Review Detail of boomeyoo in Shadow Slave

Never given a five in all categories before. This story is just really exceptional. Shadow Slave has a bit of an odd title, I saw it and was put off on reading it for a long time thinking it would be either uncomfortably edgy or uncomfortably horny. It's neither, the real meaning in the title is more nuanced. Sunless is bound to his ability. One sentence, one question from another person could literally, permanently, enslave him. In a sense though he is already a slave, forced to hide himself from the world. Forced to lie and restructure every potential friendship he can make. Never allowing anyone in, for fear of what they could do to him. This is not played off simply either though, he could just be an eternal loner, but Sunless finds himself trying again and again and again to form bonds between those around him. On the topic of setting, it would be very easy to use a standard "fantasy" setting for the story. Shadow Slave says "nah that's cringe" and instantly drops the mc in one of the most entertaining and horrifying locales I've seen put to writing. The Forgotten Shore is this locale. Perilous, unforgiving, and endlessly intriguing, the lore and history of The Forgotten Shore are both profoundly rich. I found myself loving the grim, deadly nature of the setting so fascinating that I began wishing they would put off escaping so that we could continue learning it's secrets. The Chained Isles are also very interesting, but the nature of the story makes it feel as though the stakes have lowered some. Instead of death being around every corner, the ability to leave the dream makes it feel much safer. Of course, this is only because the threat has become more distant, not less dangerous, but the tone is still affected. This is probably the only thing I can really complain about, this and, perhaps Neph's choice at the end of The Forgotten Shore. The reliance on fate and predestiny as a story tool has always annoyed me, though even this is subverted in this novel by making fate a tangible thing. A person of sufficient power can interrupt, or potentially ignore fate, which seems like a good goal for a man whose greatest goal is to be truly free.