This seems like such a good series! I can't wait for the third one to be published (probably in 2017).

So. A fantasy book with an intersex main character. And the story isn't about their life being *so tragic* because they are *so different*, it's about fantasy and adventure and the fantasy world's mythology. There is gender related stuff, very well written in my opinion (I'm dyadic). The main character lives different kinds of lives in different gender roles which are mainly dependent on the situation they are living in. There is violence directed towards them because they are intersex which seems very realistic in this fantasy world. There is also a possible mythological aspect to their being intersex but it wasn't confirmed either way in these two books.

This book series requires some big trigger warnings, so before I recommended it to anyone, I would ask them about their triggers, or give the warnings I'd think most relevant. Please ask me if you consider reading this book and have triggers you know of.

7.5/10.

The pros: Shadowplay is a book filled with magic and a world that's being built more and more with very interesting lore and mythological inspiration. This was a really great continuation of this trilogy! I enjoyed following Micah's journey from the circus to the magic show, and I really loved the new characters of Maske and Cyan. The world is so fascinating, I love the chimaera elements which are quite Daughter of Smoke and Bone-esque, which is one of my all time favourite series, so that pleased me. Some aspects of the backstory involving this are a little confusing but I'm hoping the third book will answer questions that I have. I liked how in this book, along with gender and sexuality, the characters also begin to deal more with the ideas of racism and class division, with the main character starting to understand the privilege he grew up with and being confronted more with that. I feel like the political parts of the series are definitely getting more prominent.

The cons: The only issue I have is that unless I read it wrong, Drystan is 6 years older than Micah who is 16-17? That makes their relationship a bit uhh, questionable. I love what they have but an adult with someone who is definitely not an adult yet is a bit creepy regardless of how well they get along.

The conclusion: This trilogy is so unique and has representation I've never read before (intersex bisexual main character). I definitely recommend it!

This is a hard one to rate. The pace was a bit too slow, with small emotional/exciting parts insterspaced by long moments of inertia; in a lot of places the story was almost a copy of the first book's plot; Drysten disappeared from the book after revealing his past, becoming less of an individual character and existing in the narrative only as emotional support for Micah; even Micah, during various parts of the book, felt more like just an observer of the story instead of its main character.

On the other hand, Micah, Dystren and Cyan are all very sympathetic and easy to love characters, and it's easy for the reader to become invested in them. Micah and Drysten's relationship is lovely, and every step they take towards each other is masterfully written. The world of the book is magical, and incredibly well constructed. And lastly, Shadowplay ends in an exciting cliffhanger, promising a great sequel.

Shadowplay as an individual book gets 3 stars, but the Micah Grey series deserves 4, with potential for more.

Leaps and bounds better than the first. Cannot wait for the third!

Shadowplay follows immediately from Pantomine, the first book in Laura Lam’s young-adult fantasy series, and wastes no time getting into the thick of things. We return to the complex and mysterious characters who we love from the first book, and aren’t disappointed by the new characters who are just as secretive with their own hidden backstories. The genuine intrigue would be enough to keep us reading, even without the lovely and powerful atmosphere we love in Lam’s work.

The plot advances a little more fluidly than the first book, with everything close-knit and woven nicely. You’ve never left wishing they would spend more time in a certain section of the plot - it always moves to exactly where you want it. One aspect of the story (touched upon in Pantomime) is done particularly well, and really helps bring the book and the character of Micah together.

The characters provide the backbone of this edition to the series perhaps more so than the first book, with Micah providing a strong lead as before, Drystan who is still with her, both joined by Maske, a magician, fittingly, and a friend of Drystan’s, and Cyan, who you’ll see on the cover of the book itself. Both are compelling characters in their own rights, with Maske’s talents capturing Micah’s attention like the performance tricks in Pantomime. In fact, I would have liked more time spent on Maske, but he is slightly overshone by Cyan, who slowly came to be a new favourite.

Cyan is complex, trustworthy and reliable in a way that must have been hard to write, when introducing her to untrusting characters who have every reason to block her from their confidences. She manages to win their trust as well as the reader’s attention, and I can’t wait to see more of her. In a comment from the author, Lam says that Cyan took her by surprise, so it’s evident the character managed to click into something that resonates with the reader.

This book delves a little darker in several cases, with the Shadows that are following Micah, people from her past that may or may not wish to help her, and the chimera who we learn more of as the novel progresses. It’s interesting to see characters when they don’t immediately embrace something new and different to them - in many novels that include another race or magic, they sometimes jump in too quickly. Micah makes believable decisions throughout, which strengthens the realism of the plot in that regard.

Shadowplay deals with sexuality, discrimination, trust, and the choices one has to make when you’re basically between a rock and a hard place. We see all characters progress, and come to care for them more, and especially hope to see them safe in the next book. Currently, there aren’t any details for the third book, but we’re looking forward to marking it off our calendar!

Great sequel. Not as much action, things calmed down very quickly after Pantomime's explosive finale, but I loved the Drystan-Micah dynamic and learning more about the history. Can't wait for the next part, hope to learn lots more. Still so many questions unanswered!

4.5*s

I quite enjoyed Pantomime when I read it a few months back. This is partially due to the fact that it's the first YA book I've read with an intersex protagonist, and partially due to the wonderful circus setting. In Shadowplay, the second book in the series, Micah Grey returns, but leaves the circus behind. Fortunately, this is replaced with a storyline focused around a magic act, and the results are just as satisfying.

There are a few things I quite enjoyed about Shadowplay. I really enjoyed getting to learn more about this unique world, with it's clockwork parts, secret past, and tumultuous present. I enjoyed the new characters especially Cyan, who, like Micah, has quite a secret. The budding romance between Micah and Drystan is very sweet, but never overwhelms the main plot, which I appreciated. Micah learns a lot about the chimera through dreams, which results for some interesting material. At the same time, these scenes could be a little confusing to me. Admittedly it all seems to come together at the end, so it appears that the mysterious aspects of these dreams do end up working in the long run.

Shadowplay is a thoroughly enjoyable novel, written with the same degree of quality of Pantomime. One thing the reader should know in advance is the book does end on another cliffhanger. I think these cliffhangers are well done, so it didn't bother me, but I know that other readers that are more sensitive. I'm looking forward to book three, whenever it is released.

4.5 stars