An often-engaging, if unevenly executed, first installment of a fantasy trilogy.
Valente offers an extensive epic fantasy series-starter that explores themes of privilege and magic.
As the story opens, a pair of severed legs is discovered in Nauringale Forest by the Eyes of the Forest, a group formed to protect acres of woods in a kingdom that’s been ruled by generations of the powerful, wealthy Graymere family. The limbs are believed to belong to Prince Odain, who went on a trip and has apparently gone missing; the incident might be the start of a conflict that could topple the rule of the Graymeres. The tale is told through four different third-person perspectives: those of Rhen, a descendent of giants; Edlen, a princess; Aldir, the widowed father of Edlen and the son of King Ulisaren; and Darrin, a recent recruit to the Eyes of the Forest. Edlen and Darrin are at the center of the coming unrest; Edlen hates the negative associations brought on by her family name and birthright, and desperately wishes for the anonymity of being a commoner. Darrin also comes from a life of privilege as the only son of a minor lord, but he wants to prove himself capable of surviving without his father’s help or name. After a lord from a neighboring kingdom crafts a dangerous plan, Darrin and Edlen must confront old enemies of their own kingdom, the machinations of a shadowy organization known as the Voress Ní, and mysterious magic-users. The range of perspectives weaves important details into the tapestry of the narrative, which features several twists and turns, especially after a major character is kidnapped by opposing forces. However, after an exciting start full of action and intrigue, the pace slows considerably for about a quarter the novel as the rest of the cast, with their far less exciting personal woes, are introduced. But the worldbuilding is relatively smooth and unobtrusive, and as characters try to find answers, readers will be swept along. Overall, it’s a serviceable start to Valente’s ambitious story.
An often-engaging, if unevenly executed, first installment of a fantasy trilogy.Pub Date: Oct. 24, 2023
ISBN: 979-8988647522
Page Count: 438
Publisher: Barrente Publishing
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Although the melodrama sometimes is a bit much, the superb worldbuilding and intricate plotline make this a must-read.
Using mystery and romance elements in a nonlinear narrative, SenLinYu’s debut is a doorstopper of a fantasy that follows a woman with missing memories as she navigates through a war-torn realm in search of herself.
Helena Marino is a talented young healer living in Paladia—the “Shining City”—who has been thrust into a brutal war against an all-powerful necromancer and his army of Undying, loyal henchmen with immortal bodies, and necrothralls, reanimated automatons. When Helena is awakened from stasis, a prisoner of the necromancer’s forces, she has no idea how long she has been incarcerated—or the status of the war. She soon finds herself a personal prisoner of Kaine Ferron, the High Necromancer’s “monster” psychopath who has sadistically killed hundreds for his master. Ordered to recover Helena’s buried memories by any means necessary, the two polar opposites—Helena and Kaine, healer and killer—end up discovering much more as they begin to understand each other through shared trauma. While necromancy is an oft-trod subject in fantasy novels, the author gives it a fresh feel—in large part because of their superb worldbuilding coupled with unforgettable imagery throughout: “[The necromancer] lay reclined upon a throne of bodies. Necrothralls, contorted and twisted together, their limbs transmuted and fused into a chair, moving in synchrony, rising and falling as they breathed in tandem, squeezing and releasing around him…[He] extended his decrepit right hand, overlarge with fingers jointed like spider legs.” Another noteworthy element is the complex dynamic between Helena and Kaine. To say that these two characters shared the gamut of intense emotions would be a vast understatement. Readers will come for the fantasy and stay for the romance.
Although the melodrama sometimes is a bit much, the superb worldbuilding and intricate plotline make this a must-read.Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2025
ISBN: 9780593972700
Page Count: 1040
Publisher: Del Rey
Review Posted Online: July 17, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
A smart and highly original work of modern fantasy.
After the events of Book of Night (2022), Charlie Hall is forced to hunt down the perpetrator of a terrible massacre.
Charlie Hall is the Hierophant: It’s her job to be tethered to a powerful, independent shadow—a “Blight”— and hunt down other Blights for the Cabals, the heads of their respective shadow-magic specialties. The Cabals use the difficult job of Hierophant as a punishment, but Charlie agreed to take it on so she could be the person tethered to Vince, aka Red, the Blight who posed as a human and ended up dating and falling in love with Charlie. The Cabal leaders used magic to steal the part of Red’s memory that contained his relationship with Charlie, and so Charlie is determined to steal Red’s memories back. And she needs to move fast, because if Red doesn’t remember loving her, he just might be OK with Charlie being killed if it means his own freedom. Meanwhile, Mr. Punch, a terrifying Cabal leader who specializes in using shadow magic to possess other people’s bodies, has a job for Charlie: He wants her to find the culprit behind a terrible massacre that was attributed to a cult. He suspects that the people were actually killed by a Blight, and he doesn’t want the Cabals to face the blowback if the truth becomes public. Mr. Punch could do terrible things to Charlie if she fails, but if she succeeds, he’ll help Charlie and Red be free of the Cabals for good. The sophomore novel in a series is always tough, but this sequel proves that the second book can be even better than the first. Black turns the screws on the magical world she set up in Book 1, creating complicated political motives between Charlie and the Cabal leaders and making the question of what it means for a shadow, like Red, to have their own consciousness more interesting. Veteran con artist Charlie makes some truly brilliant moves, especially toward the end, where the last few chapters have one terrific surprise after the other.
A smart and highly original work of modern fantasy.Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2025
ISBN: 9781250812223
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
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