Author J.M. Shaw continues Callum’s story in The Fractured Veil. Callum has survived much, but in this continuation of the series, he will learn powerful lessons, and learn a secret that will shock even you.
The Fractured Veil draws the eye of readers with a cover that appears to be lit up in vibrant shades of orange with hints of red. There is an individual, possibly Callum himself, standing in a forest scene with shimmering eddies of magic dancing in front of him. Callum himself appears to be wreathed in a magical aura as he stands with his hands in his pockets. Rising on either side of him are trees with their limbs stretching overhead.
The Fractured Veil continues Callum’s story from book two, The Convergence. If you’ve missed book two, but read book one, you can still pick this book up. Author Shaw will give readers little tidbits of information that tie back to The Convergence, but not a lot so that readers still feel the desire to go back and read it.
Author Shaw gives readers little pieces of insight into what Callum has been through in The Convergence, but this book kicks off a prologue that takes place four months earlier. In this prologue, author Shaw introduces readers to a goddess by the name of Neola. Neola feels the impact of what Callum does in The Convergence. Whatever he’s done it has caused great damage to the Veil that separates the world of magic from the world of humans.
Neola fears what will happen should the Veil fall, so she calls upon her son, Jax Foster, a demi-god. Of course, she has to locate Jax, first and that means her crossing into the human world to call him home. Neola wants Jax to find who damaged the Veil and determine whether they still pose a threat, because from what she has discovered – the Veil cannot take another hit like that…or it will fall. Well, that’s one way to kick off The Fractured Veil!
All of that sounds pretty ominous, right? It will absolutely pique your interest to find out what exactly Callum has done in The Convergence to enact such damage to the Veil, but as you finally get to Callum you learn that he carries an immense amount of guilt for what he’s done. Author Shaw will give readers some small clues as to what happened, but not in detail.
As The Fractured Veil continues to unfold, readers follow Callum’s story. Told from the third person perspective, Callum is trying to act as the Guardian of the Veil on the human side. He’s not alone, as he has a wolf companion by the name of Titan. These two have grown close since meeting and Titan acts as Callum’s companion and guardian.
Readers are going to enjoy Titan’s part in The Fractured Veil. Titan may be an animal, but he’s no ordinary wolf. He is from the magic side of the Veil and so he and Callum are able to communicate with each other telepathically. Titan is going to be one of many who try to assert to Callum that not everything is his fault. However, Callum, being as stubborn as he is (still) refuses to set aside any guilt for anything.
Author Shaw weaves a story that sees Callum facing quite a few dangerous situations. He battles goblins, goes toe-to-toe with Jax, and must face a grueling trial against the Harpies who manage to manipulate the Furies into helping them get revenge on Callum. This book is a whirlwind of activity and drama. It will be really hard to put down.
The Fractured Veil moves at a good pace that is sure to keep readers engaged in what is happening with Callum and his budding friendship with Jax. Of course, author Shaw has these two start off pretty rocky. Jax comes off as a morally gray character. Jax does a lot of claiming he doesn’t want to hurt people, but he’s more than willing to beat people up if they don’t do what he wants or tell him the information he’s looking for.
Jax is an interesting character in who shows up in The Fractured Veil. Jax dances the fine line concerning being viewed as morally gray. He’s viewed by quite a few as a bully, yet author Shaw shows him getting some decent advice from Callum shows Jax growing as a character throughout this story. Unfortunately, he’s the only one who shows any true and major character development.
If only Callum showed major character development as well. As it stands, Callum remains the same character that he was in The Ascension. Callum is still stubborn, quick to anger, and frequently takes on a bitter tone towards others. It tends to lean towards immaturity on his part, but he’s not the only one. However, as the story focuses heavily on Callum his is more showcased than others. Even when certain characters situations are explained to him he shows a severe lack of gratitude or true empathy. It’s disappointing really.
One interesting aspect of this novel is how Jax and Callum come to develop their gradual friendship. It never would have happened if Jax hadn’t been such a brash individual, but all ends up working in both their favor. Jax’s brutality, while wounding Callum severely, allows Callum a chance to rest and heal from his own self-neglect, and opens a door for Jax. Readers will learn that Jax has his own past that he’s been “running” from so to speak, and that he’s been looking for a way back to the one he loves.
Readers who may have been waiting for a romantic spark to kick up in The Fractured Veil will see some hints of it in the early chapters, but that will quickly fizzle out. However, Jax’s side of the story will see it re-emerge, which will be a crucial part of his character development as he works to make amends for past wrongs.
As The Fractured Veil draws to a close, author Shaw has quite a surprise in store for readers. What surprises you ask? Well, you’ll just have to read the book to find out! It’s quite a shocker really and will bring Callum some answers to questions that he has long been harboring. Of course, this revelation will also dance in readers’ minds as to where things go from here. Well, we’ll simply have to wait and see.
Callum Walker and the Fractured Veil is an engaging novel that, whether you’ve read book two or not, will draw you in quickly. The pacing of this story is well done with just the right amount of detail. There will be some questions that are left unanswered, but there is more to come in the Callum Walker series, so we look forward to what comes next.
Callum Walker and the Fractured Veil is a good book for readers looking for a gripping urban fantasy novel. This novel takes place more in rural areas of the human world, and various locations in the magical realm, but it’s still urban fantasy. A nice cast of characters helps to flesh out this book and really makes it shine. So, if you’ve read any of the Callum Walker series, you wont want to miss out on The Fractured Veil.
Pros:
- Engaging storyline
- Nice cast of characters
- Good character development (Jax)
- Good balance of details
- Surprise revelations
Cons:
- The main character (Callum) needs more growth
Scribble's Worth 
Leave a comment