An intriguing fantasy that ultimately becomes scattered and plot heavy.
A dark elf vampire leader and his minions prepare for battle in this sword-and-sorcery novel.
In this tale, Wood Elves are attacked by strange white orcs of the west. But this isn’t the only threat the elves of the surface world must fear. Underground, the Illanni, the dark elves, have a new leader: Tibersu, a dark elf vampire. And while dark elves have been run by a ruling class of dark elf vampires for many years, Tibersu’s reign is a turning point. This is the first time the dark elves are united enough to attempt to retake the surface world. Tibersu is guided by the goddess Adois, who gives him a map to uncover a powerful treasure that will aid in her goal to not only conquer the surface world, but spread vampirism as well. To accomplish Adois’ wishes, Tibersu sends Martish, a dark elven military commander who secretly hates vampires, after this treasure. Meanwhile, the appearance of the odd white orcs is no fluke; in the shadows, the black witch has her own sinister scheme. The concept for this ambitious novel is a captivating blend of sword-and-sorcery fantasy and vampiric horror. On a basic level, the connection makes sense: Dark elves live underground, and vampires can’t tolerate the sun. But Stephenson doesn’t fully exploit the possibilities of this hybrid genre. Rather, the story is a fairly traditional fantasy in which the plot supersedes the characters. The tale opens with Wood Elves Tarquin and Ress being attacked by the white orcs. That scene ends with the two elves victorious, traveling home. There’s no time to get to know the characters or feel for them when Ress gets wounded. Since more and more players are constantly introduced, it will be difficult for readers to figure out whom to focus on. The betrothed Tarquin and Ress? The betrothed Eldahir, one of the Wood Elves’ greatest generals, and Morganna, a former Illanni magically transformed into a Wood Elf? Morganna’s vampire brother, Boltrein? Martish? Tibersu? The black witch? The narration treats all of these distinctive characters as if they are equally important. It’s not clear whose story this is or whom readers should pay attention to or root for.
An intriguing fantasy that ultimately becomes scattered and plot heavy.Pub Date: Aug. 12, 2021
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Manuscript
Review Posted Online: March 4, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
