Book Review: The Missing Shield, Part 1

My rating: 5 brilliant stars


for one of the best books I've read this year and a series that has jumped straight into my top 10 of favorite fantasy series ever!

This 1000+ pages tome may seem intimidating but it is practically unputdownable.


In the realm of Dallancea, chaos has claimed a foothold. Magic lies broken and twisted: useless; monsters walk the realms; the Veils are fragile, after having almost been breached and the Mad Ones (the creator's first children, now trapped in exile) are stirring. They're trying to tear the Veils apart and let Chaos rule. The Guardians are awakened to uphold their Oath and do their sacred duty. Prevent the Mad Ones from escaping and keep the Veils safe. Except that, the two things the Guardians need most are missing. The sacred twins and the ancient artefact needed to protect the future, are nowhere to be found.

Guardian Malandar Denarlin takes it upon himself to venture into the human realm to locate and protect the twins. But time is short. Enemies old and new stalk the lands.

Far away, in the Realm of Ostravah, Princess Iambre’s childhood friend and ‘life-shield’, Solancei, vanishes during a visit to an allied stronghold. And Iambre will risk it all to save her friend.

Alone and injured, Solancei must pit her wit against a dangerous foe in a deadly game of truth or dare, one that she may not survive.

Three stories apart. Deep and multilayered. And you can practically see the threads coming together despite the gap in between them.

Image from L.L. Thomsen FB page

Written from multiple POVs and in different timelines, in a rich, lyric and elegant prose, this tale is a little slow in the beginning, setting the base and laying out the players for one of the most intricate epic fantasies I have ever read.

Everything in this book is high-class! The prose, wordbuilding, action scenes, character buildup and feeling. Everything practically leaps of the page. You only have to pay attention, trust the author, lean back and let the story unfold.

The Missing Shield will give you incredibly vivid and fast paced fight-scenes, where you can practically see the movements of the opponents and the blades slashing, as well as masterful description of battle of wits and words, where the slightest change in tone of voice or the mere glint of an eye may cause an affront with dire consequences.

It will offer you masterfully portrayed and remarkably fleshed out characters along with a brilliant insight into what makes each of them who they are. From the profound understanding of how someone can be broken from a very young age to the change of heart of a spoiled and stubborn princess, you will get to experience it all, in incredibly vivid details and descriptions.

You will get to practically feel the characters' pain with them; you'll see and smell the dungeon and shudder at their despair! You will find yourself at the edge of your seat biting your nails and needing to know what happens next.
Because yes! Everything is that masterfully described!

The Missing Shield is a complex and multilayered first class high fantasy, with an impressive wordbuilding, rich portrayals of both world and characters, as well as a deep insight into the characters' thoughts, reasoning and motivations.

It is for readers who love rich and lush descriptions like those offered by Guy Gavriel Kay . It is for those who enjoy the intricacy of Steven Erikson and the elegant style of Janny Wurts.
This is not a fast read in which you can skip and skim. It is one of those you need to pay attention to and read slowly, to fully be able to appreciate it.


If you love a complex high epic fantasy, this one is a MUST READ!

Copy received from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you L.L. Thomsen
I fell in love with your series.

Check out this book and more of L.L. Thomsen here.