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Daughter of Shades (The Venatrix Chronicles Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Sylvia Mercedes (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,505 ratings
See all formats and editions

Forbidden love, breathtaking action, and terrifying magic, perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Leigh Bardugo!

A huntress with no past.
A rival with a secret.
A kingdom’s fate hangs in the balance . . .

Ayleth and her shade move as one, ever hungry for the hunt. Under her mentor’s tight control, she fears her memories are being stolen. Now nineteen, apprenticed for as long as she can remember to the mysterious Holy Order, she longs to rise in the ranks and banish untamed spirits for the prophesied Golden Prince.

When shadowy threats descend on the crown, Ayleth seizes a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to prove her worth in open competition. Seeking to win the prince’s favor and escape her scheming mentor, she resolves to hold her own against Terryn, a handsome, arrogant opponent who may be more than a match for her untested powers.

But as the two rivals follow a trail beyond the Great Barrier and confront legendary evil, the stolen secrets of Ayleth’s past may return to haunt her . . .

Can Ayleth win the trial and reclaim her true self? Can she even survive her first day?

Daughter of Shades is the first breathtaking book in The Venatrix Chronicles YA fantasy series. If you like kick-butt heroines, intriguing worlds of magic, and slow-burn romance then you’ll love Sylvia Mercedes’s action-packed story.

Buy Daughter of Shades today, and journey into a vivid medieval world of honor and deception, rivalry and love, valiant hunters and malevolent spirits from another realm . . .

Praise for Song of Shadows, the prequel to The Venatrix Chronicles:

★★★★★ "I loved the world Sylvia created, especially the magic system, which was unlike anything I'd read before. Can't wait to read on!" - USA Today Bestselling Author Claire Luana

★★★★★"Mark my words, Sylvia Mercedes is an author to watch . . . The Venatrix Chronicles is going to be one seriously addicting series." - L. Danvers, Author of the Fate Abandoned Series

★★★★★ "As a librarian, I would recommend this initial entry to my readers of YA fantasy, particularly fans of Sarah Maas and Cassandra Clare, and on a personal note I'm recommending it to my husband who enjoys Brandon Sanderson and Patrick Rothfuss." - Laura Freer, librarian and Goodreads Reviewer

★★★★★ "I loved this book. The story, the world-building (wow the world-building) and the characters. Ms. Mercedes has launched a truly fabulous first book and I want more." - Emily Ling, Goodreads Reviewer

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  1. Book 1 of 7
    The Venatrix Chronicles
  2. Print length
    429 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    July 28, 2019
  6. Reading age
    13 - 18 years
  7. File size
    5385 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sylvia Mercedes is the author of the Venatrix Chronicles series. She makes her home in the idyllic North Carolina countryside with her handsome husband, sweet baby-lady, and Gummy Bear, the Toothless Wonder Cat.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07TN3HQF7
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ FireWyrm Books (July 28, 2019)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 28, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5385 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 429 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,505 ratings

About the author

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Sylvia Mercedes

Sylvia Mercedes

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Sylvia Mercedes makes her home in the idyllic North Carolina countryside with her handsome husband, numerous small children, and the dynamic cat duo known as The Fluffy Brothers. When she’s not writing she’s . . . okay, let’s be honest. When she’s not writing, she’s running around after her little girl, cleaning up glitter, trying to plan healthy-ish meals, and wondering where she left her phone. In between, she reads a steady diet of fantasy novels.

But mostly she’s writing.

After a short career in traditional publishing (under a different name), Sylvia decided to take the plunge into the indie publishing world and is enjoying every minute of it. She's the author of the bestselling Venatrix Chronicles, The Scarred Mage of Roseward trilogy, and the romantic fantasy duology, Of Candlelight and Shadows.

Visit Sylvia online at:https://www.sylviamercedesbooks.com/

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
1,505 global ratings
Secrets, Shades, and Empowered Beings
4 Stars
Secrets, Shades, and Empowered Beings
My first fiction read of 2020! I received this book for Christmas, and I couldn't wait to dive in. Secrets, shades, and empowered beings. This story plunges you into a world like none I've ever read before. The world building is massive, but I feel like it's only the tip of the iceberg. AND there are gorgeous maps! In the beginning, I was a bit confused as I tried to see how people and events were related to each other, but that faded as I grew accustomed to the new story world and the characters. The main character is strong yet relate-able, desiring to strike out on her own and prove herself. I love the chemistry between the characters. The author hinted at so many secrets, possibilities, and challenges to come, I am looking forward to seeing how it will all play out throughout the rest of the series. The story ended well, leaving us with just a taste of the characters and what is to come. I really enjoyed the story, and maybe I'll love it, but first I want to see how some things play out in the rest of the series. I have a feeling this is just a start to a most epic adventure. I definitely recommend this book to readers (older teens and beyond) who enjoy a bit of a dark, gritty, creepiness in their adventures with a hint of romance to come.
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Top reviews from the United States

