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laurajones's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Murder, Self harm, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Cursing
Minor: Alcoholism, Body horror, Confinement, and Vomit
kelseyland's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
5.0
Remarkable world-building + sharp, engaging writing + LGBT rep = the high fantasy novel of my dreams.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Torture, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Confinement, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Child death
invaderday's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
it took me a while to get into this book. it can be a bit dense in places, but eventually i did really get into it and i ended up having a lot of fun, especially with the second half of the book!
i LOVE the gay/lesbian hostility of csorwe and tal. they have such a unique relationship that i really really enjoyed seeing. i love lesbian novels but so many of them tend to ignore or underplay the existence of men (which can be fine! i understand not always wanting to have men in ur escapism) but it was refreshing to see not just a lesbian main character and love interest but a gay man supporting character, and several other gay and bisexual characters of varying importance. it made it a lot more fun for me- some of it was pretty standard fantasy stakes, but the fact that almost every single relevant character was gay just added that extra flavor that i really needed so thank u ak larkwood!!
i LOVE the gay/lesbian hostility of csorwe and tal. they have such a unique relationship that i really really enjoyed seeing. i love lesbian novels but so many of them tend to ignore or underplay the existence of men (which can be fine! i understand not always wanting to have men in ur escapism) but it was refreshing to see not just a lesbian main character and love interest but a gay man supporting character, and several other gay and bisexual characters of varying importance. it made it a lot more fun for me- some of it was pretty standard fantasy stakes, but the fact that almost every single relevant character was gay just added that extra flavor that i really needed so thank u ak larkwood!!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Torture, Self harm, Violence, and Death
Minor: Body horror and Child death
wardenred's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I spent a long time with this book, mostly because I was not in a big reading mood in the last couple of weeks, but also a bit because this wasn't a very easy novel to get into. There were some time skips and structure decisions that I found arguable. However, for the most part I really enjoyed the book. The main character, Csorwe, was an interesting lead who went through considerable growth over the course of the story, and there were plenty of other compelling characters. Where the novel really shines is the setting: a Planescape-reminiscent multiverse with cool magic, gods, wonders, and numerous mysteries to discover. I also really enjoyed seeing so many queer characters just having adventures, their arcs not being all about their queerness.
There are some weak parts where the author quite obviously struggles to find her voice and to choose the right structural frame for all the events, but this kind of thing is something I expect from a debut. Overall, The Unspoken Name is packed with plenty of cool ideas, and I'm curious to see where the series goes next.
There are some weak parts where the author quite obviously struggles to find her voice and to choose the right structural frame for all the events, but this kind of thing is something I expect from a debut. Overall, The Unspoken Name is packed with plenty of cool ideas, and I'm curious to see where the series goes next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Torture, Suicide, and Self harm
cgcunard's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Got this book as a gift from a friend for xmas 2020 - and man, I have good friends! I loved reading this, even though it is not something I think I would have picked up for myself. Most of the critiques or doubts I had about the plot and/or character development in parts 1 and 2 became explicitly addressed as central themes of the text in later parts. I love that it feels like it can stand alone, even as I'm excited to see that there is a sequel in the works!
Larkwood writes beautiful prose, spare when it needs to be and incredibly evocative almost always. The worldbuilding is strong, and is delivered in a way that feels very natural. There are many things that I don't know about how some of the stuff in this world works, yes, but that actually feels realistic in itself--we get as much of an understanding of it as the characters do. It means I know a lot about what people are eating and wearing, and less about the mechanics of the (super incredibly fascinating I'm jealous I didn't think this one up) magical transit system that links a variety of worlds.
Also, it has complex, messy, significant queer relationships (yes, plural!) - which are not even necessarily what the story's about. Or rather, yes, one of them becomes a thing the story is about, but there's no context of homophobia or forbiddenness around it so it's just. A relationship! Almost as though queer people are just. People??? Maybe I've just been reading too much YA lately, but even as a major romance junkie, it was so refreshing to read a fantasy plot where romance was important while also nowhere near all-consuming driver of plot. (I say all this as a queer woman; worth noting the author is as well.)
Larkwood writes beautiful prose, spare when it needs to be and incredibly evocative almost always. The worldbuilding is strong, and is delivered in a way that feels very natural. There are many things that I don't know about how some of the stuff in this world works, yes, but that actually feels realistic in itself--we get as much of an understanding of it as the characters do. It means I know a lot about what people are eating and wearing, and less about the mechanics of the (super incredibly fascinating I'm jealous I didn't think this one up) magical transit system that links a variety of worlds.
Also, it has complex, messy, significant queer relationships (yes, plural!) - which are not even necessarily what the story's about. Or rather, yes, one of them becomes a thing the story is about, but there's no context of homophobia or forbiddenness around it so it's just. A relationship! Almost as though queer people are just. People??? Maybe I've just been reading too much YA lately, but even as a major romance junkie, it was so refreshing to read a fantasy plot where romance was important while also nowhere near all-consuming driver of plot. (I say all this as a queer woman; worth noting the author is as well.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gore, Murder, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
Low-key emotionally manipulative/abusive relationships between minors and non-minors
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