This is a very enjoyable fantasy read. Set it the fictional world of “Carnia” there is a kingdom ruled by King Sorron, and his family. His son/prince Gerian, Gerian’s wife Silnia, and their children Candale and Aylara. The story starts out with Candale being literally on his death bed. He’s been sick for many months and his family has finally sought help from the last person they want, a witch named Mayrila. Mayrila saves Candale and he and his family try to get back to where they were before with his schooling and building up back some muscle. One day Candale hears Gerian, Sorron and Mayrila arguing in the next room and learns some very shocking news about himself and his future. He learns about his birth, and that he is going to be a Shadow Seer. Not knowing what that really is, Candale wants to go to the only place that might have information at “The White Oaks” school where mages are taught to use magic. His family forbids it because they do not believe that he is going to become that, but Candale is too stubborn to listen so he sneaks out with his bodyguard Trellany and new friend and bard Teveriel set out to “The White Oaks” to get answers. Along the way he meets new characters that help him with his answers. Trellany and Teveriel are skeptical like everyone else about Candale being a Shadow Seer but after many “coincidences” that happen after he gets more information, they start to think that’s what he may be. After the winter season his grandfather comes to get him and bring him home. He returns home and tells his grandfather what he has learned and that he is the Shadow Seer but Sorron doesn’t want Candale to tell the rest of his family what he learned. Candale starts to have visions, his attitude is changing, he’s not sleeping well and if he is sleeping he is having horrible nightmares, and he’s seeing not only shadow people but a strange little girl who he thinks needs his help. He used to have “fits” or seizures so they say that when he’s having a vision they can pass it off as a fit for a while until they can figure out what to do. I laughed, I cried, and there were a few genuinely shocking moments in this. All the characters are great and I loved them all. Candale can seem a little naïve when it comes to relationships but that’s a funny quirk I think. He’s a very proper man but he’s still only 18 so he’s curious, shy, and on a few occasions can be a little bratty. Teveriel will go to the ends of the earth for him and deeply cares about him and doesn’t want him to get hurt. Trellany is a bad ass, butt kicking, no nonsense girl who will defend and help Candale in any way she can. They learn so much about one another on the trip and you really connect with all of them. If you love the fantasy genre then I’d definitely check this one out.

Most first fantasy novels are fairly predictable. The protagonist is either a good guy or a rogue forced into playing the good guy. This novel is a pleasant surprise. Candale is a bit of a spoiled brat with unpredictable, and usually self-centered, moods that seem to work against him most of the time. This dubious hero is forced by prophesy into a role he is ill-equipped to serve. I found myself fascinated by his plight, his need for the support he constantly rejects, and his drive to find out what his destiny has forced him to face. This is a great start to a multi-volume tale. I look forward to seeing how the author resolves the challenges set before this reluctant hero.

Set in Carnia, a fictional medieval kingdom, "The Shadow Seer" tells the story - or rather the beginning thereof - of prince Candale who is prophesied to be the long awaited Shadow Seer. The prince had been suffering from fits and seizures for years and now - after recovering from an illness that almost killed him - he is having vivid nightmares, seeing and hearing things and starting to have visions. Together with his friend Teveriel and his female body guard, Trellany, he sets off to visit the Mage School, White Oaks, to discover for himself what exactly those ancient prophecies have to say about him; not such an easy undertaking with a secret order seeking to murder him. "The Shadow Seer" is a comfortably slow paced read. The author takes time to build her fictional world and introduce her characters thoroughly. The characters are well-crafted and realistically flawed, and especially so the main character, Candale. Do not expect this prince to come rescue you on a white steed, as he is somewhat of a coward, preferring to keep himself safe where possible. Still, I could not help liking him and feeling rather sorry for him as he discovers some nasty truths about his own past, has to deal with ever increasing dreams and visions, and has to tolerate his somewhat overprotective father. This book will be a treat for readers with experience in the fantasy genre as a rather wide range of paranormal phenomena are touched upon during the course of the story. Although "The Shadow Seer" is a slightly slow and sometimes long winded read, it certainly makes up for lost excitement with a horrific, shocking, cliff-hanger ending. At least we know there will be more books to follow. (Ellen Fritz)

