I’ve been following Andrew Watson’s YouTube channel for some time now, and I’m also a member of his Discord and Patreon. His debut novel, Harbinger of Justice, was released in 2023, and I read it last year—I found it incredibly gripping and suspenseful. So naturally, I was very excited for the sequel.

When The Black Mantle came out in February, I had the ebook ready to go. But shortly after, I found out I’d won a paperback ARC through Andrew’s Patreon. That made waiting for the physical copy more than worth it. After a bit of a delay at customs, the book finally arrived in early March—and I dove in almost immediately.

Andrew Watson – The Black Mantle (Shadowbinders #2) ★★★★

Genre: Fantasy

The war of shadows is being drawn into the light.

Rai faces a past he swore he’d never return to. Tarris is on the brink of civil war and Rai may have set the fuse for the oncoming devastation. But he is a different man now. A man with a darker shadow.

Darkness leaks into Yontar, but Nya refuses to let it take those she loves. If the darkness can be held at bay, she will have everything she has ever wanted. Everything should be perfect. But no one can outrun their shadow.

All the while, ancient mysteries are being uncovered. A past lost to the sands of time. However, the past was buried for a reason.

The dark beckons to them. And it shall not go unanswered.

Right from the start, the book does something I appreciated—a brief recap of the previous events. Even though I found I didn’t need it, it’s a thoughtful touch that made returning to this world feel seamless. And just like the first time around, the prologue grabbed me instantly. Dark, cruel, ominous, and filled with foreboding—it set the tone perfectly for what would turn out to be an even more intense and layered sequel.

“The shattering of bonds was pain unlike any other.”

The scope of The Black Mantle is broader in every sense. We’re treated to a more expansive view of the world, its lore, and political machinations, all while diving deeper into the characters we met before. While Harbinger of Justice felt like Nya’s story, this installment is undeniably Rai’s, the character I was most curious about. From the very first chapter—which was honestly gut-wrenching—his arc takes center stage. I absolutely loved the way we explore Rai’s backstory through flashbacks spanning different stages of his life. It added so much emotional depth and context to the man he’s become.

Though I was sad to see our characters splinter and go their separate ways, I appreciated how it allowed us to explore new corners of this world. And when their paths finally intersect again? Explosive. Literally and emotionally.
One standout for me was Kit. I was thrilled to see more of him—such a likeable and intriguing character. What he’s going through is nothing short of fascinating, and the way he handled it, growing emotionally along the way, was incredibly rewarding to witness. Which isn’t to say there isn’t still so much to learn about his plight.

“A sharper knife won’t always end an argument. But it will always draw more blood.”

The story starts off slowly, building tension and emotional nuance, peppered with well-placed moments of humor. But once the pace picks up, it really picks up—full of escalating action, mystery, and reveals that carry massive implications. Some twists were genuinely shocking, and a few had me staring at the page in disbelief. The ending, though… brutal. Absolutely brilliant, but also devastating. I’m kicking myself for reading it now, because the wait for the next book is going to be torture. I need to know what happens next.

“People often mistake light and darkness for equals. They mistake them as two forces battling against one another. This isn’t the case.”

One of my favorite aspects continues to be the magic systems. The way shadowmagic affects its wielder—and how shades are influenced by their bonded humans (or is it the other way around?)—had me constantly questioning who was influencing whom. It’s such a clever dynamic. On top of that, the further exploration of blood magic, which had only been briefly touched on in book one, was deeply fascinating. The idea that different types of blood have different effects was such a cool and promising concept.

“Darkness is something else entirely. It smothers the world. Consumes everything, everywhere, always.”

Mysterious, emotional, and increasingly dark, The Black Mantle builds on everything that made the first book so compelling, and elevates it with higher stakes, deeper lore, and characters you can’t help but root for (and worry about constantly). A phenomenal continuation of the Shadowbinders trilogy and I can’t wait to see what happens next.