sapphic_book_dragon's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-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
4.0
kissinglilies's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kappareads's review against another edition
3.0
*ARC received from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
TW: blood, fighting/violence, hallucinations,
I feel like I say this at the beginning of every SFF book I've ever read, but this has amazing world building. This universe, all of the cities and worlds, are connected by Gates or portals. These worlds are unique, but would all fall into what you would consider "fantasy" places. Don't expect them to go through a gate and end up on a space station. All Gates lead into the "Maze," this dark, mountainous place where people have access to every Gate. Also, everyone is an orc, which, as someone who has never reads adult fantasy, I've never encountered, but more on that later.
I also really enjoyed that this book had an emphasis on religion, with many of the characters having some connection to a god, none of which were similar to another one.
The story begins when Csorwe is 14 and slated to be sacrificed to an old god for the religion she has always been a part of. She’s offered an out at the last second in the form of a mage offering an apprenticeship and takes it. We follow her as the mage teaches her the finer points of a sword and she becomes his right-hand woman.
I really enjoyed these characters. We really see Csorwe grow and change throughout the book. Other characters were less dynamic or just less interesting to me.
The f/f romance was a subplot that kicked in halfway through the novel, but I really enjoyed it.
Unfortunately, I didn’t feel very connected the story or characters. It may have been in part because I haven’t ever read a fantasy with no humans, but there was just a feeling of being disconnected.
I enjoyed the story and Csorwe, but it didn’t make a big impact on me. I’m sure people who read more adult fantasy will enjoy it more.
TW: blood, fighting/violence, hallucinations,
I feel like I say this at the beginning of every SFF book I've ever read, but this has amazing world building. This universe, all of the cities and worlds, are connected by Gates or portals. These worlds are unique, but would all fall into what you would consider "fantasy" places. Don't expect them to go through a gate and end up on a space station. All Gates lead into the "Maze," this dark, mountainous place where people have access to every Gate. Also, everyone is an orc, which, as someone who has never reads adult fantasy, I've never encountered, but more on that later.
I also really enjoyed that this book had an emphasis on religion, with many of the characters having some connection to a god, none of which were similar to another one.
The story begins when Csorwe is 14 and slated to be sacrificed to an old god for the religion she has always been a part of. She’s offered an out at the last second in the form of a mage offering an apprenticeship and takes it. We follow her as the mage teaches her the finer points of a sword and she becomes his right-hand woman.
I really enjoyed these characters. We really see Csorwe grow and change throughout the book. Other characters were less dynamic or just less interesting to me.
The f/f romance was a subplot that kicked in halfway through the novel, but I really enjoyed it.
Unfortunately, I didn’t feel very connected the story or characters. It may have been in part because I haven’t ever read a fantasy with no humans, but there was just a feeling of being disconnected.
I enjoyed the story and Csorwe, but it didn’t make a big impact on me. I’m sure people who read more adult fantasy will enjoy it more.
dbguide2's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-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
5.0
happytaxday's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-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? No
4.75
Even though parts were violent, I enjoyed the storyline and characters. It kept me engaged to not want to put it down.
annieb123's review against another edition
5.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
The Unspoken Name is the first book in a debut series by A.K. Larkwood. Released 11th Feb 2020 by Macmillan on their Tor imprint, it's 464 pages and available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
Occasionally (but distressingly rarely) a new (to me) author comes along in one of my favorite genres and really blows me away. This is one such happy occasion. This combines epic fantasy, incredibly detailed world building that feels real down to details of social convention and interaction, elements of the best SF, a female protagonist who isn't supergirl and too utterly perfect, overarching themes of honor, building a life which defies external expectations, and does so without feeling like a mash of a million unrelated threads trying to be everything to everyone. I also appreciate that this book didn't devolve into a romance, that Csorwe (the young female orc protagonist) was more realistically rendered (apart from being a badass assassin) than a lot of super-protagonists. Early on in the book, she's being taught languages by a succession of tutors and really does grumble like a kid being forced to do unwanted homework.
The plot is wonderfully rich and detailed, the narrative arc is beautifully engineered and for a book of nearly 500 pages, it moves along at a good clip. I never felt that the story dragged or lost my interest. In fact, I stayed up way too late on a couple occasions reading and almost missed my bus stop on my morning commute because I was so absorbed in the story.
I heartily recommend this author and this debut unreservedly. Five stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
The Unspoken Name is the first book in a debut series by A.K. Larkwood. Released 11th Feb 2020 by Macmillan on their Tor imprint, it's 464 pages and available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
Occasionally (but distressingly rarely) a new (to me) author comes along in one of my favorite genres and really blows me away. This is one such happy occasion. This combines epic fantasy, incredibly detailed world building that feels real down to details of social convention and interaction, elements of the best SF, a female protagonist who isn't supergirl and too utterly perfect, overarching themes of honor, building a life which defies external expectations, and does so without feeling like a mash of a million unrelated threads trying to be everything to everyone. I also appreciate that this book didn't devolve into a romance, that Csorwe (the young female orc protagonist) was more realistically rendered (apart from being a badass assassin) than a lot of super-protagonists. Early on in the book, she's being taught languages by a succession of tutors and really does grumble like a kid being forced to do unwanted homework.
The plot is wonderfully rich and detailed, the narrative arc is beautifully engineered and for a book of nearly 500 pages, it moves along at a good clip. I never felt that the story dragged or lost my interest. In fact, I stayed up way too late on a couple occasions reading and almost missed my bus stop on my morning commute because I was so absorbed in the story.
I heartily recommend this author and this debut unreservedly. Five stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
starrygal's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
slow-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
4.0
An enjoyable read. The characters were all fleshed out and believable, and I enjoyed the world they were placed in. Probably my favorite aspect of the worldbuilding were all the gods and their desires - the author wasn't afraid to get weird with it. That said, the pacing left something to be desired, and the ending could've been stronger.
thetainaship's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
enbyglitch's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing! Went in expecting another Baru Cormorant for whatever reason, but ended up finding a mix of Dark Materials and Locked Tomb.
Love how gay this book is, and how it introduces orc- and elf-like fantasy races in fun ways while never(!!) depicting a hint of homophobia or racism. Should be a simple idea, but still impressed to see this executed so well.
Enjoyed the world quite a bit, though I find it very hard to grasp its size. Could see Thousand Eyes and Unspoken being two gods among a few, or two among thousands still and not sure which way the narrative is leaning. But to be fair this issue was certainly also present in both series I mentioned earlier, so not a dealbreaker.
Excited to see where things go in the sequel!
Love how gay this book is, and how it introduces orc- and elf-like fantasy races in fun ways while never(!!) depicting a hint of homophobia or racism. Should be a simple idea, but still impressed to see this executed so well.
Enjoyed the world quite a bit, though I find it very hard to grasp its size. Could see Thousand Eyes and Unspoken being two gods among a few, or two among thousands still and not sure which way the narrative is leaning. But to be fair this issue was certainly also present in both series I mentioned earlier, so not a dealbreaker.
Excited to see where things go in the sequel!