I’m at a loss for what to say about Shadowspeak. Rather than classifying it as dark fantasy, I’d probably go to the point of calling it psychological fantasy. There is something cathartic about this story, but it’s hard to put my finger on what. It’s deep and should make you feel if you listen. I liked Rune and sympathized with her and her journey. However, I was not expecting this to take me on the ride it did.

The story is good and complex, and the characters are well imagined. When you sit down with this book, prepare yourself to give the story the appropriate time and attention. If you do not sink into the voice and read carefully, readers, you will not enjoy this read. It doesn’t fit with so many of today’s fantasy reads where you can just sail through it and get the high points. In order to understand this book, you need to be able to absorb and think before you judge. The words on the page within one scene are easy enough to read, but overall, this book is hard to read for other reasons.

First, the subject matter is trauma. Everyone experiences trauma in their own way. I’ve never had PTSD, so it was initially hard for me to align myself with the randomness of Rune’s narrative. I can respect it, but I cannot empathize. As a reader, it was difficult to put the snippets of memory together cohesively. I think a second read would do the trick.

Second, the perspective is so close to the main character that I felt inside her head for the entire book. At times, I felt like I couldn’t breathe I was so close to Rune. Given the darkness and the subject matter, that’s not an easy spot to be.

The author did an excellent job of immersion. I recommend to those who enjoy delving into the human psyche and trying to figure out what’s going on with that person.

Also, since I read this ARC copy of Shadowspeak, the cover has been updated to what’s above. I think it’s much more suiting for the nature of this work.