
Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Hero archetypes
Heroine archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Themes
Synopsis
Sarah Ash's acclaimed trilogy, the Tears of Artamon, was a stunning blend of sorcery and intrigue, politics and breathtaking imagery. Now this gifted storyteller returns with a tale of a siege between kingdoms, and a battle between heretics and believers--each with their own truths, their own lies, and their own soul-shattering discoveries waiting to be made.Book One of the Alchymist's LegacyThe kingdom of Francia has purged its magi. But when a young Guerrier rescues an orphaned street waif, little does he know that she is the daughter of a magus who met his end on their pyres--or that she is guarded by an aethyric spirit and driven by the name of the traitor who condemned her father to flames. With the gift of song infused within her, the child's voice will bring her before the most powerful heads of state. And she will craft herself into a weapon...aimed at the heart of the man she despises. From the alchymist's apprentice whose discovery leads him into a dark partnership to a girl who will become the toast of three nations, a new magic will grant powers and ignite dangers beyond all reckoning.A timeless tale of adventure, battle, and beauty, this dazzling story spans the realms of the human and the immortal, the schemes of the power hungry, the dreams of lovers, and the resurrection of the fallen in one magnificent epic fantasy.From the Hardcover edition.
Is Tracing the Shadow appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 16 and up.
Contains violent persecution including execution by burning, themes of vengeance, and a child protagonist witnessing her father's death and seeking revenge. Political intrigue and dark magic themes throughout.
What to know going in
This book has strong violence, mild sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include child harm, death of parent, and grief (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Readers will be drawn into an epic tale of a girl with magical song abilities seeking justice for her murdered father in a kingdom that hunts magi.