Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited reading. Over 4 million titles. Learn more
Read for Free
OR
Kindle Price: $2.99

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Audiobook Price: $18.86

Save: $15.53 (82%)

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Follow the authors

Shannon Mayer
Follow
K.F. Breene
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Shadowspell Academy: The Culling Trials (Book 2) Kindle Edition

by K.F. Breene (Author), Shannon Mayer (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 10,188 ratings
See all formats and editions

Now a Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post Bestseller!

"This book is Harry Potter meets the Hunger Games in a bold twist on a classic magical young adult adventure."
Jaymin Eve, Bestselling Author of Supernatural Academy

You Don’t Choose The Academy. The Academy Chooses You.

Being accepted into an elite school of magic, monsters, and assassins was not my idea of higher education. But here I am, fighting my way through the Culling Trials to claim my right to be taught.

As if the gauntlet-type physical and mental tests aren’t enough, people are going missing.

People that are my friends.

In a dangerous world where no one is as they seem, the golden rule is simple: Trust no one. They think we should just look out for ourselves. That we should leave the fallen behind and ask no questions.

They clearly think we’re idiots. I got this far by trusting my instincts, and I’m not going to back down now.

Those kids won’t be left to die.

Not on my watch.

Shadowspell Academy novels offer delicious cliffhangers that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final book - Shadowspell Academy: Year of the Chameleon (Book 6)

Previous page
  1. Book 2 of 6
    Shadowspell Academy
  2. Print length
    242 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    May 14, 2019
  6. Reading age
    18 years and up
  7. File size
    6720 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
Next page
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card
Next 5 for you in this series See full series
Total Price: $14.95
By clicking on the above button, you agree to Amazon's Kindle Store Terms of Use
Popular Highlights in this book
What are popular highlights?
Previous page
  1. We had enough weird in our crew, we didn’t need to add stupid to the mix.
    Highlighted by 369 Kindle readers
  2. “Amalthea, the matriarch of the herd, selects only exceptional individuals, ones with character above the rest. She doesn’t often allow riders, but she chose you. For that, your team will get a boon.”
    Highlighted by 251 Kindle readers
  3. “He is incapable of focusing on the threat to his life,” Orin said. “Fascinating. That or he trusts you implicitly.”
    Highlighted by 146 Kindle readers
Next page

From the Publisher

Welcome to Shadowspell Academy
Shadowspell #1 Shadowspell #2 Shadowspell #3 Shadowspell #4 Shadowspell #5 Shadowspell #6
Shadowspell Academy #1 Shadowspell Academy #2 Shadowspell Academy #3 Shadowspell Academy #4 Shadowspell Academy #5 Shadowspell Academy #6
See Details
See Details
See Details
See Details
See Details
See Details
Customer Reviews
4.5 out of 5 stars
11,513
4.6 out of 5 stars
10,188
4.7 out of 5 stars
13,857
4.6 out of 5 stars
7,488
4.6 out of 5 stars
6,780
4.7 out of 5 stars
8,339
Price $2.99 $2.99 $2.99 $2.99 $2.99 $2.99
Ebook ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Audiobook ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Paperback ✓ no no ✓ ✓ ✓
Hardcover Omnibus #1 Omnibus #1 Omnibus #1 Omnibus #2 Omnibus #2 Omnibus #2

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07QBYJN4W
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hijinks Ink Publishing (May 14, 2019)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 14, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 6720 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 242 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 10,188 ratings

About the authors

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Previous page
  1. Shannon Mayer

    Shannon Mayer

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Shannon Mayer lives in the southwestern tip of Canada with her husband and son, on a farm full of animals. She has a tendency to write stories that blend action, unexpected twists, and humor with a touch of romance that leaves readers on the edges of their seats. If you can't handle a bit of salty language and heart pounding moments that leave you gripping your kindle or book, you should probably leave now. #NoWiltingFlowersAllowed

    She is the Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of numerous urban fantasy, paranormal romance and epic fantasy style books.

    To learn more about Shannon and her books, go to www.shannonmayer.com. There is a literal sh*t ton of them.

    See more on the author's page
  2. K.F. Breene

    K.F. Breene

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    K.F. Breene is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Washington Post, and Amazon Charts bestselling author of paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and fantasy novels. With over four million books sold, when she’s not penning stories about magic and what goes bump in the night, she’s sipping wine and planning shenanigans. She lives in Northern California with her husband, two children and out of work treadmill.

