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3.26 AVERAGE
3.26 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
3.5 ✨
“If anyone can upend a century’s worth of planning, it is Shade Nox.” (For Trigger warnings see the end of review)
Obsidian had me gripped from the first few pages and in due course I devoured it in a day. A great read for fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses
introducing the cast and setting the scene
We follow
Shade Nox - infamous black witch; powerful, daring, desperate, and full of daddy issues
Captain Raiden Mad - morally focused, law abiding, Imperial Emissary, short and similarly riddled with parental issues
Dante Safire - high prince, high power, high risks playboy... seemed somewhat free of daddy issues
And then the backup boys of Petra, Manoli, Cyril, Matteo and Angelo
Obsidian 1
I love this writing style, it felt so easy to immerse myself in Malavita. In a fantasy post apocalyptic-seque world, a devastating war left the land burned by black magic and uninhabitable. Through powerful blood magic the Brotherhood raised Veils which protect the population. Only the morals of the Church and Brotherhood leave a lot to be desired.
With the support of Dante and through Raiden, the empire, Shade hopes to open a new Veil. One that is far from the tainted powered of the Capomagji. One in which the Golondrina, the people who saved her and raised her can live in peace.
My only wish with this book is that we could have seen more of Shades badassery. It felt like every hundred pages she got saved by Raiden. Which I’m not saying in itself is a bad thing, I liked that she wasn’t a “strong independent woman “ ( I.e a man with boobs) but I felt that a) this wasn’t expanded on enough outside of the combat side of things and b) I didn’t feel like there was a full scene where we saw her full power and why she was so feared without her being saved.
I loved the found family aspect between Shade and the Golondrina - especially Cyril. To be honest I love all the drama friendship relationships and arcs. The Romance arcs on the other hand fell slightly flat for me. Too much happened to fast for me to get behind relationships, also a small love triangle makes an appearance and I am really not a fan of that trope.
Overall it’s the writing of this book that I really enjoyed, it was like a perfect combination of pacing, world building and dialog. Completely compatible to binge reading
Trigger warnings:
Self harm and mentions of suicide.
The self harm isn’t exactly self harm, but the magic system is such that wizards cut themselves to release magic.
Suicide is only mentioned once in the book.
Massive thanks to Sarah Daley and Angry Robot Publishing for the opportunity to read this book !
“If anyone can upend a century’s worth of planning, it is Shade Nox.” (For Trigger warnings see the end of review)
Obsidian had me gripped from the first few pages and in due course I devoured it in a day. A great read for fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses
introducing the cast and setting the scene
We follow
Shade Nox - infamous black witch; powerful, daring, desperate, and full of daddy issues
Captain Raiden Mad - morally focused, law abiding, Imperial Emissary, short and similarly riddled with parental issues
Dante Safire - high prince, high power, high risks playboy... seemed somewhat free of daddy issues
And then the backup boys of Petra, Manoli, Cyril, Matteo and Angelo
Obsidian 1
I love this writing style, it felt so easy to immerse myself in Malavita. In a fantasy post apocalyptic-seque world, a devastating war left the land burned by black magic and uninhabitable. Through powerful blood magic the Brotherhood raised Veils which protect the population. Only the morals of the Church and Brotherhood leave a lot to be desired.
With the support of Dante and through Raiden, the empire, Shade hopes to open a new Veil. One that is far from the tainted powered of the Capomagji. One in which the Golondrina, the people who saved her and raised her can live in peace.
My only wish with this book is that we could have seen more of Shades badassery. It felt like every hundred pages she got saved by Raiden. Which I’m not saying in itself is a bad thing, I liked that she wasn’t a “strong independent woman “ ( I.e a man with boobs) but I felt that a) this wasn’t expanded on enough outside of the combat side of things and b) I didn’t feel like there was a full scene where we saw her full power and why she was so feared without her being saved.
I loved the found family aspect between Shade and the Golondrina - especially Cyril. To be honest I love all the drama friendship relationships and arcs. The Romance arcs on the other hand fell slightly flat for me. Too much happened to fast for me to get behind relationships, also a small love triangle makes an appearance and I am really not a fan of that trope.
Overall it’s the writing of this book that I really enjoyed, it was like a perfect combination of pacing, world building and dialog. Completely compatible to binge reading
Trigger warnings:
Self harm and mentions of suicide.
The self harm isn’t exactly self harm, but the magic system is such that wizards cut themselves to release magic.
Suicide is only mentioned once in the book.
Massive thanks to Sarah Daley and Angry Robot Publishing for the opportunity to read this book !
