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The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington
When a world once ruled by gifted elites begins to stir with forbidden powers, three unlikely companions are pulled into secrets that could rewrite history. Political intrigue tangles with ancient prophecies as a long-buried threat awakens. The Shadow of What Was Lost invites you into an epic mystery where every choice echoes across an empire.
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In The Shadow of What Was Lost, did you enjoy ...
... a layered, rule-based magic system that keeps revealing new depths and constraints?
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
You enjoyed how Davian uncovers the limits of Essence and the forbidden edges of the Augurs’ abilities while Asha and Wirr grapple with what those powers mean for Andarra. In The Way of Kings, Kaladin’s bond with Syl and the oaths of the Windrunners, along with Shallan’s Lightweaving and the mysteries of Stormlight, deliver that same thrill of discovery—each revelation about Surgebinding reframes what magic can do and what it costs.
... mind-bending timelines, causality puzzles, and the consequences of foreknowledge?
The First Fifteen Lives Of Harry August by Claire North
If Caeden’s memory shards and the series’ time-bending reveals grabbed you—especially how hidden pasts and future knowledge ripple through Davian and the Augurs’ choices—then The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August will hit the same nerve. Harry relives his life over and over, joins the clandestine Cronus Club, and battles a brilliant rival whose plans threaten the future, exploring the ethics of changing what’s to come with a clarity that echoes the Augurs’ visions.
... a sprawling, multi-perspective epic where each viewpoint reshapes the conflict?
A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
Part of the pull in The Shadow of What Was Lost is seeing the Boundary crisis and Andarran turmoil through Davian, Asha, Wirr, and Caeden—each thread changing how you read the others. A Game of Thrones offers that same mosaic: Eddard’s honor in King’s Landing, Tyrion’s sharp statecraft, Catelyn’s hard choices, and Daenerys’s rise beyond the Narrow Sea interlock into a larger, ever-shifting struggle you piece together chapter by chapter.
... intricate maneuvering through hostile bureaucracies and high-stakes statecraft?
The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson
If Wirr’s cat-and-mouse with the Andarran Administration and the Treaty’s constraints fascinated you—the quiet power plays, the cost of policy, the knife-edge of compromise—The Traitor Baru Cormorant is a perfect fit. Baru infiltrates the Masquerade’s empire, weaponizing currency reforms, quarantines, and social engineering to outflank rivals, delivering the same tense, cerebral intrigue that made the Andarran political threads so compelling.
... identity-redefining revelations that upend what you thought you knew?
The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons
If Caeden’s true past and the late-book reversals left you reeling—and made you rethink earlier chapters—The Ruin of Kings doubles down on that delight. Through Kihrin’s dueling testimonies, cursed artifacts, and meddling gods, the story springs trapdoors under your assumptions the way Islington does with hidden histories and secret loyalties, rewarding close reading with gasp-worthy twists.
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