Unfortunately I did not manage to read this book at the time; and it is no longer a book I'd be interested in reading. Many thanks to the publisher for approving my request, and my apologies for being unable to provide a full review.

This was an amazing debut. Fast paced, well written and very, very unique. I enjoyed the characters the most! Truly wonderful world.

Brilliant. That's how I'd describe this book in one word. One of the better sci-fi/fantasy/world building books that I've read. I loved the lead character Csorwe. Kudos to the author for creating a wonderful character with depth. Even through all the time jumps I never lost the instant connection that I had with Csorwe. And the twist in the end was quite brilliant and one which I never saw coming. Overall a brilliant book and I'll surely be reading the next book in this series to find out where this story goes. Thank you A. K. Larkwood for a wonderful book. And a big thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan, Tor for giving me this book in exchange of my review.

A high fantasy, queer book that was so enjoyable!!

There's so much drama and action and I really liked the characters! So immersive, and it wasn't too heavy on the information dumping, just enough to visualise the scenes. There's gods, deities, multiple universes and great battles! Highly recommend :)

Sorry unfortunately this is a DNF. I did try on many occasions to come back to this but the writing style is just not for me.

Did not rate or mark on Goodreads.

Slow-burn sapphic romance among dead bodies brought back to life, gods in people's heads, and a rather unpleasant rival. Expect some stabbing, some magic, and buckets of world-building.

Unspoken didn't quite live up to the hype, but it was a huge amount of fun built around a number of incredible concepts. I absolutely adored the worldbuilding, and the main character is such a darling. I can't wait for the sequel!

Get ready for some High Fantasy!

This is a huge, massively elaborate book that contains enough world-building for two or three books in one. It’s got the lot: dying planets, priestesses of ominous death cults, assassins and a central LGBT romance. Put simply, what more could you want?

The elaborately-named Csorwe is our heroine, and she’s an orc who is rescued from the afore-mentioned death cult to start a new life as an assassin and assistant to a wizard. Several years later, she gets sucked into the race to find a mysterious artefact with the potential to change worlds.

So, this should basically be a romp. And it is- the imagination on display is awe-inspiring- but the problem is that the book is so long. It could easily have been half the length, and as a result, twice as exciting, because the plot just gets lost in reams and reams of text. As a result, it’s very easy to get bored and let your attention drift- not something you want when you’re reading a book that could be very exciting.

It’s not all bad. The central romance is excellent- there’s palpable chemistry between the characters that leaps from the page- and there’s a great villain who is as compelling as she is nefarious. If only it could be a bit shorter.

Unfortunately, had to DNF early on. The writing didn't grab me and it was a struggle to finish even 100 pages. The story sounds very promising but not the book for me, I guess. It's good to see from other feedbacks that my opinion is not the popular one.

I loved very many things about this. The worldbuilding is impeccable and wonderfully integrated into the main storyline, giving just enough details to make the world(s) believable without overwhelming the narrative. I loved the prose which I found lyrical enough to work for me while being somehow quintessentially “fantasy”. I nearly always love fantasy books dealing with deities and this one was no exception. Set in a multi-world multiverse governed by many different deities, some of these half dead or lost, with many different belief-systems, our focus is Csorwe who was supposed to be a sacrifice to her (creepy and horrifying) god until a visiting wizard rescued her and made her his bodyguard/ assassin/ ward.

I adored this – the book just worked for me in every single way, except for Csorwe who I found indistinct and to be honest, sometimes painfully daft. She kept getting herself into situations that obviously would not work out the way she expected them to and she never seemed to learn. I did really appreciate her rivalry with another of the wizard’s men and their banter was great. I also loved the fraught and complicated relationship she has with her mentor and the way this wrapped up had me glued to the page. I was not so keen on the love story which ultimately kept me from giving this the whole five stars.

My favourite part of this sci-fi/ fantasy hybrid was the underlying mythology and the way in which Larkwood fleshes it out with different deities and their believers; in parts creepy, in parts interesting, always fascinating. There are so many ways in which the story can be developed next and I am excited for most of them. I had such a great time reading it and I am eagerly awaiting the sequel. This is the best high fantasy novel I have read in ages.

Content warning: disfigurement, death, huge serpents, death cults

The Unspoken Name is a book that understands that the way to my heart is to add as many unhinged immortal beings as you can possibly fit into a book. It has so many and I'm in love with each and every one of them

This is a difficult book to review, because I often didn't want to pick it up when I was in the middle of it, but now that I've finished it, I like it more the more I think about it. What I struggled with the most was the pacing, which is... strange. To make an example, there's a time jump of several years when you're 30% into the story, and several parts of the book feel more like a climax than the actual climax. However, I never want to give a lower rating to a book for taking a risk when it comes to structure; I think more books should try that! The issues are mostly on me for reading during exam season, something I should have avoided.

