{"id":11955,"date":"2019-02-19T23:47:59","date_gmt":"2019-02-19T18:17:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travellingthroughwords.wordpress.com\/?p=11955"},"modified":"2019-02-19T23:47:59","modified_gmt":"2019-02-19T18:17:59","slug":"shadows-of-illyria-phantoms-of-war-by-jm-vanzuiden-book-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/travellingthroughwords.com\/index.php\/2019\/02\/19\/shadows-of-illyria-phantoms-of-war-by-jm-vanzuiden-book-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Shadows of Illyria: Phantoms of War by JM VanZuiden (Book Review)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.gr-assets.com\/books\/1545330190l\/43297954.jpg\" alt=\"Shadows of Illyria: Phantoms of War\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/43297954-shadows-of-illyria?ac=1&amp;from_search=true\">Add this book on Goodreads&nbsp;<br><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.in\/Shadows-Illyria-Jeffrey-van-Zuiden-ebook\/dp\/B07L3SB3B3\/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1550517894&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=shadows+of+illyria\">Buy this book on Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Genre:<\/strong>\u00a0Fantasy<\/li><li><strong>Source<\/strong>: Review Copy<\/li><li><strong>Format:<\/strong>\u00a0Ebook<\/li><li><strong>Pages:<\/strong>\u00a0505<\/li><li><strong>Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0Aarden Press <\/li><li><strong>Publication Date:<\/strong>\u00a0 December 2018 <\/li><li><strong>My Rating:<\/strong>\u00a04 stars<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Goodreads Blurb<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shadows of Illyria is a ground-breaking new series which departs from traditional fantasy fiction with the use of gritty realism in the portrayal of war, mythical creatures, and even magic. Written by a combat veteran of the Iraq War, author JM VanZuiden seamlessly weaves the realities of war into a fantasy tapestry. This unique perspective creates a fresh approach to the genre that is both epic in its scope and dark in its nature.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Join Captain Aldric Herboren as he struggles to survive through an Orcish invasion whilst battling his inner demons. Are his dreams a grim reminder of a haunting past or something far more sinister?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beware the Phantoms of War.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>My Thoughts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Shadows of Illyria: Phantoms of War <\/em>by JM VanZuiden begins with an emotional and insightful prologue on wars and their repercussions.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I was a little surprised to discover that the book is written in second person narrative. For me, it didn&#8217;t make the story flow well, but I got used to it. The writing style otherwise was very good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We are introduced to  Sergeant Aldric who notices some orcs and keeps on having some heartbreaking flashbacks. He finds an injured girl  <br>A&#8217;yala, who is an elf. As Aldric helps her to heal, she becomes his companion.<br><br>As the book progresses, we learn about this fantastical world and history. The book is full of invasions and battles. With mythical creatures and magic, this book is a complete package. I liked that the author tried to show realities of war through a fantasy work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Aldric and A&#8217;yala&#8217;s romance was incredibly sweet. Not a lot of books nowadays show a slow-burn romance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This book is a very adventurous and exciting high fantasy novel. My interest waned at times but overall, it is a great start to a series. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Add this book on Goodreads&nbsp;Buy this book on Amazon Genre:\u00a0Fantasy Source: Review Copy Format:\u00a0Ebook Pages:\u00a0505 Publisher:\u00a0Aarden Press Publication Date:\u00a0 December 2018 My Rating:\u00a04 stars<\/p>\n<div class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/travellingthroughwords.com\/index.php\/2019\/02\/19\/shadows-of-illyria-phantoms-of-war-by-jm-vanzuiden-book-review\/#more-11955\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading &#10142; <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Shadows of Illyria: Phantoms of War by JM VanZuiden (Book Review)<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-reviews"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4559,"url":"https:\/\/travellingthroughwords.com\/index.php\/2017\/02\/04\/books-i-read-in-january-2017\/","url_meta":{"origin":11955,"position":0},"title":"January 2017 Reads","date":"February 4, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Hello everyone! This is the first time i am doing a month reading wrap-up and I'm hoping to do a lot of these this year. January was a pretty good reading month for me. I finished 6 books. All of these were sent to me for review by their author.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Book Lists&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/images.gr-assets.com\/books\/1475398277l\/32329443.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6581,"url":"https:\/\/travellingthroughwords.com\/index.php\/2017\/04\/16\/mudmen-the-quest-for-humanity-by-shitij-sharma-book-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":11955,"position":1},"title":"Mudmen \u2013 The Quest For Humanity\u00a0by Shitij Sharma (Book Review)","date":"April 16, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Add this book on Goodreads Buy this book on Amazon Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Post-Apocalyptic My Rating: 4.5 stars I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an\u00a0honest review. Mudmen is the second book by author Shitij Sharma. It is a stark contrast from his first\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Book Reviews&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/images.gr-assets.com\/books\/1485913536l\/34093278.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9115,"url":"https:\/\/travellingthroughwords.com\/index.php\/2017\/07\/17\/esper-files-the-sky-cult-esper-files-2-by-egan-brass-book-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":11955,"position":2},"title":"Esper Files: The Sky Cult (Esper Files #2) by Egan Brass (Book Review)","date":"July 17, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Add this book Goodreads Buy this book on Amazon Genre: Science Fiction, Steampunk Publisher:\u00a0Inkitt Release Date:\u00a0January 25th, 2017 Pages: 208 My Rating:\u00a04.5 stars You can check out my review of the first book\u00a0The\u00a0Esper\u00a0Files\u00a0here. The\u00a0Esper\u00a0Files: The Sky Cult is the second book in a science-fiction\u00a0steampunk\u00a0series. I enjoyed the first book so\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Book Reviews&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/51IQWoUaBHL.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8189,"url":"https:\/\/travellingthroughwords.com\/index.php\/2017\/06\/24\/heroes-or-thieves-steps-of-power-the-kings-book-2-by-j-j-sherwood-book-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":11955,"position":3},"title":"Heroes or Thieves (Steps of Power: The Kings) (Book 2) by J.J Sherwood- Book Review","date":"June 24, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Add this book Goodreads Buy this book on Amazon Genre: High Fantasy Publisher: Silver Helm Release Date: June 14th 2016 Pages: 488 My Rating: 4\u00a0stars This review may contain spoilers for the first book in this series which is Kings of Pawns. I have reviewed it here. Heroes or Thieves\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Book Reviews&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/51vC7nXDpEL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10757,"url":"https:\/\/travellingthroughwords.com\/index.php\/2017\/10\/14\/adventures-in-farland-by-moshank-relia-book-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":11955,"position":4},"title":"Adventures In Farland by Moshank Relia (Book Review)","date":"October 14, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Add this book on Goodreads Genre:\u00a0Children's Fantasy Publisher:\u00a0Rumour Books India Release Date: October 19th 2017 Pages:\u00a070 Format:\u00a0Paperback My Rating: 4\u00a0stars Mira and her friends Bira and Vira are on their way to Gunhill when they are meet Bushy, a funny man with ladybugs in his hair. 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Books I Read\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Book Lists&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/images.gr-assets.com\/books\/1464079808l\/30271496.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/travellingthroughwords.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/travellingthroughwords.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/travellingthroughwords.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travellingthroughwords.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travellingthroughwords.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/travellingthroughwords.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11955\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/travellingthroughwords.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travellingthroughwords.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travellingthroughwords.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}