Shadowlight Saga Books In Order

Publication Order of The ShadowLight Saga Books

Chronological Order of The ShadowLight Saga Books

Shadowlight Saga is a young adult series of novels from bestselling author Mande Mathews. The novels delve deep into Norse mythology to construct stories and worlds filled with epic battles between good and evil, and the supernatural elements driving the conflict among the various characters.

The Story

Hallad and his friends stumble upon a mute woman called swan in the woods. With Hallad’s sister Emma having disappeared into the blackness within the very same woods, this chance encounter is anything but coincidence, with Swan’s emergence changing everything the young Hero, his friends and the mysterious maiden know, or think they know, about the world around them.

The Shadowlight Saga is heavily inspired by Norse Mythology; it follows Hallad’s attempts to better understand the mysterious maiden known as Swan and the secrets she might be hiding, knowingly or unknowingly, in the process coming to understand the nature of his family history and the true identity of his person.

The Shadowlight Saga is described as young adult fantasy; however some people might dispute that assertion. This is because the series is written with the sort of depth and detail lacking in most young adult novels, this explaining the popularity it enjoys among older as well as younger audiences.

As opposed to trying to wow readers with complex plots, subplots, and multilayered schemes, the Shadowlight saga is, on a whole, very direct in its approach to storytelling, Mande Mathews showing a determination to maintain the fast pace and realism of her story as opposed to bogging it down with unnecessarily lengthy plots.

Many a reader has also commended Mande Mathews’s Shadowlight saga for presenting a good VS evil story that, while using common tropes, manages to breathe new life into fantasy, the novels seeking primarily to entertain and engage readers over doing anything particularly new.

+The Author

Mande Mathews is an American Author best known for works within the young adult/fantasy genre such as the ShadowLight Saga. The true awakening of Mande’s love for fantasy can be traced back to her first encounter with Joseph Campbell, the author discovering Joseph’s Masks of God Series while attending a performing arts college.

It is because of Mande Mathews’ desire to explore humanity through myths and legends that she has created such rich fantastical worlds. Describing herself as a hermit at heart Mande lives with her husband and their various pets.

Mande Mathews’ influences including Robert Jordan, Terry Brooks, and Joseph Campbell to mention but a few.

+Bonded

When Hallad Avarson vows to protect a mysterious warrior maiden, the decision not only turns his best friend against him but it endangers the life of Emma, his little sister, even while impelling him towards a treacherous realm filled with magic and intrigue.

The first novel in the Shadowlight saga, Bonded is a rich fantasy tale that immerses readers into a world filled with power, love and thrills as heroes and heroines strive to discover themselves, the extent of their abilities and the destinies interweaving their lives together.

One element driving the popularity of this book is the inclusion of Norse mythology, which rarely makes an appearance in fantasy or even young adult novels, but which Mande makes effective use of. Bringing a fresh take to Nordic legends, the storyline of ‘Bonded’ is as thrilling as it is intriguing.

The novel focuses primarily on the character of Swan, allowing us to explore the truth behind her true identity and those mysterious entities that are seeking her out. The fact that Hallad can hear her in his head opens up so many more questions than it gives answers.

The characters, while hardly the most unique, are easy to like, and the pacing is steady, the story never bogged down by extensive exposition and complex plot threads or rushing so fast as to lose its readers.

The key to the success of this, the first novel in the series, lies with the element of discovery infused within every page. Mande immerses her readers into her world and drags them along an epic journey, using an exciting cast of characters and the demons they are escaping to keep them reading, if only to figure out the various mysteries littering the book. Put simply: the book’s strength is the emotional ride it forces readers to embark upon.

Admittedly, there have been some complaints about the rather stock cast, with some readers grousing about the strangely forced connection between some of the characters and the contrived emotional punches the novel keeps trying to deliver but which couldn’t quite translate; in that regard, it could be argued that one’s ability to enjoy this novel will depend upon whether they can engage with Mande Mathews’ characters, caring enough about them that the journey these heroes and heroines must undertake gains importance.

For the most part though, one would be hard pressed to call ‘Bonded’ anything but a perfectly sound book.

+Broken

It is the dawn of the Age of Silence, and the shadows have begun maneuvering into position, ready to engage in battle for the possession of Astrid.

The second novel in the Shadowlight Saga continues Mande Mathew’s trend of building rich and imaginative worlds, the realm of Broken described in such detail that it feels real enough to touch.

In this sequel to Bonded, Hallard and Astrid (Swan) struggle to maintain peace at a time when the forces of evil are contriving to bring them down. Various characters from the first novel make an appearance, each one of them playing a small yet important role crucial to the final battle.

Despite common presumptions, anyone that loves fantasy will enjoy Broken; one doesn’t need to have a particular affinity for young adult works to enjoy what Mande Mathews writes in this novel. The novel is an easy enough read. The pace is quick yet steady. Mande doesn’t attempt to overwhelm her readers with complex sentences and words or take them so deep into the fantastical elements of her world that the story stalls.

Broken has just enough intrigue, mystery and action to entertain adults as well as younger audiences. With quickly evolving characters, for better or for worse, Broken will hook readers from the very first page.