Reviews tagging 'War'

The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood

3 reviews

sophiesmallhands's review

Go to review page

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

zoiejanelle's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

(another audio rental from the library) 

overall, the plot was pretty convoluted and i think i would have enjoyed this more as a physical book where i would ‘t miss any details. at times i wasn’t sure why each character was where or what they were doing, but in the second half everything came together and it was absolutely a wild ride. 

despite the pacing issues and the time-skips, this was such a fun read. i genuinely had so much fun experiencing the character interactions and individual plots. Csorwe has my ENTIRE HEART and i will be thinking about her and Shuthmili every second of every day until i die. i love fantasy lesbians in space. (Tal was also fucking hilarious and i can’t wait to read more of him in the next book.) 

i also loved the non-human protagonist and a style that combined  DnD and sci-fi tropes. it was a really unique book—style and thematically—and i’m so glad i decided to read it. (based off one review that said “unrealistic. not EVERY character can be gay!”) 

the messaging of each of our lived belonging to ourselves and the important of freedom really hit home for me. Csorwe and Shuthmili’s experiences in their religious cults and their unique reactions to their upbringings really touched me, and i wonder if the author has has her own experience with religious extremism or indoctrination. 

i loved this, especially the end, and i am moving right along into the next one!!! 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

ruthlessreads's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

This book was exactly the dark epic fantasy I wanted but didn't know it. It starts a little slow while the world building is established but once it gets into gear, the plot doesn't stop until the last page. There are so many twists and turns, I was never able to predict what would happen next. It's also SECRETLY GAY. Well, not really secret, but it's not mentioned anywhere in the summary or elsewhere that there's a sapphic romance at the core of the novel. It's still primarily a fantasy novel, with plenty of slash and stab adventures & sparkle and bang magic to fulfill all your fantasy adventure desires. But it's also a tender coming of age story about learning who to trust and who to fight for when you've been raised to believe a fight is all you're good for. It's about defying & subverting expectations by being true to the person you discover along the adventure of your life. I really loved this book & highly recommend it for fans of Gideon the Ninth! The main characters give me Harrow & Gideon energy. 

Okay, so brief summary: Csorwe, though she's only 14, is a clergy member at the temple of the Unspoken One. As she is poised to sacrifice herself in a religious ritual, she is rescued & smuggled away by Sethennai, a powerful & brilliant mage. Sethennai raises Csorwe to be his weapon, training her to fight, and tasking her with retrieving The Reliquary--an object of extreme power & knowledge. On one of many trips to discover the location of this item, Csorwe meets Struthmili & everything she thought she knew about herself, her job, and her path in life will be called into question when she is faced with a difficult decision: fight for the item she's tasked to recover or save the life of someone for whom she's developing complicated feelings. Again and again, Csorwe will be faced with decisions that alter her fate & lead her down paths she never expected to return. What is at the end of her story? I guess you'll have to read it to find out!

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
More...