The story starts in the Duns of Highfall, an ancient city built by the Sylvan fey and now occupied by human beings. An orphan girl, Shrew, battles to survive. She acquires skills that would prove to be very useful. In hiding from her captors beneath the city, Shrew finds an enchanted artifact enabling her with magical powers. It is also where she sees a creature she will battle and where Shrew meets Waylan. Under mentorship, she masters the art of alchemy and fighting, which could make her the heroine in the battle between good and evil in this magical story. She becomes part of the Guild of Thieves, which proves to be beneficial. Will the darkness engulf Highfall? Or would Shrew's skills and magical abilities be enough to stop the army of the undead?The storyline of The Shade of Highfall by Mark O'Dell is captivating and impeccably written. However, the author used complicated vocabulary and language that was hard to read. I had to use a dictionary to understand some words and ensure it's context. It seemed like the author was trying to replicate the ancient Sylvan Fey language. This technique effectively created an absolute fairytale image in my mind, but it made the reading experience challenging.Despite this, the author did a remarkable job capturing the imagination with the book's magical dimension, which included alchemy, necromancy, and sorcery. The adult audience who loves reading fantasy fiction would appreciate this book. Though it contains a certain level of explicit sexual content and profanity, the author used these to communicate the darkness of the characters, making the book darker and more adventurous.Overall, The Shade of Highfall by Mark O'Dell is a masterpiece of a book that deserves a five out of five stars rating. I congratulate the editor for an excellent job, especially with the complicated vocabulary usage.