    Sign up for her newsletter to hear about the latest news and receive free bonus content ➜ http://bit.ly/2GkThKC

    Instagram ➜ @kf_breene

    Facebook ➜ facebook.com/authorKF

    Join the fan group ➜ https://goo.gl/KAg0Nr

    Visit her website ➜ kfbreene.com

    Send a tweet ➜ @kfbreene

    Drop a line ➜ kfbreene@gmail.com

    See more on the author's page
Next page

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
10,188 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Bethany A.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Heroine!
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2024
Verified Purchase
I love KF Breene and Shannon Mayer's writing. Their Heroine in this one really is so likable and interesting. I love she brings her team to work together to go through the trials and also solve the mysteries they are presented with. Great and fast paced story.
Helpful
 Report
Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Worse cliff hanger ever
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2019
Verified Purchase
I mean, who stops a book like this? This author has so much going for this series. This series is incredible...but the abrupt endings and super short novels are for writers who are trying to cheat readers. I can't give it the 5 stars I want because of how these books end.

Outside of that, I love the characters, the teials, and the suspense. I do feel the MC is slightly too manly for my liking...like she is a total dude. And the way she is described says she is attractive and then at the same time says she is manly. Like which is it? Because to me, manly girls are not cute!

And I'm also waiting for an actual romantic plot to develope...

I feel like is she combined book 1 and 2 and finished book 2 on a different note, this story could be the next big series.
Helpful
 Report
mabg
5.0 out of 5 stars maybe even better than the last one...
Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2019
Verified Purchase
I hate it that the third book isn’t out yet and I hope more books are in the works. This is too good a story to stop any time soon.

What I like about it: the characters! Wild, the main character is a hard-edged, competent and caring. She’s got her own set of ethics that don’t have much to do with society’s—they start with Don’t Be An Idiot, followed by Do Whatever It Takes to Get Things Done, and then there’s the written in stone one: Always Protect Your Family/Friends/Trials Group. Mayer and Breene did an outstanding job of making her a smart believable Iron Woman, rather than just giving her a lot of powers and having her use those to get what she wants. She seems to have the powers too, but given all the hurting some people want to hand her, she needs them. She doesn’t feel like a Mary Sue either, I think because she’s such a target. Her life’s never been easy and it’s only gotten harder since the start of the Culling Trials, so the abilities she keeps discovering just help balance out the amount of mortal danger she’s in.

My one peeve with Wild’s character is the amount of time she spends checking out the boys, even those she dislikes, like Ethan. She does seem to recognize that sex/dating is something she doesn’t have time for. I sincerely hope that interest isn’t a prelude to yet another love triangle or reverse harem situation—that trope is overworked and often badly done, especially in this genre. I’m very grateful we’ve been spared an insta-love scenario, though, as they really irritate me and would sabotage this so-far very well-written story.

Wild’s not the only great character—every person in her group has their own gifts and weaknesses, and they are very individual personalities. That doesn’t mean they’re all good people, though—Ethan certainly comes off as a total douche, Orrin can be dangerously creepy and Gregory seems to have a bit of Gollum in him.

Other than his looks, Ethan doesn’t have much to offer, other than whatever he can demand from other people due to his family’s status and money. Wild is using him for the group’s benefit, and is being wise to, but I also hope it doesn’t end up biting her in the butt. Ethan is thoroughly despicable and whenever he opens his mouth, I hear my teeth grinding—the mark of a beautifully rendered obnoxious jerk.

Wally is wonderful. She’s a disaster nerd and her gloomy pronouncements are often unintentionally funny. I’m looking forward to seeing her come into her own in the remaining trials, as she’s more on the periphery in this book.

At the end of the book, we still don’t know why Wild’s mother left the school, what curse their family is under or why other people want Wild dead. At least she’s steadily gathering more backup and impressing the school staff, so that may help keep her alive. There are hints that there’s a lot more to both the Sandman and Wild’s childhood friend Rory than we’ve seen so far and sure to be more revelations in book three.

