I enjoyed this book more than the first installment - no tedious flashback chapters in this one and with the help of a bit of a rather too convenient plot device we get plenty of world-building, however, there are still secrets left to unravel for the last book and the stakes have been raised. That being said, some expositional parts were kind of difficult to follow and I have trouble keeping all the terms straight.

The evolution of the relationship between Drystan and Micah is very sweet and tender and I enjoy it a lot.

There was also a lot of action in this book too, in contrast to the previous one, which I liked as well.

Shadowplay by Laura Lam is the sequel to Pantomime, which I rather enjoyed. Where Pantomime can be loosely summarised as "intersex girl runs away to join the circus as a boy", the story in Shadowplay builds up in complexity, particularly in regards to worldbuilding only hinted at in the prequel. The blurb and parts of my review will contain spoilers for the previous book (though not for Shadowplay itself). You have been warned.

Shadowplay, again written in first person to circumvent Micah's changing attitudes towards their male and female aspects, is somewhat more focussed on fantasy elements than its prequel. Although there definitely is continued exploration of Micah's nature. Although they're living as a boy for almost all of Shadowplay, there are times when their female aspect is very relevant (like having boobs and periods). There's also the new romantic relationship which, depending on who is watching (and I mean this literally) is presented by Micah (+ lover who I won't name because slight spoiler) as either homosexual or heterosexual, based on how Micah wants other people to see them. (Although in the end all the people Micah cares about know about their genitals, there's still some weight to how they present themselves.) I found it very interesting to read about, even though it's not really the central driver of the plot. (And I'm finding it hard to refer to Micah gender-neutrally since they're always referred to as either he or she or a name in the book.)

As I predicted in my review of Pantomime, we learn more about the history of the world in Shadowplay; a lot more, including what the background is on those weird artefacts and glowy buildings. And the damselfly that we met in the first book (and which just surprised me by being a real word and not making spellchecker sad). Also what happened to the mysterious ancient Alder race which seemed to have just disappeared. So basically many questions are answered. Not all of them, but its clearer which direction the next book will take in that respect, whenever it may appear.

The actual plot of Shadowplay, focusses on Micah and Drystan making new friends while on the lam and also learning magic tricks. The new characters introduced are Maske, the master magician and Cyan, who completes their magic performance team. I believe Cyan is the one on the front cover. Speaking of characters, I kept forgetting that Drystan isn't actually that much older than Micah (only six years, apparently), especially in the first book when he was introduced as a clown. Maybe it was just because he was lumped with the other clowns who I (also) assumed were middle aged. Eh, there was reason enough to remember his relative youth in this one.

Shadowplay was an enjoyable read. I'd say it's a must-read for anyone who enjoyed Pantomime. For readers new to the series, you can read the second book first, but I strongly recommend starting with Pantomime. The background to the characters, especially Micah, will make much more sense that way. I would recommend the series to all fantasy fans, not just fans of YA fantasy. There is a depth of worldbuilding not often found in YA that I suspect will appeal to readers who might usually read BFF (big fat fantasy), although these books are definitely shorter than the standard BFF fare.

4.5 / 5 stars

You can read more of my reviews on my blog.

The circus lies behind Micah Grey in dust and ashes.

He and the white clown, Drystan, take refuge with the once-great magician, Jasper Maske. When Maske agrees to teach them his trade, his embittered rival challenges them to a duel which could decide all of their fates.

People also hunt both Micah and the person he was before the circus–the runaway daughter of a noble family. And Micah discovers there is magic and power in the world, far beyond the card tricks and illusions he’s perfecting…

A tale of phantom wings, a clockwork hand, and the delicate unfurling of new love, Shadowplay continues Micah Grey’s extraordinary journey.

Micah's story continues in Shadowplay with him and Drystan on the run from the policiers as well as the Shadow. In order to survive, they live with Maske, who is not allowed to practice magic because of a deal made 15 years ago. To earn a way out of the country, they decide to become his apprentices and set up magic shows. Micah gets entangled in the Chimaera history, and the Vestiges have more power than previously known. Reluctantly, he is being dragged into something that relates to the extinction of Chimaera all those centuries ago.