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Would’ve been a better duology. Some really interesting things but didn’t have enough time to develop.
adventurous
tense
This took me three months to slug thru and I’m very confused I think we lost the plot half way thru
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
While this book had a good concept and the ideas were original, it fell short. To start, the third person shifting POV were very difficult to follow especially since I was never sure who was narrating. Again, due to the POV changes, I had difficulty relating to the characters. I felt like they were superficial and not any more than what was given. Also, every male character was obsessed with Shade for not reason other than she was the FMC. There was nothing extraordinary about her; she was basic and unoriginal - a strong female character with a badass streak who will do anything to accomplish her goal to save her family.
Originally posted on Just Geeking by.
Content warnings:
A book promising a strong female character fighting for her people with magic and standing up against a church holding all the power? I certainly couldn’t say no to Obsidian when I read the synopsis, and as I read the book I was drawn into a world of gemstone blades and magic that grew more enticing with every word.
Obsidian promised a daring female heroine, a revolutionary who was fighting for her people; “the only witch in a land of wizards”. It certainly delivers in all those areas. Shade Nox is a fun and interesting character, and it’s easy to see why she inspires people to follow her. She’s not just extremely powerful in blood magic, the type of magic prominent on the Island of Malavita, she stands by people, keeps her word and follows through with her promises. In short, she’s nothing like the Brotherhood, the religious church who holds the monopoly on magical veils that protect most of the land from the blight or the Capomaji, powerful bloodwizard warlords who terrorize and extort the local people.
Of course, opposing both of these powerful forces means that Shade is vulnerable without allies and the blight is growing worse in the Wastes, the area beyond the veils; the place her family calls home. With allies of her choice and allies she has no choice but to accept even though her instincts scream at her, Shade attempts to do something that has not been done in centuries; raise a new veil. Prepared to deal with outrage from the Brotherhood and the lust for power of the City-princes and Capomaji, Shade and her allies are willing to do whatever they need to save lives and topple the powerful hold the brotherhood has on the island. What they find are ancient secrets and treacheries that make it difficult to know who friend from foe.
I found Obsidian to be a fast-paced adventure with interesting characters that drew me in and kept my attention from start to finish. However, it was the magic system and world-building that shined brightest for me. As a pagan who collects crystals and gemstones I was fascinated by the crystal blades that Daley equipped the blood wizards and witch with. To use their blood magic they, obviously, need to shed blood and unlike other fantasy novels their power seems to only come from shedding their own blood. Their skin is adorned with intricate magical tattoos which imbues them with faster healing, so they can open various wounds without worrying about blood loss. To open their wounds and to channel their magic they use gemstone blades.
It is mentioned that the Brotherhood Blademasters do not “yield any stone below emerald”, and that most wizards use rare and precious gems for their blades. Throughout the novel combatants are analysed based on their blades, suggesting that the choice of gemstone is connected to the power of the wizard. Shade wields two obsidian blades, and while they are a common gemstone they are much more powerful. She remarks that this is because it is a newer gemstone, suggesting that Daley has also taken into consideration the way gemstones are formed as well. I found the whole system fascinating, especially as Daley made sure it was a staple of Malavita society. Gemstones and their properties are ingrained in their society and their magic.
I’m not quite sure what stops me from giving Obsidian a higher rating. As I’ve mentioned, it has a brilliant magic system, solid world-building and I enjoyed the plot. I think at the end of the day it just did not have that “wow” factor for me. While I liked Shade, I just liked her. I felt the same about the rest of the characters. I didn’t fall in love with anyone in this book, and if I’m honest, I was a little irritated that it started to turn into a bit of a reverse-harem book. I think if this wasn’t a young adult book, it most certainly would be a reverse-harem book. Other than a few secondary characters Shade is the only female main character throughout the book. She is completely surrounded by men, most of which end up adoring her (I’ll get to this is a moment) and the lack of another female character in the group makes the novel feel very unbalanced.
By the end of the novel three of the male characters are in love with her, and while two of those relationships make sense, one of them came out of absolutely no where. Shade is an openly bisexual woman, and Daley has written her as someone who is independent and open about her relationships. It made sense for her to sleep with one of the men in a moment of emotion, but the sudden attraction to him when she had never even given him the slightest look before? It felt like a bad bit of editing. Suddenly she only has eyes for him, the tension that had been building since the start of the novel is completing forgotten as is the relationship with another character. It felt very wishy-washy.
I’m not sure whether Obsidian is designed to be a stand-alone or the first book of a series. It’s not currently listed as a part of a series and the ending could go either way, which is a positive or a negative depending on how you look at it. It could have been left open on purpose, or it’s supposed to be wrapped up… and it doesn’t feel that way at all. Overall, Obsidian is a fun read and fantasy fans that love interesting magic systems will get a kick out of this one, but personally I think it lost its way a bit towards the end.
For more of my reviews please visit my blog!