There's something here that took me by surprise in a way that hasn't happened in a very long time, but did that happen because I was often too tired to pay attention while reading this? I don't know. I feel like I'm not doing this book justice, and I also feel like it would be really interesting to reread, so I should definitely do that someday.
But, even if it weren't for that, the surprising thing is exactly the kind of development that made me fall in love with The Unspoken Name, so I guess that in the end it doesn't matter too much. I'm just here for how dramatic this novel knows how to become. And it's a funny book in which the sense of humor works for me!

The Unspoken Name is a story about Csorwe, an Oshaaru (basically an orc! She even has tusks and I think that's great) Chosen Bride who escapes being sacrificed to the god of her world, the Unspoken. What follows is a story about faith and loyalty and the breaking thereof, and about finding yourself outside of the shadow of gods.
I really liked how the romance fit into this: Csorwe and Shuthmili - who is by the way as cute as she's terrifying - find common ground because they're both girls who are dealing with the repercussion of being raised in and escaping a cult that would see them, though in different ways, as sacrifices.

There's also a lot to say about the side characters. Oranna and Sethennai stole the show half of the time, but it's very difficult to get a hold on who they really are, because what Csorwe says about them in her narration doesn't necessarily match what the book shows. It makes for some interesting dissonance, and also makes you understand a lot more about Csorwe herself. Anyway, Oranna and Sethennai were probably my favorite characters in the book purely for how unnecessarily dramatic they were, and the whole situation was a trainwreck. Then there's Tal, who seems from reviews to be a reader's favorite, but to be honest I kind of... forgot he existed a lot of the time. I don't really know why, given that he's also very dramatic. Not horrible enough, probably! I liked reading how his dynamic with Csorwe developed through the story, however.

The only true negative for me was the atmosphere, or how surprisingly weak it was. This is a space portal fantasy with terrifying divinities and cults, which has so much potential as a setting - and I loved it for that! More books that understand how the distinction between fantasy and sci-fi is made up and unnecessary - but I don't think it fully went there. Maybe Csorwe is the wrong character to have that kind of descriptions? I don't know. Once we were out of the House of Silence I often couldn't get a sense of setting, with few exceptions.

I feel The Unspoken Name tries to pull itself in too may directions at once: it makes the novel feel cluttered and extremely difficult to follow. I struggled in the opening chapters where so much seemed to be happening with little explanation leaving me feeling confused, but I held out in hopes of having my questions answered. Unfortunately, this moment never came, and I had to just put the book down for a while to try and make sense of everything. Or even just something.

I really, really do wish I had managed to love this novel but I just couldn't. It might have been the earc format and I might have progressed further with an actual physical copy but it was far too much hard work to plough through this book. It had amazing potential but it felt like I was physically fighting with the book to understand every sentence. I definitely think this will appeal to a lot of readers but unfortunately it didn't work for me.

For Csorwe, life has always supposed to end at age fourteen, when she will be sacrificed to the Gods. It’s a great honour amongst Orcs, but Csorwe is lamenting the loss of the life she’ll never have, the world she’ll never see, the person she’ll never become. So when a powerful mage offers her a deal – her life in exchange for servitude as an apprentice, Csorwe jumps at the chance to change her destiny, regardless of the danger that may lay ahead.

The premise for this was incredibly intriguing – a lesbian orc main character is not the ‘norm’ among fantasy books, and I went into this with high expectations that it would be something incredibly unique and different. I will say that the slow burn romance is great, with a gradual build-up of emotions and a connection that feels believable and utterly charming. The pair have an obvious chemistry that spills from the page effortlessly.
However, I felt that beyond this I really struggled with the plot and pacing. The start is incredibly slow as we’re introduced to a world and magical system that is brimming with different creatures and locations and various other intricacies. It was largely overwhelming, with so many different complicated names to remember. It felt like the author had perhaps bitten off a bit more than they could handle, resulting in a large cast of characters and a world that feels a little too out of control and not fully described – resulting in a plot that meanders and isn’t really explained properly. We skim from one place to another without really going into any great depths about any of them, and form no connections to anything or anyone.

