Nora Eliana | Papertea & Bookflowers's Reviews > In the Shadow of Ruin

Originally published on my blog Papertea & Bookflowers

It’s a story of loss and grief, of pride and vengeance, and the question of how far everyone is willing to go to get it.

In the Shadow of Ruin is an action-packed book that is heavily inspired and based on ancient Nigerian folklore and I loved to see these stories through these characters. I’m a big fan of mythology and folklore and love when books take inspiration from them, especially when done so carefully.

Tonys writing style compliments this perfectly. It’s very to the point while still creating this atmospheric vibe that transports you right into the heart of the story and honestly doesn’t let you go. It reminds me a little of the stories of old in that regard. Being relatively clear but capturing one's attention so effortlessly.

“He could tell a storm was coming, he smelt it in the air and saw it in the way the clouds moved. He relished the rain to come; it had a purity about it as if it could wash away all his doubts, all his ill intentions and quell his sense of guilt when hard choices had to be made.

I was invested the moment we get introduced to King Jide on his way to the seers and gets a warning from what appears to be a little girl. It was a fantastic way to introduce not only Jide’s character and his current situation with the brewing war but also give us a little backstory about his connection with the gods. Immediately intrigued! That was the moment I knew I would enjoy In the Shadow of Ruin.

It was so easy to feel for the different characters and I was always left wanting more after each chapter and POV ended. I can’t really tell you who was my favourite (Niran) because I loved them all so much (Niran especially though). It was so easy for me to connect with the characters and their journey, so easy to feel for them and since I’m most definitely a character-focused reader … well, I loved it. All of them are so unique and distinct, you could never confuse them even if you forgot whose chapter you are reading you’d recognize them. That is incredibly important for a novel with multiple POVs. I need to know who I’m following even without the chapter title telling me, otherwise, they might just become one big mix in my head. Not happening here though!

The three brothers, Toju, Niran, and Enitan, are the perfect example of it. I loved reading their chapters! In the beginning when the whole plot starts to unravel they each vow revenge but in their own unique ways, with their own reasonings and strategies.

(view spoiler)[It also a testament to the writing that I cared when people died that I literally only knew for a couple paragraphs ... It shouldn't have affected me that much but it did! (hide spoiler)]

I loved how, even though the main conflict is a war, it is so much more. Simply because of all the various tribes and their beliefs and rituals and all the different gods. It influences how each character reacts and drives the plot forward. It also functions as a way to get to know the different characters more deeply and through a different lens. Each one is well developed, be it a main or side character. Everyone has their own flaws, thoughts and beliefs and inner conflicts and that creates an emotional depth that I love and it adds another layer to the main conflict of the novel.

Another thing I liked was seeing the different strategies in the battle and how they played out! Especially when they were interspersed with the flashbacks and backstory of Jide and Olise and their story. It created such a lovely pace, like a piece of music. Everything flowed together so well. I would have loved to be more involved in that though. We often see only the consequences of said strategies but it was still a part I quite enjoyed.

The battle scenes were brilliantly written and kept me on the edge of my seat and I had to stop myself from jumping ahead to find out how they would play out. It was incredible to read about the determination and resilience of some of the tribes!

This brings me to my last point. There is so much potential in the world and the characters! There are so many characters that I could see having their own book and story. I’d most certainly read them!