Lightseekers
A Kingdom of Shadows (Book 1)
Lightseekers: A Kingdom of Shadows by Emily Bain Murphy is a delightful fantasy novel set in the Kingdom of Wildfel. After the Great Betrayal, light is slowly diminishing from the world and in its place shadows, darkness, and a twisting of what was once true and beautiful. The story opens in a place known as The Bells, where readers will meet Finn, Adrion, and Lydia, Finn’s sister. Shadows and darkness are so strong in The Bells that little bells hang along the way to help the residents orient themselves and particularly those who might fall into the murky canals lining the streets. Soon the auraflies, winged creatures of light with gold in their wings, will make their appearance. Finn, Lydia, and Adrion are determined to catch as many as they can to help pay a guide to lead them out of The Bells and to another town.
While they do manage to catch a number of auraflies and gain some coin for travel, after an encounter with a rogue, Finn must decide money or Lydia. Obviously not a contest, the coins are lost to the depths of the canal while Lydia is saved, but gone is the money for the guide out of The Bells. Fortuitously, there is a mysterious young man named Ehrit who offers for them to join him on his adventure to the Lake of Light. Meaning to only be with him a short while, Finn, Lydia, and Adrion follow Ehrit out of The Bells and into a forest where they are met by additional travelers, Sella and Mop.
From this point the story weaved by Emily Bain Murphy is pure enchantment and beauty as the characters face challenges and triumphs seeking to leave the shadows behind and discover the Lake of Light. Additional characters join them along the way and they are betrayed by one; they are followed by mysterious soldiers of the beloved General to later learn that the truth they have long believed is a lie, and they must wrestle with where they place they trust, and do they have the courage to become who they are meant to be?
While there are several characters in this book and readers will get a little background for each, Finn is clearly the focal point of the narrative as he wrestles with the person he has needed to be to survive and care for his younger sister and the life Ehrit shows him and offers him. He wrestles with his friendship with Adrion as he draws closer to Ehrit and Adrion continues to seek a life separate from him. He also wrestles with his internal desires for selfish gain and yet a deep, indwelling knowing there is a purpose for his life and yet not knowing what that may be.
Lydia is the embodiment of child-like faith, but her faith is also rocked with a truth she and others have long believed is shattered. Yet, she doesn’t let the truth destroy her, instead she embraces the next challenge and never questions her faith in Ehrit.
Sella, Mop, Adrion, and Perry are great characters each with their own personalities and struggles that are revealed throughout the story.
Noteworthy Quotes/Mentions:
The main characters Finn and Lydia’s mother disappeared when they were young and have no information of her whereabouts or what may have happened to her. “He’d waited so long for her to come back. But just like the light, that dream was fading” (8).
“Darkness seemed to be swallowing the very light in the air, as if it were being held hostage by shadows that grew ever stronger” (9).
As they are considering looking for the light, Finn considers how he heard stories of its existence when he was growing up, but he simply assumed they were legends from people who were desperate for hope (17).
“I’m looking for people who want to go on an adventure” (19).
“I want to do something big with my life,” she’d told Finn once. “Something that matters. That works toward the good” (24).
There are mentions of people who are witches, magic, curses and Ehrit has abilities to do things that seem miraculous.
The characters come across a fruit that has the appearance of something delightful and satisfying to eat. However, Ehrit saves Adrion from eating it and reveals that rottenness inside. “If you had eaten that fruit, it would have turned you into something you don’t want to be” (53-54).
In one adventurous encounter, two desperate girls attempt to go back on their word and the younger girl makes a statement that “words mean nothing [...] when you’re poor and desperate.” Ehrit, however, responds, “Your word is one of the most valuable things you have and one of the only things poverty can’t take. Only you can destroy it” (94).
“Wisdom is its own kind of light” (100).
“History is one of the many forms of light that are being extinguished and replaced with shadows. The light we can sense with our eyes is growing weaker” (126).
Ehrit has a sword with the capability to hurt “its wielder as much as the victim” (152). When Adrion uses it and suffers for it he questions Ehrit why have such a weapon. Ehrit responds that “It teaches its bearer to use it wisely” (155).
“There will come a time when each of you will have to choose how far you are willing to go in the battle for the light” (165).
Finn, in his internal struggle wonders, “How many secrets could you keep from a best friend before you grew apart?” (169).
“If Lydia had any hope left, he wanted to protect it” (176).
“Being a thief–a masterful thief–was who he was. But that was only because he had to be.” [...] “Maybe he didn’t want to be that person anymore” (188).
“Fear is a greedy thing, isn’t it?” he said. “It wants to make us forget about everything but itself and miss all of the things to delight in” (197).
“Lies often spread quicker than the truth and are harder to refute. Especially when they contain a kernel of truth” (289).
No review could possibly do this book justice, and I don’t want to give too much of it away, but from the notable quotes and mentions, the evidence of great themes is certainly clear along with the beautiful displays of Christian theology in the writing. This novel is worthy of an award and should be on the shelf next to The Chronicles of Narnia and The Wingfeather Saga. I have already reordered the next book, and I cannot wait to return to the enchanted story of Wildfel and Ehrit. Adventure surely waits.