Gabryel M.
5.0 out of 5 stars Better than most books published in the last 10 years
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2020
Verified Purchase
I have been so sick of reading fantasy books with the same predictable storylines and useless characters with no personalities. Thankfully, this is NOT one of those books. This series is truly phenomenal!
Sylvia’s writing style pulls you into the story immediately. The book starts out as what you assume is just another story of a rebellious girl who sets out to prove herself. You assume you know how it is going to go, but Sylvia quickly corrects you on that matter. Nothing about this story is predictable. The plot line is unique. The hero is unique. The villain is unique. Indeed, you will spend most of the series trying to figure out who the real villain is and who the real hero is because every time you think you have it figured out, another detail throws off everything you thought you knew. Each new book is a whole wealth of new development that will keep you engrossed from start to finish without ever stalling or getting old.
As for the characters, they sink their hooks into your heart without you even realizing it. You feel their pain, celebrate their triumphs, and cringe at their awkward mishaps as if you were in their shoes. You truly understand why they do the things they do. And that is true for most all the characters in this series, good and evil. There is a fine line between hero and villain and Sylvia Mercedes is a master at making you realize how easy it is to cross that line whether one intends to or not.
I read this series in Kindle Unlimited, but having it on a borrow basis is not good enough. I will be ordering hard copies of all these books and probably any others that Sylvia writes. Read this series. You owe it to yourself.
4 people found this helpful
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Megan
4.0 out of 5 stars Review of books 1-6
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2020
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This is a review of books 1-5.5 (full disclosure I heavily skimmed book 6) for those wanting to see if the series as a whole is for them. Minor spoilers in the comments.

Pros:
The main character is an amazingly well rounded character who is smart, capable, and does the rescuing. The fight scenes in this series are on point and definitely page turning. I found myself more than once staying up late to finish the end of a few books in the series. Laranta is a Jewell of a character... I wish we got more of her throughout the series so far. The world building is vivid and the author does an excellent job of showing the world through the character’s eyes. It was masterful storytelling (even if I hate how true to character this world can be). Little to no grammar mistakes for those that care.

Cons: The series promises a few things in book one’s synopsis that don’t happen until book five (that I found so frustrating). One is the romance. It Is basically zero. I picked this up thinking it would be enemies to lovers... it is, but the to lovers part (though very well built up) was frustratingly slow. Seriously not even a hint of a kiss until book five. If romance readers pick up this book wanting that to be a plot point they are going to be very disappointed. The second is her memories. Those were well hinted at, but there is so many times the heroine is in her soul forest and keeps going to that dang ravine to only get thwarted. Towards the end she wakes up by rolling off the bed and I about threw my phone (kindle app) in frustration. Other frustrations in the series deals with some of the book’s pacing/ characters. The never ending Inren/Fayline saga gets old fast. Just stay dead. Some books seem more filler than others- by book six I was skimming until the end just to see if more happened (it doesn’t) and I will probably read it through all the way when book seven comes out.

Overall this series is definitely worth the read. A really interesting world, pretty interesting plot, and characters that are well rounded and that have very real and powerful motivations.
3 people found this helpful
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Amber Chenoweth
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent First Book!
Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2020
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This is my first 'ebook only' that I've read and I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. It moves right along, and Mercedes' writing style is almost flawless! There were only handful of mistakes, and they were all very minor. I love a book that keeps me on the edge of my seat the entire time, and this book certainly delivered. Being a new mother myself really affected the way I reacted to the beginning of this book... Oh, it punched me right in the feels! I cried, a lot. That checks or box on my best books list. I also found myself chuckling at some of Ayleth's antics so that checks another box. This series may end up on my favorites list! I can't wait to dive into the next one. Six out of five stars to Daughter of Shades! One hundred percent recommend this book to any YA fantasy lovers out there. It's a quick and enjoyable read.
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars For the old readers
Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2020
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If all I cared about was the writing, I'm sure I'd find this series engaging enough. The author is very talented, after all.

The story is dark and gritty, all about the death of closely held beliefs, and what remains after an author has tortured her characters relentlessly (seriously, why do some authors seem to hate their characters so much!) I suppose it's a good thing that I couldn't really get too attached to them.

