A review by hugseverycat
Sunbolt by Intisar Khanani

4.0

Sunbolt is a quick, fast-paced read, and definitely worth every minute.

It opens in an island market with the main character, Hitomi, already in trouble. Hitomi is fun, clever, and resourceful but is about to get in over her head as a member of a resistance movement against a powerful mage who is consolidating power for some nefarious purpose.

As noted before, this book is short, and fast-paced. It's also very focused; you won't find multiple POVs or grand plots or interweaving story threads in this one. At least not yet; it's the first book in a series. I don't think that this is a drawback though; some stories could stand a little more focus. I would have liked to see more world-building. We get extremely tantalizing glimpses of how magic works and how society is structured, but while it's enough to pique your interest, I didn't think it was enough to make me feel like I want to dive in to the setting and inhabit it. I hope the next one (which I will definitely be reading) gives us some more information about the world Hitomi lives in.

Also, the cover art is beautiful. Wow.