Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
BOOK REVIEW: Shades of War: The Valerian Chronicles Book 1 by Evelyn M. Lewis
Evelyn M. Lewis’ website: evelynmlewis.com
The Kingdom of Heaven review: youtu.be/4m8J5-MTTNY?si=8pYueeSXaQUep-Lu
Genre: sci-fi fantasy with a dystopian feel
Audience: New Adult + (It does have a bit of cursing)
My Summary: Daniel’s focus is making it into the science division at the Academy until an interplanetary war erupts and everyone turns their attention to the city of Telel, where the king has been murdered and replaced by his brother and shapeshifting, bloodthirsty shades have overtaken the city. Daniel is swept into his secret mission to retake the city. He acts as the tech-savvy spy while the other members of the mission work on a secret part of the mission.
Positives
This story is full of excitement. It has chase scenes, taser drones, and evil government (or is it?) creepy shape shifters, battles, secrets, several mysterious figures, and more. The action feels so tense and dangerous, and the stakes are high. The secrets keep you guessing, and the secrets make you and the characters question everyone and everything.
It is not a dystopia, but it has that “evil government posing as good” feel, and that makes you question what’s true and real, which I really enjoy.
The writing style and voice is witty and human. It feels like your cool funny friend is telling you the story, and it makes it so much fun even though it’s full of war, evil, and difficulty.
The characters feel distinct and human. Daniel, the main character, isn’t good at much, isn’t likable, and isn’t generally capable, but he knows who he is and what he can do, and that makes him relatable and interesting. The other characters are similar in their humanness.
This story feels real because it is full of difficult situations, flawed characters, and a terrible political atmosphere.
I couldn’t stop reading. I yelled at the book, and slammed it down when I realized things, and mumbled conspiratorially while reading it.
Negatives
The book could have been made better with a few rounds of editing to help with technical details, information consistency, and fleshing out all the ideas. It was nothing major, but it did have quite a few tiny details that could have been strengthened to make the experience more immersive.
The side romance didn’t have a basis, but was cute and believable.
Overall: Such an exciting ride!
#hapruitt #bookreview #review #bookreviewer #independentauthor #indieauthor #authorsupportingauthors #fantasy #scifi dystopia #sciencefiction #readthisbook #whatshouldireadnext
BOOK REVIEW: Shades of War: The Valerian Chronicles Book 1 by Evelyn M. Lewis
Evelyn M. Lewis’ website: evelynmlewis.com
The Kingdom of Heaven review: youtu.be/4m8J5-MTTNY?si=8pYueeSXaQUep-Lu
Genre: sci-fi fantasy with a dystopian feel
Audience: New Adult + (It does have a bit of cursing)
My Summary: Daniel’s focus is making it into the science division at the Academy until an interplanetary war erupts and everyone turns their attention to the city of Telel, where the king has been murdered and replaced by his brother and shapeshifting, bloodthirsty shades have overtaken the city. Daniel is swept into his secret mission to retake the city. He acts as the tech-savvy spy while the other members of the mission work on a secret part of the mission.
Positives
This story is full of excitement. It has chase scenes, taser drones, and evil government (or is it?) creepy shape shifters, battles, secrets, several mysterious figures, and more. The action feels so tense and dangerous, and the stakes are high. The secrets keep you guessing, and the secrets make you and the characters question everyone and everything.
It is not a dystopia, but it has that “evil government posing as good” feel, and that makes you question what’s true and real, which I really enjoy.
The writing style and voice is witty and human. It feels like your cool funny friend is telling you the story, and it makes it so much fun even though it’s full of war, evil, and difficulty.
The characters feel distinct and human. Daniel, the main character, isn’t good at much, isn’t likable, and isn’t generally capable, but he knows who he is and what he can do, and that makes him relatable and interesting. The other characters are similar in their humanness.
This story feels real because it is full of difficult situations, flawed characters, and a terrible political atmosphere.
I couldn’t stop reading. I yelled at the book, and slammed it down when I realized things, and mumbled conspiratorially while reading it.
Negatives
The book could have been made better with a few rounds of editing to help with technical details, information consistency, and fleshing out all the ideas. It was nothing major, but it did have quite a few tiny details that could have been strengthened to make the experience more immersive.
The side romance didn’t have a basis, but was cute and believable.
Overall: Such an exciting ride!
#hapruitt #bookreview #review #bookreviewer #independentauthor #indieauthor #authorsupportingauthors #fantasy #scifi dystopia #sciencefiction #readthisbook #whatshouldireadnext
