A grand epic that delivers exceptional characters, magic, and romance.
A young woman in a convent falls for an elf in a world rife with fiendish sorcerers in this debut fantasy.
Nineteen-year-old Kalea Thridmill, a novice vestal in the Hallowill convent, is devoted to the One Creator. One day, she witnesses residents of the town of Tintilly attacking an elven thief. On the Kaihals continent, elves are prohibited from most places outside of the elven country of Norr, though this mob punishment is severe. Kalea helps him escape but the elf, Dorhen Sufferborn, has no home to return to. Sixteen years ago, his father, Daghahen, seemingly murdered his mother, and fairy Arius Medallus has acted as Dorhen’s surrogate father. Kalea’s religion makes her wary of the elf’s physical attraction to her, especially because it’s mutual. While Dorhen sticks close to the convent and Kalea, Daghahen searches for a way to kill his hated twin brother, Lamrhath, kingsorcerer of the Ilbith faction. This group of sorcerers ultimately attacks the Hallowill convent and abducts the novices while Dorhen disappears. Luckily, Kalea was not at the convent during the assault. As she believes a mysterious sword will lead her to her elf, she hunts for this weapon that Daghahen stole from his brother long ago. Hartcarver undoubtedly aims her fantasy series opener at adult readers, with concepts like Lamrhath’s unquenchable lust and instances of men forcing themselves on women. But the author loads her tale with ingredients that genre fans will savor, from pixies and magic spells to romance and strange, unknown lands. The story’s swift pace comes courtesy of myriad subplots and characters, including Gaije, an elf from a clan in Norr, and Chandran, a sorcerer Lamrhath sends to recover his sword. Despite the final act introducing additional players and clearly setting up a sequel, there’s still some resolution before the cliffhanger ending. The proficient author also provides illustrations—stark, boldly lined renditions of notable scenes, such as Kalea and Dorhen’s first meeting.
A grand epic that delivers exceptional characters, magic, and romance.Pub Date: Oct. 19, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-9982104-5-2
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Dorwik Publishing
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2020
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
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: Nov. 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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