Secret of the Shadow Beasts by Diane Magras || Adventure Fantasy With An Unforgettable Squad

Secret of the Shadow Beasts

For fans of Dragon Pearl and the Lockwood & Co. series comes a swift-moving contemporary fantasy about a young girl tasked with destroying deadly shadow creatures.

In Brannland, terrifying beasts called Umbrae roam freely once the sun sets, so venomous that a single bite will kill a full-grown adult--and lately, with each day that passes, their population seems to double. The only people who can destroy them are immune children like Nora, who are recruited at the age of seven to leave their families behind and begin training at a retrofitted castle called Noye's Hill. But despite her immunity, Nora's father refused to let her go. Now, years after his death by Umbra attack, Nora is twelve and sees her mother almost killed by the monsters too. That's when Nora decides it's time for her to join the battle. Once she arrives at Noye's Hill, though, she and her new friends are left with more questions than answers: Where are the Umbrae coming from? Could the government be covering up the true reason their population has whirled out of control? And was Nora's father, the peaceful, big-hearted man who refused to let Nora fight, in on the treacherous secret?

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Perfect for readers who want:

• Diverse characters working together as a team to save the world
• Dark shadow creatures that need to be defeated
• An interesting (and dangerous) mystery that needs to be solved
• Super healthy squad dynamics and support
• A squad that readers will grow to love

Many thanks to Dial Books for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

The moment I saw this cover, I knew I had to read this book. How could I not? Four diverse characters looking absolutely fierce with pointy weapons, with creepy shadow beasts in the background. If you can see that cover and not immediately want to read it, I question your judgment. It doesn’t hurt that the book sounds freaking awesome, too. So who could blame me?

Secret of the Shadow Beasts is a fantasy adventure packed with action, mystery, and with an unforgettable squad that readers will absolutely love.

I absolutely whipped through this book. Couldn’t put it down! Actually, I’m a little sad that there’s not more books in this series . . . and that it doesn’t appear to be a series? Boooo. This is one I’ll be highly recommending to the young readers at my library, and I look forward to more books from this author!

Meet Nora, a regular(ish) child of 12 who, oh, by the way, happens to be recruited to join a group of elite fighters who protect the common person against the worst scum of the universe.

By which I mean Umbrae, which are dark shadow monsters. Of course. What were you thinking?

I confess that Nora is a little too good, in a way the author attempts to explain but never does so quite satisfactorily. If you’re able to set that aside while reading, though, she’s a rather interesting character. It isn’t just her uncanny ability to fight that makes her special, though. Nora is honestly a decent person who just wants to help, in a world that can use all the help it can get. Specifically from children, who are immune to the Umbrae’s venom. It’s a crap job, but someone has to do it. Except they really don’t, because it’s a volunteer position for the kids who qualify.

Nora is new to the position, has no formal training or knowledge of Umbrae, and is entirely naïve about what her new position entails, which makes her the perfect character for the reader to follow as we also discover the world.

Enter Brannland, where humans are under attack by shadow beasts, whose bite is much deadlier than their bark.

Mostly because they don’t bark. Not that I know of, at least. That’s not the point, though.

Sure, this world is maybe a little dark (and there are definitely off-screen character deaths mentioned), but that doesn’t bog down the story. Magras manages to write a book that is positive and uplifting despite the world being what it is. That doesn’t make it any less interesting, though. No one knows where the Umbrae came from or why they exist. No one knows why the clusters of them have been getting worse, harder to maintain and keep up with. All anyone knows is that they have to be stopped. Those other mysteries are pretty important, though, too.

This is probably the healthiest squad I’ve ever read of in a middle grade book, and I absolutely love it.

More squads like this, please. Yes, the world is dark, and these kids face some horrible nightmares. That’s pretty much a given. But they’re legit there for each other, no matter what. Every team member’s life depends on their other teammates—and not just their life but their happiness and their emotional well-being. It’s a connection and responsibility that they take seriously.

There are so freaking many displays of positive, healthy interactions amidst all the negative things that naturally occur in a darker fantasy world like this. Readers will come for the adventure and stay for the freaking awesome squad vibes. Nobody is left to deal with heavy emotions alone, and after a hard battle, every member is there for any other who’s struggling. It’s such a fantastic dynamic.

Speaking of squads, even though it’s got a bit of a rocky start, this is one top-notch squad, with diverse characters and one heck of a fun dynamic.

I mean, the squad that fights together, stays together, right? In the training facility/school they’re at, squads actually live together, so they spend a lot of time together. Plenty of time to get to know each other, whether they want to or not.

Not only are the characters obviously different ethnicities, they come from very different life situations, too. I won’t spoil anything about that, because learning more about them is part of the fun. Needless to say, though, this team has a little of everything. The biggest thing is that regardless of who they are individually, they are a team together. The other stuff doesn’t matter nearly as much as that fact.

About Diane Magras

Diane Magras, award-winning author of the New York Times Editors’ Choice The Mad Wolf’s Daughter, its companion novel, The Hunt for the Mad Wolf’s Daughter, and the upcoming Secret of the Shadow Beasts, grew up on Mount Desert Island in Maine, surrounded by woods, cliffs, and the sea. An unabashed fan of libraries (where she wrote her first novel as a teenager), history (especially from cultures or people who’ve rarely had their story told), and the perfect cup of tea, Diane lives in Maine with her husband and son and uses the pronouns she/her.

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