Content warnings:
Spoiler
There is a lot of blood and blood-letting due to the nature of the magical system in this book. There are some scenes that have similarities with self-harm and therefore may make some readers feel uncomfortable. This book also includes themes of emotional abuse, and misogyny, and there is a brief mention of suicide ideation.A book promising a strong female character fighting for her people with magic and standing up against a church holding all the power? I certainly couldn’t say no to Obsidian when I read the synopsis, and as I read the book I was drawn into a world of gemstone blades and magic that grew more enticing with every word.
Obsidian promised a daring female heroine, a revolutionary who was fighting for her people; “the only witch in a land of wizards”. It certainly delivers in all those areas. Shade Nox is a fun and interesting character, and it’s easy to see why she inspires people to follow her. She’s not just extremely powerful in blood magic, the type of magic prominent on the Island of Malavita, she stands by people, keeps her word and follows through with her promises. In short, she’s nothing like the Brotherhood, the religious church who holds the monopoly on magical veils that protect most of the land from the blight or the Capomaji, powerful bloodwizard warlords who terrorize and extort the local people.
Of course, opposing both of these powerful forces means that Shade is vulnerable without allies and the blight is growing worse in the Wastes, the area beyond the veils; the place her family calls home. With allies of her choice and allies she has no choice but to accept even though her instincts scream at her, Shade attempts to do something that has not been done in centuries; raise a new veil. Prepared to deal with outrage from the Brotherhood and the lust for power of the City-princes and Capomaji, Shade and her allies are willing to do whatever they need to save lives and topple the powerful hold the brotherhood has on the island. What they find are ancient secrets and treacheries that make it difficult to know who friend from foe.
I found Obsidian to be a fast-paced adventure with interesting characters that drew me in and kept my attention from start to finish. However, it was the magic system and world-building that shined brightest for me. As a pagan who collects crystals and gemstones I was fascinated by the crystal blades that Daley equipped the blood wizards and witch with. To use their blood magic they, obviously, need to shed blood and unlike other fantasy novels their power seems to only come from shedding their own blood. Their skin is adorned with intricate magical tattoos which imbues them with faster healing, so they can open various wounds without worrying about blood loss. To open their wounds and to channel their magic they use gemstone blades.
It is mentioned that the Brotherhood Blademasters do not “yield any stone below emerald”, and that most wizards use rare and precious gems for their blades. Throughout the novel combatants are analysed based on their blades, suggesting that the choice of gemstone is connected to the power of the wizard. Shade wields two obsidian blades, and while they are a common gemstone they are much more powerful. She remarks that this is because it is a newer gemstone, suggesting that Daley has also taken into consideration the way gemstones are formed as well. I found the whole system fascinating, especially as Daley made sure it was a staple of Malavita society. Gemstones and their properties are ingrained in their society and their magic.
I’m not quite sure what stops me from giving Obsidian a higher rating. As I’ve mentioned, it has a brilliant magic system, solid world-building and I enjoyed the plot. I think at the end of the day it just did not have that “wow” factor for me. While I liked Shade, I just liked her. I felt the same about the rest of the characters. I didn’t fall in love with anyone in this book, and if I’m honest, I was a little irritated that it started to turn into a bit of a reverse-harem book. I think if this wasn’t a young adult book, it most certainly would be a reverse-harem book. Other than a few secondary characters Shade is the only female main character throughout the book. She is completely surrounded by men, most of which end up adoring her (I’ll get to this is a moment) and the lack of another female character in the group makes the novel feel very unbalanced.
By the end of the novel three of the male characters are in love with her, and while two of those relationships make sense, one of them came out of absolutely no where. Shade is an openly bisexual woman, and Daley has written her as someone who is independent and open about her relationships. It made sense for her to sleep with one of the men in a moment of emotion, but the sudden attraction to him when she had never even given him the slightest look before? It felt like a bad bit of editing. Suddenly she only has eyes for him, the tension that had been building since the start of the novel is completing forgotten as is the relationship with another character. It felt very wishy-washy.
I’m not sure whether Obsidian is designed to be a stand-alone or the first book of a series. It’s not currently listed as a part of a series and the ending could go either way, which is a positive or a negative depending on how you look at it. It could have been left open on purpose, or it’s supposed to be wrapped up… and it doesn’t feel that way at all. Overall, Obsidian is a fun read and fantasy fans that love interesting magic systems will get a kick out of this one, but personally I think it lost its way a bit towards the end.
For more of my reviews please visit my blog!
Fun, entertaining and easy read! Would have enjoyed more strong women in the plot - it was very male character heavy - and, altho there were LGBTQAI+ elements, the plot would benefit from more. Perhaps a few nonbinary characters if there is a book 2? Overall, enjoyable book.
Falls into the too-common fantasy trope of Very Strong Heroine™️ with zero women friendships, but otherwise, an enjoyable popcorn read