Ambassador Veran of Alcoro has traveled a long way to continue in-person his correspondence with Prince Iano of Moquoia in hopes of officially ending the local slave trade. However, he finds Iano to be sullen and standoffish, nothing like the politician of his letters. It turns out that Iano’s anti-slavery chief advisor (and secret lover) Tamsin has been kidnapped and is being held for ransom. Iano suspects the Sunshield Bandit, scourge of the local desert, but Veran knows that they only hold up slavers’ caravans. Could Veran possibly team up with a notorious bandit to find and rescue the Moquoian advisor and end slavery in the region? And who is this bandit anyway?

A kind of political-fantasy-western. This book is technically a sequel series to the Creatures of Light series which starts with Woodwalker. It can be read on its own but the worldbuilding is complex and is easier to follow with the background from the prior series. I really enjoyed it. Martin (who I knew in college, before she wrote any books) is clearly growing as an author and this book felt much more unique and a little more political, but has the same intricate twists and turns. It does end abruptly, so I’m planning to read the sequel right away. ( )

Reread thoughts: Still just as exhilarating, and now I can go directly to [b:Floodpath: A Novel|54110078|Floodpath A Novel|Emily B. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1610435829l/54110078._SY75_.jpg|84457409] now that it is out!!!


Original review:
First thing to mention if you haven't read any of Emily's works before: she is also an accomplished artist and draws concept art/style sheets for her characters- you can see this art on her instagram here!

Sunshield is the first of a duology in the Woodwalker world, set 20 years after the trilogy. Moving westward on the continent and in genre, three first-person viewpoints are deftly woven into a compelling narrative that pulls no punches about how geopolitical actions affect the common folk with minor but just as important mentions of how modernity changes our ecology in ways that can harm us. A couple characters menstruate and the issue of it happening while roughing it is described- something you don't see often in books, but unsurprising for a series that takes so much from Martin's park ranger/scout camper background. Sunshield is also fun: Lark's horse and dog are very much parts of her found family, Veran figuring out how to clomp around in Moquoian heels is a great visual, etc.

Lark is a former captive turned outlaw, raiding stagecoaches and targeting slave wagons bound for Moquoia in the far Alcoran desert. Her biggest priority is fiercely defending her found family and figuring out how to eventually get them to their homes. Thinking about it, Lark's empathy and passion for ridding Moquoia of slavers is the kind of thing I was missing from Throne of Glass's Aelin, who has a similar backstory to Lark but then gets distracted by finer things of privileged society (and magical geopolitics too, I guess). She's a very capable heroine and when presented with opportunities to change things with movers and shakers of the world, she points out that serving the wealthy for a single job feels like a betrayal to everything she's fought for so far.

Tamsin is a mysterious captive, in a lot of pain (particularly in the headspace) but witty and also our introduction into how Moquoian bond labor functions. Definitely want to hear more from her.

Veran, sweet baby boy is out in the world on his first big international diplomatic mission as translator and totally sticking his foot into it. Literally related to Woodwalker folk, his viewpoints are the connections to characters from the previous trilogy (though you don't necessarily need to read it to read Sunshield- if you start here, consider them a bonus trilogy about people's parents). He's a contrast to his mother in several ways (with her voice echoing in his head occasionally), but a soft sweetie and just wants to do good in the world. I have faith in him.

The worldbuilding is as strong as it was in previous books- Moquoia and the Ferrino Desert have distinct feels to them, and with enough geographic distance Moquoia stands culturally distinct from the Eastern Countries (which do have their differences but share a language, conveniently enough). Big trees were referenced a lot but we didn't actually see them so hopefully they show up in the second half of the duology?? The eastern countries are heavily influenced by natural landscapes of the American Southeast, so I am eager to see how Martin illustrates her fantastical West.

also hot damn, the last 40 pages have a lot going on.

Miscellaneous thoughts:
-Hey Lark if you wanted to make your camp permanent you should've stolen Prof. Colm's permaculture books in chapter 1 JUST SAYIN'.

-When I started the book, I wondered where or who Moira Alastaire would be- clearly not Tamsin as she remembers her scribe parents, and Lila seemed somewhat obvious but maybe too obvious in a red herring way (and Emily's style sheet for Lark's crew made that impossible- Moira is described as being similar in coloration to Eloise, and they don't look similar in art). Definitely going to have to go back and compare the Lark portraits to Moira now.

-WHO IS VEGA PALTO and also is this an anagram??

-I can't decide if Obvious Political Villain really is our court bad guy or if there's someone else around... and knowing Emily's previous work, there's likely a twist I haven't intuited yet but will make sense in hindsight/on rereads.

Anxiously awaiting the second Outlaw Road book. ( )

I received an advance copy of this book through NetGalley.

Emily B. Martin brought a fresh, vibrant new fantasy world to life in her Woodwalker trilogy. Now, she digs deeper into her setting with Sunshield, the start of a new series that does not require having read the previous books (though I highly recommend you do!).

This book is that rare entity of the genre: a fantasy western, full of the realistic details that Martin (an experienced park ranger) laces into all of her books. Lark is the titular Sunshield, a bandit committed to raiding the rich and freeing those who were slaved as she was. Then there is Veran, a young man acting as a translator and ambassador in Moquoia, a country that profits from slavery. Veran is committed to stopping the slave trade, but his clumsy efforts at court are undermined by nasty politics that he only gradually comprehends. Then there is Tamsin, a woman of Moquoia who is being held captive in horrendous conditions. The stories and lives of these three people twine together in a narrative that is tense, and at the end, emotional.

The book examines the nature of privilege and slavery in a way that is never preachy, though it can be disturbing at times--as well it should be. There is a lot of depth to this story. A romantic element is gentle and in the early stages in this volume.

The cliffhanger ending makes me incredibly eager to get my hands on the next book. Oh, there are so many feels at the end. I loved getting the chance to revisit this world, and I sincerely hope there are a lot more books to come. ( )