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A review by kmkasiner
The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood
5.0
The Unspoken Name centers on Csorwe, a prophesied sacrificial lamb who rejects her destiny. She runs away with a wizard named Sethennai (who I would describe as a more menacing version of Howl) and becomes his right hand woman(orc).
The first third of the book is about Csorwe meeting Sethennai and training with him, it's slow paced and doesn't spend a lot of time explaining the worldbuilding, but the characters drew me in. In most of this part, Csorwe and Sethennai are traveling through a surreal landscape of teleportation links (I think?) called the Maze. The way this was described was cinematic and fascinating, even though I still have no idea how it really works.
The transition to the second part was jarring because we're suddenly thrown into a time jump and introduced to a bunch of new characters. I'm glad I kept reading, because once I adjusted to the change, the book really picked up. It's a fun adventure with twists and turns along the way. I fell in love with Csorwe and the two other characters, Shuthmili and Tal. None of them are traditionally likeable, honestly, but they're OUR flawed weirdos and they must be protected at all costs. Even though the plot was a little convoluted at times with a barely explained magic system, I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened to everyone. The ending was satisfying but still left it open for the second book, which I ordered at the library immediately!
The first third of the book is about Csorwe meeting Sethennai and training with him, it's slow paced and doesn't spend a lot of time explaining the worldbuilding, but the characters drew me in. In most of this part, Csorwe and Sethennai are traveling through a surreal landscape of teleportation links (I think?) called the Maze. The way this was described was cinematic and fascinating, even though I still have no idea how it really works.
The transition to the second part was jarring because we're suddenly thrown into a time jump and introduced to a bunch of new characters. I'm glad I kept reading, because once I adjusted to the change, the book really picked up. It's a fun adventure with twists and turns along the way. I fell in love with Csorwe and the two other characters, Shuthmili and Tal. None of them are traditionally likeable, honestly, but they're OUR flawed weirdos and they must be protected at all costs. Even though the plot was a little convoluted at times with a barely explained magic system, I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened to everyone. The ending was satisfying but still left it open for the second book, which I ordered at the library immediately!