The story itself is also split into four distinct sections, marked by a passage of time. This further slows the plot to the point where we miss what could have otherwise been an exciting scene as Csorwe begins her assassin training and pick up again when this is learnt. The author misses the opportunity to allow the reader to bond with Csorwe as she grows through her training. There’s also a lot of telling and not enough showing, which results in little to no connection with the characters. The four sections also don’t necessarily mesh well together either, with the later sections having a very distinct and different tone to the early part of the story. It begins to feels almost like two separate books – and perhaps it should have been, as this feels overly long.

An interesting idea, but I somehow feel that the author took too much on to really accomplish what they wanted from this. The idea is there, but the execution is a little lacking.

This is a debut diverse fantasy with f/f romantic elements which I mostly enjoyed and had no major issues with it other than the pace being rather slow at the beginning. It's an engaging, complicated story involving death cults and sacrifices, all-powerful gods and magicians.
The story has a slower start, descriptive, understated, very much reflective of who Csowre was at that time. As the story progresses we see her grow up, completely transform herself and through trial and error become her own person. I loved seeing her complicated relationship with her mentor and saviour and master. Csorwe and her friend/enemy Tal also had a turbulent relationship which brought forth major life-altering decisions for both of them.

Csorwe was given a second chance at life but has actually become a tool for Belthandros Sethennai, with no purpose of her own. And then she had to re-evaluate everything in her life for the second time. She went on to forge a life for herself (and the woman she fell in love with). It's a slow, painful discovery of who you are and what matters for you the most.

The story was casually queer - m/m and f/f relationships were just part of the world, actually of all the different worlds we get to visit in the story.

It’s a debut work of this author and I am looking forward to reading more. I feel the story is opened to sequels and I am here for it.

Orc Csorwe's fate is to die at age fourteen as a sacrifice to the gods. She will never gain her adult tusks. She will never see the world outside of the confines of her silent sanctuary home. She will never find a family to love her. This is her destiny. But destinies can change if a powerful mage deems it so...

A queer orc fantasy story sounded like exactly my sort of book and I am struggling to really understand where it failed to be so. I think my major discontent stemmed from how truly incredible this world was, and how little I understood it all. The foundations were set without them ever seeming to be properly built upon. Elements were introduced that I consistently wanted to explore, but the reader was quickly shuffled off for a cursory exploration of another geographical facet when I would rather have stayed and traversed the current settings. The quick moving travel and events meant I failed to form a connection for place and what occurred there, even if a bond with the characters was built.

Protagonist Csorwe was an interesting individual with a tragic past she escaped from that continued to dog her throughout the book. The reader got to see her grow and cast off the shackles of the silent sacrifice she was meant to be, and to grow into the fierce individual the book closed with. My issues with place was also present here, however. Years passed by between chapters that left me wishing for a better understanding of all that took place between them. To truly love her I wanted to know everything that occurred in her life.

Despite these issues this remained an intriguing read. Mages, gods, and fantastical species are all elements I love inside my fiction and I remain hopeful the next series instalment will provide me with a slower pace in which to explore them.

After I saw a lots of bad reviews, I was a bit sceptical about The unspoken name. But after the first chapter I realised that I didn't know why people didn't enjoy this book because I was falling in love. The book has everything I like: necromancer, death, gods, dark secrets and a lot of action.

The world building is rich and unique. I love the idea of the Maze and how they travel through the gates. The characters are well defined. You can see how the main character grown up from a shy Chosen Bride to a spy and assassin woman who can't take a no.

What I really appreciate is that at the beginning of the book you can find not just the names of the characters and who they are, but even how to pronounce the names. This is really helpful! More authors should do this because I always pronounce the names wrong.

Thank you NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for an honest review.

An enjoyable book and I liked the premise of the different realms. I did find it little slow going at times but overall a good book and I would like to read the next book in the duology.

Tomb raider with magic and death cults. This book had me from page one! I love dark themed books and so when I saw it had a death cult in it. Well I had to read it.

The character are strong and we'll written, the kickass main character drags you long throughout the book and keeps you wanting more.
Can't wait for the next one

3.5 stars. I feel the reason I didn't enjoy this book as much as I could have. This is because for me as the reader I felt removed from the emotional resonance of the characters lives. This book was very hyped and I was excited to see another book like Gideon the Ninth. However, despite the hype, this novel was only okay whereas Muir's books are exceptional.

I did enjoy this novel and I loved the Fantasy tropes and the idea of creating your own choices rather than the following density. As much as I commend Larkwood's creating of the world that her characters inhabit I can't give more than 3.5 stars because I didn't feel emotionally connected to her characters and therefore felt there was a glass pane between me and the action.

Overall an okay novel and if the perspectives are changed to TAL pov I will definitely think about reading book 2 but for now this was an okay stand-alone novel.