The Shadows of Verihdia by Nikki Robb is your next favorite political fantasy novel. This story is reminiscent of Divergent but with magic and well-rounded characters. The Shadows of Verihdia follows Lexa, a young woman desperate to find her place in this world. The novel moves at an exciting and captivating pace and truly makes you feel connected to the characters. Though there is nothing too extreme, there is a thorough content warning at the beginning of the book. 

There are minor spoilers at the end of this review.

No Spoiler Review of The Shadows of Verihdia

From beginning to end, the book holds your attention and is nearly impossible to put down. Nikki Robb makes you feel immediately connected to her main character, Lexa. It’s also nice to read a fantasy novel that doesn’t center around a teenager and isn’t necessarily a “chosen one” story. Lexa is special, sure, but she also has the potential to be very powerful and even dangerous. This angle is often underutilized in fantasy books and makes for a much more interesting read. The relationships are all set up very well, including Lexa and her best friend, Lexa and her lover, and Lexa and her brother. Each relationship allows for a different side of Lexa to show. The characters feel well rounded and the story is well developed and executed. 

The Story

Lexa must make a decision that will affect the rest of her life. She thinks that this choice is made for her, and she is willing to go with it in order to find out who her parents are. She has always struggled with feelings of isolation and feeling like she doesn’t belong. Everything changes the night before she is supposed to make this choice. 

The fantasy part of this world relies on Mythica, a form of magic that manifests itself differently in everyone that has it. And it seems you are either born with it, or you aren’t. The political system in this story is also very intriguing. We have gods that created separate courts, appointing a Warden to each of them. These courts work together and separately to keep the peace of this world. Each Warden has a Dean that oversees the education of the pledges so that they can make informed decisions about which court they belong to. It’s a very intricate but well crafted political system. Also, there is a map at the very front of the book to help with your visualization. 

Structure and Influence

This book does include multiple points of view, but it never lingers on one too long. Lexa is obviously the main character, and therefore, a majority of the book takes place from her perspective. However, Lysander’s point of view also offers insight into Lexa and gives us a more in depth look at the world that she is experiencing. 

We mentioned Divergent at the top of this review. Now, in this author’s opinion, that book and film were completely devoid of any substance; it was a dystopian aesthetic at best. But the idea of education and pledging a faction that you may or may not be accepted by does ring true in The Shadows of Verihdia. The major difference between the two being that this world is actually well-crafted.

Spoilers

The tension built up between Lexa and Lysander is incredible. As an audience, we feel like we know where this relationship is going to go. However, they go back and forth, and we question it. The other truly incredible part of the writing is Lexa and her draw to the Court of Shadows. Robb sets up Lexa as a character who is jealous of those around her because they know where they belong. She also has dark secrets of her own. All signs would point to the Court of Shadows, yet when that idea is floated past Lexa it feels like a revelation. 

The cliffhanger is truly incredible. It is traumatic, smart, and terrifying. The sequel, The Mark of Mythica, was released earlier this year. So, fans of this book can devour the first book and immediately get the answers that they need. 

The Shadows of Verihdia is a very easy and fun read. There are lines that are borderline poetic, making the story more interesting and engaging. The writing style offers enough adjectives to properly envision the story without weighing down the narrative. Each chapter properly evokes emotion that you can feel along with Lexa. Truly, the only real criticism of this story is that you are going to want more.