This measured story ushers in a faraway world of strife and remarkable beings.
A powerful wizard pits himself against a diabolical and formidable sorcerer in Melvin’s dark fantasy novel and series launch.
Millennium-old Death-Knower wizard Torg leads his group of elite warriors into Dibbu-Loka: Soldiers have overrun this holy city at the behest of Invictus, a sorcerer who seems intent on spreading darkness across the planet of Triken. To protect the Noble Ones of Dibbu-Loka, Torg willingly becomes a prisoner of Invictus’ towering snow-giant minion, Mala. Dropped into a narrow, torturous pit, the Death-Knower wizard can garner power via a meditative “temporary suicide,” but doing this too often (the last time was mere months ago) is dangerous. All the while, warrior Sōbhana chases down Torg, whom she’s in love with, leading to a face-off with “great demon” Vedana, Invictus’ grandmother. The narrative then shifts to follow Laylah, whose dreadful older brother (Invictus) has kept her in captivity for decades. If she hopes to save herself from a mysterious illness, she’ll have to escape and track down a healer—a Death-Knower wizard up north. Melvin’s deliberately paced tale painstakingly builds its magical world. Torg and Laylah’s tension-riddled imprisonments, which take up hefty portions of the novel, stem from their dense backstories. Fantastic creatures abound, from various dragons (like man-sized dracools, or “baby dragons”) to a Kojin, an ogress with a bloated head and six arms. While only a few of the characters get the spotlight, there are standouts among the villains. Invictus may be the eponymous wizard’s “sworn enemy,” but he isn’t nearly as menacing as the gleefully manipulative Vedana, or Mala, whose snake-like tongue and venom-dripping fangs make him a reliable fright. Although relatively little action unfolds (two more Volumes follow), there are some surprises for the cast, including reunions, alliances formed, and unexpected deaths.
This measured story ushers in a faraway world of strife and remarkable beings.Pub Date: April 28, 2025
ISBN: 9798992492224
Page Count: 500
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Nov. 14, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
The series’ snarky noir vibe might be dwindling, but there’s something of substance in its place.
This is wizard Harry Dresden’s yearlong mourning period for Karrin Murphy, the woman he loved.
If you keep upping your protagonist’s powers throughout a series, then you must balance the scales by increasing the number and strength of their enemies—as well as seriously messing with their personal life. Over the course of the Dresden Files, Harry Dresden, Chicago PI and now one of the most powerful wizards in the world, thought his first love was dead (she wasn’t), sacrificed his half-vampire girlfriend on an altar to save their child, lost another girlfriend when they learned she’d been mind-controlled into their relationship, bound himself into servitude as the Fae Queen Mab’s Winter Knight, and, for the length of an entire book, thought he himself was dead (he wasn’t). But nothing has hit quite as hard as the death of Karrin Murphy, the former police lieutenant who was his quasi-partner, friend, and, after a slow burn across many books, lover. Chicago is in a terrible state following a battle with Ethniu the Titan and her Fomor army, and Harry is doing his best to confront the monsters, dark magic, and anti-supernatural prejudice running wild amid the slowly rebuilding city. He’s also trying to save his half brother Thomas from two different death sentences, train a new apprentice, and juggle a relationship with Thomas’ half sister Lara, the dangerously seductive vampire Queen Mab is forcing him to marry. But he’s doing all this while nearly crushed by grief that threatens his judgment and disturbs his control over his magical powers. Butcher really makes you feel the dark, depressive state Harry exists in as well as the effect it’s having on his friends. Despite all that happens in it, this book is a pause as well as a setup for the series’ planned conclusion, an epic conflict with the eldritch creatures known as “the Outsiders.” It’s a tough, redemptive pause that could be a real drag, but thankfully, it’s not, because Butcher shows balance, too: Even as the crises pile up, so do the help and goodwill from unexpected sources.
The series’ snarky noir vibe might be dwindling, but there’s something of substance in its place.Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2026
ISBN: 9780593199336
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Ace/Berkley
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2026
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.
On the orders of her mother, a woman goes to dragon-riding school.
Even though her mother is a general in Navarre’s army, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail was raised by her father to follow his path as a scribe. After his death, though, Violet's mother shocks her by forcing her to enter the elite and deadly dragon rider academy at Basgiath War College. Most students die at the War College: during training sessions, at the hands of their classmates, or by the very dragons they hope to one day be paired with. From Day One, Violet is targeted by her classmates, some because they hate her mother, others because they think she’s too physically frail to succeed. She must survive a daily gauntlet of physical challenges and the deadly attacks of classmates, which she does with the help of secret knowledge handed down by her two older siblings, who'd been students there before her. Violet is at the mercy of the plot rather than being in charge of it, hurtling through one obstacle after another. As a result, the story is action-packed and fast-paced, but Violet is a strange mix of pure competence and total passivity, always managing to come out on the winning side. The book is categorized as romantasy, with Violet pulled between the comforting love she feels from her childhood best friend, Dain Aetos, and the incendiary attraction she feels for family enemy Xaden Riorson. However, the way Dain constantly undermines Violet's abilities and his lack of character development make this an unconvincing storyline. The plots and subplots aren’t well-integrated, with the first half purely focused on Violet’s training, followed by a brief detour for romance, and then a final focus on outside threats.
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374042
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
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