{"product_id":"the-scholars-shadow-stacy-hall-9798272221568","title":"The Scholar's Shadow: A Quest for a King prequel","description":"\u003cb\u003e Every monster was once someone who believed themselves exceptional.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e He came seeking wisdom. But some knowledge demands a price no one should pay.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e Barok Tana was once a promising Guild magician, until forbidden research and dangerous questions led to exile on an Island, where magic goes to die and desperate men make bargains they can't unmake.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e When a shadow offers escape, Barok accepts without understanding the cost. Left hollow but functional, he forges credentials and climbs Drakenholt Mountain, home of the ancient vampyre clans who guard dangerous magical knowledge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e The seven elders welcome him as a humble student seeking redemption. They offer patience. Trust. Teachings forbidden to outsiders for centuries. In meditation chambers carved from ancient stone, they begin to share wisdom earned across millennia.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e They don't realise he's come to harvest them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e As Barok's mask of humility conceals mounting betrayals, some vampyres begin to suspect the truth. But suspicion without proof changes nothing. By the time certainty arrives, it will be too late for everyone.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat readers are saying about morally complex dark fantasy: \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePerfect for fans of \u003ci\u003eThe First Law\u003c\/i\u003e trilogy and \u003ci\u003eThe Broken Earth\u003c\/i\u003e series\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA protagonist you'll watch fall despite knowing you should look away\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMagic with genuine consequences and psychological depth\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eExplores how corruption happens gradually, one compromise at a time\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Scholar's Shadow\u003c\/i\u003e is a standalone prequel to the Quest for a King series. A dark descent into the spaces between ambition and atrocity, trust and betrayal, seeking wisdom and becoming horror.\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eContent warning: \u003c\/b\u003e This book contains graphic violence, morally grey\/villain protagonist, and themes of psychological manipulation and betrayal. Not a redemption story.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Stacy Hall\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798272221568\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/30\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 106\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.31lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.27d","brand":"Stacy Hall","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":49170687131903,"sku":"9798272221568","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-scholars-shadow-stacy-hall-9798272221568","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}