"This edgy romantasy debut sees an unlikely duo fight for life and light through deathly darkness."
May 2026 Debut of the Month
Light versus darkness, bravery versus recklessness, sacrifice versus survival, enemies and lovers, Casters and Seekers: Ellen Osborne’s dazzling dual-narrative debut serves fresh shades of The Hunger Games in an entirely original world that’s beset by dichotomies and conflict.
“Stay away from the woods”, Connie had always been told. “Stay away and don’t go near”, but now she’s enrolled to train at Blackwood Fortress, “in the depths of the Shade’s territory, in the heart of the darkness”. Here, teenagers are schooled in how to “be the light against the dark” of the Shade, designated as either a Caster or Seeker, and put into pairs: “One seeker and one caster, paired to one another, uniquely equipped to navigate the dark. The seeker was the anchor, the warrior”.
Having fared poorly in the cohorts’ initial tasks, Connie is shocked to be selected to be a Seeker. Worse still, she’s paired with arrogant, entitled Jasper. For his part, Jasper is horrified to have been given a “dud pairing”, and yet their survival will depend on how united they are, and how much they trust one another.
Into this, the danger gets very real, very fast, which sees the duo forced to find a way through their differences, and the encroaching darkness. Fiercely paced, laced with romance, and driven by a classic good versus evil storyline, The Seeker and the Shade is the real deal.
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‘Only those who search the darkest places find the light …’ The Seeker and the Shade tells the story of Connie, who is about to enrol at the mysterious fortress of Blackwood to train to become a Caster. At Blackwood she will be trained to navigate the dark, to battle the spectres that live in the Shade, a terrifying, malevolent darkness that is rapidly expanding, threatening to engulf the ordinary world.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed The Seeker and the Shade and determined it is suitable for children aged 13-18 years old
The Seeker and the Shade features in the following genres: Featured Books for 13+ readers, Featured Books for Young Adults, Debuts of the Month, Recommendations, Adventure Stories, Fantasy / Magical, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Fantasy romance, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational
Paperback. £8.09, down from the £8.99 cover price. In Stock.
The Seeker and the Shade was written by Ellen Osborne and published by Guppy Books an imprint of Guppy Publishing Ltd
The Seeker and the Shade has 388 pages
£8.09, reduced from £8.99. In Stock.