At least it’s less than a month til the next book comes out . . .
7 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Shawdowspell Academy
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2024
Verified Purchase
What a great sequel. These books are action-packed with lots of laughs. The troll had me dying and sharing what was written. Wild is a total badass, which I love in a main character. Can't wait to start number three.
Helpful
 Report
Renee Yaro-Parry
5.0 out of 5 stars Unable to put down!!!
Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2024
Verified Purchase
This series is so good you can't stop reading it!!! I literally can not put it down!! So many twists and turns!! Who is truly loyal and who is truly an enemy?! Jumping right into the next book!!
Helpful
 Report
DevourerofWorlds
4.0 out of 5 stars Hate the format, but a good read
Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2019
Verified Purchase
I'm enjoying this series but I hate that it IS a series and not just one book. The cliffhangers are pretty brutal and the story seems over right as you are getting to the good stuff. Enjoying the many characters in the story and the MC is still a strong and believable hero although her secret is rapidly coming unraveled. This led to two scenes that I thought were a bit off, a scene where she beats up a character on the bus in front of many people, which I thought was over the top and counter-productive, and another scene where she left an unconscious person lying in the woods while she traipsed back to the school without a care-seemed surprisingly out of character and un-chivalrous as well. She is getting tougher about using other people in this one so maybe that is just supposed to reflect that. The mystery gets deeper and not much is resolved, which you might expect from what is basically the middle of a story. The story literally picks up right where the other left off. Since it is a month between stories and that means I have read many books in between a little refresher would be nice honestly. Looking forward to the next one-hoping it isn't a cliff hanger and wishing I had stumbled on the series after it was all out. It is definitely binge-able.
5 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
janred9
5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't stop reading!
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2024
Verified Purchase
Keeps you hanging on every word. I still have it figured out who the assassin is! Can't wait to start the next book.
Helpful
 Report
74crollins.
5.0 out of 5 stars great book
Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2024
Verified Purchase
I started reading and I can’t put it the book down. I love Wild and the group she has collected. This story has such interesting trials with such detail that it pulls you in. Great writer
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Brook10033
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 3, 2023
Verified Purchase
I am not really a fan of books that have teens as the main characters but our hero is a bit older and I keen forgetting the ages, so caught up in the plot, wanting to know where it’s going next….
The authors have produced not just a brilliant fantasy, full pictures described but the best dialogue providing the humour, tension, fear that hits just right. They seem to be using their own magic.
Report
Avidreadersbc
5.0 out of 5 stars Aaaand the plot THICKENS!!!
Reviewed in India on August 4, 2022
Verified Purchase
More mystery, serious bad-assery and romance brewing in the air. All while dodging mean girls ( vampire edition), fighting nasty gargoyles, taming ferocious unicorns and what not! Phew! This book is definitely NOT boring!! It's fast, furious, thrilling and kept me on the edge of my seat ( or bed).
Report
Ilana Sprongl
5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging, humorous, a mystery, an adventure
Reviewed in Canada on May 14, 2019
Verified Purchase
So many words could be used to describe this book. I’ll use Amazing!

Book two in what will at least go to a book three (the teaser at the end of book two promises that will be a good story, too!) series, the story continues with more fast paced adventures, unicorns, and alicorns. Because how do you make an amazing book even better? Flying unicorns.

Definitely worth reading, but do start with book one!
Report
Mina
5.0 out of 5 stars And the entertaining thrill goes on...
Reviewed in Germany on June 1, 2019
Verified Purchase
Note: this is book two in a YA series with one common story arc, which makes starting here a really bad idea. I strongly recommend to read the books in the intended order.

Review
I have to tell you that a part of me is aware that this book, in and on itself isn’t a five-star-read. Strictly speaking. It is the continuation of book one and doesn’t have its independent plot arc, no real beginning, middle part and end, just the next chapters of Wild‘s story that started with book 1 of the „Shadowspell Academy“ and not even close to answering any of the many open questions. But then that is just it: Wild’s story is so incredibly cool and just the thing for a reader like me. I love the main character, the uncharacteristic young woman, the farmgirl from Texas who got thrown into a world full of magic, supernatural beings and a trial she only marginally understands, because her parents kept her away from that hidden world. Wild is just everything I love about a protagonist. She is smart, strong, cunning, ruthless, but protective of everyone she considers part of her crew. And during her and her crew of misfits‘ next adventures in the Culling Trials, she realizes more and more abilities that make her the special snowflake even in the supernatural world she finds herself in.

And she finds out that there are forces after her that have nothing to do with „the usual“ during the trials, which are hard enough in themselves, but attempts on her and her fellow applicant’s lives. And it’s thrilling to see Wild investigate and doing the unexpected and impossible. So no, probably not a real five star book, but it is for me, since there is everything I love about YA to be found here and none of the things that annoy me. Well, aside from the cliffhanger end. I hate those, of course. But it’s the kind of cliffhanger I can live with (the non-lethal kind and to me more of a „so what!?“-kind of open end). And the next book is due in a few days as well. So, there you go, five stars from me.
Report
K
5.0 out of 5 stars What a character and story!
Reviewed in Australia on December 9, 2023
Verified Purchase
I loved the sound of the first book and demolished it in two days, then straight into book two (because I was already addicted) and read it in ONE day! So that tells you how much I am enjoying this series! LOL. Wild is so fabulous and her crew are hilarious and unique. Have had more than a few giggles but the story and action are fantastic. No spice yet, but that hasn't been needed because the story is so interesting. It just keeps on flowing and pulling you in. Hope something develops in romantic way between Wild and a certain someone though. Swoon!
Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report