Riftborn is the first installment in author Shannon Mayer's Of Shadows and Blades series. This story is a high-octane, memory-wiped thrill ride that blends gritty post-apocalyptic survival with classic urban fantasy flair, laced with romance and found family. The story opens with our protagonist, Mallory, clawing her way out of a massive rift in the earth—literally born from the cataclysm that shattered the world.
She has no memories of her past, no idea who she is, but her body knows exactly what to do: fight, survive, and dispatch monsters with lethal precision that feels almost magical. A mysterious ID tag and a ring on her finger are her only clues. The world itself is a fractured, broken place—continents torn apart, cities in ruins, rifts spewing horrors, and pockets of desperate humanity clinging to survival amid supernatural threats.
Mayer does an excellent job painting a vivid, lived-in dystopia that feels both familiar (echoes of ruined urban landscapes) and wildly fantastical, with magic bleeding through the cracks alongside the danger. The post-apocalyptic setting never feels like window dressing; it drives the tension, forces constant movement, and shapes every interaction. As Mallory pieces together fragments of her identity, she crosses paths with Veyyr, a frustratingly secretive man who clearly knows far more about her than he’s letting on.
Their dynamic—equal parts antagonism, reluctant alliance, and simmering tension—fuels much of the emotional core. The “he knows her, she doesn’t know him” trope is handled with restraint and builds genuine intrigue rather than cheap frustration. The plot moves at a breakneck pace: survival treks through dangerous wilds, monster-slaying set pieces, uneasy alliances, and escalating revelations about the rifts and Mallory’s possible role in the larger catastrophe.
It’s classic Shannon Mayer—action-forward with snappy dialogue, clever problem-solving, and a heroine who refuses to stay down. Mallory, who is apparently the daughter off another badass Tracker named Rylee, is an absolute standout. Amnesiac heroines can sometimes feel passive, but here her instincts, sass, compassion, and raw determination make her instantly likable and empowering.
She’s capable without being infallible, funny in the face of horror, and her gradual memory recovery is doled out in satisfying, tension-building drips rather than overwhelming info-dumps. Riftborn is pure escapist fun for fans of urban fantasy, post-apocalyptic adventures, kickass heroines, and slow-burn romance. If you love Shannon Mayer’s Rylee Adamson or similar series with strong women, monster-hunting, found family, and high-stakes world-saving, this is an easy must-read.
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