Shadowmagic

Shadowmagic

by John Lenahan

PodioBooks Audio Book

15.5 hours (that's my best guess!)

I added this to my Friday Finds a while back after reading Grasping for the Wind's great review and I'm SO GLAD that I did. This is pure fun! It was supposed to be a book for kiddo to listen to but so far I'm the only one who has heard it (although I did start TELLING the story to him while we were waiting in line to see Santa last week).

Author John Lenahan wanted a story he could tell his son at night before bed. It had to be fun and exciting - to keep the interest of a boy - and it had to be age-appropriate. And of course it had to be told out loud. That's the story of how he created Shadowmagic.

As the story opens we meet teenage Connor who lives with his single father, a brilliant but eccentric man. There's a knock at the door and in comes a woman claiming to be Connor's aunt, followed by a knight complete with horse and armor. A battle ensues and the next thing you know, Connor and his dad are chained up in a dungeon in Tir na Nog, the land of the fairies. Come to find out, his dad was actually born there and their return has caused all sorts of drama in "the Land".

The story takes off quickly and is sure to keep the interest of any adventure fan. Lenahan incorporates lots of Irish mythology and I'm always a fan of that (since Gram is from Ireland, I'm fascinated with Irish history, I've been there twice, and would love to live there one day). It's not a "deep" story but it IS fun and very enjoyable. I loved it!

Lenahan may write two sequels to Shadowmagic in the future - I'd love to hear them. There is certainly room for LOTS more adventures with the wonderful characters and lands he created in this book.

One other thing ... this story was meant to be listened to. It is out in book form as well but I really think it will lose something when if read rather than listed to. Be sure to listen to it (free!) while you can.*

For more info on Shadowmagic check out the author's website and his blog.

* To hear this audio book you need to create a free account with Podiobooks (click here to go to the main page for this book). Once you've signed up you can have the chapters delivered to you every few days OR listen to them through the feed whenever you like.


Has anyone else listened to this? Reviewed it? Does it peak your interest?