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A review by barb4ry1
Sunbolt by Intisar Khanani
3.0
Actual rating: 3.5/5
While YA books aren't usually my first choice I tend to read them from time to time. It's good to juggle between the genres not to get stuck in one of them.
Sunbolt is a short and well-written book. I'll emphasize short - it's impressive that the author has managed to contain a lot of action and drama in a book under 200 pages. The story doesn't need to have 1000 pages to engage the reader and introduce him to the lore. It's good to know there are authors who appreciate words and use them in an efficient and skillful way.
Fantasy genre often revolves around coming of age arcs and that's precisely what we get in Sunbolt. Hitomi was orphaned at a young age. Her parents were powerful mages who decided to homeschool her in secret. As a result, Hitomi has learned to hide her magical aptitude. She's part of the Shadow League, an underground movement working to undermine the powerful and corrupt Arch Mage Wilhelm Blackflame.
When the League gets word that Blackflame intends to detain—and execute—a leading political family, Hitomi volunteers to help the family escape. Things go sideways and Hitomi finds herself captured along with her charges. Survival isn't obvious.
I liked her. She's young and naive but also smart, resilient and loyal. She's willing to challenge stereotypes (about race and customs and history). Her growth is believable. Her magic skills are quite interesting and the way she discovers them engaging.
Secondary characters were given the depth they needed to keep me interested in them. Fangs and Breathers are interesting supernatural creatures with some terrifying powers. We don't learn a lot about their motivations or conflicts but what we're shown suffice to hook the reader without slowing down.
The world-building includes magic, supernatural creatures and sort of political landscape. It's nothing new. On the other hand, it's well served and introduced. One cool thing about the book is a fact it doesn't revolve around romance. Actually, there's no romance. Nada. It feels refreshing as many YA books tend to focus on the matters of the heart.
The plot was interesting but doesn't resolve a lot. I'm interested to read the sequel and see where everything goes.
Overall, Sunbolt is an action-packed and well written YA novel. It's not really innovative, it uses tropes but does it in perfectly readable and entertaining way.
While YA books aren't usually my first choice I tend to read them from time to time. It's good to juggle between the genres not to get stuck in one of them.
Sunbolt is a short and well-written book. I'll emphasize short - it's impressive that the author has managed to contain a lot of action and drama in a book under 200 pages. The story doesn't need to have 1000 pages to engage the reader and introduce him to the lore. It's good to know there are authors who appreciate words and use them in an efficient and skillful way.
Fantasy genre often revolves around coming of age arcs and that's precisely what we get in Sunbolt. Hitomi was orphaned at a young age. Her parents were powerful mages who decided to homeschool her in secret. As a result, Hitomi has learned to hide her magical aptitude. She's part of the Shadow League, an underground movement working to undermine the powerful and corrupt Arch Mage Wilhelm Blackflame.
When the League gets word that Blackflame intends to detain—and execute—a leading political family, Hitomi volunteers to help the family escape. Things go sideways and Hitomi finds herself captured along with her charges. Survival isn't obvious.
I liked her. She's young and naive but also smart, resilient and loyal. She's willing to challenge stereotypes (about race and customs and history). Her growth is believable. Her magic skills are quite interesting and the way she discovers them engaging.
Secondary characters were given the depth they needed to keep me interested in them. Fangs and Breathers are interesting supernatural creatures with some terrifying powers. We don't learn a lot about their motivations or conflicts but what we're shown suffice to hook the reader without slowing down.
The world-building includes magic, supernatural creatures and sort of political landscape. It's nothing new. On the other hand, it's well served and introduced. One cool thing about the book is a fact it doesn't revolve around romance. Actually, there's no romance. Nada. It feels refreshing as many YA books tend to focus on the matters of the heart.
The plot was interesting but doesn't resolve a lot. I'm interested to read the sequel and see where everything goes.
Overall, Sunbolt is an action-packed and well written YA novel. It's not really innovative, it uses tropes but does it in perfectly readable and entertaining way.