Fran Jacob's The Shadow Seer (see note below) is a different breed of fantasy. The protagonist is a young prince named Candale who is second in line to the throne of Carnia behind his father Gerian and grandfather Sorron. Candale is on the cusp of manhood and chaffing under the control his father exerts. He is physically attractive though very inexperienced with girls, enjoys the benefits of a loving family and life at the top of the social order, has a younger sister, and generally wishes the best for everyone. In short, Candale is a nice guy, someone with whom everyone would like to be friends. Unfortunately, Candale is not what most would consider king material. He is barely adequate with a sword despite intensive training, tends to go off on his own without considering the consequences to himself and others, and suffers from seizures, probably some form of epilepsy, which give him the appearance of physical weakness. Unlike most fantasy heroes who are either able to hold their own or singlehandedly defeat legions in combat, Candale requires protection from body guards or loyal friends and without such assistance, he would be dead. The story opens with Candale near death. He has been wasting away from some sort of illness, growing increasingly weak. All the healers have failed to reverse Candale's demise. Only the intervention of Mayrila, a powerful witch whom Candale's father despises, restores Candale to health. Mayrila contends that Candale was poisoned. Her claims are initially dismissed. Why would anyone want to kill Candale? Then Candale learns that Mayrila is his biological mother and that she and others believe him to be the long-prophesied Shadow Seer, who will have visions of a dark future when all the kingdoms will collapse. Mayrila has evidence to prove her claims but Sorron and Gerian are not convinced and banish Mayrila from the castle, requiring her to swear on a truth stone that she will not spread rumors about Candale. Candale, meanwhile, has some odd dreams and begins to reinterpret his life in light of Mayrila's claims. Another attempt is made on Candale's life. Only the intervention of Trellany, who becomes Candale's bodyguard, saves him. An organization dedicated to killing the Shadow Seer in the hope of preventing his prophecies from being fulfilled believes Candale is the Shadow Seer. Candale slowly comes to believe he is the Shadow Seer despite everyone close to him telling him that he is not. He tries to find out as much as he can about the Seer but the castle library yields little. The book he needs to see, The Rose Prophecies, is housed at White Oaks, a school for mages, which lied many days distant and winter, when travel will be impossible, is approaching. Sorron agrees to ask that the book be brought to the castle in the spring so that Candale can put his concerns to rest once and for all, but Candale doesn't want to wait. He and his friend Teveriel--a bard--hatch a plan to escape the castle and travel to White Oaks before winter. They make their escape and are later joined by Trellany who scolds Candale for not trusting her loyalty to him as his bodyguard. After an arduous journey, they reach White Oaks, where Candale spends the winter and learns without a doubt that he is the Shadow Seer. Now Candale faces an even greater set of challenges. How to deal with the horrible visions of death and destruction that the Seer experiences. How to deal with the future madness that has been predicted for the Seer. How to deal with supernatural beings in the form of shadows that threaten him and everyone close to him. And how to deal with the demon Ellenessia, who has some connection to the Shadow Seer. On top of all that, Candale is supposed to be preparing to someday be King. Jacob's pacing for The Shadow Seer is patient. If you are looking for a fast read with lots of harrowing fight scenes, The Shadow Seer is not for you. The first part of the story concentrates on life at court while the second half focuses on Candale's experiences at White Oaks. Foremost in the narrative is the drama of family and interpersonal relationships. Although there's nothing sexually explicit in The Shadow Seer, Jacobs does address Candale's thoughts on his own and others sexuality. It rounds out his character. There are a few hints that Teveriel might fancy a homosexual relationship with Candale although Candale does not appear to share his friend's interest. It's not a major part of the plot, but if this sort of theme bothers you, consider yourself warned. Candale does much talking and soul searching regarding his destiny. Jacobs takes her time to provide compelling portraits of the major characters. The Shadow Seer is the type of book George Eliot would have written if she had chosen fantasy instead of history. Both Candale and the student mages at White Oaks face a future riddled with difficulties through no fault of their own. Candale becomes the Shadow Seer when Mayrila gives birth to him and the young mages are born with their abilities. Candale must confront an uncertain future. While the mages are safe within the bounds of Carnia, they face prejudice and possible execution at the hands of peoples in neighboring lands. Although Jacobs earns high marks for the uniqueness of her story line, the novel suffers from a limited point of view and repetition. Jacobs tells her story entirely from Candale's point of view. For a novel as long as The Shadow Seer, the limitation becomes suffocating and reduces the story to a single plot narrative. What do other characters think of Candale? What are they doing outside of Candale's observation? We only know what is reported to Candale or what he sees. Imagine The Lord of the Rings told exclusively from Frodo's point of view, from within his head. The second issue is the novel's length. At well over six hundred pages, The Shadow Seer is quite a doorstop. Does it need to be that long? I think another editing pass would have shortened the book as there are numerous cases where the characters say more than they need to say. Consider the following examples. (I read the book in a galley format in which the page numbers do not correspond to the final printed versions so I will give chapter names instead of page numbers.) In this instance, Candale is wondering what to do about the voices he is hearing. "I didn't know what I was going to do about this. _I didn't know how to even begin thinking about how to handle this_" (emphasis mine with _s, from the chapter entitled "Silver"). The second sentence is unnecessary. It restates the idea from the first sentence. Consider this dialog: "It's my duty, Silver. _It's what I have to do. I don't have a choice._ I'm sorry" (emphasis mine, from the chapter entitled "Silver"). The two sentences in the middle define duty. In the following paragraph, Candale is talking to Trellany about getting help from Mayrila to control his visions. Keep in mind that most of this chapter has been about acquiring help from Mayrila to control his visions. I gulped down the wine in my glass and nodded. "I-I don't think I have much of a choice," I said. "_I need to find a way to control them, to stop them interrupting my life, to prevent them hitting during a-a ball or a banquet_ ... If Mayrila thinks this is necessary, _so that she can help me to do that_, then I have to trust her judgement _on this. She's here to help, after all_ (emphasis mine, from the chapter entitled "Visions and Prophecies"). All of the highlighted text has been previously stated or so strongly implied that it's a given. I agree that someone might restate the obvious over and over again in conversation, but dialog in a story is not supposed to be "realistic" in that regard. The author should employ some economy to spare the reader such endless repetition. The reader knows what is worrying Candale and the reader knows that Candale wants Mayrila to help him. All things considered, The Shadow Seer is a good book. I believe many readers of fantasy will enjoy it. Thanks to Fran Jacobs for providing me a copy of The Shadow Seer for review. Note: Jacob's first installment in the Ellenessia's Curse series is published in two parts. I'm reviewing parts one and two together.

