King of Shadows, Book 5: The Rune Blades of Celi (edition 2014)
by Ann Marston is a celtic based fantasy with likable but slightly flawed characters. Like another reviewer, I accepted the fifth book of the series while still being in the process of reading another book in the series which was lost in the shuffle of a recent move. The fortunate piece is that this is a multi-generational series so reading the fifth book has not diminished my wanting to finish the first or reading the other books in the series. I've guessed I've read enough fantasy to guess the outcomes of most books but it is the journey getting to that outcome that I focus on. Although the characters introduced in the book are related to characters from earlier books, the reader does not have to understand those relationships to enjoy the adventure that unfolds. Matter of fact the author seems to have a certain knack for culling some of those earlier characters out of the story.

My main complaint for the series is the dream sequences, just not my cup of tea. Otherwise an enjoyable read and my a good introduction to reading e-books.

King of Shadows by Ann Marston is a Celtic-based fantasy novel. It is the 5th book of a series, which I missed when requesting. It stood on its own and I enjoyed the story enough to want to read the others in the series. Overall a good light read. ( )

I am sending myself to anger management sessions for six months! I was only on the 3rd book of this series and this new one was number 5. What a great book, but as you might imagine, I learned things that I would not have known until I got to this book in the normal way (in order). That aside the book was a wonderful addtion to the series. Cynric makes quite the character along with Iowen and Davigan as well as the evil Hakkar and son Horbad. I also enjoy an author that is not afraid to move on with the story. Characters, even pivotal ones, keep getting removed from the story line and new ones introduced. This is a great 5th to an already powerful series. If you have not read any of the books at least read the first of the series and give it a try. I am sure that when you do, you will find yourself reading up the list and eventually get to King of Shadows. Great fantasy, quick pace and very involved story line. I hope the adventure has many more books in store! ( )

King of Shadows by Ann Marston is part of a magical sword epic fantasy series. It does however stand alone very well. I have not read any of the others in the series and I found it a good read.
If you like enchanted swords and magical love bonds you will probably enjoy this book. The magic is well developed and the world comes to life very well. There are also hints of other legends like Merlin and the pagan rituals of the druids. It has the feel of many other tales of wizards, princes and epic war.
My reasons for not giving it full stars is that I found it a little too predictable and there is little to set it apart from many other sword stories. I also found it annoying to learn all of the oddly spelled names even though there is a pronunciation guide at the beginning. However once you get over those, it is a fairly light read and I recommend it to anyone looking to pass a pleasant few hours in a faraway land. ( )