But I've read the author's previous work (under a different name) and was disappointed to find that the light has gone out of her writing. That ephemeral, magical something that made her writings more than just another story like thousands of others on here is missing.

Without it her stories are on the depressing side and after book three I found myself skimming to the end to see if there was anything worth sticking around for. Maybe I missed something along the way but from what I could see, it was just more and more of the same.

If you like gritty horror fantasy, I suppose this is your series. You can feel free to ignore my review and dive on in.

As for me, I am saying a very painful goodbye to an author whose work meant something to me once.
21 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Brianna lin
5.0 out of 5 stars A amazing fantasy
Reviewed in Brazil on June 20, 2021
Verified Purchase
This a common fantasy, however, it's really well written. It's not a fantasy that takes too long to develop, I think with ten chapters half have action scenes
I really loved the main character, she is funny, brave and honest about herself. Also, as we can see not just the Ayleth view but also from the other characters, is amazing as I had a way to not just judge one carachter by its surface.
There is a little bit of mystery around the relationships and the universe created, what made me anxious to read the next books.
The world made is really interesting and made me want to fight shades 😂
I also liked that thing that they can acess their own subconscient, although, I don't know if it's a desirable ability 😂
I didn't like that on the synopsis there is a tip saying what is going to be the couple, my judge is spoiled, I can't say if I really liked them together or I was pushed by the mini spoiler.
I laughed so much with the kissing scenes 😂😂😂 They are going to be a funny couple.
Now I am going to search the author saying the name of the characters, why american authors like to put such difficult names on their carachters? Ayleth, Terryn...
Thanks Kindle for having a tool for who is learning English, it was hard to imagine all the details but without the tool I shouldn't get it, as I am not a native english speaker.
I felt really curious about the world and I think I didn't loss the interest at any moment. I recommend this books for everyone who wants a little bit of fantasy to its life, I think we need to scape a little bit from the current world.
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Kevin
5.0 out of 5 stars Kort, maar krachtig
Reviewed in Germany on August 27, 2019
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Ik heb dit boek vijf sterren gegeven omdat het verhaal veel in zich heeft. Dit boek is te zien als een introductie, maar het leest wel makkelijk door. We weten niet precies wie de hoofdpersoon is, maar er wordt genoeg mysterie gecreëerd. Ik ben benieuwd naar het tweede boek!
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Abbie
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant first book!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 20, 2019
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This is the first novel I’ve read by Mercedes, and what a great first one to read! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting. Sylvia does a great job at creating an interesting and original world that captivates the reader, as well as characters with real depth.

Ayleth is a likeable main character. She’s fierce, ambitious and intelligent, and I was glad to see these traits run throughout the entire novel. Her relationship with her shade, Laranta, is unique and it’ll be interesting to see how this develops. There are only a few recurring characters, but the well-built layers to each individual means that the lack of characters doesn’t detract from the plot.

I love her growing relationship with Terryn. I’m a sucker for the rival-to-lover trope, and Mercedes is building their relationship up at a good pace that fits perfectly into the plot without feeling forced. As the series continues, I think it’ll also be interesting to see what happens between Ayleth and Prince Gerard, although I’m undoubtedly rooting for Terryn.

Although originally I found the beginning to be rather slow, it makes sense as it allowed time to understand how the world works. There’s also quite a lot of original terminology and concepts which took a while to become familiar with, but they make the world Mercedes has created feel more real.

I enjoyed the book so much that I’ve already pre-ordered the sequel, which I’m really looking forward to reading. There are so many unanswered questions about Ayleth’s past that I was instantly left longing for more as soon as the book was over. At times, the writing was a bit too ‘tell’ instead of ‘show’, but descriptions of setting were well-written and imaginitive.
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Ellinah C
5.0 out of 5 stars Daughter of Shades 1
Reviewed in Australia on October 21, 2019
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Interesting story, characters and the supernatural l absolutely enjoyed it as it was different. I can’t wait to know where it’s all going thank you 😊❤️
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Carrick
4.0 out of 5 stars Good read: Deep and well written
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 3, 2021
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A satisfying read and good to find. The magic model are drawn well with intelligent, credible and coherent mechanisms. No deus ex machina and the more power, the more risk. Danger is tangible. characters and descripotions have obviously benefited from more than usual care. The world is uncomfortable and you understand why. The plot pacing is good and the suprises, challenges and solutions are all engaging and satisfying. There is a good hook for keeping you engaged into book two. It is not great classic literature, nor is it fluffy, careless or basic writting. I got book 2 and will see how we go from there. The world building needs more depth and practicallity in lots of little ways. I hope it'll come steadily but it looses a star there.

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