The writing is spectacular this time around too, with lush descriptions and good pacing to the plot. The overall atmosphere is of secrets and lies, and Micah wants to say the truth for once, but who is to be trusted and who is to be not? That was presented very well, including the little shocker at the climax. He might get answers about who he is but he might not like it, especially when it involves the fate of the world. There are a lot of flashbacks in the book, which add to the beauty of the story since it all depends on the past and the reflection of the mistakes in the present. The plot, however, was a bit slow to develop, in my opinion - when compared to the previous book. Pantomine was great and Shadowplay falls a little short when it comes to presenting Micah; he just doesn't make as much of an impact as he did in the former. Maybe it's because the story is being set for the other Chimaera revealed in the book, or maybe it's because the story relied a little too much on the flashbacks. In any case, I hope he has a larger role to play in the next. The romance was expected, really, and it made me happy for him and Drystan. The magical aspects - the real one and the stage one was a brilliant base for the book and I enjoyed the fact that a bit of technology-like magic was constructed - the automata, the mirror, etc.

In conclusion, this was a great book, but suffered from the sequel syndrome I guess. 3.5 stars!

Received a copy from Angry Robot via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

EXCELLENT. This book surpassed all my expectations. I loved Pantomime, but Shadowplay improved on Pantomime in every way, from stronger worldbuilding to tighter pacing and more exciting rising action, from characterization that made Micah&company come alive to heart-melting romance.

The author's awareness of issues of representation shone. Laura Lam took seemingly every opportunity to deconstruct the myriad of harmful tropes that abound in most fantasy novels.

After characterizing Cyan, and Temnian culture in general, in a commendably down-to-earth and humanized way, she subverted the orientalism that often runs wild in fantasy worldbuilding through Cyan's deliberate manipulation of the nobility's taste for the "exotic" in her seances. She found a contextually appropriate way for Micah to model safe binding techniques through the use of Lindean corsets, and she was painstakingly careful both to separate Micah's nonbinary gender identity from Micah's intersex body and to separate both of those characteristics from Micah's magical powers. In the first book, it seemed as though she might fall into a sort of intersex equivalent of the "magical disabled person" trope, but in Shadowplay, she deliberately addressed and then dismissed that trope, leaving Micah as an intersex, genderqueer person who also happened to have some magical powers unrelated to their sex, gender, and sexual orientation.

It's really clear that she did thorough research and that she cared about making her representation as positive and realistic as possible. All the applause for Laura Lam, please, and can other fantasy authors hurry up and start following her example?

Basically, I want the third book NOW. And I want more books like these in the world.

i liked the second half of this much more than the first, even though some things were still too predictable imo. I'll definitely finish the series but it's not a priority rn

Holy crackers, Laura Lam has expertly built up these books. Everything from the characters to the world is astounding and believable and the plot hasn't failed me yet. I love Micah Grey and the secondary characters, I love the world Laura has beautifully constructed and the pacing of the story sets your heart pounding. I urge everyone to read these books, I can't wait to read the next one.

Originally reviewed on Words in a Teacup

This second book in the series picks up right where Pantomime left off. The back cover even spoils a big event that happens at the very end of the first book. But, as much as possible, I'll try to keep this review spoiler-free. In Shadowplay, Micah and Drystan become apprentices to former magician Jasper Maske, along with a mysterious girl named Cyan who has her own secrets to hide.

I'm not sure why I didn't love this book. It was good, and I liked the atmosphere and the worldbuilding, but instead of rushing through the book to find out what happened I kept getting distracted and reading other things instead. Part of it is because nothing much happens. Yes, there are some tense scenes, but it felt as if most of the time was spent inside the Kymri Theatre while the kids practised their magic tricks. Given that the film The Prestige is supposed to be one of the book's sources of inspiration, I expected a few more twists and turns.

The characters are, again, the best part of the book. I liked Micah, and I liked that we got to find out more about Drystan, but Cyan quickly became a new favourite of mine. I think the best thing about her is that she's not just a sidekick, she's the protagonist of her own story. I have mixed feelings about the Damselfly and what was revealed about the past of Ellada, but I'm curious to find out more about them. It's too bad that the book cut off abruptly just as things were getting interesting, but I'm definitely going to be on the lookout for the third book in the series.

I didn't think this sequel could be as good as the first book, Pantomime--but not only is it as good, it's actually even better! Fantastic story, characters I cared about and cheered for, and an amazing, fascinating world. I can't wait for the next one!

Slower pace than the previous book but I enjoyed discovering more and more of the world as Shadowplay unfolded. Laura Lam does a great job of setting up this new environment. While very different from the one in Pantomime, you can easily imagine them coexisting. I really like the details of Micah's character though she could develop the supporting characters' more. It's not enough to say that they have secrets from a dark past without ever offering any answers. That can be good enough for the ones that are supposed to be mysterious but not for her closest allies. Every step of Micah's evolution feels earned. I'm looking forward to reading Masquerade.

I had a few minor issues with the pacing, but otherwise I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first book.