Ellenessia's Curse is one of the few books that hold the unique distinction of so thoroughly engrossing me that I read it in one long marathon reading session. I was simply unable to put it down longer than it took for me to grab something from the fridge or visit the throne room 😉 The characterization in this book is brilliant and the world is beautifully depicted, and both of these are accomplished without the text becoming tedious (something that makes it hard for me to enjoy a lot of fantasy books). I never had a problem seeing the characters and settings in my mind. It was easy to identify with Prince Candale and come to care for him. His friendship with Teveriel is charming and surprising in that it is not a type of relationship I have often found in fantasy writing. All in all, this book left me wanting more, and not just because of the ending. I have already read this book more than once and will surely return to it again when the mood strikes me. It is a great book for immersing yourself in and forgetting the troubles of the real world (That's why we all read stories, isn't it?). I'm (not so) patiently awaiting the next book in the series, and in the meantime I can always go back and relive the first.

If you love the world of magic and days of old you will LOVE Fran Jacobs. Her land of Carnia catches hold of you from the first page and with her beautifully written characters you will find it hard to put the book down.

The Shadow Seer, Book One of Ellenesia's Curse, is the compelling tale of the handsome, young and pure Prince Candale of the Kingdom of Carnia, whose growing pains spur on his burgeoning gifts as a prophet and seer; threatening to spiral out of control, into madness. Fran Jacobs' epical story of swords and sorcery, mages and bards, witches, warriors and demons is teeming with intrigue; uniquely depicting the classic battle between good and evil - as the fate of the world hinges upon the chaotic Prince Candale. Jacobs particularly shines as the creator of highly identifiable characters, whose imperfections and idiosyncrasies make a colossal impact.