the voice actor, and decided to wait for the audiobook for book three. Its so good, I can't even... my son and I both loved this audiobook, which we listened to over the weekend.

So many character and story lines....

Very well written! Clever! Fun! Exciting! but soo many story lines it bogs the series down!

If you like juvenile hard sci-fi/hard fantasy...

Loved it, lived it! Complex, interesting, engaging, original, charming read. Pulsipher nails it on this final volume of the trilogy; a great job wrapping up the story!