An exceptional series opener with memorable characters and simple but enticing worldbuilding.
In this debut fantasy, humans and other beings try to prevent the release of an imprisoned god who could destroy the world.
Young blacksmith Thornton Woods works with his father, Olson, in the village of Highglade. While traveling to the town of Lusk, Thornton and his friend (and possible romantic interest) Miera Mi’An face a trio of assailants. There’s another attack on the way home, but this time, the two receive assistance from Kethras and his sister, Ynara, who are Kienari—stealthy, catlike creatures. The attackers are Khyth, capable of Breaking, which consists of manipulating energy. They’ve unmistakably targeted Miera, and the others cannot prevent her eventual capture. As Ynara goes after Miera, Thornton and Kethras track the now-missing Olson and his apparent abductors. It’s soon evident the Khyth are determined to liberate the Breaker, a world creator imprisoned in the enigmatic Otherworld. Thornton and the others hope to stop the Khyth, as the Breaker’s release would be catastrophic, and fortunately, they’re not alone in their fight. The Khyth’s mortal enemies are the Athrani, who received the gift of Shaping from the Shaper of Ages, one of the goddesses who chained the Breaker in the Otherworld. Jennings writes in a plain language that benefits his epic series opener. For example, atypical fantasy creatures, like the Kienari or the Gwarái, a beast that feeds on the blood of Shapers, are well defined. And notwithstanding the plethora of characters, motivations are distinct and consistent (for example, the Khyth are fixated on freeing the Breaker). The drawback to the story’s hefty cast is the ever shifting narrative perspectives. There is no discernible protagonist, as every character’s role, including Thornton’s and Miera’s, seems to be a supporting one. Regardless, the steady action entails an exhilarating battle, a glimpse of the Otherworld, and a clear setup for the sequel.
An exceptional series opener with memorable characters and simple but enticing worldbuilding.Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-948080-72-9
Page Count: 458
Publisher: Indigo River Publishing
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An engrossing, action-packed sequel with a compelling cast.
A woman must undergo fearsome trials to free the imprisoned Titans of Greek myth in Owen’s fantasy novel, the second in a series.
Advancing from minor office clerk in the Order of Thieves to Queen of the Underworld, Lyra Keres’ star should be rising. But thanks to Cronos, King of the Titans, she and her longtime friend and fellow thief Boone have been ensnared in a new challenge beneath the earth: Hot on the heels of winning the twisted Crucible Games, Lyra—who has recently been granted goddess powers—finds herself trapped in Tartarus. Separated from her beloved Hades, she must liberate the fearsome Titans from seven Locks to restore the cosmic balance. As Lyra progresses through the Locks engineered by the Gods—each as tricky and lethal as the last—the pressure mounts as the Titans repeatedly remind her, “You will be our savior.” Rhea, the wife of Cronos, reveals that Lyra began this quest “a hundred and fifty years ago,” adding further devastation to the task at hand; the knowledge is helpful, but also painful, as Lyra reflects, “Suddenly, I don’t want to know that it’s real. Because then I have to contemplate how many times I might have ended up in Tartarus already.” As she materializes in and out of time pockets, Lyra sees Hades’ troubled childhood unfold and struggles not to intervene to save the man she loves. In this second entry in the author’s Crucible series, following The Games Gods Play (2024), Lyra’s cynical quips continue to make her an engaging protagonist. Her inner monologues are balanced with hope, love, and longing for Hades as she meets various versions of him. While resilient, Owen’s heroine is also vulnerable (“Was I his pawn in more ways than I ever realized?”). Her introspection effectively contrasts with the simmering rage and restraint in Hades’ chapters. The supporting Titans are given more depth than the traditional myths allow, weaving a knotty family fabric for the reader to navigate alongside Lyra.
An engrossing, action-packed sequel with a compelling cast.Pub Date: Oct. 21, 2025
ISBN: 9781649378538
Page Count: 500
Publisher: Entangled: Red Tower Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: yesterday
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
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