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A review by aforestofbooks
Sunbolt by Intisar Khanani
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
ahhhh another great book by one of the greats 🥺
After reading Shadow Thief, I knew Sunbolt was going to be good, but I had no idea where things were headed.
The world is so expansive and interesting, and while we got a glimpse of it in Shadow Thief, I wasn't expecting to see more of the Eleven Kingdoms so soon. I'm so curious to know if there's a map of this world. You know me and my maps 😂 I wanna see where Hitomi ends up.
Hitomi is a very loveable character you can't help rooting for. She finds her way out of every single mess, and her resourcefulness and ability to think on the spot and not take "no" for an answer makes me love her even more. I wish we got to spend more time with Kenta and the Ghost though, because after reading Shadow Thief, I really loved the dynamic we saw between the the three characters. That being said, I was not a fan of the Ghost sidelining Hitomi on all their missions, even though half the time he meant for her to follow them anyway. In a way, without the Ghost and Kenta, Hitomi was able to have so much more agency throughout this book, and I really liked seeing her problem solve and strategize.
The whole seen with Kol and Alia in the holding cells was absolutely terrifying. First of all, I was not expecting vampires to show up in this book. Secondly, this book is DARK. And intense. And disturbing. But it keeps you on the edge of your seat and makes it very difficult to put it down. I felt like I was watching a scary movie with my hands covering most of my eyes, but in book form. The torture, the murder, the violence...all of it was so engaging, but also absolutely necessary to the plot. I love how Intisar doesn't shy away from stuff like this. We saw it in her Dauntless Path and we see it here too. Both series have very similar vibes, with disappearances and evil mages, and magic that's tied with the environment, but they're also different. I just love the familiarity of it though and if you miss Dauntless Path, the re-release of this series, will definitely be one you'll enjoy.
Anyway, this book took turns I wasn't expecting. Every time I think Hitomi will escape, she doesn't, and I'm literally SO STRESSED for her. But the whole thing with Val...like dsjfskdjfskdfj. I got major Graceling vibes in the last bit of the book and it made me squeal so much. I cannot wait to see what happens in the next book, and while I was thinking of waiting until the re-release, I'm going to read it now and then reread everything when the third book comes out.
I'm so glad I finally got around to reading the Sunbolt Chronicles. I'm honestly disappointed in myself for waiting this long to start them, but if you've been putting it off too, and you're feeling slumpy and want something that'll hold your attention, definitely add this book to your tbr!
After reading Shadow Thief, I knew Sunbolt was going to be good, but I had no idea where things were headed.
The world is so expansive and interesting, and while we got a glimpse of it in Shadow Thief, I wasn't expecting to see more of the Eleven Kingdoms so soon. I'm so curious to know if there's a map of this world. You know me and my maps 😂 I wanna see where Hitomi ends up.
Hitomi is a very loveable character you can't help rooting for. She finds her way out of every single mess, and her resourcefulness and ability to think on the spot and not take "no" for an answer makes me love her even more. I wish we got to spend more time with Kenta and the Ghost though, because after reading Shadow Thief, I really loved the dynamic we saw between the the three characters. That being said, I was not a fan of the Ghost sidelining Hitomi on all their missions, even though half the time he meant for her to follow them anyway. In a way, without the Ghost and Kenta, Hitomi was able to have so much more agency throughout this book, and I really liked seeing her problem solve and strategize.
The whole seen with Kol and Alia in the holding cells was absolutely terrifying. First of all, I was not expecting vampires to show up in this book. Secondly, this book is DARK. And intense. And disturbing. But it keeps you on the edge of your seat and makes it very difficult to put it down. I felt like I was watching a scary movie with my hands covering most of my eyes, but in book form. The torture, the murder, the violence...all of it was so engaging, but also absolutely necessary to the plot. I love how Intisar doesn't shy away from stuff like this. We saw it in her Dauntless Path and we see it here too. Both series have very similar vibes, with disappearances and evil mages, and magic that's tied with the environment, but they're also different. I just love the familiarity of it though and if you miss Dauntless Path, the re-release of this series, will definitely be one you'll enjoy.
Anyway, this book took turns I wasn't expecting. Every time I think Hitomi will escape, she doesn't, and I'm literally SO STRESSED for her. But the whole thing with Val...like dsjfskdjfskdfj. I got major Graceling vibes in the last bit of the book and it made me squeal so much. I cannot wait to see what happens in the next book, and while I was thinking of waiting until the re-release, I'm going to read it now and then reread everything when the third book comes out.
I'm so glad I finally got around to reading the Sunbolt Chronicles. I'm honestly disappointed in myself for waiting this long to start them, but if you've been putting it off too, and you're feeling slumpy and want something that'll hold your attention, definitely add this book to your tbr!